Fans of the animated series Spongebob Squarepants will have something to look forward to during the halftime show of Superbowl LIII. According to a now removed Facebook post from Rodger Bumpass, who voices Squidward in the show, the halftime performance will feature, at least in some aspect, the “Sweet Victory” performance from Spongebob.
Abels, who graduated from Ball State in 2006 with majors in advertising and art, now works as a multimedia artist, with his most high-profile work consisting of several trailers made for popular films such as “I, Tonya,” “La La Land,” and “A Star Is Born.”
The ad, which you can watch here, covers the subject of “toxic masculinity,” the belief that being masculine bleeds into men’s everyday lives and negatively affects themselves and those around them. The ad features scenes of fighting, bullying and sexual harassment while a voice over talked about the history of “boys being boys.” The ad ends on the narrator explaining that showing boys how to act now is the way to improve men’s actions as a whole, then switches up Gillette’s traditional slogan, “the best a man can get,” for the topical “the best a man can be.”
Hillenburg was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, otherwise known as ALS, in March of 2017 and died of neurological complications at his home in Southern California. Nickelodeon tweeted the news today stating, “We are sad to share the news of the passing of Stephen Hillenburg, the creator of SpongeBob SquarePants. Today, we are observing a moment of silence to honor his life and work.” Nickelodeon went on to say that the characters and world Hillenburg created, “will long stand as a reminder of the value of optimism, friendship and the limitless power of imagination.”
