If you were looking for the article about the, then see

If you were looking for the article about the, then see

Person

Stephen McDannell Hillenburg[1] (August 21, 1961 - November 26, 2018; aged 57) was an American teacher of marine science, artist, and the creator of SpongeBob SquarePants. He developed the idea for the series while working at the Ocean Institute in California.

The character of SpongeBob was based on an educational book he had illustrated called The Intertidal Zone, and the character of Pearl was inspired by his time as a supervisor of whale watches at the Ocean Institute.[2][3] He named Karen Plankton after his wife, Karen Hillenburg.[4]

He was the showrunner from 1999 until 2004, when the first movie was completed. He continued to be credited as the executive producer for seasons four to twelve, but his role was much less involved; he received this credit for every episode, regardless of whether or not he contributed at all, making it a "vanity credit" rather than an actual one.[5] According to Vincent Waller, Hillenburg did not do any drawing, directing, or writing whatsoever after the first movie; his only job was "being Steve."[5]

Other than behind-the-scenes work, he was the original voice of Potty the Parrot before the role was passed onto Paul Tibbitt and eventually Mr. Lawrence. Tibbitt succeeded Hillenburg as the showrunner for seasons four to nine.

Hillenburg was a strong and firm proponent of "cute, stiff, on-model" animation for the characters. He was well known for being adamant about his visions for the show and for never changing his mind; he was even known to stay at the studio "late every night, going over all the storyboards, making sure SpongeBob was cute in every panel."[6] However, as his health deteriorated, the show's new crew from season 10 onward was able to get him to "loosen up" on a few of his former rules for the show. Mainly, they changed the animation from "on-model" to extremely off-model in the vein of Ren & Stimpy, which many of the new crew members had worked on.[7][8]

It was announced he was diagnosed with ALS (Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) on March 13, 2017.[9] His deteriorating health made it difficult for him to speak or offer input on the series. However, he continued to occasionally visit Nickelodeon Animation Studio to check on progress.

Hillenburg passed away on November 26, 2018, due to complications linked to ALS.

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Biography

In 1984, Stephen Hillenburg graduated from Humboldt State University with a bachelor's degree in Natural Resource Planning and Interpretation, with an emphasis on Marine Resources. He became a marine biology teacher at the Orange County Marine Institute--now known as the Ocean Institute--in Dana Point, California. Hillenburg's love for the sea and its creatures inspired him to create teaching tools for his students with characters that would later become the main characters of SpongeBob SquarePants.[10]

In 1987, Stephen Hillenburg pursued a degree in Experimental Animation at the California Institute of the Arts in Valencia and earned his Master of Fine Arts in 1992. Also during the same year, he won an award for Best Animated Concept at the Ottawa International Animation Festival for his animated short "Wormholes," which was shown at several international animation festivals. From 1993 to 1996, he worked on the Nickelodeon animated series Rocko's Modern Life; during this time, he continued to fine-tune the aquatic series concept that he had begun in the 1980s. It would eventually be pitched to Nickelodeon as SpongeBoy Ahoy! and subsequently renamed SpongeBob SquarePants.[10]

In 2007, a frivolous lawsuit, claiming that a toy inventor named Troy Walker came up with the SpongeBob concept, was filed against Nickelodeon and Hillenburg by a plaintiff wanting a "ridiculous" total of $1.6 billion from Nickelodeon. The claimant, Troy Walker, did not do enough research on his claims before making them, setting his implausible story in 1991, years after Hillenburg had started work on his concept. A summary judgment quickly ruled in Viacom's favor over the flimsy claims.

In March 2017, Hillenburg revealed that he had been diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a terminal illness that affects and causes the death of neurons that control the brain and the spinal cord. He tried to work on the series as best as he could from then on.

On November 26, 2018, Hillenburg passed away from ALS-related complications. He was cremated and his ashes were scattered across the coast of California, close to where Bikini Bottom resides.[11][12] The future of the show is currently in doubt, though Vincent Waller has stated that the show would still continue.[13]

Trivia

Sometimes, he is referred to as "Steven or Steve Hillenburg."

Stephen Hillenburg drew inspiration from his own life while designing the main characters. Mr. Krabs was based on Hillenburg's former manager at a sea-themed restaurant. Pearl was inspired by his regular supervision of whale watches while working as a marine science educator. SpongeBob's design was influenced by Hillenburg's appearance as a young child, with "nerdy gapped teeth." [14] [15]

Following the release of The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie in 2004, Stephen Hillenburg left the series, because he wanted it to end. However, Hillenburg did not leave the series entirely; he still served as an executive producer during his lifetime. [16]

in 2004, Stephen Hillenburg left the series, because he wanted it to end. However, Hillenburg did not leave the series entirely; he still served as an executive producer during his lifetime. On May 25, 2012, it was announced that Stephen Hillenburg would be working on The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water.

Errors

In "Help Wanted," Stephen Hillenburg's name is misspelled as "Stephen Hilleburg," missing the "N" in his surname.





Gallery

Photos

Artwork by Hillenburg

Video

SpongeBob SquarePants Meet the Creator Stephen Hillenburg Nickelodeon Animation Studio