pappo

-rkgk

Ultimadamente

not even as a joke influenced by meme culture i think spongebob is such an objectively good character (i’m talking about pre-movie btw because after that he started to become flanderized really bad). like hes optimistic and somewhat naïve but he’s still resonable, conscientious with eccentric rituals, perceptive, with moments of skepticism from time to time and flat moments that make him seem well rounded and three-dimensional (“pat, don’t do that.”). like hes Just Some Guy: The Guy. but hes just genuinely such a silly and likeable dude. like he’s optimistic but not irresponsible and that’s a rarer combo to see. mabel pines and pinkie pie are also goofy and childlike but don’t have that sense of responsibility and paradoxical groundedness spongebob does which makes him so intriguing. i’m having a hard time explaining it but it’s better coming from stephen hillenberg’s mind from the pitch bible because this is his vision for spongebob.

everyone who is like “but pinkie pie is an adult and she has a job”, yes i am aware. but you’re missing the point entirely. she’s a wacky random character like mabel whose explorations don’t have a sense of structure. even if pinkie pie is an adult working at a bakery she still has a streak of self-indulgent immaturity without much self-discipline that her target audience can relate to. i’m not saying this makes her character bad, i’m emphasizing how she is unlike spongebob and has a distinct impression that isn’t aligned with the one spongebob gives me. but mabel and pinkie pie are of the same archetype; mabel and pinkie pie both don’t care for fitting in or being professional or obsessing over having their tie on straight. spongebob is trying so hard to be a normal everyman but like a square peg to a round hole he can’t. mabel and pinkie pie don’t feel the need to do this, they just do whatever they want because they like it and want to do it. spongebob is enthusiastic in an entirely different way that’s more reminiscient of a teacher with subtle eccentricities and personal habits wanting to communicate with people where they’re already at (getting on the same playing field as others), instead of going their own way entirely not caring if people can make sense of them or not. spongebob adapts to and reflects the wants others (even sometimes quite stubbornly sticking to other people’s own wishes word-for-word, as seen in the episode The Paper). both pinkie pie and mabel do not reflect others in this way. i’d say he is more similar to miss frizzle than pinkie pie and mabel who embody the same type of character regardless of how old they are.