Spongebob Squarepants and the Target Audience

A commentary on Spongebob Squarepants, one of the most highly-acclaimed children's cartoons of all time; and what it even means to be a "children's" cartoon in the first place. Was Spongebob successful because it was a kids' show, or in spite of it; and does that question even matter in the first place?

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Watch the music video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e9Wwb...

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The COVID-19 pandemic continues to rage on, and in countries like the US, many continue to be economically ravaged due to lack of community and government support. I would also like to continue supporting causes addressing police brutality and oppression. The conversation may have died down, but little has fundamentally changed. As such, it feels wrong to encourage you to donate to me when there are far better uses for your donation. Below are some US charities, but I encourage you to donate locally and to causes you believe in:

The Bail Project's trying to reform US bail nationally: https://bailproject.org/

The NAACP has been fighting for racial justice for over a century: https://naacp.org/

Find your local food bank through Feeding America: https://www.feedingamerica.org/find-y...

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If you still would like to donate to me, you can pay per video on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/MMLsCommentaries

...or one time on Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/mmlscommentaries

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Some sources: Stephen Hillenberg discussing the show, its original pitch, and its influence ten years after premiere: https://tbivision.com/2009/10/27/spon...

Op-ed discussing the impact of Squidward's character on the writer's personal struggle with PTSD and depression: http://www.mtv.com/news/3105538/why-s...

A video by YouTube user EmpLemon which makes some similar arguments to this one here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cYu7Y...

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Guest Appearances (in the credits) by:

LambHoot: https://www.youtube.com/lambhoot

BobbyBroccoli: https://www.youtube.com/BobbyBroccoli

Novacanoo: https://www.youtube.com/novacanoo

Liam Triforce: https://www.youtube.com/liamtriforce

Other Special Thanks:

Joey Javeline: https://open.spotify.com/show/2B0xYvM...

Zac Frazier: https://www.youtube.com/zacfrazier

Hatwearinggamer: https://www.youtube.com/hatwearinggamer

Leonardo da Sidci: https://www.youtube.com/LeonardoDaSidci