Sweater of Tears

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by FriskyWoods

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One of the more surprising celebrity deaths of 2018 was that of Stephen Hillenburg, the man who gave the world SpongeBob Squarepants. We all knew Stan Lee's time was coming, but Hillenburg was a much younger man, and I had no idea that he was ill. However, he was diagnosed with ALS/Lou Gehrig's Disease last year, and died from it a couple of days ago.

I'm not going to claim that I watch much SpongeBob NOW... it lost a lot of its charm after the first movie. But in those first few years, the show was terrific... weird and imaginative like Ren and Stimpy, but without the bitter aftertaste. (My favorite? Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy V, with the lead characters starting their own Justice League. They're utterly terrible at using their new super powers, and hilarity ensues.) Hillenburg stepped away from SpongeBob in 2004, but returned a few years ago, helping the series find its voice after several lackluster seasons and some utterly crummy made-for-TV movies. Without Stephen Hillenburg at the helm, it's probably safe to assume that the show will never return to its former brilliance.

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