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Here’s the SpongeBob XXX parody no one asked for…but everyone will probably watch: SpongeKnob SquareNuts. The Brew likes to keep things classy so we’re only linking to the SFW trailer. You perverts who want to see a sponge and a squirrel go at it will have to find the whole thing on your own.

When was the last time a prime-time TV Christmas Special was really special? I’ve seen this one – and it really is. Nickelodeon’s first full-length stop-motion animated special, It’s A SpongeBob Christmas! will premiere on CBS on Friday Nov. 23th, then begin airing about two weeks later on Nickelodeon, starting Sunday Dec. 9th. Inspired by the classic Rankin/Bass specials of the past, and featuring John Goodman and the voice of Santa Claus, the show was animated by Mark Cabellero and Seamus Walsh at Screen Novelties in Los Angeles. The special is available for purchase on DVD starting today.

Production on the show began in October 2011. Sixty pounds of baking soda, 42 pounds of glitter, 22 pounds of wood chips and 20 boxes of breakfast cereal were used to create the film’s sets. I made a quick visit to Screen Novelties studio a few weeks ago to get a first hand look at some of the props and puppets and talk to the guys. Join me by clicking the video below…

Mathematician and video-maker Vi Hart exposes the mathematical impossibility of SpongeBob Squarepants pineapple:

Cartoon Brew: Leading the Animation Conversation | Permalink | No comment | Post tags: nickelodeon, SpongeBob Squarepants

We just got an eyeful of the Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Award nominees (and we think these awards will be harder to call than the Grammys — who will win best movie: Muppets, Smurfs, Harry Potter, or Alvin & The Chipmunks?! We’ll... Read the rest of this post

We shouldn’t be surprised that 37% of teens video chat (with friends and family using Skype, iChat, and Googletalk, according to a new study. It seems like a lot of kids using the Jetson-age technology, but it makes sense with the ubiquity of... Read the rest of this post

This looks insanely cool to me. Coming this winter – a new, unique Spongebob Squarepants Christmas special animated in stop motion. The production was supervised by our pals Mark Caballero and Seamus Walsh of Screen Novelties. Here’s the first look:

Cartoon Brew | Permalink | No comment | Post tags: Screen Novelties, SpongeBob Squarepants

Companies like Viacom and Warner Bros. are notoriously unpicky about how they license their characters, but using preschool cartoon characters to unload perfume onto children sinks pretty low. What is the smell that appropriately evokes a four-year-old Hispanic girl? Or an undersea sponge for that matter? When I scratched the SpongeBob sample at the drugstore checkout counter, I half expected the briny scent of the ocean and seaweed. Alas, the people who made these weren’t that thoughtful; all of them had a generic synthetic smell that evoked nothing. My floor wipes have a more sophisticated scent than these sorry excuses for children’s merchandise.

'American Idol' without Simon (takes a ratings hit, particularly with young adults, but keeps on kicking overall as the most watched show on both Wednesday and its new time slot on Thursday night. So will the  "age of niceness" reigned by Jennifer... Read the rest of this post

“It lives in a rainforest, under a tree…” Scientists have discovered a new fungus growing in the jungle and have named it after Spongebob.

“Shaped like a sea sponge, the bright orange (and sometimes purple) mushroom, Spongiforma squarepantsii, was discovered in the forests of Sarawak, Malaysia, on the island of Borneo in 2010, and just described in May in the journal Mycologia. The fungus has a particular odor, smelling “vaguely fruity or strongly musty,” according to Dennis Desjardin of San Francisco State University.”

“Vaguely fruity”? Yep, that’s our Spongebob!

(Thanks, Red Pill Junkie)

Cartoon Brew: Leading the Animation Conversation | Permalink | 4 comments | Post tags: SpongeBob Squarepants

Style icon Nicole Richie and menswear designer John Varvatos joined NBC’s ‘The Fashion Star’ (as celebrity mentors and judges in the upcoming style show, where aspiring designers compete for a multimillion-dollar contract to launch their own... Read the rest of this post

Plenty of shoppers stalk the Gilt Groupe website (to get the best deals, and now the company’s children’s division is encouraging shoppers to do the same on its Facebook page, where it will offer exclusive products and deals. First up?... Read the rest of this post

The economy is rough in the United States—even for cartoon characters. Above is surveillance footage from earlier this week in San Diego when Gumby attempted to rob a 7-Eleven. Gumby didn’t get away with any money, but that’s not the saddest detail of the story: the clerk didn’t recognize Art Clokey’s classic stop motion creation and described him to the police as a “green SpongeBob SquarePants.” With such a lack of name recognition amongst the general public, no wonder he’s hard up for cash. Police are currently offering a $1,000 reward, which means Gumby may be spending some time in the pokey.

Cartoon Brew: Leading the Animation Conversation | Permalink | One comment | Post tags: Art Clokey, Gumby, SpongeBob Squarepants

For a while, it looked like cell phones were going to put watchmakers out of business (but Gen Y is developing a retro fondness for timepieces…though the analog versions are treated as accessories, and wearers most often check their phones for... Read the rest of this post

SCANDALOUS!

Open Letter to Nickelodeon, Re: SpongeBob’s Pineapple under the Sea (by Vihart)

Yesterday's Essentials post about Jordin Sparks and her remarks at the VMAs provoked some interesting discussion in the comments about this year's VMAs and the issue of tween/teen/twentysomething overlap. Izzy pointed out: I was kinda... Read the rest of this post

The unsinkable 'SpongeBob' (The Atlantic explores the enduring appeal of the decade-old franchise. Plus, the full-length HD trailer for 'Princess and the Frog') (The Atlantic) - Threadless Tees (the crowdsourced t-shirt design site talks about... Read the rest of this post

Everything Wall Street wanted to know about teen media habits (but was afraid to ask. 15-year-old Morgan Stanley intern Matthew Robson explains it all — from teens love of texting and Wii, to their lack of interest in newspapers and Twitter... Read the rest of this post

Katy Perry to host the 'Teen Choice Awards' (on FOX in August, following in the dual performer/emcee footsteps of the Jonas Brothers. We'll see if that helps combat the award show fatigue we saw with the Movie Awards… And over in Late Night... Read the rest of this post

'Toy Story 3′ storms the box office (giving Hollywood a much-needed cash infusion this summer and Pixar's biggest opening [$109 million] to date. Maybe this study will push licensing folks to package healthy snacks with cartoon characters on... Read the rest of this post