Wednesday, September 11, 2013

The Spongebob Squarepants Experience



I remember the day my daughter introduced me to the Spongebob Squarepants cartoons.  After a few minutes I looked at her and said, “What kind of craziness is this?  It makes absolutely no sense whatsoever!”  She replied, “But Daddy, it’s funny!”
 

Then it struck me.  I was acting just as my mother did when I was a child watching the Looney Tunes, Rocky and Bullwinkle, The Flintstones and other popular kids’ animated TV shows when I was growing up.


So, with a renewed sense of purpose I sat down and watched several more episodes.  Here’s the kicker-I liked them!


Sure the cartoons are bizarre, the animation is over-exaggerated, the situations ridiculous, the characters  over-the-top and the entire premise of the cartoons totally whacked but-so were the cartoons I watched as a kid.


Insight Editions has just released a new square bound, sleeved book from Jerry Beck called The Spongebob Squarepants Experience.  Experience is right!


The book starts out appropriately enough at the beginning.  From the initial concept of Bob and his friends, foes, settings and situations the book follows the progression of the Aquatic Krabby Paddy flipping sponge as he has ‘matured’ over the years and the premise of the show has refined to its current outrageous (and highly successful) format.


Pages are ‘brimming’ with ‘schools’ of ‘aquatic’ antics that dangle enticing visual ‘bait’ for readers to ‘hook’ on to.


Once hooked readers will be helpless as they are ‘reeled-in’ to the funny, flamboyant, frantic, fun-filled, fly-by-the-seat-of-its-pants, fishy world of Spongebob Squarepants, Patrick and the other fishy residents of the undersea world.


Learn everything there is to learn about Bikini Bottom, its citizens, businesses, crazy locations and more as the book ‘swims’ you merrily along amongst the ‘tides’ of artwork, photos, concept sketches, character designs and all the little ‘extras’ that make the book pop.  


It’s The Spongebob Squarepants Experience and once you enter I guarantee you’ll never want to leave.  Now, where did I put my Krabby Paddy?