it was a balance in my opinion, like the execution and the jokes that make the kiddos laugh for one reason, and the parents laugh for a completely different reason for the same joke
The adult jokes were just part of the collection, the overall quality of the jokes is what stuck out. Modern Spongebob just lacks that wit and clever writing for jokes to land well.
Exactly. Even while watching this video I laughed out loud so many times seeing these gags because they’re still so funny even all these years later, while the jokes shown from modern SpongeBob are just “…Eh I get the joke but it wasn’t funny”
Right? It's not like adults who watch classic spongebob are watching it completely bored out of their minds just waiting for an "adult" joke. Such a bizarre take. If anything, I've always felt that SpongeBob is proof that you can make great comedy that's appropriate (and funny) for all ages. It's so lame how some people think swearing, sexual innuendos, and edgy humor are automatically funny. It's like they have the mentality of an insecure middle school boy
yep that’s the first thing i thought of when i saw the thumbnail for this. a lot of shows that are primarily made for kids have jokes that adults would be able to get right away
It’s just over when the ogs leave. Even good writers will just be following in their footsteps rather than making their own project intuitively out of passion.
You have a point! I don't really consider those "adult jokes" those are more growing up jokes, like the ones that relate to life experiences. I just think sex jokes are weird and creepy, especially in a kids show (I'm 21 and I kind of think in a mom perspective already...idk). Honestly I do have a lot of respect when a show or movie that's meant for kids has adult themes about life like hating your body or feeling discriminated against.
For some reason, this comment had a "Show less" option, which usually starts as a "Read more" option. Also, this comment doesn't even need either, because it only has like... 7 words.
I would say seasons 1-3 SpongeBob had adult themes; like raising an infant, watching a training video, painting a house, trying to get a lot of money, becoming a shutin/hermit, getting a new job, delivering a product, hiding a body etc. The show did have more childish plots, and those episodes got the "saucy" jokes to balance the more goofy jokes (something the last few seasons don't have as much). What made SpongeBob universal (at least for me) was the balance of adult themes/stories, done in a silly/exaggerated way to make it interesting.
@Randomland I recommend also checking out Rocko's Modern Life, that's a classic Nicktoon that has ton of adult themes in a rated G show. As a matter of fact, both Ren & Stimpy and Rocko's Modern Life heavily inspired SpongeBob.
@@Randomlad.0737 True. One of them being Stephen Hillenburg. Tom Kenny who voiced SpongeBob previously voiced Heffer and Doug Lawrence who voice Plankton previously voiced Filburt in Rocko. What's your thoughts on Rocko's Modern Life?
Basic problems with post-movie Spongebob - flanderization of characters, lack of character motivation, slow awkward pacing (timing of jokes), predictable recycled plots, using tropes as crutches to avoid writing original jokes, lack of a creative push (forging earlier success and making the show a parody of itself). I agree things like retconning and lack of adult jokes are just surface level.
AKA all things that were problems in the pre movie seasons as well or just not a big deal at all but we’re just gonna ignore that because the internet already decided the pre movie seasons are basically perfect with no problems and everything after is automatically bad, right?
I mean... Come on, you have to admit this show has gone a bit downhill, I mean people aren't exaggerating when they calling seasons 1-3 the best in the entire show, though personally I think up to season 5 was good, after season 6 though... Things started going very downhill, uhh a lot of episodes after season 6 were awful and had flanderized personalities and poor comedy and jokes that wasn't just torture which made people believe that the writers had an obvious fetish they weren't trying to hide, but then things were starting to get a bit better when Stephen came back only for him to die and things turn to complete shit again. The brainrot in the new seasons is straight gross and I hate it, I hate the new animation style aswell because I grew up with the really stiff animation after the first movie so seeing the characters move around all the time is bad for my ADHD and I don't like it at all, and I don't personally like any of the new characters they addin,g, they just being like The Fairly Odd parents and just adding characters just because at this point.@@quangamershyguyyz7166
No problem with slapstick comedy but you have to do it well otherwise it comes off as torture. (Case in point see any Squidward torture porn episode after season 5)
It seems to me that people can sometimes confuse concepts that are similar in sound but not in meaning. I.e. "jokes for adults" sounds similar to "jokes that adults can also enjoy", but means completely different things.
When people say "adult humor" in SpongeBob, they're not really referring to crude humor that got past the censors. All kids cartoons have that. The "adult humor" in early SpongeBob was mostly jokes that are relatable to adults and thus funnier to them, oftentimes going right over kids heads. Stuff like "hang on, I'll transfer your call", "canned bread", and "Toulouse Lautrec"
Not ALL kids shows had crude humor, people are just used to it because that was the crap that Nickelodeon and Cartoon network crapped out. SpongeBob, Rugrats, and CatDog were the perfect mix of good writing and story telling, but just throw in a few subtle innuendos here and there. Some of that crap on Nickelodeon was FILLED with it, like iCarly and Ren & stimpy which were gross and perverted. I grew up with this channel called Qubo (I'm American) and there were a lot of Canadian shows on there that were similar to SpongeBob, as far as having good writing and not much crude humor, just a few subtle jokes.
Something modern Spongebob forgot is that it's not a kids show. It was never a show for kids. It was a show for the whole family to watch and love together.
exactly… the newer seasons almost feel like elsagate content i swear. i couldnt imagine any families wanting to sit down together and watching something from season 14
@@Jhereckk ok yea i was exaggerating with what i said, but you get the idea. sometimes, it gets dangerously close to feeling like it. And it’s been gradually happening more ever since ink lemonade dropped
And people who watched old SpongeBob forget is that there’s nothing wrong with a show being meant for kids, and can change it’s content to appeal to it’s main audiences all the time because watching grown adults taking SpongeBob so seriously is odd.
