Treats! (SpongeBob SquarePants)
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The eighth season of the American animated television series ''
SpongeBob SquarePants ''SpongeBob SquarePants'' is an American animated television series, animated comedy television series created by marine science educator and animator Stephen Hillenburg for Nickelodeon. It first aired as a sneak peek after the 1999 Kids' C ...
'', created by former
marine biologist Marine biology is the scientific study of the biology of marine life, organisms that inhabit the sea. Given that in biology many phyla, families and genera have some species that live in the sea and others that live on land, marine biology clas ...
and animator
Stephen Hillenburg Stephen McDannell Hillenburg (August 21, 1961 – November 26, 2018) was an American animator, writer, producer, director, voice actor, and marine biology educator. Hillenburg was best known for creating the animated television series ''SpongeBo ...
, originally aired on
Nickelodeon Nickelodeon (nicknamed Nick) is an American pay television channel and the flagship property of the Nickelodeon Group, a sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on April 1, 1979, as the first ca ...
in the United States from March 26, 2011, to November 23, 2012, and contained 26 half-hour episodes, with a miniseries titled SpongeBob's Runaway Roadtrip. The series chronicles the exploits and adventures of the
title character The title character in a narrative work is one who is named or referred to in the title of the work. In a performed work such as a play or film, the performer who plays the title character is said to have the title role of the piëce. The title o ...
and his various friends in the fictional underwater city of Bikini Bottom. The season was
executive produced Executive producer (EP) is one of the top positions in the production of media. Depending on the medium, the executive producer may be concerned with management accounting or associated with legal issues (like copyrights or royalties). In films, ...
by series creator Hillenburg and writer
Paul Tibbitt Paul Harrison Tibbitt IV (born May 13, 1968) is an American animator, writer, and voice actor, best known for his work on the animated series ''SpongeBob SquarePants''. After its creator Stephen Hillenburg resigned in 2004, Tibbitt took his po ...
, who also acted as the
showrunner A showrunner is the top-level executive producer of a television series. The position outranks other creative and management personnel, including episode directors, in contrast to feature films, in which the director has creative control over th ...
. In 2011, '' SpongeBob's Runaway Roadtrip'', an anthology series consisting of five episodes from the season, was launched. The show itself received several recognitions, including the 2011 and
2012 Kids' Choice Awards The 25th Annual Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards was held on March 31, 2012, at 8 p.m. ET in Los Angeles, California, in the United States, where the winners received an orange-colored blimp trophy. Big Help Award winner Taylor Swift received a ...
for Favorite Cartoon. The series was also nominated in various international Kids' Choice Awards ceremonies for the same category. At the
39th Daytime Emmy Awards The 39th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards presented by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS), "recognizes outstanding achievement in all fields of daytime television production and are presented to individuals and programs broadca ...
the show received four nominations—including Outstanding Children's Animated Program, Outstanding Directing in an Animated Program, Outstanding Performer in an Animated Program for
Rodger Bumpass Rodger Bumpass (born November 20, 1951) is an American actor. He is known for his role as Squidward Tentacles on the American animated television series ''SpongeBob SquarePants''. He voices several other characters on the show as well, includi ...
as
Squidward Tentacles Squidward Quincy Tentacles (, ) is a fictional character in Nickelodeon's animated television series ''SpongeBob SquarePants.'' Created and designed by marine biologist and animator Stephen Hillenburg, he is voiced by actor Rodger Bumpass. ...
, and Outstanding Sound Editing -Animation. At the
40th Daytime Emmy Awards The 40th Daytime Emmy Awards, presented by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS), "recognizes outstanding achievement in all fields of daytime television production and are presented to individuals and programs broadcast f ...
, the series was nominated for Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing – Animation. The show won the BAFTA Children's Awards for the International category. The episode "
It's a SpongeBob Christmas! "It's a SpongeBob Christmas!" is the 23rd episode of the SpongeBob SquarePants (season 8), eighth season, and the 175th episode overall of the American animated television program, television series ''SpongeBob SquarePants''. It originally aire ...
" was well received at the
40th Annie Awards The 40th Annual Annie Awards honoring the best in animation of 2012 were held on February 2, 2013 at Royce Hall in Los Angeles, California. Production nominees Nominations announced on December 3, 2012 References External links * * (Spec ...
, being nominated for three categories, including a successful win for Dan Driscoll for the Character Animation in an Animated Television or other Broadcast Venue Production category. In 2012, it was reported that the show was receiving a decline in ratings. ''
The Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' (''WSJ''), also referred to simply as the ''Journal,'' is an American newspaper based in New York City. The newspaper provides extensive coverage of news, especially business and finance. It operates on a subscriptio ...
'' suggested the show's age and oversaturation on the network may be key factors, while its
Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...
streaming deal was also suggested to have contributed to this decline. Netflix's deal with Viacom expired a year after the end of the season, removing shows such as ''SpongeBob'', and ''
Dora the Explorer ''Dora the Explorer'' is an American media franchise centered on an eponymous animated interactive fourth wall children's television series created by Chris Gifford, Valerie Walsh Valdes, and Eric Weiner, and produced by Nickelodeon Animation ...
'', and moved its library to
Amazon.com Amazon.com, Inc., doing business as Amazon, is an American multinational technology company engaged in e-commerce, cloud computing, online advertising, digital streaming, and artificial intelligence. Founded in 1994 by Jeff Bezos in Bellevu ...
, and later
Paramount+ Paramount+ (formerly known as CBS All Access in the United States and 10 All Access in Australia) is an American Video on demand#Subscription models, subscription video on-demand Over-the-top media service, over-the-top Streaming media, stream ...
. Several compilation DVDs that contained episodes from the season were released. The ''SpongeBob SquarePants: The Complete Eighth Season'' DVD was released in region 1 on March 12, 2013, region 2 on October 28, 2013, and region 4 on October 30, 2013.


