SpongeBob SquarePants first aired on Nickelodeon in 1999 and quickly became one of the most quoted cartoons online, with its music, catchphrases and underwater world reused across YouTube, TikTok and meme pages. The show's closing music is especially useful for editors because it instantly reads as an ending, even without any dialogue or context. As short-form video grew, creators began using the tune to cap off jokes, fails and parodies, and its nostalgic pull for viewers who grew up with the show has kept it in regular rotation.