12th Street Rag is a ragtime piano piece composed by Euday L. Bowman and published in 1914, long before it became associated with animation. SpongeBob SquarePants later made the tune familiar to a new generation by using its bouncy, old-time sound as background music for comedic scenes. Fans began sharing short clips of the music on soundboards and in edits, where its instantly recognisable rhythm signals silliness and old cartoon chaos. It remains popular because it needs no words to set a playful, mischievous mood.