Updated September 24, 2021 123.8K votes 18.1K voters 2.3M views
Voting Rules
Vote up the fan theories that actually sound like they make sense.
Suddenly the question "Who lives in a pineapple under the sea?" doesn't seem so straightforward. As kids, the idea of an underwater pineapple home, a talking sponge, a business crab, and a clarinet playing squid didn't seem all that weird. Years later though, people have come up with some intriguing ideas about Bikini Bottom. The list of fan theories about SpongeBob SquarePants is staggering to say the least.
These theories range from wild conspiracy theory territory to surprisingly plausible ideas. More than one of the theories seems to fill in some of the gaps from the show and many act as answers to even the craziest questions the show has presented.Â
SpongeBob might be labeled as a kids show, but that never stopped the writers and creators of the show from throwing in a few adult jokes every now and then. Perhaps that is why so many of the people who grew up watching the show can still enjoy it today.
Many fans of SpongeBob, Patrick and the whole gang have dug deep into the show and read between the lines to discover what they think are the hidden facts behind the TV show. Whether you agree with them or not, check out this list of crazy SpongeBob SquarePants fan theories about the whole Bikini Bottom crew.
Photo: Nickelodeon
1
7,076 VOTES
Pearl Was Adopted
Photo: Nickelodeon
Even in the SpongeBob universe, it's hard to imagine that Pearl the whale is actually the biological daughter of Mr. Krabs. This theory suggests that Pearl's mother was killed by a hook and that is the reason that Mr. Krabs was so passionate about saving her.
He does, after all, have a very apparent fear/hatred of hooks.
7,076 votes
2
6,421 VOTES
Bikini Bottom Is the Result of a Nuclear Explosion
Photo: Nickelodeon
Most fans agree that Bikini Bottom is part of Bikini Atoll, the island in the Pacific that acted as a test site for nuclear devices. This theory states that all of the nuclear fallout and radiation is what created the talking sponge and clarinet playing squid.
6,421 votes
3
4,193 VOTES
Squidward Is Suffering from Psychosis
Photo: Nickelodeon
The main evidence for this one comes from the Idiot Box, the box that SpongeBob and Patrick used to go on unreal adventures via their imaginations. This theory holds that all the noises Squidawrd is hearing from the box are actually part of his psychosis and aren't actually coming from SpongeBob or Patrick at all.
4,193 votes
4
5,071 VOTES
SpongeBob Never Fully Recovered from Emptying His Mind
Photo: Nickelodeon
Remember when Squidward told SpongeBob to empty his mind of everything but fine dining and breathing? This theory suggests that SpongeBob never fully recovered from that incident. This is why he sometimes struggles with simple or mundane tasks that should otherwise be very easy for him.
5,071 votes
5
4,823 VOTES
The Residents of Bikini Bottom Are Basically Immortal
Photo: Nickelodeon
Given that SpongeBob has already lived for much longer than the average sea sponge (based on the amount of employee of the month awards he has won) we can assume that something is up with the residents of Bikini Bottom. The fact that none of the other residents seem to age either suggests that they all have highly extended lifespans.
4,823 votes
6
4,947 VOTES
SpongeBob and Friends Represent Mental Disorders
Photo: Nickelodeon
SpongeBob has ADD and lands somewhere on the autism spectrum. Squidward has OCD, Sandy shows signs of narcissistic personality disorder, Plankton suffers from depression, and Gary has General Anxiety Disorder.
