Something About 'SpongeBob' Whispers 'Gay' to Many Men

Wall Street Journal ^ | October 8, 2002 | SALLY BEATTY

[gcruse]

He lives in a pineapple under the sea, in a town called Bikini Bottom. His best friend is an exuberant pink starfish named Patrick. His name is SpongeBob SquarePants, the absorbent yellow star of the most highly rated kids show on TV.

[agrace]

What I don't understand is how everytime a cartoon or show is popular with kids, the characters get labeled as gay. It is ridiculous...why can't kids just have fun with something instead of everything being politicized or labeled??

Well said. Christians here too, and we love Spongebob. Well, my husband isn't as into it as the rest of the family - he rolls his eyes at me while I cackle like a fool! But my five year old and I watch it together and my 19 month old says BOB! BOB! when it comes on. :) We've got tshirts (yes, I have one too), plush toys and pencil cases. I think I've seen just about every episode and can't remember ever questioning the sexuality of the characters. Come on, they are a sponge, a starfish, a squid and a lobster. Get real. Besides, Spongebob can't be gay - he took Pearl to the prom! Then again, maybe he was suffering from gender identity confusion, or he was just trying to be nice. ;)

[NoCalEyes]

After reading these posts...
I think I need a Sponge "Bob" Bath~ ~ ~ ~

[Miss Marple]

Because most children don't understand that type of sponge, and besides, it's funny.

You are asking for realism in a cartoon which has a squid which plays the clarinet and a plankton who runs a restaurant called the Chum Bucket?

[ArneFufkin]

Gay or hetero, SpongeBob doesn't look like he carries much in the way of mating payload.

[SunnyUsa]

you've got issues !

Did you ever watch Sponge Bob or are you just believing what this article says?

sponge bob is just funny, I know alot of teens like it too besides little kids and their parents.....

It's a goof and you laugh at it because he's so nutty!

he also has a great work ethic, and actually has a conscious if he lies or does something wrong etc....so if anything it teaches kids something of value while they laugh....

[Miss Marple]

You didn't read my reply above. I am hurt.

As I said, SpongeBob reproduces by budding. He is neither gay nor hetero.

[Hemingway's Ghost]

Also, SpongeBob is asexual.

So said the Smiths' Morrissey. You can draw your own conclusions as to what that proclamation means!

[southern rock]

This is part of the left's 'we're smarter than you' mantra, and it's just so much Barbra Streisand. Fond a straigh person who cares that Betty Boop has been hijacked by the gay community. Who cares? Siezing an accepted cultural icon to deflect scrutiny from oneself would seem to me to be some sort of pathology, the work of a person utterly devoid of their own persona.

Well, I'm no psycologist, but it is pretty obvious to me that homosexual men identify themselves with women, yet they hate women at the same time. Therefore they choose icons that are cariactures of women with whom to identify.

They like the Powerpuff Girls and Betty Boop as cartoons. They like Barbra Streisand, Liza Manelli, Dolly Parton as entertainers (I suppose because they are somewhat fake looking and easy to dress up as for Haloween).They like old "Wonder Woman", "Charlie's Angels" and "Golden Girls" re-runs.

I don't fully understand why, but who can get into a sick mind anyway. Who wants to?

[martin_fierro]

Spongebob isn't gay yell leading is gay.

I agree. Can I break the news to Trent Lott? <|:)~

[general_re]

Ah, I forgot how busy you are these days. It's probably not worth it anyway - you could surely do it, but admitting to people that your doctoral thesis was a deconstruction of Spongebob would be a lot like showing off a gold medal from the Special Olympics ;)

[agrace]

Now that would hardly be as funny, would it? :) What's REALLY funny is when they show non-cartoon shots of sponges and starfish (among other things). Like the episode where Spongebob and Patrick first meet Sandy. Being a squirrel, she lives in an air bubble, complete with tree, butterflies, grass etc. Not wanting to insult their new friend, they refrain from telling her that they need water to breathe and suffer through air for as long as possible. At one point, we see a shriveled up starfish and a completely dried up kitchen sponge sitting side by side with dramatic music to enhance the point.

Probably had to be there...

[Junior]

In a statement, Ellen Lewis, a spokeswoman for Sesame Street, adds that Bert and Ernie "do not portray a gay couple, and there are no plans for them to do so in the future. They are puppets, not humans."

I grew up thinking Bert and Ernie were brothers.

[Hildy]

And then, there's this:

[shockjock]

[justshutupandtakeit]

Guess what? Tweety is GAY! And Olive Oyl is a lesbo.

[ArneFufkin]

It sounds like a fun show. I like the Chum reference, that's how I label the Chili concoction I bring to NFL Playoff parties.

The amazing truth is that antacid-swilling writing and production staffs are sitting around a table debating whether the Squid character is drawing the female toddler demographic they promised to studio brass and advertisers.

[southern rock]

This cartoon character is definately NOT gay:

He's just a bit of a mama's boy, that's all.

[ArneFufkin]

Looking at Bob, the next character introduced to the show should probably be a seaslug who is also an orthodontist.

[BuckeyeForever]

The funniest episode of SpongeBob I have seen has him trying to pass the driving test for his drivers license. If you saw that and didn't think it was funny, then you need YOUR head examined.

By the way, SpongeBob isn't gay. He lusted after a lovely female character, Sandy, in one episode. It was touching.

And before you criticize me for even watching kids' cartoons, I have a three-year-old. You should criticize someone who does NOT check out the cartoons and other shows their kids are watching.

[Corin Stormhands]

Oh for Pete's sake...

They can't have the rainbow...that's God's symbol
They can't have purple...
They can't have the word gay...
And they can't have SpongeBob...

The gay mentality has to see everything as gay to "legitimize" their perversion...