@@quangamershyguyyz7166 They should still be able to enjoy it. Animation and cartoons are something everyone can enjoy, and Steven took that into consideration with clever writing and character design. But modern Spongebob has disregarded both of those for cheap jokes and shallow characters and instead focus all their attention on kids
My favorite joke from pre movie (that I remember from being a child and not a spongebob obsessed adult) was always “your genius is showing” “WHERE?” It was funny as a kid and as an adult for completely different reasons
I think part of this misconception of "modern Spongebob doesn't have adult humor, therefor it's worse" is a sort of telephone game misunderstanding of the actual problem. Early spongebob was written to be funny for all ages, it's a show you can laugh at whether you're young or old. Modern Spongebob on the other hand skews much, much younger with its writing. It's no longer concerned with being funny for all ages, it only wants to appeal to the pre-teen demographic, so I can see why some people would observe this transformation and come to the misguided conclusion that Spongebob has stopped making dirty jokes and that this is somehow the main problem with the show. They're wrong, but I see the thought process.
I always disliked this obsession with "adult humor" in kids shows like it's the only way they can appeal to adult. It feels like people are either embarrassed about enjoying something for kids or just parroting a common statement because it's easier than actually analyzing media.
As long as it’s funny, I don’t care if the jokes are “adult” or not. I even found the “thanks for the scabies” joke on the cake to be funny in a weird, gross way.
Personally i HATE "adult" jokes. Most of time it falls flat and nowadays all you see is "hehe they says the fuck word" or "hehe sex joke" OG Spongebob is quotable no matter where you go and has great visual gags. A personal fave of mine is during Hall Monitor when Patrick says "Hurry Spongebob- i think its getting-" and then the sky immediately turns dark. Gets me every time for some reason among many others.
One aspect that makes pre-movie Spongebob so impressive is how each season has its own unique style of humor while still being a stand-out performer in the larger cartoon landscape. Pickles, Wormy, and Chocolate with Nuts are all highly quotable episodes with great jokes that almost feel like they come from completely different shows.
it's true, a good joke doesn't need to be "adult", it only needs to be good, and the appeal of old Spongebob was that it was funny and clever enough to be funny to most people. that said, it's weird to me people say the anime was better before the movie, as if it was a flick of the switch, when personally I feel like the movie was pretty good and the anime itself only GRADUALLY became less funny, Fear of a Krabby Patty was on Season 4 and it still had a lot of the anime's charm
@@pinkyoshi9339 Spongebob is one of the most recognizable animes out there, and you come to a Spongebob-related video and doesn't know what Spongebob is? I guess we all gotta start somewhere, but I'd prefer starting to know the anime by watching it first, not video essays...
The reason why old SpongeBob is so enjoyable is because it has actually good writing and meme ability and creativity in execution in storytelling. And some of the internet's most popular SpongeBob memes came way before the internet.😅 That was just the charm old SpongeBob had but nowadays SpongeBob is so saturated with over done characteristics and loss in ideas just met to target the underdeveloped..
To be fair the adult jokes arent usually applicable to outside circumstances and thats the main reason they dont get brought up nearly as often. They also dont make good out of context lines either. They also usually arent delivered in an over the top manner. At least one of those three things apply to most of the commonly quoted jokes.
I’m indifferent, I don’t care what season it is, what episode one, whatever, it’s all SpongeBob and it’s all worth watching to me. That’s what it’s all about.
so real im sick of people not giving the writers of the fiorst seasons the credit they deserve for making a universally funny show for many people. it wasnt their naughty jokes that made them funny
Yeah. Rocko's Modern Life overall has really great writing and humor that appeals both kids and adults alike. Rocko also has lot of adult themes and situations that lot of adults can relate, especially everything Rocko has to work hard on despite the challenges. It's a timeless great show in my opinion.
They went even more full-on with them in that show, downright to even having the word "hell" in one episode and another episode banned from reruns because of Bev Bighead attempting to seduce Rocko.
Awe, i love listening to you talk about spongebob, your voice is so calming and your choice of words is delightful too. I agree with a lot of your opinions.
I understand your point BUT you got to admit, that adult jokes were in the old Spongebob for a reason. The writing was on such high level, that not only kids but teens & even adults could watch that show - hence jokes made specifically for them. Meanwhile, modern Spongebob is just a pure TH-cam Kids brainrot, so writing adult jokes has no purpose.. It would only waste the precious time which characters could spend on making goofy faces or having no dialogue for 2 minutes straight 😒 Spongebob is no longer for anyone older than 5, and the lack of adult jokes is a great indicator of that.
Yeah, he appears not to feel the need to randomly scream every single word in a sentence, which is a refreshing change of pace compared to most of TH-cam.
I love that sports channel joke. That’s up there with Patric thinking about spilled milk for me. Personally I think that the adult jokes were a plus as a kid I never understood them but once I got into my teens when I started to understand what they meant I felt like it was just a bonus for rewatching old episodes. It’s like a kid isn’t gonna get what’s going on it the sports one so I see know harm in having them.
My parents used to watch it with us at times as kids and thought it was genuinely funny. As an adult we still reminisce over memorable funny moments from the show. It’s all about delivery. Early SpongeBob had great jokes because they were delivered so well and played on each character’s personalities so perfectly.
People seem to have a weird hyperfixation on adult/dark humor in kids cartoons in general. Just the other day, I was reading a comment about how they liked that Rugrats had a proper focus on the adults as well as the babies in the show, and another commenter butted in with “yeah, there were plenty of jokes that flew over my head as a kid 😂” . Every time I talk about how good ANY cartoon is, someone always brings up the “hidden, adult humor” in those shows when it’s barely 1% of the jokes in the show!
I honestly feel like the adult jokes are just as important as the universal jokes that everyone would get. While they may not be as funny as the one everyone would get, they still contributed to the show's wit back in the day. But nowadays, instead of clever jokes sometimes complimented with things that only adults would get. We now have the writer's barely disguised foot fetishes.
