Calling all Goofy Goobers! Today is National SpongeBob Day

Goofy Goobers, it's your day! Today, July 14, is National SpongeBob Day.

The sponge and fry cook that everybody loves first walked onto our screens and stole our hearts back on May 1, 1999, when "SpongeBob SquarePants" first aired on Nickelodeon after the Kid's Choice Awards. The show, created by Stephen Hillenburg, made its official debut after that on July 17, 1999, and it's been nautical nonsense from that day on.

To say SpongeBob has become a cultural and global icon since then is an understatement. He and his friends in Bikini Bottom, including Patrick, Squidward, Mr. Krabs, Sandy, Mrs. Puff, and Gary, continue to bring joy to fans of all ages, whether it's merch, a movie or a newly created real-world experience like Bikini Bottom at Universal Kids Resort, which just opened in Frisco, Texas, a few weeks ago.

Are you ready kids? I can't hear you! Here what to know about National SpongeBob Day and what you can do to celebrate the day in a F-U-N way!

What is National SpongeBob Day?

National SpongeBob Day has been unofficially recognized for years by fans after SpongeBob's birthday was revealed in season 1 during the "Sleepy Time" episode. In the episode, SpongeBob's birthdate on his driver's license is shown to be July 14, 1986.

This year, Nickelodeon is making the celebration official and pulling out all of the stops for the big guy's birthday this year, when he turns 40.

Here's what they have scheduled, according to a news release.

• Tom Kenny is the beloved voice of SpongeBob SquarePants and will host a TikTok Live for the first time ever. It's set to start at 6 p.m. ET on Tuesday, July 14, and will include behind-the-scenes commentary, three never-before-seen alternate endings of the classic "Shanghaied" episode, new exclusive toy reveals, and first looks at upcoming specials. The specials include an hour-long "SpongeBob Squarepants," "Merry Christmas, Mr. Plankton," "The Patrick Show," and a Halloween episode called "Scary Tales."
• Even though it's SpongeBob's birthday, we can't forget about Patrick. Patrick Star's official YouTube page will have some fun offerings on July 14, featuring characters from both "SpongeBob Squarepants" and "The Patrick Show Star." The show also released its first song, "Watch Out For That Rake," on July 9. Additionally, Patrick is set to drop an album, "Patrick Star Superstar," available for presale on July 14.
• And as expected, there will be a plethora of the most iconic SpongeBob episodes to consume on Nickelodeon, Nicktoons, Nick Pluto and Nick.com starting at 2 p.m. ET on July 14.

How can you celebrate National SpongeBob Day?

There are so many ways to celebrate National SpongeBob Day. Here are some suggestions:

1. Watch iconic episodes and the movies: If you're fan, today is the day to rewatch episodes like "Pizza Delivery" (Season 1, Episode 5), "Band Geeks" (Season 2, Episode 15) and "Chocolate With Nuts" (Season 3, Episode 12). Most avid SpongeBob fans agree that the three season are the best. You can't go wrong with any of the movies but many fans have a soft spot for the first one released in 2004.
2. Quote one-liners: The one-liners are what give the show its essence. Here are some fan favorites:
   • "Is mayonniase an instrument?"
   • "Oh brother this guy stinks!"
   • "The Krusty Pizza is the pizza for you and me!"
   • "Ravioli ravioli give me the formuoli"
   • "This isn't the Krusty Krab. This is Patrick."
3. Wear all of your SpongeBob merch: If you have a ton of SpongeBob merch, today is the day to show it off. Whether it's a shirt, (square) pants, shoes, or a hat, put it on to represent.
4. Play songs from the show, movies and the Broadway musical: Blast bangers like the iconic SpongeBob theme song, "Sweet Victory" (Season 2, Episode 15), "The Striped Sweater Song" (Season 3, Episode 8) "Ripped Pants" (Season 1, Episode 2), "Krabby Step" from the 2020 movie or "I'm Not Loser" from "SpongeBob SquarePants: The Broadway Musical."
5. Learn the "Big Guy" dance: "Big Guy" by Ice Spice was on the 2025 movie soundtrack and became a big hit with a cute viral dance on TikTok that's not that hard to learn.

5. Find users online who are SpongeBob-centric or join an online community: Fans find therapy in obsessive online posts. They have been known to break down old episodes, give their take on characters or repeat one-liners only fans would know. There also is a SpongeBob group on Facebook with over 1 million members who really keep each other in the know on any major SpongeBob developments.

Bonus suggestion: Go outside and blow some bubbles. But you must do it the way SpongeBob instructs with a heavy emphasis on bringing it around town.

Bianca Harris is an editor on the National Trending Team at USA TODAY. Email her at bharris@usatodayco.com.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Calling all Goofy Goobers! Today is National SpongeBob Day

Reporting by Bianca Harris, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

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This story was originally published July 14, 2026 at 12:02 AM.