The Special Atmosphere Of Early SpongeBob
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- Опубліковано 9 лют 2025
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The old spongebob had a less saturated and colorful artstyle, but not in a way that made it feel boring, instead it is somewhat calming to the eye
I always thought the atmosphere looked "washed out", which makes sense since it's UNDERWATER.
When everything is overly-saturated, the art and writing of the show lose their impact. Old SpongeBob knew how to make moments count without shoving it down your throat
So I'm not the only one who thinks Season 1's faded look gives it a nostalgic and cozy atmosphere?
Yeah it's nostalgic and calming
@@314rft its not 'nostalgic' it just has amazing art direction. and the purely hand drawn backgrounds and animation look a trillion times better than digital animation ever can be., you can tell time and care was put into it
The earlier seasons felt like the show took place UNDERWATER. The less saturated colors, the ambient aquatic sounds, the nautical jargon, etc.
this was exactly what i was gonna say
but if they're underwater how could they have a f-
AND THE WATER RIPPLES!
Season 3 had saturated colors though
At least they seemed to keep the barnacle joke throughout the whole show.
Season 1 always had a vibe like the characters were up earlier than anyone else. It always has this crack of dawn 6:30 am look..
This exactly
I’ve been awake at sunrise now because I love the peaceful atmosphere of it, and this is exactly how Early Spongebob feels.
Even though seasons 2 and 3 were probably better comedy and more consistent quality, I feel partial to season 1 because of this. It feels so peaceful and calm, and the music usage is at its best imo. Granted, part of this was just because they hadn’t established many characters and many episodes just centered around SpongeBob, Patrick, Squidward, Sandy, and Mr. Krabs, but still
It felt like something like Crash Bandicoot 2 from PS1 days vibe like waking up early in the morning just to play it
That calm ukulele music everyone recognizes as SpongeBob or his neighbors are just minding their business during the beginning of an episode always weirdly set the stage. Like it’s a just a normal day and something happens that spirals into the wacky adventure of the day. It just made it feel like a world they actually lived in rather than the episode being one long punchline.
Patrick’s eyes not being completely open is SLEPT ON. He looks so chill and it just makes me relax
hes zooted
he’s off that seaweed
he's stoned all the time 🍃😂
I miss season 1 Patrick. He was always never smart, but he was more sympathetically dumb. He didn’t come across infantile but more just the epitome of someone who had been literally “living under a rock” his whole life. He didn’t know basic things, but he wasn’t infantile in season 1. I also always enjoyed how SpongeBob almost looked up to Patrick in season 1 because SpongeBob was pure naïveté and just didn’t realize Patrick wasn’t as smart as he made himself out to be. It made their friendship seem more genuine. Patrick looked up to SpongeBob to help him with basic tasks (like blowing bubbles), whereas SpongeBob looked up to Patrick for confidence and social stuff (such as getting SpongeBob the Krusty Krab job and how to impress Sandy). Their friendship seemed more beneficial.
he was fried, the entire show back in season 1 reminds me of being high ngl
I feel like something that really gets overlooked is the flower clouds. Just them alone can really set a mood.
Exactly this. I was about to comment that myself. What's so great about the flower clouds is that they're totally abstract. They're a bit different from the muffler houses, or the Krusty Krab being a crab trap, where the details were conceived based on plausible/logical ideas about the ocean and thus contribute to the worldbuilding - for the flower clouds, it's an idea that isn't rooted on anything real that exists in the ocean, just something inserted in an unassuming place for the sole purpose of eliciting the luau atmosphere. Something inserted for atmosphere and atmosphere only, how cool!
I've always felt that that is such a creative and unique idea and that we kinda take it for granted. Like now we all know Spongebob has flower clouds, lives in a pinneable, cars are boats. But someone had to come up with that
They were always my favorite
I thought they were boat turbine is it not@@Joe_Yacketori
@SheoGotSomeCheese Eh I'm not so sure about that theory. They never spin, they appear stretched and distorted in some episodes, and they don't bear a similarity in the same way the houses resemble mufflers, so it wouldn't be a consistent use of real-world items.
