Stephen Hillenburg was fascinated with the ocean as a child, leading him to create Spongebob Squarepants.
SpongeBob SquarePants is an American animated television series created by marine biologist and animator Stephen Hillenburg for Nickelodeon . Stephen Hillenburg . A former marine-biology teacher , he created SpongeBob SquarePants ( 1999 ) , which has gone on to become one of the longest-running American television series as well as the highest-rated show ever to air on Nickelodeon . Born in Lawton , Oklahoma and raised in Anaheim , California , Hillenburg became fascinated with the ocean as a child and also developed an interest in art . In 1994 , Hillenburg began developing The Intertidal Zone characters and concepts for what became SpongeBob SquarePants . He also directed The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie ( 2004 ) , for which he received a nomination for an Annie Award for Directing in a Feature Production .