Production

The season's executive producers were series creator
Stephen Hillenburg Stephen McDannell Hillenburg (August 21, 1961 – November 26, 2018) was an American animator, writer, producer, director, voice actor, and marine biology educator. Hillenburg was best known for creating the animated television series ''SpongeBo ...
and
Paul Tibbitt Paul Harrison Tibbitt IV (born May 13, 1968) is an American animator, writer, and voice actor, best known for his work on the animated series ''SpongeBob SquarePants''. After its creator Stephen Hillenburg resigned in 2004, Tibbitt took his po ...
, who also acted as the series'
showrunner A showrunner is the top-level executive producer of a television series. The position outranks other creative and management personnel, including episode directors, in contrast to feature films, in which the director has creative control over th ...
. On December 15, 2009, Nickelodeon announced that it had picked up ''SpongeBob SquarePants'' for an eighth season, during the year which the show was celebrating its tenth anniversary on television; the
New York Daily News The ''Daily News'' is an American newspaper based in Jersey City, New Jersey. It was founded in 1919 by Joseph Medill Patterson in New York City as the ''Illustrated Daily News''. It was the first U.S. daily printed in Tabloid (newspaper format ...
reported a day before that it was picked up for an additional 26 episodes. The season's episode order would bring the total number of episodes for the series to 178, surpassing ''
Rugrats ''Rugrats'' is an American animated television series created by Arlene Klasky, Gábor Csupó, and Paul Germain for Nickelodeon. The series focuses on a group of toddlers, most prominently Tommy, Chuckie, Phil, and Lil, and their day-to-d ...
'' in episodes. The
season premiere A season premiere is the first episode of a new season of a returning television show. In the United States, many season premieres are aired in the fall time or, for mid-season replacements, either in the spring or late winter. In countries su ...
d with the episodes "A Friendly Game" and "Oral Report" on March 26, 2011. "A Friendly Game" was written by Casey Alexander, Zeus Cervas and
Steven Banks Steven Craig Banks (born November 27, 1954) is an American actor, musician, comedian, and writer of television, plays, books and cartoons, including ''CatDog'', ''Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi'', and ''SpongeBob SquarePants''. Performing In 1987, Banks ...
, with
Tom Yasumi Yoshito "Tom" Yasumi (born August 20, 1965 in Tokyo, Japan) is a Japanese-born American animator and director best known for his work on ''SpongeBob SquarePants'' as well as ''Rocko's Modern Life''. Yasumi was the animation director on ''Spon ...
serving as
animation director An animation director is the director in charge of all aspects of the animation process during the production of an animated or television film, or an animated segment for a live-action film or television show. Alternatively, the animation direct ...
. "Oral Report" was written by Alexander, Cervas and Dani Michaeli, and the animation was directed by
Alan Smart Alan Smart (born October 10, 1963) is a retired animator and an animation director best known for his work as the supervising director on ''SpongeBob SquarePants'', which he has been involved with since the pilot, and as assistant director and l ...
. Animation was handled overseas in
South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and t ...
at
Rough Draft Studios Rough Draft Studios, Inc. is an American animation production studio based in Glendale, California, with a sister studio Rough Draft Korea located in Seoul, South Korea. The studio was founded in Van Nuys, Los Angeles by Gregg Vanzo in 1991. Rou ...
. In 2012, Nickelodeon produced and debuted "
It's a SpongeBob Christmas! "It's a SpongeBob Christmas!" is the 23rd episode of the SpongeBob SquarePants (season 8), eighth season, and the 175th episode overall of the American animated television program, television series ''SpongeBob SquarePants''. It originally aire ...
", the first full-length episode of the series that was produced in
stop motion Stop-motion (also known as stop frame animation) is an animated filmmaking and special effects technique in which objects are physically manipulated in small increments between individually photographed frames so that they will appear to exh ...
