Boy, I say, Boy......!
Posted on 08/26/2003 9:39:07 PM PDT by UnklGene
Wednesday, 9 October, 2002, 15:44 GMT 16:44 UK Camp cartoon star 'is not gay'
SpongeBob SquarePants: A hit with adults and children
The creator of one of the most popular new cartoon characters for years, SpongeBob SquarePants, has rejected claims that his cheerful creation is gay. SpongeBob has become an icon among homosexuals in the United States as well as a huge hit with children, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Who is SpongeBob? A yellow sea sponge whose home is a giant pineapple Lives in Bikini Bottom on the bed of the Pacific Ocean Best friend is pink starfish called Patrick Likes winding up his neighbour, Squidward Tentacles Goes to Mrs Puff's Boating School He holds hands with his pink best friend, lives in an underwater pineapple and gets boating lessons from a teacher called Mrs Puff.
SpongeBob may be "kind of special", but he was not designed to be a gay character, his creator Stephen Hillenburg has told the Wall Street Journal.
The gay community likes the show because it has a tolerant attitude, Mr Hillenburg said.
"Everybody is different, and the show embraces that. The character SpongeBob is an oddball. He's kind of weird, but he's kind of special," he said.
"I always think of them as being somewhat asexual."
The US religious right said Tinky Winky was gay
SpongeBob is the latest sensation on children's cable channel Nickelodeon, and was recently voted among the top 10 cartoon characters of all time by fans.
His sexuality has become the biggest talking point since US campaigners claimed handbag-carrying Teletubby Tinky Winky, an import from the UK, was a bad role-model.
SpongeBob's innocent optimism, "soft" personality and bright, camp world have endeared him to gay men, the Journal said.
Adult fans
Nickelodeon says the show is not aimed at a homosexual audience, but it is the channel's most popular show with adult viewers.
It may be designed for children between two and 11, but almost one in four viewers is aged between 18 and 49, the paper says.
It is screened at 2330, and at 2300 on MTV, as well as more child-friendly times.
In the UK, the channel said 40% of the show's one million viewers were over 16.
The Wall Street Journal says part of its reported $500m (£322m) merchandise sales have come from gay men snapping up branded toys, lunch boxes and even thongs.
I don't think any of the Looney Tunes animals wore pants on a regular basis. But Bugs seemed to be in drag quite a bit. By the way.....is Tweety male or female??? My niece insists its a female, but I never thought so.
I never really thought about it before my niece brought it up...Also, the Warner Brothers stores for some reason, always seems to put Tweety on the women's clothing items. Mel Blanc was Tweety's voice though, and I don't think he did the female characters.
Well, and eyes, and a pet snail. It was the creator's comment in an interview that he considered Spongebob "pretty asexual" that was the joke.
From Time magazine, July 20, 1998:
“In the past five years, several movies, plays, tabloid shows and famous cross-dressers like RuPaul have moved from the fringes of gay culture to prime time. Even Teletubbies, a show for toddlers, features Tinky Winky, a boy who carries a red patent-leather purse.”
From People magazine, December 28, 1998:
“Gay men have made the purse-toting Tinky Winky a camp icon.”
From the Washington Post, January 1, 1999:
“Tinky Winky, the gay ‘Telletubby. . .’”
Yep, Time, People and the Washington Post. All those Religious Right fronts.
Boy, I say, Boy......!
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