I never really imagined a show about a sponge going past our first season. I thought maybe we'd have a cult following, and we'd be gone after one season.

I was always interested in the ocean and also in art. I had to figure out how to put the two together, but painting fish sounded boring.

I drew these natural sponges for a while and gave them googly eyes, and it didn't come together until I drew a sink sponge one day. I thought, 'This is the guy.' He's the square peg, literally, in this world of animals.

Stephen Hillenburg Quotes