animation. Mark Caballero, Seamus Walsh, and Christopher Finnegan of
Screen Novelties Screen Novelties (stylized as SCREEN NOVELTIES) is an American animation studio, specializing in stop motion animation. It was founded by Mark Caballero, Seamus Walsh, and Chris Finnegan. Overview Their work fuses classic cartoon sensibilitie ...
animated it, and Caballero and Walsh also served as its directors. Production on the episode began in October 2011 at
Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
,
California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...
. According to Finnegan, it took about five months to shoot, with a couple of months on either end for
research and development Research and development (R&D or R+D), known in some countries as OKB, experiment and design, is the set of innovative activities undertaken by corporations or governments in developing new services or products. R&D constitutes the first stage ...
and post. Animation directors credited with episodes in the eighth season included Caballero,
Andrew Overtoom John Andrew Overtoom (born May 27, 1962) is an American animation director, writer, photographer, and cinematographer. Recent credits include Nickelodeon’s '' The Patrick Star Show'' as well as the animated feature film '' The SpongeBob Movie ...
,
Alan Smart Alan Smart (born October 10, 1963) is a retired animator and an animation director best known for his work as the supervising director on ''SpongeBob SquarePants'', which he has been involved with since the pilot, and as assistant director and l ...
, Walsh, and
Tom Yasumi Yoshito "Tom" Yasumi (born August 20, 1965 in Tokyo, Japan) is a Japanese-born American animator and director best known for his work on ''SpongeBob SquarePants'' as well as ''Rocko's Modern Life''. Yasumi was the animation director on ''Spon ...
. Episodes were written by a team of writers, which consisted of Alexander, Banks,
Luke Brookshier Brian Darrell "Luke" Brookshier (born August 31, 1971) is an American animator, storyboard artist, screenwriter, and director known for his work on Nickelodeon's ''SpongeBob SquarePants'' and he was nominated for an Emmy Award for "Outstanding A ...
,
Nate Cash Nathan Shawn "Nate" Cash (born March 31, 1976) is an American writer, artist and director. He was born in Utah, and his most well-known works are ''SpongeBob SquarePants'', ''Adventure Time'', and ''Over the Garden Wall''. In addition to that, ...
, Marc Ceccarelli, Cervas, Sean Charmatz, Andrew Goodman, Derek Iversen, Mr. Lawrence, Michaeli,
Richard Pursel Richard Dale Pursel (born September 17, 1964) is an American television writer, screenwriter and storyboard artist. He is known for his work on Nickelodeon's television series ''The Ren & Stimpy Show'' and ''SpongeBob SquarePants''. Career ...
,
Aaron Springer Aaron Springer (born September 5, 1973) is an American cartoonist, animator, artist, writer, director, and voice actor. He is the creator of the Disney XD original series '' Billy Dilley's Super-Duper Subterranean Summer'', in which he voiced th ...
,
Paul Tibbitt Paul Harrison Tibbitt IV (born May 13, 1968) is an American animator, writer, and voice actor, best known for his work on the animated series ''SpongeBob SquarePants''. After its creator Stephen Hillenburg resigned in 2004, Tibbitt took his po ...
, and
Vincent Waller Vincent Paul Waller (born September 30, 1960) is an American animator, storyboard artist, writer, and technical director. He has worked on several animated television shows and movies, the most notable of which being ''The Ren & Stimpy Show'' an ...
. The season was
storyboard A storyboard is a graphic organizer that consists of simple illustrations or images displayed in sequence for the purpose of pre-visualizing a motion picture, animation, motion graphic or interactive media sequence. The storyboarding proce ...
ed by Alexander, Brookshier, Cash, Ceccarelli, Cervas, Charmatz, Springer, and Waller. This is the last season to be produced in
standard definition Standard-definition television (SDTV; also standard definition or SD) is a television system that uses a resolution that is not considered to be either high or enhanced definition. ''Standard'' refers to offering a similar resolution to the ...
.