I never heard anyone ONLY complaining about this aspect when it comes to modern Spongebob, I really don't get the issue. Those adult jokes were just one aspect but the problem with modern spongebob is that basically ALL aspects that made spongebob great completely disappeared. And for some people the adult jokes took an important place, for others just the overall writing for others maybe the characters and the way they act, idk. And the examples u showed here weren't from new episodes. Seasons 5-7 are like 15+ years old... So yeah I agree they should work on the overall writing/humor but the adult jokes were great as well and idk why anyone would mind if they'd add some again.
That sentiment was really common when I was a young teenager and made me think that at some point in your life, you start to only find jokes related to sex funny.
I would say I appreciate the adult humor in early SpongeBob. It’s satisfying that some things that went over my head as a kid, I can laugh at seeing the show later. But to say not having them makes the show worse is… frankly an odd take, I would agree. What made the humor in SpongeBob good was that it was just well written in general, with the adult jokes just being one facet of that. EDIT: I realize I’ve effectively just said what the video went on to say, but I made this at the start of the video for my immediate thoughts
The soul of good comedy is an immutable spark that's hard to really analyze. The pre-movie run had it, the first movie had it, I'd even argue large chunks of seasons 4 and 5 had it, and I think the era where hillenberg briefly returned, the second movie and season 9B-11 also had it. Outside of that, I think the Spongebob writers tend to fall into ruts pretty easily, just recycling the hits, going through the motions or just kinda being weird without much purpose. I also highly suspect especially these days that they fight an uphill battle against some kind of mandate from above. Probably the biggest issue with newer material that doesn't get talked about enough is the vibe and atmosphere. The new stuff is really really manic comparatively, whereas a lot of Spongebob's best stuff was fairly laidback. Newer episodes are just stuffed with noises, wacky faces, the plots never stop moving even when they're not going anywhere. Cynically they seem terrified that the kids will go back to the iPad if they show doesn't stop jingling keys in their face (and they might be a perfectly reasonable fear for a cable network to have these days, idk), and it holds back otherwise decent ideas. I think what people really mean by "adult humor" isn't so much the dirty jokes but rather the more grounded laidback vibe and the pre-flanderized characterizations that felt more like rounded 3-dimensional characters rather than stock archetypes. That kind of writing requires a certain creative drive for one thing but also I'm not even sure the powers that be would even let them *make* episodes like that anymore. And this is a problem that extends well beyond Spongebob. TV in general used to be allowed to be more laidback, it didn't have to compete with much. If you were home and bored, what else were you gonna do? Even if you were doing something else, it was usually something easy to do with the TV on as background noise. Nowadays, TV has to compete for your attention and more importantly your kids' attention against every other entertainment option in the house. And it is repeatedly losing that battle. Thus it gets more desperate, thus it only pushes people further away. ...The rampant increase in commercials proportionately doesn't help either.
Many people often forget that Tom and Doug and Stephen came from Ricki’s Modern Life in the 90s which at that time was the KING of adult joke humor in kids shows. I’m sure Stephen took inspiration from that show when making his own.
I thought dark era SpongeBob is MORE appealing as an adult than as a kid. The humour is an adult kind of absurd. SpongeBob has an interesting & effective craft of humorous entertainment throughout its eras. It’s not bad, but maybe sometimes its just not 4 u.
Totally agree with what the “other TH-camr” said about modem spongebob. Almost everything about it shows the shows demographic is very small children with brainrot. And MAYBE some slightly older kids with the disgusting gross out humor.
Not even halfway through this video and I busted out laughing so many times at the gags featured, some of them just from the anticipation at seeing the scenes they were in. Really shows how good they were that they’re still funny even after all these years And yeah, *clearly* modern SpongeBob’s biggest problem is the lack of adult jokes and that’s the *only* reason why it’s bad, because all the series had going for it
I have never heard anyone say that old SpongeBob was only good because of it's adult humor... until now. I agree with you, SpongeBob has so many funny jokes that can get a laugh from all ages. Not once have I ever thought of a SpongeBob episode and went straight to the part with adult humor. Adult jokes are way overused in popular media in my opinion and when you have non-adult jokes that get older people laughing, that's when you know the writing is sublime!
Hi, just wanted to say big fan of your channel, I love the cozy, calm vibes and down to earth vibes no rage included which is I needed. But I think you hit the nail on the head. What made old apongebob so good is that its humor is universal(meaning including more aufience of all ages) and has more variety(dialogue, visual, slapstick) compared to modern spongebob, as the jokes feels less diverse imho. It is like tom and jerry and looney tunes, doesn't matter what your age was or what era you are born in, the humor appealed to all ages giving that universal feel i mentioned earlier. Once again amazing that was very civil. 😊
Classic sponge bob humor was for everyone, with occasional adult-only jokes. Modern sponge bob humor is for little kids, with occasional adult-only jokes.
Hot take: Gravity Falls didn’t always do adult jokes that well. I get that Alex would get a ton of shit from Disney so he probably added more dirty references out of defiance but they were often less of jokes and more of vague references to inappropriate content without a punchline. The show holds up well as an adult but the “adult jokes” don’t. At least Alex had interesting scripts and jokes otherwise, unlike something like Bee Movie which did the same idea and went all in with next to no jokes a kid could understand.
essentially, it's not a problem for it to have adult jokes, but that's not what made the show good, good jokes made the show good we remember "Wumbo", "it's not my wallet", and "it's a giraffe!" more than "Patrick, your genius is showing. Where?!"
it reminds me of how nickelodeon would continue to remind us about iconic lines or poses and the only reason why we love those moments were because of the early seasons writing and its comedic timing. I grew up with 2010’s spongebob but I keep coming back to the first 3 seasons🙃
i loved spongebob as a kid because it was funny and quirky, and my dad would watch it with me and enjoy it because of the jokes in it for him, i feel like subtle adult jokes make it easier for adults to watch and genuinely enjoy children’s tv. at least in my case.
A lot of my friends consider my humor to be pretty edgy and I’d agree with that. But frankly just because a joke is edgy doesn’t automatically make it funny. SpongeBob doesn’t need adult/edgy jokes, it just needs funny jokes
I think the big difference is the delivery. Modern spongebob has jokes that COULD be funny, but they're delivered so poorly that only a child could enjoy it.
