Something About 'SpongeBob'
Whispers 'Gay' to Many Men
>SpongeBob SquarePants is the biggest childrens' phenomenon to capture the imagination of gay men since the purple Teletubby named Tinky Winky started carrying a purse.<
By SALLY BEATTY
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.
SpongeBob, which first appeared in July 1999 and currently runs several times daily on Viacom Inc.'s Nickelodeon cable TV channel, is also the biggest childrens' phenomenon to capture the imagination of gay men since the purple Teletubby named Tinky Winky started carrying a purse.
At Roger & Dave, a novelty shop frequented by gay customers in Manhattan's Chelsea neighborhood, SpongeBob plush toys, lunch boxes and key chains are stacked next to X-rated dolls, vintage Wonder Woman figures and Wizard of Oz coffee mugs. Co-owner Roger Roth says SpongeBob is the single most popular property he carries. Pointing to a chunky SpongeBob toy that says "Go SpongeBob, go SpongeBob, go self!" when you squeeze its hand, Mr. Roth says, "I've had to reorder this more times than I can count." In Atlanta, gay men are big buyers of SpongeBob key chains and bobblehead dolls at vintage clothing and gift store Junkyard Daughter, says saleswoman Lael Pastori.
Early in September on NBC's "Late Night With Conan O'Brien," Mr. O'Brien asked Tom Kenny, the comic who is the voice of SpongeBob, to address the "controversy" about one of SpongeBob's pals, a grumpy squid named Squidward who speaks in a voice some find reminiscent of Paul Lynde, the late comic actor who specialized in gay double-entendre on "Hollywood Squares."
"Whether he's intended to be a gay character or not, that's the question people are asking," responded Mr. Kenny. Describing Squidward as a fussbudget who likes bubble bath and classical music, Mr. Kenny ultimately dodged the question. "It's never been addressed by us on the show," he said, adding with a wink that besides, "all the main characters are hiding horrible secrets of their own."
Nickelodeon says SpongeBob is aimed at kids two to 11 years old, and isn't intended to appeal to homosexuals. But it says the show attracts more adults than any other show on its lineup. It has shown episodes as late as 11:30 at night, and Viacom's MTV has run it as late as 11:00 p.m., specifically to reach older viewers. According to Nielsen Media Research, about 22% of "SpongeBob's" regular audience is 18 to 49 years old. The show is creating a merchandising bonanza, with SpongeBob paper towels, macaroni-and-cheese dinners and more.
Gay fans of SpongeBob say they're hooked on SpongeBob's sunny optimism, weird psychedelic world and peculiar humor. "There is this innocence," says Alex Fung, a 37-year-old clothing designer living in New York. "He's not very masculine for a male character. And he's soft."
SpongeBob SquarePants
Image Link
SpongeBob and his pals are part of a long tradition of children's cartoon characters with camp resonance. Scooby Doo's Thelma, the Powerpuff Girls, Peppermint Patty, and even Betty Boop -- all have that certain something. For some gay men, these over-the-top characters are innocent in-jokes borrowed from the mainstream media from right under the noses of clueless straight people.
In January, "Ernest and Bertram," an eight-minute movie about a gay couple based on the "Sesame Street" characters Bert and Ernie, was a hit at the Sundance Film Festival. That prompted Sesame Workshop to send the L.A. filmmaker, Peter Spears, a lawyer's letter asking him to cease and desist showing the film. He complied. 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."
Mr. Fung, the clothing designer, says speculation about the nature of Bert and Ernie's relationship is natural -- just as the talk about SpongeBob and Patrick is. "They're symbolic," says Mr. Fung. "You have two male characters bonding as friends." Growing up gay, he says, "you identify with that."
The show's creator, Stephen Hillenburg, who makes a point of saying at the start of an interview that he isn't gay, says there is no intent to portray SpongeBob or his pals as homosexuals. But Mr. Hillenburg says he understands why many gay people relate to the show. "I do think that the attitude of the show is about tolerance," says Mr. Hillenburg. "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." Although SpongeBob and his pals are all very different from one another, "they get along," says Mr. Hillenburg. "No one is shut out." Says Mr. Hillenburg: "I always think of them as being somewhat asexual."
SpongeBob and Patrick don't live together, but it's not uncommon to see them holding hands. The two hope someday to grow up to be superheroes, and their favorite show is an imaginary TV program called "The Adventures of Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy."
Ryan Breneman, 36, a fan who works in a clothing store on Christopher Street in New York's Greenwich Village, says gay men have good reason to read into mainstream cultural symbols whatever they like. "When you grow up without your own culture, you have to take things from the culture and make them your own," he says.
Mr. Fung says the penchant for reading gay themes into children's cartoons has something to do with growing up gay. "Your family wouldn't let you play with a Barbie doll, and now that you have the means, you go out and buy it for yourself," he says.
Other men say they can relate to the way SpongeBob's sunny attitude often sparks resentment from his fellow underwater creatures. Jot McCloud, a 28-year-old retail consultant, says a good example is the sometimes hostile attitude of Mr. Krabs, the proprietor of the local hangout, the Krusty Krab, toward SpongeBob, who works there as a fry cook. Mr. Krabs "doesn't like to be around SpongeBob because SpongeBob's so flamboyant and outgoing," says Mr. McCloud. The interaction is "like a straight person who for whatever reason is thrown into a situation where they are around a gay person and they don't have that comfort level."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
No comment yet from Rev. Jerry Falwell.
Have any of those of you who watch the show considered this before?