Cast

The eighth season featured
Tom Kenny Thomas James Kenny (born July 13, 1962) is an American actor and comedian. He has been voicing SpongeBob SquarePants (character), the titular character in ''SpongeBob SquarePants'' and associated media since its debut in 1999. Kenny has voice ...
as the voice of the title character
SpongeBob SquarePants ''SpongeBob SquarePants'' is an American animated television series, animated comedy television series created by marine science educator and animator Stephen Hillenburg for Nickelodeon. It first aired as a sneak peek after the 1999 Kids' C ...
and his pet snail Gary. SpongeBob's best friend, a
starfish Starfish or sea stars are Star polygon, star-shaped echinoderms belonging to the class (biology), class Asteroidea (). Common usage frequently finds these names being also applied to brittle star, ophiuroids, which are correctly referred to ...
named
Patrick Star Patrick Star is a fictional character in Nickelodeon's animated television series ''SpongeBob SquarePants''. He is voiced by actor Bill Fagerbakke and was created and designed by marine biologist and animator Stephen Hillenburg. He first ...
, was voiced by
Bill Fagerbakke William Fagerbakke ( ; born October 4, 1957) is an American actor. He voices Patrick Star in the ''SpongeBob SquarePants'' franchise, and played Michael "Dauber" Dybinski on the sitcom '' Coach''. He also appeared in 12 episodes of the sitcom ' ...
, while
Rodger Bumpass Rodger Bumpass (born November 20, 1951) is an American actor. He is known for his role as Squidward Tentacles on the American animated television series ''SpongeBob SquarePants''. He voices several other characters on the show as well, includi ...
played the voice of
Squidward Tentacles Squidward Quincy Tentacles (, ) is a fictional character in Nickelodeon's animated television series ''SpongeBob SquarePants.'' Created and designed by marine biologist and animator Stephen Hillenburg, he is voiced by actor Rodger Bumpass. ...
, an arrogant and ill-tempered
octopus An octopus (: octopuses or octopodes) is a soft-bodied, eight-limbed mollusc of the order Octopoda (, ). The order consists of some 300 species and is grouped within the class Cephalopoda with squids, cuttlefish, and nautiloids. Like oth ...
. Other members of the cast were
Clancy Brown Clarence James Brown III (born January 5, 1959) is an American actor. Prolific in film and television since the 1980s, Brown is often cast in villainous and authoritative roles. His film roles include Rawhide in ''The Adventures of Buckaroo Ban ...
as
Mr. Krabs Eugene Harold Krabs, better known as simply Mr. Krabs, is a fictional character in Nickelodeon's animated television series ''SpongeBob SquarePants''. He is voiced by actor Clancy Brown and first appeared in the series' pilot episode " Help ...
, a miserly crab obsessed with money who is SpongeBob's boss at the
Krusty Krab The Krusty Krab is a fictional fast food restaurant in the American animated television series ''SpongeBob SquarePants''. In the television show the restaurant is famous for its signature burger, the Krabby Patty, the formula to which is a clo ...
; Mr. Lawrence as
Plankton Plankton are the diverse collection of organisms that drift in Hydrosphere, water (or atmosphere, air) but are unable to actively propel themselves against ocean current, currents (or wind). The individual organisms constituting plankton are ca ...
, a small green
copepod Copepods (; meaning 'oar-feet') are a group of small crustaceans found in nearly every freshwater and saltwater habitat (ecology), habitat. Some species are planktonic (living in the water column), some are benthos, benthic (living on the sedimen ...
and Mr. Krabs' business rival;
Jill Talley Jill Talley is an American actress and comedian. She is a main cast member on the animated series ''SpongeBob SquarePants'', in which she voices Karen Plankton. Her other voice roles include Sarah Dubois on Adult Swim's ''The Boondocks'' and Ri ...
as
Karen Karen may refer to: * Karen (name), a given name and surname * Karen (slang), a term and meme for a demanding white woman displaying certain behaviors People * Karen people, an ethnic group in Myanmar and Thailand * House of Karen, a historic ...
, Plankton's sentient computer sidekick;
Carolyn Lawrence Carolyn Lawrence (born ) is an American actress. She is known for her voice roles on Nickelodeon animated shows, including Sandy Cheeks on ''SpongeBob SquarePants'', Cindy Vortex on ''Jimmy Neutron'', and Mandragora on ''Winx Club'' as well ...
as
Sandy Cheeks Sandy Cheeks is a fictional character in the American animated comedy television series ''SpongeBob SquarePants'' and the Nickelodeon franchise of the same name. She is voiced by Carolyn Lawrence and first appeared in the episode "Tea at the ...
, a squirrel from
Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...
;
Mary Jo Catlett Mary Jo Catlett (born September 2, 1938) is an American actress. She is a main cast member on the animated series ''SpongeBob SquarePants'', providing the voice of Mrs. Puff. She is also known for originating the role of Ernestina in the 1964 Br ...
as
