So its that time again for our famous “Versus” segment. And this week we have a little yellow throw down! We have Spongebob Square Pants Vs. The Minions! Who would be the last yellow spud standing! Here is a little on each character and then we will have a poll to see who wins! So don’t forget to vote!
SPONGEBOB
SpongeBob SquarePants is the titular character and protagonist of the American animated television series of the same name. He is voiced by actor and comedian Tom Kenny, and first appeared on television in the series’ pilot episode “Help Wanted” on May 1, 1999.
SpongeBob SquarePants was created and designed by cartoonist and marine biologist Stephen Hillenburg shortly after the cancellation of Rocko’s Modern Life in 1996. Hillenburg intended to create a series about an over-optimistic sponge that annoys other characters. Hillenburg compared the concept to Laurel and Hardy and Pee-wee Herman. As he drew the character, he decided that a “squeaky-clean square” (like a kitchen sponge) fit the concept. His name is derived from “Bob the Sponge”, the host of Hillenburg’s comic strip The Intertidal Zone that he originally drew in the 1980s while teaching marine biology to visitors of the Ocean Institute. SpongeBob is a naïve and goofy sea sponge who works as a fry cook in the fictional underwater town of Bikini Bottom. The character has received positive critical response from media critics and achieved popularity with both children and adults, though he has been involved in public controversy. SpongeBob appeared in a We Are Family Foundation video promoting tolerance, which was criticized by James Dobson of Focus on the Family because of the foundation’s link to homosexuality. SpongeBob is depicted as being an optimistic, cheerful, naïve, enthusiastic yellow sea sponge residing in the undersea city of Bikini Bottom alongside an array of anthropomorphic aquatic creatures. He works as a fry cook at a local fast food restaurant, the Krusty Krab, to which he is obsessively attached. At work, SpongeBob answers to Eugene Krabs, a greedy, miserly crab who shows SpongeBob favor, alongside his ill-tempered, hateful, snobbish next-door neighbor Squidward Tentacles. His favorite hobbies include his occupation, jelly-fishing, karate (albeit at an elementary level, with Sandy Cheeks as his sensei), relentless fandom of superheroes Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy, and blowing bubbles. He is often seen hanging around with his best friend Patrick, who lives on the same street as SpongeBob two doors down. However, SpongeBob’s varying intelligence, unlimited optimistic cheer, and irritating behavior often leads him to perceive the outcome of numerous endeavors and the personalities of those around him as happier and sunnier than they often actually are; for instance, he believes that Squidward enjoys his company in spite of the fact that he clearly loathes him. A recurring gag in several episodes is SpongeBob’s extremely poor “boating” (driving) ability and his repeated failures to pass his road test at Mrs. Puff’s Boating School. He lives in an iconic pineapple with his pet snail Gary.
MINONS
Minions are a species of tiny yellow henchmen; they look like unusually dressed Mike and Ike candies. They’re earnestly driven by the desire to serve an evil boss, though they often screw up because they’re selfish, easily distracted, and generally inept. They vary in height, but it’s safe to say they’re between 2 and 3 feet tall (though closer to 2). They communicate using a gibberish language that’s understandable to them and a few people who have longstanding relationships with them. They’re also resilient. Minions have been turned into evil purple versions of themselves, transformed into giants, crushed, tortured, and buried without being worse for wear (this may be the reason they’ve survived so long). They even have a few special abilities, like becoming glow sticks when they’re snapped and shaken. Though it’s often tough for the layperson to distinguish one Minion from another, they all have unique personalities and names (which their masters quickly learn). The new movie centers on three Minions — Kevin, Stuart, and Bob — who each become more distinct throughout the course of the film (or at least as distinct as gibberish-speaking henchmen can be). Kevin’s the leader, Stuart’s the musician, and Bob’s the kid (he totes around a teddy bear that somehow makes him appear even more adorable — and, in an equally lovable detail, he’s heterochromic). There are a few things we don’t know about Minions that the new movie doesn’t clarify: We don’t know why they wear goggles, though they’ve done so for thousands of years (early goggles were fashioned from available flora). Relatedly, the evolutionary function of some Minions having one eye while others have two eyes remains unclear. We also don’t know what compels them to serve evil people, though Minions implies it’s an evolutionary imperative, similar to the parasitism seen in the natural world.
With all that said, who would you see standing after a battle of the yellows? Would it be Spongebob, or a Minion? We will let you decide, and if you want to hear more on our views, you can hear it on podcast #78. Vote below, and send us a comment!