Maybe I’m overthinking but I wouldn’t even describe some of those as adult jokes they’re probably more for tweens like the coin joke especially is absolutely meant to be catered towards the older children in my opinion.
I agree with you! I hate when they take adult jokes too far in kids shows as well...like for Ren & stimpy it's just plain disgusting and fetish-y. A few minor innuendos is okay in a cartoon, but not when the show is filled with perverted jokes involving sex all the time. There's a big difference! Also, SpongeBob is good for adults because of the story too, not just the jokes. If you're an adult and all you like is innuendos, then you're immature. Most mature adults think those are annoying and perverted when overused (like for Ren & stimpy or icarly)
Glad you covered this. I feel like it's an unpopular opinion, but Spongebob is just funny in general, no adult jokes needed. Yeah, some of them are also pretty good, but it's all about the comedic timing and writing behind the jokes that makes them funny to begin with.
The best jokes of SpongeBob are by far the ones both kids and adults enjoy. There are plenty of them in the golden era, and one of the reasons Modern SpongeBob is not that good anymore is because it lacks jokes for every age.
Not fully agree on this one. I get your point but its how the old seasons weaved the adult jokes in between that made it funny. Also how is the Soap scene an adult joke? Actually don't get that one.
I wouldn't say they were "adult" jokes. For one, when people say this, I think they mean "adulterated." As in innuendos, implications, and suggestions of a possibly sexual nature And yeah, cartoons would do this sometimes. But they would do it in a way kids wouldn't understand. They would also do bits directed towards children that they WOULD understand in their innocent mindset. As well as do just a bit of insightful commentary. Spongebob was a kid's show, with a matured outlook. There was no exclusive audience. It was like the middle child wedged between their elementary grade younger sibling, and their crude crass highschool older sibling. With the parents maintaining structure all the while. That kind of dynamic IS missing in modern Spongebob. It does not feel rounded out in any sort of way. Each episode heavy fisted and erratic with its chosen narrative, which has turned to an onrail experience. Even just referencing older episodes as fanservice. There is no growth or wonder. It reached a peak, this peak was noticed by execs, and now it is tied down to a corporate stage with nowhere else to go. And with this being the norm for years now, this degenerative state will only get worse with more passing time. And to say modern Spongebob doesn't have enough adult jokes is wrong. It lacks jokes of the mature quality. But it has "adulterated" jokes aplenty. Remember Hip Fish?! Not that long ago guys. And that didn't make Spongebob any better, that was an adult joke that just made it sussy as balls. There is immature adulterated comedy. And then there's being fucking mature for a change. And I know this immaturity is a corporate decision, because it is a noticeably widespread cancer. Big Mouth got an Emmy nomination. There are insiders pushing for this shit. Otherwise it wouldn't get any sort of traction.
It isn't the adult jokes that made it good. It was the type of humor and its execution that made it enjoyable for kids and adults alike.
I agree. It’s not the adult jokes. It’s that the jokes can be funny to adults and kids alike.
it was a balance in my opinion, like the execution and the jokes that make the kiddos laugh for one reason, and the parents laugh for a completely different reason for the same joke
The adult jokes were just part of the collection, the overall quality of the jokes is what stuck out. Modern Spongebob just lacks that wit and clever writing for jokes to land well.
Exactly. Even while watching this video I laughed out loud so many times seeing these gags because they’re still so funny even all these years later, while the jokes shown from modern SpongeBob are just “…Eh I get the joke but it wasn’t funny”
They weren’t needed. The main attraction is the plot and that’s it. It’s clear that everyone took the first 3 seasons too seriously.
Right? It's not like adults who watch classic spongebob are watching it completely bored out of their minds just waiting for an "adult" joke. Such a bizarre take. If anything, I've always felt that SpongeBob is proof that you can make great comedy that's appropriate (and funny) for all ages. It's so lame how some people think swearing, sexual innuendos, and edgy humor are automatically funny. It's like they have the mentality of an insecure middle school boy
'SpongeBob' is just a show made for kids, teens and adults alike. I can see why the show sometimes have adult humor.
I agree a show with an adult joke that went right pass u that realize as an adult gets you back into the show
yep that’s the first thing i thought of when i saw the thumbnail for this. a lot of shows that are primarily made for kids have jokes that adults would be able to get right away
@@gunnasintern yep, that's right.
This is so true if it didn’t have adults jokes it would be seen as a baby show
SpongeBob doesn’t need adult jokes, it needs good writers!
Mr Lawrence and Kaz are good writers.
Exactly, it's not the lack of adult jokes, it's the lack of GOOD jokes and writing
It’s just over when the ogs leave. Even good writers will just be following in their footsteps rather than making their own project intuitively out of passion.
There’s a difference in my mind between adult (dirty) jokes and mature (you’ll understand as you get older with life experience) jokes.
In other words, "adult" vs. _adult._
You have a point! I don't really consider those "adult jokes" those are more growing up jokes, like the ones that relate to life experiences. I just think sex jokes are weird and creepy, especially in a kids show (I'm 21 and I kind of think in a mom perspective already...idk). Honestly I do have a lot of respect when a show or movie that's meant for kids has adult themes about life like hating your body or feeling discriminated against.
Old episodes didn’t insult the audience’s intelligence
True that.
For some reason, this comment had a "Show less" option, which usually starts as a "Read more" option. Also, this comment doesn't even need either, because it only has like... 7 words.
@@Zayne1013TH-cam getting drunk again.
I would say seasons 1-3 SpongeBob had adult themes; like raising an infant, watching a training video, painting a house, trying to get a lot of money, becoming a shutin/hermit, getting a new job, delivering a product, hiding a body etc.
The show did have more childish plots, and those episodes got the "saucy" jokes to balance the more goofy jokes (something the last few seasons don't have as much).
