On page 42 of the official SpongeBob SquarePants Trivia Book, author David Fain writes:
"SpongeBob was originally named SpongeBoy, but someone was already using that name, so
the 'y' became a 'b'".
Published just one year after the cartoon's 1999 debut on Nickelodeon, this is the earliest
public acknowledgment of SpongeBob's original name.
And it wouldn't take long for Scholastic book fair goers to start asking: who is this 'someone'
the book mentions?
Who is the original SpongeBoy?
A quick Google search may lead you to believe Nickelodeon changed the name after discovering
SpongeBoy was being used by a mop company.
This quote-unquote 'fact' is everywhere.
Blogs, books, biographies, brand accounts.
It's shared so much because it's a fun little story.
But much like Mr. SquarePants, this story has holes.
Dive deep enough, and you'll discover some nautical nonsense.
There is no SpongeBoy mop.
No trademarks.
No copyrights.
No patents.
Nothing.
So, strap in and set your belts to Wumbo, As we explore the mop urban legend, and uncover
the true identity of the original SpongeBoy.
With this mop, I shape my destiny!
As far back as 2003, people were questioning the SpongeBoy name change.
Patent and trademark attorney, Erik Heels, was unable to find a US federal trademark
on 'SpongeBoy'.
And a foreign trademark preventing the greenlight doesn’t make much sense.
SpongeBob is still called 'SpongeBoy' in some regions - like, Iceland.
The only public, US copyright records for SpongeBoy were filed after the turn of the
century.
And when searching US patent records for SpongeBoy, we get nothing but a few false positives.
The Chore Boy Sponge is a hand-held sponge that cleans hard-to-reach surfaces.
Not sponsored.
I could see this being confused for a mop.
Maybe.
And some ads for the Chore Boy are written in such a way that they read 'Sponge Boy'.
Kinda.
Though following that logic, this 1998 advertisement for a 'Sponge Bob' scrub sponge might have
caused Nick to have yet another go at the name.
Okay, we need some context desperately.
First off, we need to prove David Fain’s claim: that SpongeBob was originally named
SpongeBoy.
Well, for starters, he worked on the show season one.
But we can do better!
In 2002, the first SpongeBob DVD released.
Included as a bonus was a behind-the-scene feature with writer and storyboard artist,
Jay Lender.
In the very beginning, SpongeBob was called SpongeBoy.
But I think they found out someone was already using the name.
There was another character named SpongeBoy, so they had to change it to SpongeBob.
And for about a minute and a half, everyone was very upset about that.
Then we realized: SpongeBob is better.
So a character and a product?
We'll keep that in mind.
If we needed any more proof that SpongeBob’s original name was SpongeBoy, we can turn to
creator Stephen Hillenberg’s original pitch bible.
Completed in 1997, ‘SpongeBoy, Ahoy!’ is what Hillenberg first presented to Nickelodeon
when pitching what would ultimately become SpongeBob SquarePants.
This book is full of unseen artwork and prototype story ideas.
Well worth a read; linked in the description.
You may have noticed none of these materials mention the mop.
Well, the mop story is viral, so let's check some websites.
When discussing the mop, The SpongeBob fan wiki cites the Mental Floss article, ‘14
Things You May Not Have Known About SpongeBob SquarePants’.
Coming in at #2 on the list, the mop fact is attributed to a 2009 blog post on neatorama…
Which doesn't have any references.
Not so neat.
Elsewhere on the wiki, you can find the SpongeBoy mop sourced to 'Banks, 2004, page 31'.
This refers to the book, 'SpongeBob Exposed!: The Insider's Guide to SpongeBob SquarePants'.
This... is not a good reference.
The book flat-out doesn't mention the mop.
It simply reiterates what David Fain said in his Trivia Book.
I also checked the 20th-anniversary re-release just in case.
Nothing.
On the other hand, we have the SpongeBob SquarePants Wikipedia article.
It mentions the SpongeBoy mop, referring to a 2006 interview with Tom Kenny, the voice
of the titular character.
Ya know, originally, SpongeBob, when we started to do the seven-minute pilot was back in 1997,
he was originally called SpongeBoy.
After we had recorded the seven-minute pilot with SpongeBoy and everybody calling him SpongeBoy
- and him referring to himself as SpongeBoy - the legal department found out there was
some kind of a product, like a mop or something, and they had to change it.
So SpongeBob was kind of Steve's last-minute fix.
Finally, something of substance and from a primary source.
But fansites and forums were talking about the mop years prior to the interview.
There’s got to be something earlier.
Newspaper archives yield the occasional result for SpongeBoy, but never in the context of
a tangible product.
In 1996, Tampa, Florida saw the theatrical production, ‘Who Soaked Sponge Boy?’
A comedy for all ages, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a review, let alone a synopsis, of
this play.
Time to break out ol' reliable.