Ever notice how the earlier seasons often had water-swooshing sound effects, bubbles floating upwards, and even light refracting off of the surface of the water? I haven't seen much of the newer seasons, but from what little I have seen I feel like they don't do that as much as they used to. It doesn't feel like its underwater at all.
I forget they're underwater sometimes not gonna lie with the newer SpongeBob lol
and more bubble transistions
The light reflections on the seafloor make such a difference without you noticing. They really did gave their all back in the day!
Makes me happy reading a comment like this because it’s _exactly_ what I noticed as well and made me equally wonder how many noticed too.
As a kid I always loved trying to see when the bubbles would appear when the characters would rapidly move around, it was so pleasing to me
This version of Bikini Bottom really feels like a place you could explore. I like that later episodes make it more of a big city with all kinds of different locations, but in season 1 it's like a quiet little town underwater that you could just walk around in at your leisure. I also love the houses that are sometimes visible in the background, like the undersea creatures just started building homes out of sunken debris and a town naturally formed around it.
yeah the muffler houses and random rocks in the background are a lot of fun
I completely agree.
Modern one is a continuously changing layout full of denizens with continuous brain degradation. Not even Sandy is safe from this effect.
700th like
@ajflink which is weird because they turned her into some crazy smart scientist, yet she feels way dumber than her former brash redneck personality
Even individual episodes have their own musical identity. Episodes like Pizza Delivery, Squidward the Unfriendly Ghost, SB-129 etc have a musical character all of their own.
Old Spongebob is great
Don’t forget band geeks
Or Pickles
I think Patrick’s character peaked in Season 1. He was naive like spongebob but pretended to be intelligent to help spongebob being someone for spongebob to look up to and also being supportive of spongebob. After Season 1 he just kinda became the dumb friend of spongebob and was only a source of comedy and not much else.
That’s true, I never thought about that. Like the episode where Patrick found out SpongeBob has so many trophies and he realizes he isn’t as talented as SpongeBob
"you mean she.. puts on airs?"
He became so mean in later seasons too
Seriously season 1? He peaked?
What I realized when I rewatched season 1 some weeks ago was that Patrick had a bad influence on Spongebob in this season. He often talks Spongebob down into things he knew wasn't good but then went on and did it anyway. Like when he was sick and was about went to the doctor. Then Patrick showed up and convinced him not to go.
The later seasons Patrick just became his dumb friend but not someone who really dragged him along anymore.
I think the cel animation in season 1 helps the atmophere. The colors are super easy on the eyes, and some of the sfx are actually water-esc, which I really like. Seasons 2 and 3 may also be part of the golden era, but season 1 is different than those two, mainly because of the cel animation.
Season 1 is Underatted through my favorite is Season 3
@@StevenJones851nah season one is da goat
Season 1 just looks cozy, honestly.
@@PeaceUpH-Town Season 1 is great
It's crazy for that reason every because single unique frame of Animation is entirely unique look at old episodes of Fairly OddParents compared to the newer ones
The soft, hazy colors, the upbeat but chill Hawaiian/surfer/sailor music, and those quiet moments where it just lets you soak in the sound and the visuals.
Early Spongebob doesn't feel like a kid's show. It feels like a childhood memory. Where everything as a child felt so big and complicated, Spongebob felt so... simple in my life. It never tried to be this obnoxious, loud, eye-catching kids cartoon like so many others try to be. It just had this power to take you in for 30 minutes and 2 episodes, I just can't put it into words.
Exactly, kinda makes me emotional
They even used old western music and everything. Great music
The simple yet sharp writing and the immersively marine art and sound direction carry early spongebob.
The word “carry” implies that it’s otherwise lacking. It’s really not. It’s pretty damn good
That, and the stories felt more natural instead of trying too hard to innovate with new ideas, aswell as the overuse of shock humor. This usually happens with long running series in general though. Family Guy and Simpsons are great examples of that
The world feels so melancholic, it’s beautiful but the music and everything makes it feel like it’s from so long ago so there will never be a chance to explore this world with the endless mysterious pipe houses in the horizon. But within the eeriness they carved out a place of zen. It captures the feeling of being a child. It’s exactly the same with the old Simpsons and Homers soft voice and more heartfelt plot.
