Bill Fagerbakke’s Favorite ‘SpongeBob SquarePants’ Moment Is Startlingly Wholesome
F is for friends who do stuff together. U is for ugly crying.
When most Millennial SpongeBob SquarePants fans think about favorite moments from the iconic cartoon, their minds usually go to the classic punchlines and repeatable running gags that would later become wildly popular reaction GIFs on Twitter and Reddit. And, in all fairness, the flagship Nickelodeon show was pretty damn good at creating moments exactly like that — lines like “Are you feeling it now, Mr. Krabs?” and “Imaginaaaation!” are evergreen quotes that can get a laugh out of a fellow SpongeBob fan in most loosely fitting situations.
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However, the heart of SpongeBob SquarePants isn’t just quippy silliness — it’s friendship. Specifically, it’s the friendship between SpongeBob and Patrick that transcends time, space and the ocean surface, as voice actors Tom Kenny and Bill Fagerbakke are IRL pals whose “unusual” rapport plays into the on-screen chemistry between Bikini Bottom’s best buds. In a recent conversation with BuzzFeed, Fagerbakke spoke about his appreciation for Kenny and revealed his favorite SpongeBob moment that brought a dehydrated tear to my eye.
“I always love the smaller, simpler stuff. The big stuff is fun, but I like those little fun, connected moments,” Fagerbakke answered when asked to recount an iconic SpongeBob scene that stuck with him. “I remember an episode very early from Season One. At some point in the episode (“Naughty Nautical Neighbors”), SpongeBob is telling Patrick, ‘Of course, we’re best friends. Anyone with eyes can see that.’” Fagerbakke reflected of the importance of the line for young SpongeBob fans, “It was such a simple, real moment that is such a big part of a child’s worldview, and it’s so important that you know who your friends are and that you feel really secure with your friends. I was really struck by that.”
And, as Fagerbakke pointed out, SpongeBob and Patrick’s relationship wasn’t forced or faked in the recording booth, as both he and his co-star Kenny have been close friends for the quarter-century since SpongeBob first premiered. “At first, I was just like anyone who works with Tom; you’re kind of dazzled by this magnificent human who is capable of so much,” Fagerbakke said of his first impressions of his long-time co-star. “I’ve always thought the dynamics between SpongeBob and Patrick are so great. … You can’t separate the humanity from that. I love Tom and his family so much. I think the kind of friendship we have is really unusual for so many reasons, and so many of them are built into SpongeBob.”
“It has been such a joy to be able to get to know Tom,” Fagerbakke added of his buddy. “Seeing him come to his full fruition of the greatest animation voiceover actor who’s ever lived is extraordinary.”
So SpongeBob is the best fry cook, the best voice actor and the best friend — anyone with ears can hear that.