The mystical mop is mentioned in the 2004 book, 'The Magic Behind the Voices: A who's
who of cartoon voice actors’.
After they already recorded the pilot, the legal department discovered that there was
a commonly sold floor mop of the same name, and the character was quickly rechristened
with only a slight variation to have as little impact as possible on the production already
in progress.
That text was derived from a 2003 lecture at Harper College, presented by...
Tom Kenny.
Going back further, to May 2002, and I believe I’ve found the earliest recorded mention
of the SpongeBoy mop.
It comes from journalist Mark McGuire’s press release for the then-upcoming SpongeBob
special, Party Pooper Pants.
"Spongebob" -- whose name was changed before its July 1999 debut because there was a mop
named SpongeBoy -- is the top-rated program among youths for Nickelodeon.
If a household cleaning product can become a TV star, then raccoon coats can certainly
make a comeback.
The press release is an interview with - you guessed it - Tom Kenny, the only consistency
in this tangled situation.
If anyone would have more information on the mop, it would be Kenny.
Unfortunately, asking the celebrity about a 25-year-old cleaning product is no easy
task.
No surprises there.
While I couldn't get a response from Kenny, I got the next best thing!
Hey, I doubt it!
Responses from several season 1 crew members!
These guys were working on the show back when it was still named SpongeBoy, Ahoy!
They were able to recall the name change and provided some fun anecdotes.
But whether or not a mop was the catalyst… that’s lost to time.
Enter, Erik Wiese Erik worked on the first 5 seasons of the
SpongeBob SquarePants.
The information he provided blew my other findings out of the water.
I don’t think it was a mop, but I’m not positive about that.
Whatever it was, the legal team didn’t want to take any chances.
It was on the east coast somewhere.
By the way, I distinctly remember the conversation when the legal department told me.
Steve Hillenberg and Derek Drymon invited me to the editing room to see the latest animation.
It wasn’t until I saw the name tag shot where it says "Employee: SpongeBob".
That’s when I asked about the name change and that’s when Steve and Derek told me.
It was meant to be.
It’s so much funnier.
First off, thank you Mr. Wiese!
Second, wow!
Okay, that’s a lot to unpack.
Just goes to show the power of asking questions.
With this fresh perspective and some new terms to Google, like east-coast, I was able to
crack the case surprisingly quickly.
After a few misleads, like this Sponge - Boy Nail File being resold by East Coast Bargains.
But with only a finite number of links to click, it was only a matter of time until
I stumbled upon the real Sponge Boy.
Now, I want to give Tom Kenny and any others the benefit of the doubt.
I don’t think the mop rhetoric was spread with ill intentions.
Chalk it up as misremembering or a legal department red herring.
Or... just an easier-to-explain story.
Because the original SpongeBoy was not a mop...
It was not a cleaning product...
It was...
[Doodlebob noises] A pencil!
In 1992, New Jersey-based pencil manufacturer, PenTech, launched a series of pencils called
‘Cool Art’.
The goal: create something trendy.
Coordinated by legendary illustrator, Lou Brooks, over a dozen artists were brought
on board to design 18 products.
The 11th Cool Art pencil was entitled, SpongeBoy.
The product packaging depicts cartoonist Kevin Pope’s original character about to jump
into a pool.
One can only imagine the hijinx the swimmers are about to--
Hey, wait a second…
we’ve seen this before.
Debuting in a newspaper comic back in 1987, Kevin Pope’s SpongeBoy is, with near-certainty,
the reason SpongeBob’s name is what we know it as today.
While this SpongeBoy wasn’t trademarked, ‘Cool Art’ was.
And one can see why the Nickelodeon legal team wouldn’t want to take their chances
with possible copyright infringement.
This was a real product with a real barcode sold in real stores.
Looks like raccoon coats are not making a comeback.
To conclude this little mystery, I really wanted to get my hands on a SpongeBoy pencil.
But it just wasn’t happening.
These things are hard to come by.
However, I was able to find Cool Art #6, illustrated by John Sayles.
So, meet LeadHead.
A distant cousin of Kevin Pope’s SpongeBoy.
After the Cool Art line of products, PenTech would have a few more good years, securing
sports contracts with the NBA, NFL, and NHL.
Eventually, profits would suffer and PenTech would be acquired by Jakks Pacific in 2000.
They’re still around in some capacity today.
Even coming full circle...
erm, square, releasing official SpongeBob SquarePants pencils.
The PenTech SpongeBoy wasn’t the only SpongeBoy around in 90s America.
There was an experimental musician called SpongeBoy, who would later go on to form Handsom
Rodney, an art rock and noise band.
[loud music]
According to Erik Wiese, the SpongeBoy musician was another reason the Nickelodeon legal department
was apprehensive about using the SpongeBoy name.
But perhaps most notably, and most often cited alongside the mop, there’s the Flaming Carrot:
a superhero created by Bob Burden in 1979.