Mrs. Puff Mrs. Penelope "Poppy" Puff is a fictional character in Nickelodeon's animated television series ''SpongeBob SquarePants'' and every film based on the franchise. Voiced by Mary Jo Catlett, Mrs. Puff debuted in the season one episode "Boating Sc ...
, SpongeBob's boating school teacher; and
Lori Alan Lori Alan is an American actress. She has played a long-running role as Pearl Krabs on the animated television series ''SpongeBob SquarePants''. She also voiced Diane Simmons on ''Family Guy'', the Invisible Woman on ''Fantastic Four'', and T ...
as
Pearl A pearl is a hard, glistening object produced within the soft tissue (specifically the mantle (mollusc), mantle) of a living Exoskeleton, shelled mollusk or another animal, such as fossil conulariids. Just like the shell of a mollusk, a pear ...
, a teenage whale who is Mr. Krabs' daughter. In addition to the regular cast members, episodes feature guest voices from many ranges of professions, including actors, musicians, and artists. For instance, in the episode "Ghoul Fools", American actor and comedian
Chris Elliott Christopher Nash Elliott (born May 31, 1960) is an American actor, comedian and writer known for his surreal sense of humor. He was a regular performer on ''Late Night with David Letterman'' while working as a writer there (1983–1988), created ...
guest starred in the episode as Lord Poltergeist, ghost pirate who runs a "haunted house boat."
Ernest Borgnine Ernest Borgnine ( ; born Ermes Effron Borgnino; January 24, 1917 – July 8, 2012) was an American actor whose career spanned over six decades. He was noted for his gruff but relaxed voice and gap-toothed Cheshire Cat grin. A popular perf ...
and
Tim Conway Thomas Daniel "Tim" Conway (December 15, 1933 – May 14, 2019) was an American actor, comedian, writer, and director. Conway is perhaps best known as a regular cast member (1975–1978) on the TV comedy ''The Carol Burnett Show'' where he port ...
returned in the episode "Mermaid Man Begins", reprising their roles as SpongeBob and Patrick's favorite superheroes,
Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy are a duo of fictional characters from the American animated television series, ''SpongeBob SquarePants''. They were respectively voiced by guest stars Ernest Borgnine and Tim Conway, who both previously starred in t ...
, respectively. They reappeared in "Super Evil Aquatic Villain Team Up is Go!", voicing their respective roles. In "Pet Sitter Pat",
Marion Ross Marion Ross (born Marian Eileen Ross; October 25, 1928) is an American actress. Her best-known role is that of Marion Cunningham (Happy Days), Marion Cunningham on the American Broadcasting Company, ABC television sitcom ''Happy Days'', on which ...
voiced her recurring role as Grandma SquarePants, SpongeBob's grandmother. The episode "Pet Sitter Pat" was Marion Ross' last
voice-over Voice-over (also known as off-camera or off-stage commentary) is a production technique used in radio, television, filmmaking, theatre, and other media in which a descriptive or expository voice that is not part of the narrative (i.e., non- ...
work for the series as she had officially retired from acting in 2018.
Brian Doyle-Murray Brian Murray (born October 31, 1945), better known by his stage name Brian Doyle-Murray, is an American actor, comedian and screenwriter. He has appeared with his younger brother, actor/comedian Bill Murray, in several films, including ''Caddy ...
reprised his role as the Flying Dutchman for "Ghoul Fools". In "The Way of the Sponge", comedian
Rich Fulcher Richard Fulcher (born November 18, 1963) is an American comedian, actor and author. He played Bob Fossil and other characters in the British comedy series ''The Mighty Boosh'', and Edward Sheath in the American series ''Jon Benjamin Has a Van''. ...
guest starred as Fuzzy Acorns,
Sandy Sandy may refer to: People and fictional characters *Sandy (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the given name or nickname * Sandy (surname), a list of people * Sandy (Iranian music band), Iranian singer, comp ...
's karate instructor.
John Goodman John Stephen Goodman (born June 20, 1952) is an American actor. He rose to prominence in television before becoming an acclaimed and popular film actor. Goodman has received List of awards and nominations received by John Goodman, various acc ...
guest starred in the special episode "
It's a SpongeBob Christmas! "It's a SpongeBob Christmas!" is the 23rd episode of the SpongeBob SquarePants (season 8), eighth season, and the 175th episode overall of the American animated television program, television series ''SpongeBob SquarePants''. It originally aire ...
" as Santa Claus. In "Hello Bikini Bottom",
Andy Samberg Andy Samberg (born David A. J. Samberg; August 18, 1978) is an American comedian, actor, musician, writer and producer. He is a member of the comedy music group the Lonely Island, along with childhood friends Akiva Schaffer and Jorma Taccone. ...
voiced the character of Colonel Carper, a concert manager who wants to become SpongeBob and Squidward's band manager. Samberg said "I've been a ''SpongeBob'' fan for years, so I was honored to be asked. It's one of the few shows ever that's just as funny for kids as it is for adults."


