Nickelodeon Orders SpongeBob SquarePants Prequel TV Series

The world of SpongeBob SquarePants is about to get a whole lot bigger. The ever-successful series has been a staple for Nickelodeon for years now, and the network is finally looking to expand on its small screen success. There have been SpongeBob films in the past, but Nickelodeon is now taking the property deeper on TV, ordering a brand new prequel series that will focus on the earlier years of the titular character.

On Tuesday, Deadline revealed that Nickelodeon had ordered a 13-episode series order to Kamp Koral (working title), a SpongeBob SquarePants spinoff. The show follows a 10-year-old version of SpongeBob that is spending his summer at a sleepaway camp.

Another big first for SpongeBob: This series will be completely CG-animated, giving it a 3D feel, unlike the classic 2D animation of the original series. The CG-animation was previously used in 2015's feature-length film, The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water.

10-year-old SpongeBob and his friends will spend the series doing all sorts of activities, like building underwater campfires, catching jellyfish, and swimming in Lake Yuckymuck. Marc Ceccarelli and Vincent Waller are set to co-executive produce the series.

"SpongeBob has an incredible universe to expand upon and the greenlight for Kamp Koral is a testament to the strength and longevity of these characters known and loved by generations of fans around the world," said Ramsey Naito, Nickelodeon's EVP Animation Production and Development.

Next month, SpongeBob SquarePants will be celebrating its 20th anniversary on Nickelodeon, dubbed the Best Year Ever by the series. The tribute to the iconic cartoon will culminate in a one-hour special, SpongeBob's Big Birthday Blowout, which will premiere on Friday, July 12th.

A third SpongeBob film, The SpongeBob Movie: It's a Wonderful Sponge, is set to arrive in theaters in 2020.

Are you looking forward to Kamp Koral? Let us know in the comments!