SpongeBob SquarePants

Puff, who is a blowfish expanding into an air balloon. This, however, did not prevent the many Bionicle users from continuing to use the disputed words, resulting in the popular Bionicle website BZPower coming under a denial-of-service attack for four days by an attacker using the name Kotiate [1]. incident involving Mrs. Initially LEGO refused to withdraw the game, saying the names it used were drawn from many cultures, but later agreed that it had taken the names from Māori and agreed to change certain names or spellings to help set the toy line apart from the Māori legends. Stephen Hillenburg announced publicly that SpongeBob and Patrick are not gay. The dispute was settled amicably. It has been incorrectly reported that James Dobson, a leading figure among many conservative Christians, believes SpongeBob is homosexual or promotes a homosexual lifestyle. The product line used many words that were an appropriation of Māori language, imagery and folklore.

Many fans have also pointed to the fact that many more characters besides SpongeBob were featured in the commercial, and SpongeBob's appearance is only a few seconds long. In 2001 a dispute arose between Danish toymaker LEGO and several Māori tribal groups fronted by lawyer Maui Solomon, and also several members of an online discussion forum Aotearoa Cafe, over the popular LEGO toy line Bionicle. A spokesman for the foundation suggests that anyone who thought the video promoted homosexuality "needs to visit their doctor and get their medication increased."[2]. Despite significant social and economic advances during the 20th century, Māori still perform negatively in most health and education statistics, labour participation as well as being over-represented in criminal and corrections statistics. The video has sparked controversy because some conservative Christian groups believe that the We Are Family Foundation was using it to promote the normalization of homosexuality in American schools. Māori politicians have seven designated Māori seats in the New Zealand parliament (and may stand in the General seats), and consideration and consultation with Māori are routine requirements for many New Zealand councils and government organisations. More recently, SpongeBob was featured in the pro-tolerance "We Are Family" commercial, along with many other cartoon characters. Māori language has the equivalent status to English in government and law.

Puff, SpongeBob's parents, Pearl/Octavious Rex, Plankton/Mama Krabs, Gary/Snellie, Plankton/Karen, Patrick/Mindy, and in many early episodes there is a slight romantic relationship between SpongeBob and Sandy, automatically disproving any rumors that Spongebob could ever be homosexual); aside from the "Rock-a-Bye Bivalve" controversy there are arguably no gay relationships at all. Māori Television, a government-funded TV station committed to broadcasting primarily in te reo, began broadcasting on March 28, 2004. Krabs/Mrs. Māori culture and language is taught in most New Zealand schools, and pre-school kohanga reo or language nests, teach tamariki or young children exclusively in Māori. Mr. Generous state funding is assisting with the revival attempt. There are actually many heterosexual relationships on the show (eg. In many areas of New Zealand, Māori language ceased to be used as a living community language (by significant numbers of people) in the post-war years.

But some fans argue that SpongeBob has a human-like sexual identity, because sometimes he will panic when he's shown not wearing underwear, as if he were a human, and run back to his pineapple and hide. As a result of the compensation paid, Māori now have significant interests in the fishing and forestry industries. In support of this statement, in early episodes it's revealed that SpongeBob reproduces by budding and making baby sponges come out of his holes; this is not so different than what real sponges do. A special court, the Waitangi Tribunal, was established to investigate and make recommendations on such issues. Stephen Hillenburg, creator of the show, states SpongeBob to be asexual, as he is a sponge. Sympathetic governments and political activism have led to compensation for certain historic instances of unjust confiscation of land and the violation of other property rights. In three episodes, SpongeBob is portrayed for brief moments in women's clothing, although it should be noted that other cartoon and slapstick characters, such as Bugs Bunny, have done the same; in this regard, SpongeBob falls squarely in the pantheon of characters who have actively gone above the limits and endured controversy as a result. Others seek to develop a New Zealand identity that incorporates strands of Māori identity.

This episode was never aired in the Philippines India, Israel, and Italy because the people there may have thought the episode resembles homosexuality. Some commentators express frustration with the "theme-parkisation" of Māori identity with tourist-driven performances and gift shop "art". In the 2002 episode "Rock-a-Bye Bivalve", SpongeBob and Patrick adopt a baby scallop, furthering the rumours because of the implications that the two made major life decisions together, as a couple would. No Māori live a traditional pre-European contact lifestyle today. Around the beginning of the third season, SpongeBob and Patrick were frequently depicted holding hands. Despite a high degree of intermingling between the Māori and European populations, Māori were able to retain their cultural identity and in the 1960s and 1970s, Māoridom underwent a cultural revival. Notably, SpongeBob's cheerful attitude and his close friendship with Patrick led some viewers to the conclusion that the sponge was the next gay icon. The predicted decline did not occur, and population levels recovered.

However, SpongeBob's popularity has made the controversy surrounding it more noticeable and of a larger scale. With the loss of much of their land, Māori went into a period of decline, and by the late 19th century it was believed that the Māori population would cease to exist as a separate race and be assimilated into the European population. Many of its cartoons, including Ren & Stimpy, Rocko's Modern Life, The Angry Beavers, Invader Zim, and The Fairly OddParents, have sparked controversy in one way or another. Settlements such as Parihaka in Taranaki are remembered as sites of violent conflict that took place there during that period. This is not new for Nickelodeon. Although these resulted in relatively few deaths, large tracts of tribal land were confiscated by the colonial government. Despite the show's popularity, SpongeBob has had to endure much controversy. In the 1860s, disputes over questionable land purchases and the attempts of Māori in the Waikato to establish a rival British-style system of royalty led to the New Zealand wars.