Reception


Ratings

Compared to the previous years of the show, the eighth season of ''SpongeBob SquarePants'' marked a decline in viewership. In 2012, Nielsen reported that the average number of viewers aged 2 to 11 watching ''SpongeBob'' at any given time dropped 29% in the first quarter from a year earlier.Berr, Jonathan (May 4, 2012)
Viacom should pull the plug on SpongeBob
.''MSN Money''. Retrieved February 3, 2013.
''
Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' (''WSJ''), also referred to simply as the ''Journal,'' is an American newspaper based in New York City. The newspaper provides extensive coverage of news, especially business and finance. It operates on a subscriptio ...
'' business writer John Jannarone suggested that the age of the series and oversaturation of the show may have contributed to the decline, which may also be affecting Nickelodeon's overall ratings, while media analyst Todd Juenger directly attributed the decline in Nickelodeon's ratings to the availability of streaming video content on services like Netflix.
Viacom Viacom, an abbreviation of Video and Audio Communications, may refer to: * Viacom (1952–2005), a former American media conglomerate * Viacom (2005–2019), a former company spun off from the original Viacom * Viacom18, a joint venture between Pa ...
's then-president and CEO
Philippe Dauman Philippe Pierre Dauman (born March 1, 1954) is an American businessman who was president, CEO and chairman of Viacom from September 2006 until May 20, 2016. Dauman was a longtime associate of the company's chairman Sumner Redstone. From 1994 t ...
contradicted the notion, claiming that the media company was getting "nice revenues" from their Netflix deal. A Nickelodeon spokesman similarly denied that ''SpongeBob'' was in any way a problem with the channel's ratings. Dauman blamed the drop on "some ratings systemic issues" at Nielsen, citing extensive set-top-box data that "does in no way reflect" the Nielsen data. Juenger also notes that ''SpongeBob'' could affect the ratings of other Nickelodeon programming because children often change channels to find their favorite program, then stay tuned into that network. On April 22, 2013, Netflix CEO
Reed Hastings Wilmot Reed Hastings Jr. (born October 8, 1960) is an American billionaire businessman. He is the co-founder and chairman of Netflix, Inc., which provides the Netflix streaming service. Hastings serves on a number of boards and works with various ...
announced their intentions not to renew their existing deal with Viacom. Since then, Viacom's deal with Netflix expired, and shows such as ''SpongeBob'' and ''Dora the Explorer'' are not available to stream in the United States. On June 4, 2013, Viacom announced a $200 million multi-year licensing agreement which would move its programs, such as ''SpongeBob'' and ''Dora the Explorer'', to
Amazon.com Amazon.com, Inc., doing business as Amazon, is an American multinational technology company engaged in e-commerce, cloud computing, online advertising, digital streaming, and artificial intelligence. Founded in 1994 by Jeff Bezos in Bellevu ...
.