What made SpongeBob universal (at least for me) was the balance of adult themes/stories, done in a silly/exaggerated way to make it interesting.
As an adult who hides bodies on a weekly basis I completely agree.
@@rychat4687 I know, it helped me with hiding bodies.
@Randomland I recommend also checking out Rocko's Modern Life, that's a classic Nicktoon that has ton of adult themes in a rated G show. As a matter of fact, both Ren & Stimpy and Rocko's Modern Life heavily inspired SpongeBob.
@@retrofan4963 Ya, I've seen both of them, some of Rocko's Modern Life staff moved on to SpongeBob.
@@Randomlad.0737 True. One of them being Stephen Hillenburg. Tom Kenny who voiced SpongeBob previously voiced Heffer and Doug Lawrence who voice Plankton previously voiced Filburt in Rocko. What's your thoughts on Rocko's Modern Life?
Basic problems with post-movie Spongebob - flanderization of characters, lack of character motivation, slow awkward pacing (timing of jokes), predictable recycled plots, using tropes as crutches to avoid writing original jokes, lack of a creative push (forging earlier success and making the show a parody of itself).
I agree things like retconning and lack of adult jokes are just surface level.
AKA all things that were problems in the pre movie seasons as well or just not a big deal at all but we’re just gonna ignore that because the internet already decided the pre movie seasons are basically perfect with no problems and everything after is automatically bad, right?
I mean... Come on, you have to admit this show has gone a bit downhill, I mean people aren't exaggerating when they calling seasons 1-3 the best in the entire show, though personally I think up to season 5 was good, after season 6 though... Things started going very downhill, uhh a lot of episodes after season 6 were awful and had flanderized personalities and poor comedy and jokes that wasn't just torture which made people believe that the writers had an obvious fetish they weren't trying to hide, but then things were starting to get a bit better when Stephen came back only for him to die and things turn to complete shit again. The brainrot in the new seasons is straight gross and I hate it, I hate the new animation style aswell because I grew up with the really stiff animation after the first movie so seeing the characters move around all the time is bad for my ADHD and I don't like it at all, and I don't personally like any of the new characters they addin,g, they just being like The Fairly Odd parents and just adding characters just because at this point.@@quangamershyguyyz7166
The biggest change of the humor is that while modern Spongebob relies of visual humor and slapstick, old Spongebob had clever writing.
No problem with slapstick comedy but you have to do it well otherwise it comes off as torture. (Case in point see any Squidward torture porn episode after season 5)
SpongeBob doesn’t need more adult jokes, it needs more GOOD jokes
It’s a good thing we have tons of good jokes then
It seems to me that people can sometimes confuse concepts that are similar in sound but not in meaning. I.e. "jokes for adults" sounds similar to "jokes that adults can also enjoy", but means completely different things.
the Dutchman crying at that self-help tape that guru man shouting the *POWER WITHIN!* has me laughing everytime.
Even as an adult I still don't understand that joke at all but I still laugh about how funny it is like when I was a kid. 😂
That "it's not" with Patrick nailing the coffins was gold
When people say "adult humor" in SpongeBob, they're not really referring to crude humor that got past the censors. All kids cartoons have that. The "adult humor" in early SpongeBob was mostly jokes that are relatable to adults and thus funnier to them, oftentimes going right over kids heads. Stuff like "hang on, I'll transfer your call", "canned bread", and "Toulouse Lautrec"
Not ALL kids shows had crude humor, people are just used to it because that was the crap that Nickelodeon and Cartoon network crapped out. SpongeBob, Rugrats, and CatDog were the perfect mix of good writing and story telling, but just throw in a few subtle innuendos here and there. Some of that crap on Nickelodeon was FILLED with it, like iCarly and Ren & stimpy which were gross and perverted. I grew up with this channel called Qubo (I'm American) and there were a lot of Canadian shows on there that were similar to SpongeBob, as far as having good writing and not much crude humor, just a few subtle jokes.
Bro, adult jokes arent just dirty jokes... Thats all I have to say.
Usually writers think adult = dirty
@@paulbaron453which is weird considering that they're adults themselves.
Something modern Spongebob forgot is that it's not a kids show. It was never a show for kids. It was a show for the whole family to watch and love together.
exactly… the newer seasons almost feel like elsagate content i swear. i couldnt imagine any families wanting to sit down together and watching something from season 14
@mlau490 I wouldn't go that far. Elsagates intentions were nothing like what modern Spongebob wants from it's viewers
@@Jhereckk ok yea i was exaggerating with what i said, but you get the idea. sometimes, it gets dangerously close to feeling like it. And it’s been gradually happening more ever since ink lemonade dropped
And people who watched old SpongeBob forget is that there’s nothing wrong with a show being meant for kids, and can change it’s content to appeal to it’s main audiences all the time because watching grown adults taking SpongeBob so seriously is odd.
@@quangamershyguyyz7166 They should still be able to enjoy it. Animation and cartoons are something everyone can enjoy, and Steven took that into consideration with clever writing and character design. But modern Spongebob has disregarded both of those for cheap jokes and shallow characters and instead focus all their attention on kids
"I can't see my forehead." At 30 this is still my favorite line or "EVIL!" is hilarious
My favorite joke from pre movie (that I remember from being a child and not a spongebob obsessed adult) was always “your genius is showing” “WHERE?” It was funny as a kid and as an adult for completely different reasons
I think that it wasn't adult jokes that made the first three seasons great, it was mature jokes that did not talk down to its audience
the problem is the quality of the writing in general nowadays
I just can't get over that episode where spongebob loses his job and becomes depressed, and it's somehow one of the funniest episodes I've seen
There's a difference between mature adults and wannabe adults that are just immature.