"But within the eeriness they carved out a place of zen" this is such a great way of describing it! You really start to think about what's out there beyond this "zen". Is there anything? Was there ever anything? Was there a zen just like this one, but it was so long ago that we never got to experience it?
You hit the nail right on the head there about the two shows!
I find the old simpsons' episodes, those "more heartfelt" incredibly cheesy and cringeworthy. I may be a cynical, cold pos but I can't stand when a show like simpsons tried to be "heartfelt" and emotional.
i think you mean bittersweet, not melancholic.
i often see people use the two exchangeably, but melancholy is strictly negative (and very much so), despite what many seem to think.
@@Iumine Maybe for you melancholy is "strictly" negative. Emotions aren't inherently good or bad, they just have a purpose, and no one can impose their own connotation of emotions to others. Like saying what is good or bad art.
Something people dont acknowledge is the fact that Tom Kennedy’s vocal inflection and range change drastically. A huge part of SpongeBob’s charm is his voice and how it moved from a childlike naivety to an ear screeching annoyance effortlessly. He was able to lift jokes above the mediocrity.
Hearing his voice now is just sad. That show needs to end already
Tom Kenny is a gift to us all
@@candicehoneycutt4318did you know he died?
@@lindboknifeandtoolTom Kenny is not dead lol. Stephen Hillenberg died years ago though.
3:43 "It's a giraffe" That still surprised a laugh out of me. Amazing writing back in the day
The show peaked in season 3. My parents used to always say enjoy being a kid while you can, I understand that now. I miss it.
I am 55 and I still love watching SpongeBob, either by myself or with my nephew. I enjoy being an adult much more than being a kid, winning!
Yeah same for me. As a kid I always wanted to do grown up stuff like having a job and a place of my own. My father said I should be happy to be a kid while I still am, how right he was… Now I would do anything to turn back time
@@jonass961 me too.
@@Torgo1969have you ever read the C S Lewis quote about fairy tales and childishness?
@@seronymus I think so. Something about how kids are so concerned about acting like an adult, but once one is truly an adult and has nothing left to prove, then one should be secure enough to act like a child once in a while. It's a great quote and I agree absolutely.
Season 1 had a calming easy vibe to it, the original creators were working on it, the charecters had legit personalities and not carictures of each other
Season 1 episodes felt like grounded casual events the characters living their daily lives. The backgrounds and coloring really added to the immersion.
Def it was much more slice of life and comedic compared to modern SpongeBob where it feels like a regular show episode without the regular part and a tinge of gross factor and weird faces for no reason.
@@okluminous566current SpongeBob has guys from Ren and Stimpy in charge, that’s why it’s always going for gross out and cringe now
@@bradysmith4405I think gross out was used well in the old seasons, even up to 7
"atmosphere" is the word that "vibe" always wanted to be. just sayin
"foood, waterrr, atmosphere..."
atmosphere is what is around you, like how a place can have a certain atmosphere, but vibe is the feeling inside you. Like a cozy atmosphere at a place can give you comfy vibes.
Uhhh no
@@LucyKosaki vibe is just a cringe overused word
@@LucyKosaki Comfy vibes is just comfortable vibrations which sounds stupid. The thing others are complaining about here is the usage of youth-slang in this kind of debate.
Nighttime in early seasons is so pretty. That blue tinge of everything is so cool. The show is beautoful
Early Spongebob is a 90’s Nick cartoon. It was quite a remarkable era. You could say it’s an entirely different show.
Nick blew up in 1991 with Ren & Stimpy (another gorgeous looking, game changing cartoon) and wrapped up the nineties with SpongeBob. It was like the ultimate cherry on top of an incredible decade of animation.
Season 1 - 3 and the first movie is some of the best cartoons ever made in the history of the world. What a time to be alive. Spongebob will forever be up there with the likes of Loney Tunes, Mickey Mouse, etc.
