SpongeBob SquarePants Creator is Dead

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SUMMARY

Stephen Hillenburg, the creator of SpongeBob SquarePants, passed away at the age of 57 due to ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis). His background in marine biology significantly influenced the show's unique underwater setting and scientific twists, particularly evident in the first season. The series is renowned for its clever humor, unexpected plot developments, and memorable elements such as the theme song and the fictional location of Bikini Bottom. Hillenburg's work has left a lasting impact on animation and children's programming.

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BillTre
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Stephen Hillenburg, the creator of SpongeBob SquarePants has died of ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis or Lou Gehrig's disease). He was 57.
Why post about him here you might ask:
He was trained to some extent in marine biology.
Also,
Almost everything about SpongBob SquarePants (at least the first season, which I watched with my son) is based on a twisting of scientific reality and expectations, such as rivers and beaches under the ocean.
I especially like the underwater anchor aero(hydro?)dynamics of the anchor toss contest.

Also many funny names (such as they live in Bikini Bottom) and a great theme song.
 
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As I first watched it, I thought it was a show for kids. However, this changed to quite the opposite. There are so many crazy things going on, that the question must be allowed: What did they smoke? It's full of unexpected turns and subtle, i.e. hidden jokes. The only thing I wished they had less are the close-ups, especially Patrick's.
 
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Here is a NY Times obituary on Hillenburg.