Whispers 'Gay' to Many Men
>SpongeBob SquarePants is the biggest childrens' phenomenon to capture the imagination of gay men since the purple Teletubby named Tinky Winky started carrying a purse.<
By SALLY BEATTY
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.
SpongeBob, which first appeared in July 1999 and currently runs several times daily on Viacom Inc.'s Nickelodeon cable TV channel, is also the biggest childrens' phenomenon to capture the imagination of gay men since the purple Teletubby named Tinky Winky started carrying a purse.
At Roger & Dave, a novelty shop frequented by gay customers in Manhattan's Chelsea neighborhood, SpongeBob plush toys, lunch boxes and key chains are stacked next to X-rated dolls, vintage Wonder Woman figures and Wizard of Oz coffee mugs. Co-owner Roger Roth says SpongeBob is the single most popular property he carries. Pointing to a chunky SpongeBob toy that says "Go SpongeBob, go SpongeBob, go self!" when you squeeze its hand, Mr. Roth says, "I've had to reorder this more times than I can count." In Atlanta, gay men are big buyers of SpongeBob key chains and bobblehead dolls at vintage clothing and gift store Junkyard Daughter, says saleswoman Lael Pastori.
Early in September on NBC's "Late Night With Conan O'Brien," Mr. O'Brien asked Tom Kenny, the comic who is the voice of SpongeBob, to address the "controversy" about one of SpongeBob's pals, a grumpy squid named Squidward who speaks in a voice some find reminiscent of Paul Lynde, the late comic actor who specialized in gay double-entendre on "Hollywood Squares."
"Whether he's intended to be a gay character or not, that's the question people are asking," responded Mr. Kenny. Describing Squidward as a fussbudget who likes bubble bath and classical music, Mr. Kenny ultimately dodged the question. "It's never been addressed by us on the show," he said, adding with a wink that besides, "all the main characters are hiding horrible secrets of their own."
Nickelodeon says SpongeBob is aimed at kids two to 11 years old, and isn't intended to appeal to homosexuals. But it says the show attracts more adults than any other show on its lineup. It has shown episodes as late as 11:30 at night, and Viacom's MTV has run it as late as 11:00 p.m., specifically to reach older viewers. According to Nielsen Media Research, about 22% of "SpongeBob's" regular audience is 18 to 49 years old. The show is creating a merchandising bonanza, with SpongeBob paper towels, macaroni-and-cheese dinners and more.
Gay fans of SpongeBob say they're hooked on SpongeBob's sunny optimism, weird psychedelic world and peculiar humor. "There is this innocence," says Alex Fung, a 37-year-old clothing designer living in New York. "He's not very masculine for a male character. And he's soft."
SpongeBob SquarePants
Image Link
SpongeBob and his pals are part of a long tradition of children's cartoon characters with camp resonance. Scooby Doo's Thelma, the Powerpuff Girls, Peppermint Patty, and even Betty Boop -- all have that certain something. For some gay men, these over-the-top characters are innocent in-jokes borrowed from the mainstream media from right under the noses of clueless straight people.
In January, "Ernest and Bertram," an eight-minute movie about a gay couple based on the "Sesame Street" characters Bert and Ernie, was a hit at the Sundance Film Festival. That prompted Sesame Workshop to send the L.A. filmmaker, Peter Spears, a lawyer's letter asking him to cease and desist showing the film. He complied. 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."
Mr. Fung, the clothing designer, says speculation about the nature of Bert and Ernie's relationship is natural -- just as the talk about SpongeBob and Patrick is. "They're symbolic," says Mr. Fung. "You have two male characters bonding as friends." Growing up gay, he says, "you identify with that."
The show's creator, Stephen Hillenburg, who makes a point of saying at the start of an interview that he isn't gay, says there is no intent to portray SpongeBob or his pals as homosexuals. But Mr. Hillenburg says he understands why many gay people relate to the show. "I do think that the attitude of the show is about tolerance," says Mr. Hillenburg. "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." Although SpongeBob and his pals are all very different from one another, "they get along," says Mr. Hillenburg. "No one is shut out." Says Mr. Hillenburg: "I always think of them as being somewhat asexual."
SpongeBob and Patrick don't live together, but it's not uncommon to see them holding hands. The two hope someday to grow up to be superheroes, and their favorite show is an imaginary TV program called "The Adventures of Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy."
Ryan Breneman, 36, a fan who works in a clothing store on Christopher Street in New York's Greenwich Village, says gay men have good reason to read into mainstream cultural symbols whatever they like. "When you grow up without your own culture, you have to take things from the culture and make them your own," he says.
Mr. Fung says the penchant for reading gay themes into children's cartoons has something to do with growing up gay. "Your family wouldn't let you play with a Barbie doll, and now that you have the means, you go out and buy it for yourself," he says.
Other men say they can relate to the way SpongeBob's sunny attitude often sparks resentment from his fellow underwater creatures. Jot McCloud, a 28-year-old retail consultant, says a good example is the sometimes hostile attitude of Mr. Krabs, the proprietor of the local hangout, the Krusty Krab, toward SpongeBob, who works there as a fry cook. Mr. Krabs "doesn't like to be around SpongeBob because SpongeBob's so flamboyant and outgoing," says Mr. McCloud. The interaction is "like a straight person who for whatever reason is thrown into a situation where they are around a gay person and they don't have that comfort level."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
No comment yet from Rev. Jerry Falwell.
Have any of those of you who watch the show considered this before?
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