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NEWS ABOUT: SpongeBob

SpongeBob Bad for Kids? Sorry, Weenie Scientists

He's a great, lovable role model: Mary Elizabeth Wiliams

(Newser) - A new study suggests SpongeBob is a menace to kids' attention spans, but he won't be disappearing anytime soon from the TV screens in Mary Elizabeth Williams' house. "The study—and the response to it—say much about adult expectations of children," she writes in Salon . Kids... More »

SpongeBob Hurts Kids' Brains

Show weakens their ability to focus, research suggests

(Newser) - He lives in a pineapple under the sea, and apparently he poses a threat to your kid’s attention span. Researchers showed one group of children a nine-minute SpongeBob SquarePants segment; another group watched a clip of the same length of an educational PBS show called Caillou; a third spent... More »

New Mushroom Species Named After 'SpongeBob'

Gary had no comment

(Newser) - It wasn't discovered living under a pineapple or even under the sea, but a new mushroom species has been named after SpongeBob SquarePants. The species unearthed last year in Malaysia was dubbed Spongiforma squarepantsii because of its spongy similarities to the popular cartoon character, reports National Geographic . (Click the... More »

Homer Is Best TV, Film Character

Simpsons dad wins in survey from past 20 years

(Newser) - The world loves Homer Simpson—even more than Harry Potter. The Simpsons patriarch grabbed the top spot in Entertainment Weekly ’s survey of the best TV and film characters of the past two decades, the New York Post reports. “People can relate to Homer because we're all secretly... More »

SpongeBob at 10: Still Fun, Popular, and Inscrutable

(Newser) - SpongeBob SquarePants is 10 years old, and the “happy nonsense” of the show is “as popular as ever,” Alessandra Stanley writes in the New York Times. What’s more, the wacky, uncynical cartoon has managed to do it “without having disclosed any higher meaning to Bikini... More »

SpongeBob, Rap Don't Mix in Ad, Parents Tell Burger King

Many find mix of SpongeBob Squarepants and 'booty rap' uncomfortable

(Newser) - Burger King is under fire from parents for a new TV ad in which SpongeBob Squarepants, Sir Mix-A-Lot, and rap music video antics combine for an uncomfortable mix of adult and child entertainment, the Chicago Sun-Times reports. The spot mixes cartoon clips with shots of “the King,” and... More »

Sports, Edgier Fare Dominate the White House TiVo

Sports channels are expected; edgier fare may surprise you

(Newser) - If you judge a man by the channels he turns to, then President Obama is sporty, but with a hip edge. There’s no chance he passed up a replay of Monday's NCAA men’s basketball championship on his flight home from Iraq, sources tell Politico, but Obama is equally... More »

Sobbing SpongeBob Joins Viacom Fee Dispute

Ads aimed at winning support in Time Warner feud feature a sobbing Spongebob

(Newser) - Viacom is enlisting some of its best-known kid cartoon characters in a contract renewal battle with Time Warner, the Wall Street Journal reports. Viacom wants higher fees from the cable carrier for its channels, which could disappear from Time Warner's service at midnight tonight if no new deal is reached.... More »

10 Ways to Say 'I'm Not Gay'

Stars defend heterosexuality to their public

(Newser) - Star Jones' ex, Al Reynolds, used YouTube to make it official—he is not gay, just "kind of soft." His coming-in announcement prompts Radar to list the 10 best moments in defensive heterosexuality.
  1. Oprah Winfrey on rumors about her and Gayle King: ''Oh, please.''
  2. Jake Gyllenhaal: "
... More »

SpongeBob? Not You, Too!

Another recall of 300,000 Chinese toys hits America

(Newser) - Some 300,000 more toys and other children's items made in China have been recalled due to safety concerns about lead. That includes 250,000 SpongeBob journals and address books with lead paint on the metal bindings. The journals, imported by privately held Martin Designs Inc., were sold in US... More »

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