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‘Of course’ SpongeBob has autism, voice actor Tom Kenny says. ‘That’s his superpower’

BBG News

As a long-time fan of animated series and a critic with a background in developmental psychology, I find Tom Kenny’s recent revelation about SpongeBob’s neurodivergence to be an intriguing and meaningful addition to the character’s rich narrative.

Tom Kenny is canonizing a popular “SpongeBob SquarePants” fan theory.

As a dedicated movie buff and the voice behind the beloved sponge character in the animated series since its debut in 1999, I’m thrilled to share some exciting news. The artist lending life to my on-screen persona, none other than Kenny, has recently disclosed that this character is diagnosed with autism. This revelation adds a new layer of depth and authenticity to our beloved underwater world.

During a Q&A session at Motor City Comic Con in Detroit in May, he mentioned that SpongeBob SquarePants is also considered to have traits of being on the autism spectrum. This comment was recorded and shared on social media platform X, leading to widespread attention.

At the discussion, Kenny brought up an earlier experience: “During the conversation, a person with clear signs of being on the spectrum approached me and asked, ‘Tom Kenny, do you think SpongeBob has autism?'”

“He replied with a confident ‘Yes, indeed!’ and shared with the fan, ‘Just like that’s his special ability, yours is as well.'”

In a 2012 episode of the “WTF” podcast, Kenny discussed SpongeBob’s neurodivergence using simple terms. He described SpongeBob’s character as having some autistic traits, such as being highly focused on his work and getting deeply engrossed in things.

People who are fans of SpongeBob SquarePants have noted similarities between his behavior and some symptoms of neurodevelopmental conditions, such as his emotional outbursts, lack of understanding sarcasm, and difficulty recognizing social cues.

It’s highly unlikely that Stephen Hillenburg, the creator of SpongeBob who passed away in 2018, deliberately designed SpongeBob as a character representing autism, according to Kenny’s statements to Bleeding Cool in 2017.

“However, releasing a creative work into the public domain opens up various applications,” the voice actor explained, “and the connection to autism is brought up astonishingly frequently. I can’t help but think that an in-depth analysis or scholarly article on this topic would be beneficial.”

“SpongeBob SquarePants” is in its 14th season on Nickelodeon and has been renewed for Season 15.

In August 2022, the fourth movie spin-off of the series titled “Saving Bikini Bottom: The Sandy Cheeks Movie” will be released on Netflix, succeeding “The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge out of Water” from 2021.

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2024-07-26 14:18

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