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Sweet Victory at Super Bowl LIII’s Halftime Show

Raymond Lin, Managing Editor|February 25, 2019

The Bikini Bottom Super Band prepares to play a portion of “Sweet Victory” during the Halftime Show of Super Bowl LIII. Only the opening seconds were shown during the show in order to introduce Travis Scott, to the disappointment of some SpongeBob SquarePants fans. [Picture Credit: YouTube]

SpongeBob SquarePants and his band finally performed at Super Bowl LIII’s Halftime Show as a tribute to Stephen Hillenburg. Regardless of the controversy surrounding the NFL on a daily basis leading up to the event, over a million fans were focused on a singular, monumental goal: “Sweet Victory.”

Hillenburg, the creator of “SpongeBob SquarePants,” passed away in November at age 57 due to ALS. To honor his legacy in the animation industry, a Change.org petition quickly sprung up to play “Sweet Victory” at the Super Bowl LIII Halftime Show.

Stephen Hillenburg next to his creation, “SpongeBob SquarePants.” Hillenburg studied marine biology and art at Humboldt State University. After graduating, he caught the attention of Joe Murray, creator of “Rocko’s Modern Life,” earning himself a professional job with Nickelodeon. Hillenburg created and worked on the show until 2018, passing at age 57. [Photo Credit: The Independent]

The well-known song played as the finale of the Band Geeks episode, which is considered one of the best episodes of the entire series, winning Best Sound Editing in Television – Animation at the 2002 Golden Reel awards. The episode also earned a rating of 9.7 out of 10 stars on IMDb.

The episode created classic SpongeBob references such as the question of whether an emulsion of oil, egg yolk, and vinegar can serve as a musical instrument.

Patrick Star preparing to ask the ultimate question. Sandy Cheeks glances at him as she questions his mental fortitude. [Picture Credit: SpongeBob SquarePants]

SpongeBob’s eager face from Band Geeks has also captured hearts and minds with its insightful commentary on the human condition.

SpongeBob SquarePants prepares for the Bubble Bowl performance, displaying his eager face for all to see. Squidward Tentacles defends SquarePants’ behavior from Squilliam Fancyson while reserving his own criticism. [Picture Credit: SpongeBob SquarePants]

And who could forget Squilliam Fancyson’s ultimate defeat at the hands of the Bikini Bottom Super Band?

Squilliam Fancyson is unable to handle the Bikini Bottom Super Band’s performance. He collapses and receives prompt medical attention. [Photo Credit: SpongeBob SquarePants]

Around 1.2 million signatures later, it appeared as if the petition could actually achieve sweet, sweet victory. The Mercedes-Benz stadium, where the game was set to be held, tweeted out a GIF from the episode. Maroon 5’s trailer for the Pepsi Halftime Show contained a glimpse of SpongeBob, and a leak from the rehearsal showed a part of the Band Geeks episode playing. Even Rodger Bumpass, the voice actor for Squidward, hinted at the reveal.

“To all SpongeBob fans!!! Tune into the Super Bowl because Squidward gets to introduce the halftime entertainment!!!!” Bumpass wrote on Facebook.

Only 15 seconds of the Halftime Show were devoted to SpongeBob, with seven seconds of the actual song. The tribute introduced Travis Scott’s Sicko Mode, to the disappointment of many fans. That short segment, combined with other existing controversies, drew 841,198 dislikes to 121,742 likes on the YouTube video posted by the National Football League.

Squidward Tentacles introducing Travis Scott during the Super Bowl LIII Halftime Show. This introduction played for 15 seconds prior to the beginning of “Sicko Mode.” [Picture Credit: YouTube]

“No one thought about it more than I did,” said Adam Levine, lead singer for Maroon 5 which performed in the Halftime Show. “I’m not in the right profession if I can’t handle a little bit of controversy. It’s what it is. We expected it. We’d like to move on from it and speak through the music.”

Regardless of the lack of a lengthy tribute, the creator of the petition felt satisfied with the community’s support and the short clip during the show.

“Even though we got YEETED with that Sicko Mode/Sweet Victory mashup, it’s still crazy to think that 1.2 MILLION people signed a petition to get Spongebob’s face on national television,” wrote the account Isreal Colunga, the creator of the petition. “I know Stephen Hillenburg would be extremely proud and honored. Let it be known that 2019 was the year Spongebob reigned supreme at the Super Bowl.”