Reviews and accolades

At the
39th Annie Awards The 39th Annual Annie Awards honoring the best in animation of 2011 were held on February 4, 2012, at Royce Hall in Los Angeles, California. Production nominees Nominations announced on December 5, 2011 Best Animated Feature '' Rango'' - Param ...
, Dani Michaeli, Sean Charmatz, Nate Cash,
Luke Brookshier Brian Darrell "Luke" Brookshier (born August 31, 1971) is an American animator, storyboard artist, screenwriter, and director known for his work on Nickelodeon's ''SpongeBob SquarePants'' and he was nominated for an Emmy Award for "Outstanding A ...
and
Paul Tibbitt Paul Harrison Tibbitt IV (born May 13, 1968) is an American animator, writer, and voice actor, best known for his work on the animated series ''SpongeBob SquarePants''. After its creator Stephen Hillenburg resigned in 2004, Tibbitt took his po ...
were nominated for Best Writing in an Animated Television Production for the episode "Patrick's Staycation". Moreover, directors Mark Caballero and Seamus Walsh also received a nomination at the
40th Annie Awards The 40th Annual Annie Awards honoring the best in animation of 2012 were held on February 2, 2013 at Royce Hall in Los Angeles, California. Production nominees Nominations announced on December 3, 2012 References External links * * (Spec ...
for Directing in an Animated Television or other Broadcast Venue Production for the episode "
It's a SpongeBob Christmas! "It's a SpongeBob Christmas!" is the 23rd episode of the SpongeBob SquarePants (season 8), eighth season, and the 175th episode overall of the American animated television program, television series ''SpongeBob SquarePants''. It originally aire ...
". Nominated for the same episode, Dan Driscoll won the Character Animation in an Animated Television or other Broadcast Venue Production category. Savelen Forrest received the same nomination for his work on the episode, but lost. The episode was also nominated at the 2013 Golden Reel Awards for Best Sound Editing – Sound Effects, Foley, Dialogue and ADR Animation in Television. "It's a SpongeBob Christmas!" was nominated at the
Annecy International Animated Film Festival The Annecy International Animation Film Festival (, officially abbreviated in English as the Annecy Festival, or simply Annecy) was created in 1960 and takes place at the beginning of June in the town of Annecy, France. Initially occurring ever ...
for Special Award for a TV Series. The show itself received several recognition. At the
39th Daytime Emmy Awards The 39th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards presented by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS), "recognizes outstanding achievement in all fields of daytime television production and are presented to individuals and programs broadca ...
the show received four nominations—including Outstanding Children's Animated Program, Outstanding Directing in an Animated Program, Outstanding Performer in an Animated Program for
Rodger Bumpass Rodger Bumpass (born November 20, 1951) is an American actor. He is known for his role as Squidward Tentacles on the American animated television series ''SpongeBob SquarePants''. He voices several other characters on the show as well, includi ...
as
Squidward Tentacles Squidward Quincy Tentacles (, ) is a fictional character in Nickelodeon's animated television series ''SpongeBob SquarePants.'' Created and designed by marine biologist and animator Stephen Hillenburg, he is voiced by actor Rodger Bumpass. ...
, and Outstanding Sound Editing – Animation. At the
40th Daytime Emmy Awards The 40th Daytime Emmy Awards, presented by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS), "recognizes outstanding achievement in all fields of daytime television production and are presented to individuals and programs broadcast f ...
, the series was nominated for Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing – Animation. The show was nominated at the
