Tom Kenny: SpongeBob Himself (Pt 1)

In part two of this special season finale, Tom Kenny breaks down where he sees SpongeBob in cartoon history, reminisces on performing as Patchy The Pirate in SpongeBob SquarePants: The Broadway Musical, and unpacks what it’s like to voice direct all three SpongeBob shows. Then, in another “Ask Me Anything” segment, Tom answers more listener-submitted questions! Plus, don’t miss the “I’m Ready! Challenge” where our hosts test Tom’s truly masterful cartoon voice-over talent. 

SpongeBob. Gary. The French Narrator. Patchy The Pirate. Old Man Walker. Beyond playing all of these characters (and so many more), Tom Kenny has been integral in the creation and evolution of the SpongeBob Universe. In part one of this two-part season finale, Tom takes us on his journey from Rocko’s Modern Life to SpongeBob, sharing stories about his creative relationship with Stephen Hillenburg and the discovery of SpongeBob’s voice. Then, in a new “Ask Me Anything” segment, Tom answers questions from you, our listeners! Don’t miss part 2 of this Tom Kenny interview next week. 

Right from the first shot of the opening theme, SpongeBob established itself as a multimedia cartoon that showed viewers the magic of combining various forms of animation with live-action, and beyond. Mark Caballero, Seamus Walsh, and the entire Screen Novelties team have undertaken the unique challenge of translating SpongeBob’s cartoony sensibility into stop-motion animation. In this special love letter to stop-motion itself, Mark and Seamus reveal exclusive behind-the-scenes stories from their 20+ years working with the SpongeBob team.

Without Sirena Irwin’s versatile voice-over acting, Bikini Bottom would feel empty. From the background characters that made you belly laugh, to Lady Upturn and SpongeBob’s mother, Sirena’s many voices have been integral to the SpongeBob Universe since the very beginning. In this fast-paced and hysterical interview, Sirena discusses how SpongeBob changed the course of her life, leading to the incredible acting and directing career she has today. 

Take a dive down into the treedome to study everyone’s favorite underwater squirrel: Sandy Cheeks! Carolyn shares her audition stories, why she would love to meet the other Sandy voice actors around the world, and what she has learned from playing such a confident character. 

Supervising Director Dave Cunningham has worked on SpongeBob since Season 4, making him one of the show’s most loyal veteran artists. Dave not only had a hand in classic moments throughout SpongeBob’s history, like the meme-worthy “mocking SpongeBob”, but he also shares how he’s set the stage for the future of the series by recruiting and mentoring the talent needed to keep this cartoon tiki torch burning.

In this special podcast-turned-game-show episode, Hector puts Frankie’s SpongeBob knowledge to the test, throwing him up against two of the SpongeBob crew’s biggest trivia experts: Writer Danny Giovannini, and Network Executive Lianna Cohen. Danny, Lianna, and Frankie play a series of nautical quiz games to compete for the one and only Golden Pineapple. 

Bringing cartoon characters to life on stage is no easy feat. After Ethan Slater took on the role of a lifetime playing SpongeBob in the Broadway musical, he was given one key piece of advice from the original SpongeBob Tom Kenny: “Never wear yellow. You can sometimes wear a red tie.” Wesley Taylor first approached his equally daunting role as Plankton by adding an ankle-burning bounce to every step. The behind-the-stage stories from the infamous SpongeBob musical seem endless — from wacky auditions to hilarious first aid emergencies, Wesley and Ethan give us a glimpse into what it took to make Broadway’s best show ever, “SpongeBob SquarePants: The Broadway Musical.”

Though current SpongeBob Universe storyboard revisionist Eliza Herndon was born after SpongeBob premiered, she carries the wisdom of a cartoonist that worked through the golden era of animation. In brand new segments like Eliza’s Cartoon History Corner and Animation Breakdown, she brings deeper level insights to help our hosts dissect two of SpongeBob’s freakiest episodes.

Take a tour of the world’s largest SpongeBob art and merchandise collection held by Rodger Bumpass, who is best known as the voice of Squidward Tentacles. From establishing that rhythmic laugh to the story behind his famous recumbent bicycle, Rodger reminisces on the early years of developing Squidward’s character.