I think part of this misconception of "modern Spongebob doesn't have adult humor, therefor it's worse" is a sort of telephone game misunderstanding of the actual problem. Early spongebob was written to be funny for all ages, it's a show you can laugh at whether you're young or old. Modern Spongebob on the other hand skews much, much younger with its writing. It's no longer concerned with being funny for all ages, it only wants to appeal to the pre-teen demographic, so I can see why some people would observe this transformation and come to the misguided conclusion that Spongebob has stopped making dirty jokes and that this is somehow the main problem with the show.
They're wrong, but I see the thought process.
I always disliked this obsession with "adult humor" in kids shows like it's the only way they can appeal to adult. It feels like people are either embarrassed about enjoying something for kids or just parroting a common statement because it's easier than actually analyzing media.
As long as it’s funny, I don’t care if the jokes are “adult” or not. I even found the “thanks for the scabies” joke on the cake to be funny in a weird, gross way.
It's the only part of OverBooked I remember.
It was "Sorry for the Scabies".
@@MiyukiNakira yup. I was gonna edit my comment but Awe already gave it a heart.
Personally i HATE "adult" jokes. Most of time it falls flat and nowadays all you see is "hehe they says the fuck word" or "hehe sex joke"
OG Spongebob is quotable no matter where you go and has great visual gags.
A personal fave of mine is during Hall Monitor when Patrick says "Hurry Spongebob- i think its getting-" and then the sky immediately turns dark.
Gets me every time for some reason among many others.
Theres a reason we look back at cartoons for jokes
And not adult tv shows.
But peak comedy has no target audience.
One aspect that makes pre-movie Spongebob so impressive is how each season has its own unique style of humor while still being a stand-out performer in the larger cartoon landscape. Pickles, Wormy, and Chocolate with Nuts are all highly quotable episodes with great jokes that almost feel like they come from completely different shows.
it's true, a good joke doesn't need to be "adult", it only needs to be good, and the appeal of old Spongebob was that it was funny and clever enough to be funny to most people. that said, it's weird to me people say the anime was better before the movie, as if it was a flick of the switch, when personally I feel like the movie was pretty good and the anime itself only GRADUALLY became less funny, Fear of a Krabby Patty was on Season 4 and it still had a lot of the anime's charm
What do you mean by anime?
@@pinkyoshi9339 Spongebob is one of the most recognizable animes out there, and you come to a Spongebob-related video and doesn't know what Spongebob is? I guess we all gotta start somewhere, but I'd prefer starting to know the anime by watching it first, not video essays...
@40088922 I think anime usually refers to Japanese animation, so SpongeBob being called an anime instead of a cartoon kind of threw us off a bit 😅
The new adult jokes in modern SpongeBob are the fetishy ones. Like the feet and vore parts.
I'm sorry, but what?
Ugh... The worst types of jokes. Idk how anyone could find those jokes funny, it's just odd.
The reason why old SpongeBob is so enjoyable is because it has actually good writing and meme ability and creativity in execution in storytelling. And some of the internet's most popular SpongeBob memes came way before the internet.😅 That was just the charm old SpongeBob had but nowadays SpongeBob is so saturated with over done characteristics and loss in ideas just met to target the underdeveloped..
You know, most of these weren't exactly noticeable until TH-cam poops made jokes out of them. That's where things get really out of control.
Yeah completely agree man. the jokes in pre movie were always funny, the adult jokes just enhanced the comedy. good point (:
To be fair the adult jokes arent usually applicable to outside circumstances and thats the main reason they dont get brought up nearly as often. They also dont make good out of context lines either. They also usually arent delivered in an over the top manner. At least one of those three things apply to most of the commonly quoted jokes.
SpongeBob just needs good jokes
I’m indifferent, I don’t care what season it is, what episode one, whatever, it’s all SpongeBob and it’s all worth watching to me. That’s what it’s all about.
so real im sick of people not giving the writers of the fiorst seasons the credit they deserve for making a universally funny show for many people. it wasnt their naughty jokes that made them funny
There was like 1 adult joke every 10 episodes theyre acting like every joke was one
Rockos modern life had a lot of them
Yeah. Rocko's Modern Life overall has really great writing and humor that appeals both kids and adults alike. Rocko also has lot of adult themes and situations that lot of adults can relate, especially everything Rocko has to work hard on despite the challenges. It's a timeless great show in my opinion.
They went even more full-on with them in that show, downright to even having the word "hell" in one episode and another episode banned from reruns because of Bev Bighead attempting to seduce Rocko.
As long as they aren’t uncomfortable I think that they are fine.
i should be asleep for work rn but the universe decided i needed to see this
Awe, i love listening to you talk about spongebob, your voice is so calming and your choice of words is delightful too. I agree with a lot of your opinions.
I understand your point BUT you got to admit, that adult jokes were in the old Spongebob for a reason. The writing was on such high level, that not only kids but teens & even adults could watch that show - hence jokes made specifically for them. Meanwhile, modern Spongebob is just a pure TH-cam Kids brainrot, so writing adult jokes has no purpose.. It would only waste the precious time which characters could spend on making goofy faces or having no dialogue for 2 minutes straight 😒 Spongebob is no longer for anyone older than 5, and the lack of adult jokes is a great indicator of that.
Spongboomer🙃🤨
U are one of my favorite ytbers you are so chill and idk i just like ur vids bro
Yeah, he appears not to feel the need to randomly scream every single word in a sentence, which is a refreshing change of pace compared to most of TH-cam.
actively wanting a kid's show to do adult jokes a little weird
Yeah it's like at that point just watch an adult cartoon, you'll get all your dirty jokes fixes there. 😂🤪
I love that sports channel joke. That’s up there with Patric thinking about spilled milk for me. Personally I think that the adult jokes were a plus as a kid I never understood them but once I got into my teens when I started to understand what they meant I felt like it was just a bonus for rewatching old episodes. It’s like a kid isn’t gonna get what’s going on it the sports one so I see know harm in having them.
0:38 when i watch youtubers get exposed
I mean if it didn’t a lot of people would’ve thought it was for babies
My parents used to watch it with us at times as kids and thought it was genuinely funny. As an adult we still reminisce over memorable funny moments from the show. It’s all about delivery. Early SpongeBob had great jokes because they were delivered so well and played on each character’s personalities so perfectly.
