‘SpongeBob SquarePants’ Fans Are Sharing Their Favorite Scenes After The Death Of Creator Stephen Hillenburg

SpongeBob SquarePants fans were shocked to learn on Tuesday that creator Stephen Hillenburg died at 57 following a battle with ALS.

“Steve imbued SpongeBob SquarePants with a unique sense of humor and innocence that has brought joy to generations of kids and families everywhere,” Nickelodeon (where the animated series has aired since 1999) said. “His utterly original characters and the world of Bikini Bottom will long stand as a reminder of the value of optimism, friendship and the limitless power of imagination.”

The tributes to Hillenburg rolled in soon after, with everyone from guest star David Hasselhoff (“Wow what a unique and fantastic character Steve created! It was my pleasure and honor to be in SpongeBob The Movie and to share some great laughs with this gentleman, Shocking Loss!”) to Incredibles 2 director Brad Bird (“I first discovered SPONGEBOB through my sons, who were loudly singing along with the dopey & memorable theme song downstairs. I came down to see what the ruckus was about and ended up watching my first episode. Many laughs”) praising his undeniable influence on animation. But it’s the fans, who have stayed with SpongeBob for over 240 episodes and multiple movies, sharing their favorite memories that have provided the best memorials.

— Saberspark (@Saberspark) November 27, 2018

instead of being sad about Stephen, I'm going to post and laugh at my favorite Spongebob pic.twitter.com/QCFIDU4qdv

— shan murphy (@heyshanmurphy) November 27, 2018

Still my all time favorite SpongeBob moment#ThankYouStephenHillenburg pic.twitter.com/TRibJPPbZn

— Ice (@IceSeason101) November 27, 2018

one of my favorite spongebob moments, Patrick was so disrespectful LMAOOOO pic.twitter.com/h8z1REqsCD

— ♡ (@honeypacino) November 27, 2018

A clip from my all-time favorite episode of Spongebob. This whole episode reminded me that no matter how old I get, I can always hang out with friends and have fun doing, even if we're just hanging out and being stupid. pic.twitter.com/EaBL4GnkcZ

— A Potato (@_potatoez_) November 27, 2018

Some of my favorite childhood memories were SpongeBob:

– performing at the Bubble Bowl.

– selling chocolate.

– delivering pizza with a less-than-enthusiastic Squidward.

– meeting THE hash-slinging slasher.

Thank you, Stephen Hillenburg.

Bikini Bottom meant the world to me. pic.twitter.com/MCaQWXiwYx

— Brian Gay (@brian2596) November 27, 2018

Jellyfish Jam was my all time favorite Spongebob episode, this clip from it isn't particularly funny, but the way it ended showcases the optimistic, fun spirit of Spongebob that I love so much. pic.twitter.com/AymwB0rBfC

— shan murphy (@heyshanmurphy) November 27, 2018

In honor of Hillenburg, I thought I'd share one of SpongeBob's most poignant scenes, and my favorite one of the show. It comes from the episode Patrick SmartPants, and it perfectly captures how I felt upon hearing about Hillenburg's tragic passing.

R.I.P Stephen Hillenburg ❤ pic.twitter.com/4EASydYuxg

— The Flying BOWSER (@TheTrueLuigiFan) November 27, 2018

I've been seeing people going around honoring Stephen Hillenburg with their favorite Spongebob bits, and the one that never fails to kill me is the wallet scene with Man-ray. The first bit is funny enough but the punchline in the second bit gets me every single time. pic.twitter.com/GWtXRYWmpc

— Michael Edwards (@MEdwardsVA) November 28, 2018

since we're all posting our favorite spongebob moments in honor of stephen, here's my favorite piece of obtuse humor from the entirety of the show pic.twitter.com/oPUQzoCq6X

— Johnathan Jay Fortnite (@rodakscreens) November 28, 2018

This is still my favorite Spongebob moment, and IMO remains one of he funniest jokes ever written pic.twitter.com/m3IgAEEW4h

— Jill Gutowitz (@jillboard) November 27, 2018

One of my all time favorite scenes from Spongebob pic.twitter.com/6tSMb8b0MN

— Blake (@Blake_Wilcoxen) November 27, 2018

I’ve seen the Pinhead episode at least six times. Makes me giggle every time.