And s4. But because of a handful of bad episode you like to ruin the fun for everyone else and make the first 3 seasons exclusive
@@7Kazi7
you're literally running your own fun. go ahead, watch s4. no one is stopping you.
@@7Kazi7
If you truly love something, randos saying stuff online shouldn't change anything
@@reddodeado you're right, thank you. *but* I'm talking about other people, who are put of from watching it because of what they read, they don't know any better, imagine what they miss out on because of some rando, u get what I mean?
Imo s4 definitely has good episodes but I once wanted to rewatch all of spongebob and watched s1-s3 and then the movie, and when I started watching s4 I just couldn't keep watching because of how different he sounds, I know it's the same actor but he really changed the voice he did for spongebob so much that it almost irritates me and I can't watch it @7Kazi7
Every frame could be a painting.
every frame is a painting lol
Even the smear frames?
thats what those backgrounds are to be fair
Back then a lot of them were
Goated ex-youtube channel
It really did just feel... cozy and more slow paced. Like you're on a tropical vacation. The new episodes just feel too fast-paced, as if they don't keep shooting something energetic every second they're worried they'll lose kids' attention.
It has this nice mellow feeling & also feels like it's actually under water
The hand drawn animation and low saturation is a huge reason also, helped sleeping through an episode. These new Animated shows are too bright that your eyes hurt.
I like the way sponge could be annoyed with people in the first seasons. It seems like he’s only the cause of annoyance in later seasons.
Idk how to explain it but early Spongebob made the underwater feel warm
For all its wacky scenarios, season 1 was deeply committed to portraying everyday life. There was a groundedness in the characters and their interactions you don't see in most kids' shows, and they were always entirely themselves - they hardly ever turned into cartoon caricatures for the sake of forcing a gag. (Granted, there were some weird moments like Patrick's outburst in the Valentine's day episode, but those were rare.) Seasons 2 and 3 refined the characterization and dialogue to give the show more energy, and that was for the better. But Season 1 has a distinct leisurely atmosphere that will always make it special.
The fact that we can identify which screencap is from which episode alone is a testament to how unique each one is..
..Was
The hand drawn aspect of it really made it feel palpable and personal. I have never seen another cartoon that makes me feel this way. The entire season is insanely relaxed as well, it just feels "right". This season also gives off a "warm" and "fuzzy" feeling, most likely brought upon by the slight imperfections of the hand drawn art. Also the backgrounds themselves are just beautiful and look very natural considering they're under water. I can't help but also feel a bittersweet feeling when looking at these season 1 episodes, not because of it being a bygone era, but because of something I cannot describe. It almost feels like you're watching the lives of people in a place that is no longer.
Also a bit off topic, but living on a street with literally only your friends was a childhood dream and it definitely stemmed from Spongebob for me.
Beautifully said.
To me, SpongeBob ended at the first movie. It was a nice closer and everything after it, I just don’t acknowledge it
And that was 20 years ago already. Seriously, for how long are they gonna keep milking this show?
That's actually when it was supposed to end.
Thats a good point actually, because that movie still felt like Spongebob. I remember watching it in 2007 with my sister at my grandma's home on these bigger TVs, and at night they would only show like episodes from season 1-3 with no order, so I never saw them chronologically. That movie would have been a good end 😂 I rewatched the complete show in 2013 up until season 5 I think.
Season 4 was great too imo
100% I always say after that movie something was off.
Early Spongebob is iconic. Everything from the art style, the humor, and the writing is what makes those early seasons one of the greatest in animation history.
Season 1 feels so warm and comforting because it’s all made, paint to paper.
I also like that a lot of spongebob's world is painted or drawn, by hand. A lot of modern spongebob is done so digitally that it doesn't feel like it was made by hand at all.
S1 was super relaxing. Just a chill show to put on after a long day of elementary school
FOOOOOD, WAAATER, ATMOSPHEEEEERE.