Having read 5,000 comics in a single sitting to win a bet, a poor man suffered brain damage
and turned into The Flaming Carrot!
This superhero was Burden's blue-collar response to the elitist, perfection-oriented superheroes
of the time.
The Flaming Carrot is mediocre.
The Flaming Carrot... is a carrot.
One of the superhero’s best friends is named Sponge Boy.
Hi, how are ya?
Sponge Boy made his debut in the 1984 anaglyph 3D comic, The Bandit Moons.
My copy didn’t come with the 3D glasses.
Luckily, I had my Spy Kids pair oddly close.
Oh no!
They're back again!
Get under cover!
[quack, quack] Gasp!
The Sky Hook!
Run for it Sponge Boy!
No!
They got Sponge Boy!
I'm coming, Sponge Boy!
Hold on... little buddy!
Ahhhhh!
Give back!
You floating moon goons!
They got him!
...on his birthday too!
What did I tell you about those hooks, boy?
We wouldn’t hear from poor Sponge Boy for three more years.
In a crossover featuring the Flaming Carrot and another famous satirical comic, Cerberus
the Aardvark.
In This Flame, This Carrot, the two find themselves in a tall, dark tower.
The only light source is the carrot’s flaming head.
And now, an abridged reading of Cerebus #104: This Flame, This Carrot.
You're here!
We must hurry now!
It's a long way to the top!
How far is it?
About two hundred and thirty thousand miles...
Whaat?!
It's okay!
We'll take the shortcut.
Short-cut?!
What kind of a...
Shh...
Sigh.
How did you get up here?
Let's just say, I get around!
Onward!
Hold it!
Whoa!
Look!
Cerebus doesn't know who you are.
Cerebus doesn't know what you're doing in the Black Tower.
Tower?!
I thought it was a department store!
Sigh.
Cerebus doesn't care who you are.
Cerebus doesn't care what you're doing in the Black Tower.
And Cerebus can't see a reason Cerebus would need your help...
So...
Hey!
Ahh!
Ugh!
Now you tell me: which way is top and which way is bottom?
See?
You need me... like Skipper needs Gilligan!
Follow closely...
Okay, okay.
So where's this darn shortcut you keep talking about?
We will know it when we see it.
We must not be fooled by side-tunnels pretending to be shortcuts!
They are roads to nowhere!
How can you tell the difference?
There is only one way to...
Weeee!
Look!
It's Sponge Boy!
Sponge Boy?
Sponge Boy here was kidnapped on his birthday by the Bandit Moons!
What were you saying about the shortcut?
Aside from the Bandit Moons, how was your birthday?
It was a most peculiar and incredible adventure.
Something about... side tunnels?
Ut!
Feel that?
Ooo!
We must hold tight now!
Ahhh!
Told you so.
I have to take Sponge Boy back down.
He is too young to return by himself.
What about the...
Wait! Hold tight Sponge Boy!
Wait!
What about the...
Gulp.
Shortcut?
Burden’s Sponge Boy would later appear alongside Bill Clinton in 1997’s Annual #1.
This was released around the time of the SpongeBob name change.
Though, Erik Wiese did not recall The Flaming Carrot coming up in the conversation.
Burden’s Sponge Boy would make his final appearance in 2004.
In a scene too bizarre and amazing to spoil, a photo-realistic Sponge Boy and Flaming Carrot
cross paths.
You can find claims online that Nickelodeon chose ‘SpongeBob’ to pay tribute to Bob
Burden’s SpongeBoy.
But... that's a load of barnacles.
Steven Hillenberg conceptualized Bob the Sponge in his educational comic, The Intertidal Zone,
back in 1984 when he was a marine biologist.
Originally, he was named Sponge Boy.
Y'know, you take an inanimate object, like apple, and you put the word 'boy' on it-Apple
Boy- and it becomes alive...
But Sponge Boy was trademarked by someone.
So I decided on an alternate: SpongeBob, like Billy Bob.
I felt it was important to have his first name be 'Sponge' so that when you look at
him you wouldn't think, 'Cheese Man'.
The children’s TV series has continuously embraced the character’s roots as SpongeBoy
over the past 2 and a half decades.
There’s Mr. Krab’s famous line, Sponge Boy, me Bob!
SpongeBoy is the name of the official SpongeBob title card font,
And you can even spot a picture of Hillenberg’s original SpongeBoy in the third SpongeBob
movie, Sponge on the Run.
If you want to try your hand at locating the SpongeBoy pencil or just discuss the mop situation
in general, I’ve linked a Lost Media Wiki thread in the description.
So, there we have it!
The mop was actually a pencil.
At the end of the day...
does it really make a difference?
Uhhhhhh...
Sure, a pencil may not look anything like a mop.
But tell me...
Does this ice cream look anything like SpongeBob?