People seem to have a weird hyperfixation on adult/dark humor in kids cartoons in general. Just the other day, I was reading a comment about how they liked that Rugrats had a proper focus on the adults as well as the babies in the show, and another commenter butted in with “yeah, there were plenty of jokes that flew over my head as a kid 😂” . Every time I talk about how good ANY cartoon is, someone always brings up the “hidden, adult humor” in those shows when it’s barely 1% of the jokes in the show!
I honestly feel like the adult jokes are just as important as the universal jokes that everyone would get. While they may not be as funny as the one everyone would get, they still contributed to the show's wit back in the day. But nowadays, instead of clever jokes sometimes complimented with things that only adults would get. We now have the writer's barely disguised foot fetishes.
they just need well written jokes again great jokes related to episode plots
"HAHA SPUNCHBOP NOSE STICKS OUT LIKE A BONAR!!! THEY MUST HAVE KNOWN!!!!"
I never heard anyone ONLY complaining about this aspect when it comes to modern Spongebob, I really don't get the issue.
Those adult jokes were just one aspect but the problem with modern spongebob is that basically ALL aspects that made spongebob great completely disappeared.
And for some people the adult jokes took an important place, for others just the overall writing for others maybe the characters and the way they act, idk.
And the examples u showed here weren't from new episodes. Seasons 5-7 are like 15+ years old...
So yeah I agree they should work on the overall writing/humor but the adult jokes were great as well and idk why anyone would mind if they'd add some again.
That sentiment was really common when I was a young teenager and made me think that at some point in your life, you start to only find jokes related to sex funny.
I would say I appreciate the adult humor in early SpongeBob. It’s satisfying that some things that went over my head as a kid, I can laugh at seeing the show later. But to say not having them makes the show worse is… frankly an odd take, I would agree. What made the humor in SpongeBob good was that it was just well written in general, with the adult jokes just being one facet of that.
EDIT: I realize I’ve effectively just said what the video went on to say, but I made this at the start of the video for my immediate thoughts
Subtlety is KEY
The soul of good comedy is an immutable spark that's hard to really analyze. The pre-movie run had it, the first movie had it, I'd even argue large chunks of seasons 4 and 5 had it, and I think the era where hillenberg briefly returned, the second movie and season 9B-11 also had it.
Outside of that, I think the Spongebob writers tend to fall into ruts pretty easily, just recycling the hits, going through the motions or just kinda being weird without much purpose.
I also highly suspect especially these days that they fight an uphill battle against some kind of mandate from above. Probably the biggest issue with newer material that doesn't get talked about enough is the vibe and atmosphere.
The new stuff is really really manic comparatively, whereas a lot of Spongebob's best stuff was fairly laidback. Newer episodes are just stuffed with noises, wacky faces, the plots never stop moving even when they're not going anywhere. Cynically they seem terrified that the kids will go back to the iPad if they show doesn't stop jingling keys in their face (and they might be a perfectly reasonable fear for a cable network to have these days, idk), and it holds back otherwise decent ideas.
I think what people really mean by "adult humor" isn't so much the dirty jokes but rather the more grounded laidback vibe and the pre-flanderized characterizations that felt more like rounded 3-dimensional characters rather than stock archetypes.
That kind of writing requires a certain creative drive for one thing but also I'm not even sure the powers that be would even let them *make* episodes like that anymore.
And this is a problem that extends well beyond Spongebob. TV in general used to be allowed to be more laidback, it didn't have to compete with much. If you were home and bored, what else were you gonna do? Even if you were doing something else, it was usually something easy to do with the TV on as background noise.
Nowadays, TV has to compete for your attention and more importantly your kids' attention against every other entertainment option in the house. And it is repeatedly losing that battle. Thus it gets more desperate, thus it only pushes people further away.
...The rampant increase in commercials proportionately doesn't help either.
THE THUMBNAIL 💀💀💀
Many people often forget that Tom and Doug and Stephen came from Ricki’s Modern Life in the 90s which at that time was the KING of adult joke humor in kids shows.
I’m sure Stephen took inspiration from that show when making his own.
Pogjob 👍
The first 3 seasons are funnier than many adult shows imo. Change my mind
3:34 damn that joke line delivery was so bad 😭
SpongeBob doesn’t need adult jokes for it to be it popular.
I thought dark era SpongeBob is MORE appealing as an adult than as a kid. The humour is an adult kind of absurd. SpongeBob has an interesting & effective craft of humorous entertainment throughout its eras. It’s not bad, but maybe sometimes its just not 4 u.
met gala intro straight based, great vid
Totally agree with what the “other TH-camr” said about modem spongebob. Almost everything about it shows the shows demographic is very small children with brainrot. And MAYBE some slightly older kids with the disgusting gross out humor.
Not even halfway through this video and I busted out laughing so many times at the gags featured, some of them just from the anticipation at seeing the scenes they were in. Really shows how good they were that they’re still funny even after all these years
And yeah, *clearly* modern SpongeBob’s biggest problem is the lack of adult jokes and that’s the *only* reason why it’s bad, because all the series had going for it
“Woah Doubloons Gary!!! Don’t drop em! 😉”
I have never heard anyone say that old SpongeBob was only good because of it's adult humor... until now. I agree with you, SpongeBob has so many funny jokes that can get a laugh from all ages. Not once have I ever thought of a SpongeBob episode and went straight to the part with adult humor. Adult jokes are way overused in popular media in my opinion and when you have non-adult jokes that get older people laughing, that's when you know the writing is sublime!
you made some very valid points
Agreed, it’s for all ages.
Wait the coin slot was that? 😰
I thought it was it’s butt whole
And that's better in what way exactly?
Hi, just wanted to say big fan of your channel, I love the cozy, calm vibes and down to earth vibes no rage included which is I needed.
