You know, the first time I heard of “Spongebob Squarepants” I was completely turned off. My son was the one that told me about it, and having seen his other favorite show, “Ed, Ed & Eddie”, I cringed at the thought of watching the misadventures of a little square sponge. But then something odd happened. I sat down one night (no that’s not the odd part, I sit down a lot of nights) and just happened to turn on the TV right when an episode of “Spongebob Squarepants” was starting. My son plopped down on the couch with me, and together we watched. I ended up laughing my darn fool head off. Luckily this was also a night where the station was running a block of “Spongebob Squarepants”, so I got to watch several episodes. I was completely ‘hooked.’ I was totally into the style of animation, but more so, the humor.

Created by Stephen Hillenburg, the jokes in the Spongebob cartoons are fast and fresh. There are an enormous amount of cultural references, many of which are undoubtedly lost on its younger audience, but help to make the show more than enjoyable for parents willing to take the time to sit with their kids.

Paramount started releasing DVDs of some of the episodes earlier this year, and I enjoyed watching some of the ones I had missed. Now they’re releasing the cartoon series in full season sets, which is my preferred method of collecting. I started watching the new “Spongebob Squarepants: The Complete 1st Season” with only a slight hesitation. As I was so hooked on the show, I was worried that I would be glued to the set for a one time sitting through all 3 discs. But I was smart. I paced myself and spread them out over a few days.

This new set features all 40 episodes from the first season and introduces us to Spongebob and all the denizens who live in the township of Bikini Bottom. Among them are his best friends, the lovable - but dim - sea star named Patrick; the ill-tempered perfectionist Squidward; an athletic squirrel named Sandy who lives in an undersea treedome and a penny-pinching old crustacean named Mr. Krabs, owner of The Krusty Krab.

What makes this set even more desirable are the extra features, and they are plenty. “The Origin of Spongebob Squarepants” is a fairly lengthy look at how the cartoon came to be. It includes interviews with Hillenburg as well as other members of the creative team and is a must watch for any wannabe animators out there. It covers everything from the original conceptualization to pitching the network. This is followed up by another lengthy look back at the first season by the crew. It would seem that everyone involved with the production was interviewed and there isn’t a dull moment.

My absolute favorite featurette had to be “Everybody’s Talking: The Voices of Spongebob Squarepants” I know there are some people who would rather not ever see the faces behind the voices, but I’m not one of them. I loved seeing who the people were that brought so much character to, well… the characters. Watching Tom Kenny explain how he came up with the signature Spongebob laugh is an especially great treat.

This featurette also had some surprises for me as far as who was doing some of the voices. Patrick the sea star is voiced by none other than Bill Fagerbakke. He is best known for his role on the hit TV series “Coach”, but I remember from his terrific turn as Tom Cullin in “Stephen King’s The Stand.” The funny thing is, his voice is so recognizable that I should have known it was him. Then, the bigger surprise came when I saw that the voice behind Mr. Krabs is the great character actor Clancy Brown. I first saw him as the evil Kurgen in the original “Highlander” movie, and have seen him in numerous roles since. You may not recognize the name, but I guarantee you’d recognize the face. On a couple of episodes you can even find Ernest Borgnine and Tim Conway as Mermaidman and Barnacle Boy. (Trust me, they’re funny.)

All of the other extra features on this set, including music videos and cast commentaries, are well worth watching and listening to, but the ones I mention are easily the best. If you’ve never seen “Spongebob Squarepants” I recommend giving it a try. I guarantee it will appeal to anyone with a sense of humor and imagination, or at least one creative bone in their body.

Episodes:
Disc 1
Reef Blower Pizza Delivery
Tea at the Treedome Home Sweet Pineapple
Bubblestand Mermaidman and Barnacleboy
Ripped Pants Pickles
Jellyfishing Hall Monitor
Plankton! Jellyfish Jam
Naughty Nautical Neighbors Sandy’s Rocket
Boating School Squeaky Boots

Disc 2
Nature Pants Scaredy Pants
Opposite Day I Was a Teenage Gary
Culture Shock SB-129
F.U.N. Karate Choppers
Musclebob BuffPants Sleepy Time
Squidward, the Unfriendly Ghost Suds
The Chaperone Valentine’s Day
Employee of the Month The Paper

Disc 3
Arrgh! Fools in April
Rock Bottom Neptune’s Spatula
Texas Hooky
Walking Small Mermaidman and Barnacleboy II

Extras: The Origin of Spongebob Squarepants, Recollections from the First Season Crew, Everybody’s Talking: The Voices of Spongebob Squarepants, The Bikini Bottom’s Up Tour, In The Key of Sea: Krusty Krab Kareoke, Drawing the Goo Lagoon, Spongebob’s Life Strategies, Violent Femmes Sing Spongebob, Spongebob Scaredy Pants Video, Spongebob Dancin’ Pants Music Video, Cast Commentaries
Specifications: Full Screen
Studio: Paramount
Release Date: 10/28/2003
Region 1
MPAA Rating: NR
Website 1
Website 2

We'll give Spongebob Squarepants - Season 1 an A.