2:45 one main difference is that the old show committed much more heavily to the underwater feel. Bubbles everywhere, bubbles produced by certain movements, reflections of the surface on the ground, on rocks on other shots. They also acted more like normal people. The music was very expressive and themed. It had charm. The new stuff is oversaturated, overdesigned, animations and expressions are annoying, voice acting is highly exaggerated and over the top, characters act differently than before and lost their identity/charm or became very simplified versions of themselves. Like Patrick and Sandy had a lot to them before. Now they are just the dumb one and the science one. The new show is a nematode leeching off the success and love of the original Hillenburg era.
spongebob used to feel like a world you could go to. you could imagine being in it and drifting off into it. now it feels like a cartoon.
I always felt like the first season has this post war middle of nowhere vibes. Kind of like a fallout ocean floor with radiation sea creatures vibe mixed as a kids show and the calming music was perfect. Like a slightly lonely haunted show but it’s not. The episode where they are stuck at the bottom of the ocean in the dark will always be one of my favorites cause it’s so creepy.
A wasteland but still felt like home
The liminal quality of early SpongeBob is my favorite thing about it
I think the show has the perfect amount of detail in emptiness. It’s the epitome of simplistic beauty.
those sunset scenes are gorgeous. its definitely something we lost when we switched to all-digital production. and there are definitely some beautiful digital cartoons nowadays, adventure time's later seasons come to mind, but nothing comes close to that comfy cozy hand-painted look. the colors are just incredible.
Rather than depressive, I’d say the first season of SpongeBob gives off a melancholy vibe, at least for me because even though it makes me sad, it does so in sort of a beautiful, comforting way. All in all, I love watching people talk about SpongeBob and its unique atmosphere. Keep it up!
Very underrated channel. Yes. Season 1 has such a calm and peaceful vibe.The Hawaiian music, the hand painted backgrounds, everyone in BB lived their lives at their own pace. I'm a woman in my mid twenties and whenever I have a depressing or stressful day I like to watch some old episodes from early seasons. I like to imagine I'm just chilling in some comfy place in BB, drinking cold lemonade and watching the sunset. Btw sorry for my English if something, it's not my first language lol
Edit: Oh and yes! Bikini Bottom at night just hits different. Like you want to take a relaxing walk in the neighborhood. Its so quiet and empty. I also like early mornings/sunrises in old SpongeBob. They look very refreshing and it feels like you just woke up from a very good sleep and go to prepare breakfast and brew a cup of coffee
Spongebob had such a historical fall off. It's going to be studied
At this point, it's up there with Family Guy and The Simpsons in terms of enjoyment.
@@jrt2792 you must hate family guy🤣
@@jrt2792 atleast Simpsons is somewhat true to itself, Family guy is not
@@Bread-nx9fo You know what? I agree, Family Guy is just pitiful.
Didn't the original writers quit after the movie? That's pretty much where the downfall started. The movie and Season 4 were the last really great moments.
I really like how rough the original seasons looked. Like it never needed to be perfect, it’s not that kind of show. The imperfect outlines of the houses adds to how casual it’s supposed to be at the core
Exactly! When it comes to art and being creative and whatnot there is no boundaries and things dont need to be perfect, as they can be however we want them to be. Art isnt ment to be perfect its just supposed to be simply art and thats something old SpongeBob and old cartoons in general all capture because they were all hand drawn with imperfections and those imperfections are often what makes things more unique and well kinda perfect. Perfection is different to everyone of course as everyone has their own idea of perfect but being flawed and having lines that are slightly crooked or circles that arent all the same shape or size makes things more unique as art should be. This new SpongeBob cant capture that vibe because its more digital based and tech is always trying to be absolutely perfect which is not what art is supposed to be. Its not about perfect straight lines or brightly colored everything in fact shading and imperfect lines are better as it gives it more style to the art when everythings perfect and the same it gets kinda boring. With the low saturation and color kinda sucked out and stuff of the older version it gives off a more underwater vibe because the ocean especially the further down you go its darker and kinda muddy whereas new SpongeBob is too bright and hes too straight for a sponge most og sponges that people like clean dishes with are slightly curvy and wonky and he looked more like a sponge that was wrung out but new spongebob is very bright and perfectly straightened and rectangular that he looks like those more modern brightly colored sponges they have now with yellow in the front and green on back when technically spongebob is supposed to be an older typa sponge with the holes in it not a modern one so it makes no sense art wise. Hand drawn art is always better than digital as its much more real and raw and natural then anything a computer can do which is practically nothing. 😅
You didn’t mention that season 1 is the only cell animated season it’s beautiful hand drawn animation and real colored backgrounds and colors makes the feeling what it is
its almost the exact same feeling you get from those liminal space photos from abandoned malls! how they look like you've been there before, and now they're frozen in time.