But I think you hit the nail on the head. What made old apongebob so good is that its humor is universal(meaning including more aufience of all ages) and has more variety(dialogue, visual, slapstick) compared to modern spongebob, as the jokes feels less diverse imho.
It is like tom and jerry and looney tunes, doesn't matter what your age was or what era you are born in, the humor appealed to all ages giving that universal feel i mentioned earlier.
Once again amazing that was very civil. 😊
Classic sponge bob humor was for everyone, with occasional adult-only jokes. Modern sponge bob humor is for little kids, with occasional adult-only jokes.
I think the adult jokes makes it enjoyable for the older audience too
Hot take: Gravity Falls didn’t always do adult jokes that well. I get that Alex would get a ton of shit from Disney so he probably added more dirty references out of defiance but they were often less of jokes and more of vague references to inappropriate content without a punchline. The show holds up well as an adult but the “adult jokes” don’t. At least Alex had interesting scripts and jokes otherwise, unlike something like Bee Movie which did the same idea and went all in with next to no jokes a kid could understand.
I feel like the “wears the leak ma’am” can be interpreted as an adult joke
I feel like this spongbob topic will start exploding.
essentially, it's not a problem for it to have adult jokes, but that's not what made the show good, good jokes made the show good
we remember "Wumbo", "it's not my wallet", and "it's a giraffe!" more than "Patrick, your genius is showing. Where?!"
it reminds me of how nickelodeon would continue to remind us about iconic lines or poses and the only reason why we love those moments were because of the early seasons writing and its comedic timing. I grew up with 2010’s spongebob but I keep coming back to the first 3 seasons🙃
I don't know which episode it was but I heard SpongeBob saying to Mrs Puff "See you next Tuesday"
i loved spongebob as a kid because it was funny and quirky, and my dad would watch it with me and enjoy it because of the jokes in it for him, i feel like subtle adult jokes make it easier for adults to watch and genuinely enjoy children’s tv. at least in my case.
I always thought the tv joke was that the dancing anemone was flamboyant
spongbob gay panic 😳
A lot of my friends consider my humor to be pretty edgy and I’d agree with that. But frankly just because a joke is edgy doesn’t automatically make it funny. SpongeBob doesn’t need adult/edgy jokes, it just needs funny jokes
I think the big difference is the delivery. Modern spongebob has jokes that COULD be funny, but they're delivered so poorly that only a child could enjoy it.
Maybe I’m overthinking but I wouldn’t even describe some of those as adult jokes they’re probably more for tweens like the coin joke especially is absolutely meant to be catered towards the older children in my opinion.
No the adult jokes are fine. I hate how babified they made SpongeBob now
I agree, but it's not that there were less dirty jokes in modern spongebob, they were just not as funny, noticeable and/or tried too hard
Ok but what about the real estate joke in chocolate with nuts
I’ll give you that one but that’s still one joke out of like a hundred S tier jokes in that episode
@@awespongebob Don't forget the barnacle chip gag
I agree with you! I hate when they take adult jokes too far in kids shows as well...like for Ren & stimpy it's just plain disgusting and fetish-y. A few minor innuendos is okay in a cartoon, but not when the show is filled with perverted jokes involving sex all the time. There's a big difference! Also, SpongeBob is good for adults because of the story too, not just the jokes. If you're an adult and all you like is innuendos, then you're immature. Most mature adults think those are annoying and perverted when overused (like for Ren & stimpy or icarly)
Glad you covered this. I feel like it's an unpopular opinion, but Spongebob is just funny in general, no adult jokes needed. Yeah, some of them are also pretty good, but it's all about the comedic timing and writing behind the jokes that makes them funny to begin with.
finland is an adult joke??? how
He didn’t say it was, quite the opposite actually, listen next time.
The best jokes of SpongeBob are by far the ones both kids and adults enjoy. There are plenty of them in the golden era, and one of the reasons Modern SpongeBob is not that good anymore is because it lacks jokes for every age.
I agree
Not fully agree on this one. I get your point but its how the old seasons weaved the adult jokes in between that made it funny.
Also how is the Soap scene an adult joke? Actually don't get that one.
Basically, the older seasons were for the family, while the current seasons are for the children
Oh the wallet. I am rolling on the ground 😂
I wouldn't say they were "adult" jokes. For one, when people say this, I think they mean "adulterated." As in innuendos, implications, and suggestions of a possibly sexual nature
And yeah, cartoons would do this sometimes. But they would do it in a way kids wouldn't understand. They would also do bits directed towards children that they WOULD understand in their innocent mindset. As well as do just a bit of insightful commentary.
Spongebob was a kid's show, with a matured outlook. There was no exclusive audience. It was like the middle child wedged between their elementary grade younger sibling, and their crude crass highschool older sibling. With the parents maintaining structure all the while. That kind of dynamic IS missing in modern Spongebob. It does not feel rounded out in any sort of way. Each episode heavy fisted and erratic with its chosen narrative, which has turned to an onrail experience. Even just referencing older episodes as fanservice. There is no growth or wonder. It reached a peak, this peak was noticed by execs, and now it is tied down to a corporate stage with nowhere else to go. And with this being the norm for years now, this degenerative state will only get worse with more passing time.
And to say modern Spongebob doesn't have enough adult jokes is wrong. It lacks jokes of the mature quality. But it has "adulterated" jokes aplenty. Remember Hip Fish?! Not that long ago guys. And that didn't make Spongebob any better, that was an adult joke that just made it sussy as balls. There is immature adulterated comedy. And then there's being fucking mature for a change. And I know this immaturity is a corporate decision, because it is a noticeably widespread cancer. Big Mouth got an Emmy nomination. There are insiders pushing for this shit. Otherwise it wouldn't get any sort of traction.
You have better observations and analysis on SpongeBob than PhantomStrider.
Hey he tries, he's more into the character side of things.
I hate phantomstrider
@@Randomlad.0737yeah too much 🙄
@@kewaynehill-jn3yt Too much
PhantomStrider sucks.