The guardian.co.uk has published a great article entitled The celebrity cult of SpongeBob, which describes SpongeBob as a “ridiculously popular children’s cartoon that one imagines was dreamt up while under the influence”. The article delves into the topical issue of SpongeBob’s sexuality, as brought to the fore by Christian fundamentalists. Is Patrick his boy crush or not? Writer Hadley Freeman argues, “The fact that sexual congress would, presumably, be difficult between a sponge and a piece of ocean life (particularly as the sponge is incapable of removing his squarepants) has not dented their horror a jot”, to which an observant reader retorts, “You’ve never watched it have you[?] Spongebob is a sponge, also a sea creature. And he often takes off (or loses) his pants to comic effect”. In this light, take not of the sociological definition of cult: “a group with a high degree of tension with the surrounding society combined with novel religious beliefs”. (more…)