Spongebob Merch
Personality
SpongeBob is a fun-loving, hyperactive, clueless, and childish sea sponge with a happy-go-lucky personality. Despite being portrayed this way, he is relatively smart and knows right from wrong, an example being telling Patrick not to draw his picture of calling Mrs. Puff a “big, fat, meanie” because she’s a teacher.
He is extremely determined and will often stop at nothing to accomplish a task. He is also somewhat dramatic to the people who are kind to him: for example, to the mailfish.[20] He is also over-confident. Sometimes, though, he shows his devious side when trying to get Mr. Krabs and Plankton to work together. He sometimes makes mountains out of molehills, such as losing his name tag.
Spongebob Merch
SpongeBob’s popularity translated well into related merchandise sales. In 2002, SpongeBob SquarePants dolls sold at a rate of 75,000 per week, which was faster than Tickle Me Elmo dolls were selling at the time. SpongeBob was popular in Japan, specifically with Japanese women. Nickelodeon’s parent company, Viacom, purposefully targeted its marketing at women there as a way to build the SpongeBob SquarePants brand.
Skeptics initially doubted that SpongeBob could be popular in Japan as the character’s design is very different from the already popular designs for Hello Kitty and Pikachu. The character inspired a soap-filled sponge product manufactured by SpongeTech.
In early 2009, the Simmons Jewelry Co. released a $75,000 diamond pendant as part of a SpongeBob collection.
On May 17, 2013, Build-A-Bear Workshop introduced a new SpongeBob SquarePants collection in stores and online in North America.
SpongeBob also inspired an automobile design. On July 13, 2013, Toyota and Nickelodeon unveiled plans for a SpongeBob-inspired Toyota Highlander. The 2014 Toyota Highlander concept vehicle was launched as part of a SpongeBob Day promotion at that day’s game between the Giants and Padres in San Diego and subsequently visited seven U.S. locations, including the Nickelodeon Suites Resort Orlando in Florida.