You’re not off, this is a great summary of how I feel too. Season 1 was unique and different.
Season 1 SpongeBob felt empty and slightly depressing, but for some reason that made it peaceful and calming.
I know this is going to be buried in the comment section, but nevertheless..
From an artistic standpoint, many of the older images are framed in a way where they demonstrate a sense of spatial depth. If you look at shots from season 1-3, any of them are drawn from an aspect where the angularity, dimension, and size of the characters matched the level we are viewing them from. Think of Spongebob emerging after eating the onion sundae.
You can tell many of the newer season's shots lack that sort of depth, almost on par with the family guy style of animation. This is definitely an outcome of conducting the entire show through a digital format.
Just from this thought alone, you can figure out how much dedication and vision original staff put into the making their show. Not only did they accomplish writing great comedy, but they also made sure the great visuals complemented the comedy as well.
Yeah, good point.
Yeah first 4 seasons of family guy were absolutely unbelievable
Cookie cutter is what I'd call it nowadays
It’s crazy how a show as a kid can shape your entire video of what’s comfortable and safe
The thing I love about Season 1 is that the show had that 90s nicktoons vibe and look just like CatDog and Rocko's Modern Life. And if I’m not mistaken this was the last 90s Nicktoons. But since Season 2 was probably produced between late 1999 and 2000 they most likely decided to move on from the esthetic slowly making SpongeBob stand out as a cartoon from the 2000s
It's a bygone era of Y2K aesthetics (future is chrome) and pre massive internet usage that resulted in instant communication. Basically, with a lack of instant response, toward their actions people were more comfortable staying true to themselves whether they were being right or wrong.
What?
Wow thats really old view of future. Nice take btw
Really good point!
I remember one day watching the famous "chocolate" episode when my mom and teenage sister were in the room and at one point hearing them actually laugh at what was happening on screen. I dont know what that made me so happy, but it did, and I still remember it.
old spongebob just has this feeling and i really miss it, personally i think spongebob had the best feel in season 2 - 3
i thought you were finished. welcome back
same, I thought maybe he got bored of spongebob
It feels so cosy, like you're a kid staying up watching it kate at night, about to fall asleep because its so soothing.
I haven't seen any episodes past season 8, afaik. But i imagine the modern seasons are like a fever dream, uncomfortable and uncanny.
seasons 1-3 are the best hands down and the only ones i can bare to watch now as an adult
The whole season one aesthetic makes me feel very cozy. Like i could spend an hour just staring at the screenshot. Now that's genuine art.
TAKE ME BACK YES TAKE ME BACK. THIS IS WHAT I REMEMBER GROWING UP.
1:15 what your trying to say it has that aesthetic vibe of looking into a fish tank as a child ❤
Old Spongebob had a relaxing vacation vibe to it. With the colours and the music it just all blended together so well. It really made you feel relaxed and welcome.
The ‘camera’ angle also makes a significant impact on viewers’ feelings here! In particular, the views of Conch St. during transitions are often far back, with a ton of background visible, making the houses look small.
This style highlights the emptiness of the area, focusing on only the three characters in that bubble.
I think it’s a lost art for animators and writers alike. I’d love to see a unified, renewed artistic direction for all of the show which utilizes these elements for a more relaxed, canonical atmosphere 🫧😄
I think that it had that 90s kind of societal vibe about it too that we just don’t have anymore and I don’t think we can replicate it.