Producers Guild of America The Producers Guild of America (PGA) is a 501(c)(6) trade association representing the interests Television producer, television producers, Film producer, film producers and emerging media producers in the United States. The PGA's membership inclu ...
for the Children's Program category. At the BAFTA Children's Awards, the show won the International category. At the 2011 and 2012 ASCAP Film and Television Awards, ''SpongeBob SquarePants'' won the Top Television Series category. Furthermore, at the
2011 Kids' Choice Awards The 24th Annual Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards was held on April 2, 2011, at the Galen Center at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, California, US's University Park neighborhood due to renovations disallowing use of tradition ...
, the show won the Favorite Cartoon category. The series also won the succeeding year's Kids' Choice Awards and the 2011 Indonesia Kids' Choice Awards for the same category. ''SpongeBob SquarePants'' also received Favorite Cartoon nominations at the Kids' Choice Awards Argentina 2011 and 2012, and at the 2012
Kids' Choice Awards Mexico The Nickelodeon Kids Choice Awards Mexico is an annual awards show that awards entertainers with a blimp trophy, as voted by children on the Internet. The show is usually held in September and televised days later through Nickelodeon. Hosts ...
. At the
TP de Oro The ''TP de Oro'' were a series of Spanish annual television awards awarded between 1972 and 2011 by ''Teleprograma'' magazine. History Initially baptized as Los mejores de TP (The best of TP), they were called for the first time in 1972, six y ...
, the show won the Best Children and Youth Program category. The season received positive reviews from media critics. In his review for ''
The Boston Globe ''The Boston Globe,'' also known locally as ''the Globe'', is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes. ''The Boston Globe'' is the oldest and largest daily new ...
'', Tom Russo was positive on the season DVD set. Russo praised the episode that "topped the shortlist", "Plankton's Good Eye", writing "the micro-antagonist clones one of SpongeBob's eyeballs for himself, and suddenly develops a more bubbly worldview." Author Richard Reitsma cited a scene in "Squidward's School for Grown-Ups", in which SpongeBob tries to win back Patrick's friendship by dressing as the operatic
Brünnhilde Brunhild, also known as Brunhilda or Brynhild ( , , or ), is a female character from Germanic heroic legend. She may have her origins in the Visigothic princess and queen Brunhilda of Austrasia. In the Norse tradition, Brunhild is a shiel ...
(just as
Bugs Bunny Bugs Bunny is a cartoon character created in the late 1930s at Warner Bros. Cartoons (originally Leon Schlesinger, Leon Schlesinger Productions) and Voice acting, voiced originally by Mel Blanc. Bugs is best known for his featured roles in the ' ...
did in the classic 1957 cartoon '' What's Opera, Doc?''), as an example of the supposed gay subtext in the series, claimed to exist by some critics of the show and denied by its creator.


Episodes

The episodes are ordered below according to Nickelodeon's packaging order, and not their original production or broadcast order.


DVD release

The DVD boxset for season eight was released by
Paramount Home Entertainment Paramount Home Entertainment (formerly Paramount Home Media Distribution, originally Paramount Home Video, and operating as the namesake film studio since 2022) is the home video distribution arm of Paramount Pictures. The division oversees Para ...
and Nickelodeon in the United States and Canada on March 12, 2013, three months after the season had completed broadcast on television. The DVD release features bonus materials, including the animated short "Sandy's Vacation in Ruins."


Notes


References


External links


Season 8
at
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Spongebob Squarepants Season 8 2011 American animated television seasons 2012 American animated television seasons SpongeBob SquarePants seasons