SpongeBob SquarePants Cast Reveal How New Movie Balances “Slightly Naughty’ Jokes for Adults

SpongeBob SquarePants and his delightful crew are back for a brand new adventure in The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants, taking to the high seas with the oddball pirate The Flying Dutchman. Hilarity will undoubtedly ensue, and part of that fun is seeing how the film pushes the envelope on its humor so that both children and adult audiences can get some laughs. ComicBook had the chance to speak to stars Tom Kenny (SpongeBob), Bill Fagerbake (Patrick), and Mark Hamill (Flying Dutchman) about how the new film balances the “slightly naughty” jokes without going overboard.

When asked if there were any jokes they were surprised made the final cut, Kenny said, “No, speaking for myself no, because nothing really, they’re very aware of what SpongeBob is. The IP and the franchise is so clearly delineated. There’s always been stuff in there that’s, yeah double entendres and things like that that are maybe a little bit on the slightly naughty side, but it never really goes past that.”

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Fagerbake brought up one particular bit as a perfect example of this in action, and Hamill had one as well. “The Bricks bit is a perfect example of that you know. It’s not graphic, so it’s just only if you recognize the reference,” Fagerbake said. Hamill agreed and pointed to the film’s marketing. “In the advertisement campaign, I love ‘ship happens’. Now, to a 5-year-old that’s fine. We’re the ones that got to get our minds out of the gutter,” Hamill said.

Will Any Franchise Ever Beat SpongeBob SquarePants’ New Record?

The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants is the latest example of the franchise’s staying power, and it’s happening on the 25th anniversary of the franchise. 2025 was a record-breaking year for SpongeBob, as it passed Arthur to become the longest-running children’s animated series of all time. That’s mighty impressive, and with another film on screens and the show having no signs of stopping, is this a record that will ever be topped?

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Arthur ran for 25 seasons over the course of 26 years, with its finale occurring in 2022. Meanwhile, SpongeBob continues to produce new seasons with various spinoff games and films, so it’s sticking around for a while longer. Even if it ends up ending in around 5 years or so, at this point, it’s difficult to see someone else beating that record.

Looking at the continually popular children’s shows, the true contenders seem to be shows like Bluey, Paw Patrol, and Peppa Pig, as they have the most episodes already released and look to be pretty stable in terms of sticking around on TV and streaming. Peppa Pig currently has more episodes at the moment with 404, but it didn’t begin until 2004, so SpongeBob’s premiere in 1999 gives the show a long way to go before catching up in terms of overall longevity. We’ll have to wait and see if SpongeBob ever stops, but right now it’s just padding its lead on a record it may end up holding forever.

The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants hits theaters on December 19.

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