As great as new animation is there's something truly special about old school animation, the grainy look in old school animation is nice and not over saturated as well as the animation styles being hand drawn allow more creativity and movement with characters as opposed to computer animation which makes it more stiff and more lifeless; a prime example of this is The Simpsons where they lost a lot of their charm in the show when the animation styles changed (they didn't want to change by the way but had no choice).
There's video comparisons on here of the intro which really showcases this.
Old school animation in general is so much better, even going back to the 40's with the early Goofy cartoons, Donald Duck etc.. to The Flintstones in the 60's they're so much better.
The Asterix movies such as "The Twelve Tasks of Asterix" (if you haven't seen this this is a MUST watch, it's amazing!!) also have this where it's really special.
Also animation such as Wallace and Gromit for example in the late 80's just feels so much warmer and comforting to watch with that old school authentic style and grainy look it tends to have.
Don't get me wrong, new animation is great and they've done a really good job with it but you can't beat old school hand drawn animation; it's just so much better, warmer and authentic.
Just my opinion of course 😊🙏🏼
I love how your video reflects the season itself. Good writing and nice background music.
the show really had nautical roots in the early seasons like you can see that this is a society of fish living on the seafloor, its not busy, or have alot of architecture or bright colors.
its simple, calm, and most importantly, it conveys a lived in aquatic world
and the fish puns and even the designs of certain characters homes were all made with the idea that these are just fish living in our world, taking real world fishing equipment and turning it into furniture etc.
all that is missing from spongebob in favor of more relevant humor to appeal to kids.
but what made spongebob was that its nautical roots were all there, the inspiration hillenburg had with Jean-Michel Cousteau, all of it is there, and given the same care.
you could look at actual fish and see the inspirations used for spongebob and that made the show all the more charming, and could even bring someone to appreciate aquatic life in a way they hadnt before.
The type of episode that is most nostalgic for me is early episodes that take place in the Krusty Krab and don’t have a very adventurous story just a day in a life at the krusty krab with SpongeBob and Squidward with plankton in there too.
I feel you - there's a moody calmness radiating from early spongebob imagery - it's eery but soothing.
Damn - the ending has me needing to go for a walk.
This is such a good video, but it’s hard to watch without crying from missing my childhood.
It’s the 90s Nicktoon vibe that started with Ren and Stimpy and can be seen in Rugrats and everything else from that decade. SpongeBob started with that and then developed, basically invented the 2000s era cartoon vibe starting in season 2 that every show took from then on.
I’ve talked about this in reference to media. Atmosphere can really change the feeling of something and make it more or less attractive depending on one’s tastes. I haven’t watched any new SpongeBob episodes in years, but from what I’ve seen online, the major thing that turns me off (and I know I might be beating a dead horse here but) is just how bombastic and wacky late Season 9 onwards is compared to previous seasons (especially season 1). Like how much everything is constantly animated and exaggerated and just super bright and colorful from the movements to the sound effects to the designs, the expressions and everything. It feels more like a complete slapstick now that’s more focused on being wacky when the previous seasons were more simplistic, mellow and down to earth with the-as others have put it-less saturated colors, the ambient aquatic sounds, the Hawaiian music, etc. It truly does feel like two completely different shows.
Bro finally uploaded 💀
shut up
Funfact: He has a new channel about Ren and Stimpy now, named Ren and Stimpy Recap
I love this video because it summarizes the reason why season 1 is my favorite season and why I love it so much.
The vibe was amazing, the jokes were more like subtle jabs rather than hilarious jokes, the art style was at its peak and honestly makes even the weaker episodes very good, and again just the vibe is so chill with everyone just hanging out.
9:32 the reason this episode don't have dialogue because the episode was so short, and saving the budget as well, paying the Voice actor was so expresive back in earlier day of spongebob
This is why money is important
I often used SpongeBob’s old seasons as a way to lull my adult mind to sleep in college😅
I was 5 when SpongeBob came out. I used to measure time in SpongeBob time slots. I knew that 1 hour was 2 SpongeBob time slots on tv
The early seasons were extremely cathartic, the episode where Garry gets lost in the city is a perfect example. It was and still is one of my favorite episodes because of how well the writers tried to tap into the emotions of the audience.
