Legends of Bikini Bottom

Lore & Background

Legends of Bikini Bottom consists of six episodes: 'Trenchbillies', 'Sponge-Cano!', 'The Main Drain', 'The Monster Who Came to Bikini Bottom', 'Welcome to the Bikini Bottom Triangle', and 'The Curse of the Hex'. 'Trenchbillies' premiered on Facebook on January 27, 2011, and was written by Aaron Springer and Richard Pursel, with Andrew Overtoom as animation director. The other four episodes (excluding 'The Curse of the Hex') aired on Nickelodeon as an hour-long special on January 28, 2011. The decision to air the series online was aimed at attracting 'the young and the restless hooked to the internet and the social media.' Nickelodeon stated that SpongeBob SquarePants had more than 16 million 'friends' on Facebook at the time.

Reader's Guide

Legends of Bikini Bottom received positive reviews from media critics. Nancy Basile of About.com gave it a 4 out of 5 rating, citing episodes like 'Welcome to the Bikini Bottom Triangle' and 'The Main Drain' as favorites. Paul Mavis of DVD Talk noted that some episodes were 'mildly amusing' while others 'blow their promising set-ups,' singling out 'The Main Drain' and 'Trenchbillies' as fairly funny. Jeff Robbins of DVD Verdict gave a mixed review, calling 'The Monster Who Came to Bikini Bottom' 'SpongeBob at its best' but deeming 'The Main Drain' 'not a good episode.' The series was promoted with a Burger King toy line of six figures. On Paramount+, all six episodes are grouped into a single episode. The concept of 'Sponge-Cano!' was later recycled into a musical based on the series that premiered in 2017 to universal acclaim.

Did You Know?

• The episode 'Trenchbillies' premiered on Facebook on January 27, 2011, before airing on Nickelodeon.
• Guest stars included Amy Sedaris, Ginnifer Goodwin, and Kristen Wiig.
• A Burger King toy line based on the series was released starting January 23, 2011.
• The concept of 'Sponge-Cano!' was recycled into a musical that premiered in 2017.