Cartoons are supposed to be absurd and feature fantastic situations that simply wouldn't be possible in the real world, but Nickelodeon in 1999, and has since become the fifth longest-running American animated series and the highest rated series to ever air on the network.
SpongeBob SquarePants follows the lives of the titular character and his friends in the underwater city of Bikini Bottom, with many events and places that mirror real-life, on-the-surface situations and elements, such as Mrs. Puff’s Boating School and The Krusty Krab. The series has also shown SpongeBob and company doing activities that wouldn’t actually be possible given that they live underwater, and while it’s a cartoon and isn’t supposed to make much sense, they have bothered some viewers for years.
Screen Rant’s latest video takes a look at some of the situations in SpongeBob SquarePants where its logic made no sense. SpongeBob and the rest of the citizens of Bikini Bottom have televisions, cars, radios, and a bunch of other electronic devices that don’t seem affected by the water. Money and paper also seem immune to it (unless they’re made of some underwater material that makes them resistant?). But when Patchy the Pirate sent SpongeBob and Patrick an invitation to his party, the ink was washed out, and because it was impossible to read it, SpongeBob decided to throw it to the fire - a bonfire under the water.
Fire is a commonly used element in SpongeBob SquarePants, with SpongeBob and Patrick making campfires, the kitchen at the Krusty Krab burning, or SpongeBob’s house being set on fire - somehow they have been able to work with fire under the sea. Another watery detail that defies logic is SpongeBob and Patrick’s inability to swim, which is strange not only because they are underwater creatures but because they also go on with their daily activities just fine… until they fall into a lake. And these are just a few examples of how the series defies its own logic.
SpongeBob Squarepants has not only built its own underwater world with a number of characters based on real-life sea creatures, but also created its own logic, even if it contradicts itself sometimes. Again, cartoons aren’t meant to make sense and absurdity is what makes them fun, but it’s inevitable to think of these details from time to time, especially when they are so evident, like the puddles or the fires.