It seems as though the writing in later seasons was purely focused on targeting laughs instead of trying to make the audience "feel" the atmosphere of the episodes.
Old SpongeBob made me feel. Like I was at home in a small town, knowing everybody, despite not knowing anybody 😂
the art for the old episodes had so much soul in them. the art for the newer ones look bleached and empty
Its impossible to describe the feeling. I think it gives such a strong impression simply because its great art. Art in pure form; not yet compromised by whats expected from a cartoon stylisticly.
Once you parallel nukes and SpongeBob suddenly everything in the show makes a lot more sense. And I do mean everything.
The first seasons almost feel like a classic sitcom, like Seinfeld or Friends. It's very character driven instead of relying on cheap gags. The plots were simpler too and somewhat more grounded.
the original creator worked on season 1-3, believing that what he had been wanting to do with the story was finished, there was no need to keep going for him. you can clearly feel the change after s3
3:49 True spongephrenia, is having played the caveman bowling flash game so much as a kid, Patricks laugh.webm file is saved in your memory
Early SpongeBob also had a more cynical, edgy humor similar to Ren & Stimpy. The way some fish would get super angry & crash out, SpongeBob even had a more edgy adult-like side to him, he’d often yell obscenities like “tarter sauce, fish sticks & fish paste!” He was portrayed more as a young adult. In later seasons, he’s more childish & goofy like a kid. As for the imagery, the less-saturated colors was more soothing to look at. Easy on the eyes. The lines were soft and blurry versus sharp. The underwater ripple effect on the ground/houses added realism. The art style was hand drawn (which I prefer) vs computer animated. 🤷🏻♂️
I feel this same way with hey Arnold early season the artstyle and Arnold’s personality…. It’s just a vibe
In December of 2024, I decided to rewatch all of the classic SpongeBob era (Seasons 1-3 and the first movie) to celebrate the show’s 25th anniversary and the movie’s 20th anniversary, as well as to count down to 2025. While Season 2 may have been my favorite of the 3 seasons, Season 1 definitely had a special vibe. After all, it was the only season to use cel animation. As a 26-year-old, it was an amazing nostalgia trip.
Funny you should mention being nostalgic for whatever season you grew up with because I grew up watching the Dark Age (seasons 6-8) and I am infinitely more positive about seasons 1-3, plus the good episodes of seasons 4 and 5
Good lesson that nostalgia only takes you so far. If you're nostalgic for garbage your brain at least recognizes it's garbage while retaining those good feelings. Nostalgia merely numbs the bad and emphasizing the good. If there's too much bad morphine can only hide so much pain before it's useless.
I’m glad I watched this video and I agree, old SpongeBob is goated not just because if the script but also the art style, music, visual appeal just everything
The dream hopping episode is the pinnacle of SpongeBob night scenes for me, only thing i ever got a similar vibe from is the pajama sam game about the dark
The early days of the show and characters grew up with us. It was a time period we yearn for, nostalgic. We’re now in a time and place which we call adulting. We grew up.
The first season of SpongeBob is the best thing Nickelodeon has done in it's entire history, there will never be another series like it again🏝️🍍🫧
With the sleepy vaguely Hawaiin music constantly playing, the moody screenshots when the beginning credits play, and the lack of extreme detail, it made the earlier Spongebob episodes relaxing. You felt like you were in a sleepy Hawaiian town where nothing happens, where time slows down. This feeling is what I loved most about the earlier episodes. It is the feeling of calm that is most impressive while watching. It is a back to basics way of filming that I really enjoy.
The empty feeling made you feel like you traveled between realms from the ordinary boring realm to a realm of vivid imagination
one of my favorite things in season 1-3 is that echo sound effect they would use, when the character were far away, or yelling really loud from the distance
Dang, another one of your videos exploded! I think the last time I saw this video, I think it had a couple thousand views a few days ago. Now it’s 12 thousand! You have so much potential as a UA-cam!
Hand drawn, hand painted. Human made. It was art.
5:53 is just Jerma's old stream room