I know nothing about this show but my daughter wants to watch it. Fortunately we don't have cable but I know he's on video, too. How awful is it? How's the content? Lots of bathroom humor and potty talk? Any comments would be helpful, thanks!

By Sunny on Monday, March 8, 2004 - 01:43 pm:

"Who lives in a pineapple, under the sea?"

SpongeBob rules in our house.
SpongeBob is fairly tame, IMO. There is SpongeBob, who is a happy-go-lucky, child-like character who's job is a Fry cook making Krabby patties, Patrick Star, his dim-witted friend, Squidward, a neighbor and fellow Krusty Krab worker who is always in a sour mood. Mr. Krab, the money loving owner of aforementioned Krusty Krab, Sandy, a squirrel who lives under the sea and Plankton, who is constantly trying to steal the Krabby patty recipe. There is some potty humor, some violence, but mostly it's relatively tame. Compared to Looney Tunes, Tom and Jerry and the Simpsons, this cartoon is very innocent (and fun).

By Melissa on Monday, March 8, 2004 - 02:06 pm:

I hate Sponge Bob but you gotta pick your battles, I'll let dd watch him but I try to encourage other things like Cyberchase or Magic school Bus. A little SB goes a long way in my book!

By Happynerdmom on Monday, March 8, 2004 - 02:07 pm:

I love Spongebob! My kids are older (10, 13), and some of the humor is geared more towards older kids (and adults!), but IMO there's nothing too inappropriate for any age. My husband finds it annoying, but if you like silly humor like my kid's and I, you'll like it!

By Tklinreston on Monday, March 8, 2004 - 02:32 pm:

My ds wants to watch the show and so I recently sat down to watch with him. The humor, which is somewhat sarcastic, is definitely geared toward older kids and adults, and the usage of the word "stupid" and the violent acts I feel make it inappropriate for my ds, who will be 5 in October. But on the other hand, he's not allowed to watch anything on the Cartoon Channel or play any Non-Educational video games, which most of his buddies do, who are a year older than him, and so, I feel like I should give in alittle with SB. He's a good kid - never uses that word and is very kind, so it's a sort of a tough decision for me. I'm still thinking about whether to ban or not.

By Yjja123 on Monday, March 8, 2004 - 02:34 pm:

I watch Spongebob with my son every Sunday morning. I find nothing wrong with it.
He actually has encouraged a lot of discussions because he is in the ocean and my son will tell me why you cannot have balloons underwater or why some animals cannot live in the ocean...etc.

By Tklinreston on Monday, March 8, 2004 - 02:37 pm:

BTW, compared to the Cartoon Channels and other cartoons out there, SB is definitely better. I just have a problem with my ds being only 4 and a half. When he's older, I think it will be fine to watch.

By Tklinreston on Monday, March 8, 2004 - 02:37 pm:

BTW, compared to the Cartoon Channels and other cartoons out there, SB is definitely better. I just have a problem with my ds being only 4 and a half. When he's older, I think it will be fine to watch.

By Coopaveryben on Monday, March 8, 2004 - 03:00 pm:

We watch Sponge Bob, It's not as bad as some. It's mostly just silly. I enjoy watching it, it's a nice break from the Wiggles and Dora.

By Ginny~moderator on Monday, March 8, 2004 - 03:00 pm:

I think like any other TV show, video, whatever, you need to watch it first or watch it with your son and see how you feel about it. I cannot tell you how many Saturday mornings I spent surfing every few months when the stations did their program changes, to make a list of what my sons could watch and what they couldn't watch.

I would say if you are slightly uncomfortable with it but your son loves it, think about continuing to watch it with him and pointing out the things that you think are not acceptable - such as, boy, that comment sure wasn't a nice one, it could hurt someone's feelings. Your son will get the message of what you find acceptable and non-acceptable behavior.

By Janet on Monday, March 8, 2004 - 03:42 pm:

I HATE SPONGE BOB!!!!!! However, I also "choose my battles," and he is not one of them. My 8 yr old dd watches him, and while it drives me bonkers, I think it's probably not too harmful (except in killing brain cells, but don't get me started).

By Lauram on Monday, March 8, 2004 - 05:10 pm:

I think it's fine. Definitely not like Cat Dog or Ed, Ed and Eddie, Pokemon or Power Puff Girls. I think it's pretty innocuous. I don't let my son watch any Y-7 rated shows. That's what I go by pretty much. Don't know what I'm going to do when he turns 7 (next month) but it's working right now! Maybe I can say "you have to be older than seven" to watch them and milk it for another year. Hmmmm. I can't imagine changing my mind about them even then though.

By Trina~moderator on Monday, March 8, 2004 - 07:54 pm:

I'm not a big Sponge Bob fan but I'm OK with letting my kids watch it now and then. Like the others have said, it's pretty tame compared to other cartoons. I milked PBS and Nick Jr. for as long as possible but my kids are getting too old for that now.

By Mommmie on Monday, March 8, 2004 - 09:45 pm:

Love SpongeBob! Very funny!

You think some cartoons are bad, just wait til your child hits SCHOOL, starting around 2nd grade. The stuff the other kids throw around is much worse than any children's cartoon. Ugh!

By Yjja123 on Monday, March 8, 2004 - 10:51 pm:

I agree Mommmie! My children were definitely hearing a lot worse in school than they ever hear on TV. I monitor their TV watching to an extent but some shows really are great learning experiences --because of the things they do. My children know calling someone stupid is not nice. They also know Angelica (on rugrats) is a brat and if they ever behaved the way she does they would be punished. Personally I would rather they watch Nic TV as opposed to Bugs bunny (who is always being hunted) and some of the other older cartoons. There isn't any violence on sponge bob.

By Kate on Monday, March 8, 2004 - 11:06 pm:

It is so nice to be posting about the actual subject header of my post, rather than posting about cats under a Sponge Bob header over on general discussion!

I appreciate all the comments. We got a dvd of him from the library. I don't love it but it's not quite as bad as I had thought, but it's only a few episodes so I know there could be worse ones out there. Sponge Bob sounds very much like Larry the Cucumber from Veggie Tales (LOVE LARRY!!!!! FAVE CARTOON CHARACTER EVER!!!) but I know it's not the same person, of course.