I think the source of SpongeBob's humour is classic, and that's always appealing.
I studied marine biology, even taught marine science before I got into animation, so I had an interest in that field and those animals.
I thought, well, what about a show that stars undersea creatures, and some of the ones you rarely see animated. So, from there, I just started drawing different animals in a kind of a setting that was this nautical world. It's not realistic but sort of a fantastic environment.
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 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.
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.
SpongeBob is a kid living an adult life. He has a job. Kids think being a fry cook is a great job.
I never imagined that I'd end up in animation, but marine biology and art collided, and here we are!
In the spring of 1996, I was working for Nickelodeon on a show called 'Rocko's Modern Life,' and I was interested at the time in doing a show about the ocean, an undersea show.