The song can also be found on The Yellow Album. The treaty made the Māori British subjects in return for a guarantee of property rights and tribal autonomy. A choral version was recorded for the SpongeBob Christmas special where the last words, "SquarePants", were replaced by "Christmas special". This treaty was subsequently signed by many other Māori chiefs, though by no means all. A cover of the song by Avril Lavigne can be found on The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie (soundtrack). On arrival in February, Hobson negotiated the Treaty of Waitangi with the surrounding northern chiefs. It is sung by Patchy the Pirate, voiced by Pat Pinney, and can be found on the soundtrack, SpongeBob SquarePants: Original Theme Highlights. Before he arrived, Queen Victoria annexed new Zealand by royal proclamation in January 1840.

The theme song, primarily based on the sea shanty, "Blow the Man Down", is the principal song used in the series. Ultimately this led to William Hobson being dispatched with instructions to take possession of New Zealand. SpongeBob has been picked up for a fifth season on Nickelodeon, with potential for a sixth season; new episodes will air from 2006 to 2007. With increasing European missionary activity and settlement in the 1830s as well as perceived European lawlessness, the British Crown, as a predominant world power, came under pressure to intervene. Regarding the new order of SpongeBob cartoons, Cyma Zarghami, Nickelodeon’s chief executive, responded, “It just doesn’t feel like we should stop yet.” This is quite relevant, as recently the show has seen some of it's highest ratings since it's peak years in the early 2000's, and, while some more observant fans are skeptical, has returned without an excessive amount of fans believing it has "jumped the shark". Estimates vary between ten and fifty percent. The episodes are projected to have finished airing sometime in 2007. European diseases also killed a large but unknown number of Māori during this period.

The Star Online eCentral reports that Nickelodeon has ordered 20 more episodes of SpongeBob Squarepants, bringing the show’s total amount of episodes to 100. During this period the acquisition of muskets by those tribes in close contact with European visitors destabilised the existing balance of power between Māori tribes, and there was a period of bloody inter-tribal warfare, known as the Musket Wars, during which several tribes were effectively exterminated and others were driven from their traditional territory. Many fans are outraged, but it should be noted that the change in format is at Nickelodeon's insistence, rather than the SpongeBob creators. Frederick Edward Maning, an early settler, wrote two colourful contemporaneous accounts of life at that time which have become classics of New Zealand literature: Old New Zealand and History of the War in the North of New Zealand against the Chief Heke. Governor George Grey learned the language and recorded much of the mythology. This practice began with the airing of the episode "Selling Out" on September 23; its companion episode, "Funny Pants," premiered the following week on September 30 (Nickelodeon did air "Selling Out" and "Funny Pants" together as a rerun on October 9, 2005). When Pomare led a war party against Titore in 1838, among his warriors were 132 Pakeha mercenaries. For the first time in SpongeBob's run, Nickelodeon began airing 11-minute segments of new episodes separately, spread over two weeks. These Europeans were known as Pakeha Māori.

After airing three new episodes on Fridays from May 6 to May 20, Nickelodeon did not premiere any new SpongeBob episodes until September 2005. Pakeha were valued for their ability to describe European skills and culture and their ability to obtain European items in trade, particularly weaponry. The first new episode of Season 4, "Fear Of A Krabby Patty/Shell Of A Man", was a huge hit with many fans who had long been bored with the show and many more faithful ones who have been waiting for new episodes for years. By 1830 it was estimated that there were as many as 2,000 Pakeha living among the Māori, status varying from slaves through to high ranking advisors, from prisoners to those who abandoned European culture and identified themselves as Māori. So far, four new episodes and nine segments of new episodes have aired, with more upcoming including a sixth Mermaidman & Barnacle Boy. There was also a continuous trickle of escaped convicts from Australia and deserters from visiting ships. The new episodes began airing on May 6, 2005. From as early as the 1780s Māori had encounters with European sealers and whalers; some even crewed on their ships.

TV advertisements for SpongeBob's fourth season first aired publicly during the 2005 Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards. Inter-tribal warfare was a way of life, with the conquered being enslaved or in some cases eaten. See Controversy for more information.. These early reports described the Māori as a fierce and proud warrior race. Ironically, that movie would also be considered Rugrats' jump the shark moment by many fans.). The early European explorers, including Abel Tasman and James Cook, reported encounters with Māori. (It was around this time that the animated series which it is based on, Rugrats, was at the height of its popularity. European colonisation of New Zealand occurred relatively recently, causing the late New Zealand historian Michael King to state in his book, The Penguin History Of New Zealand, that Māori were "the last major human community on earth untouched and unaffected by the wider world.".

The Rugrats Movie, on the other hand, earned over $100,000,000 in the United States. In recent years, there has been a resurgence in the practice of tattooing for both men and women, as a sign of cultural identity and a reflection of the general revival of the language and culture; members of kapa haka (concert parties) often apply temporary markings to their faces to give an approximation of a tattooed appearance. As its movie only achieved over $85,000,000 in revenue in the United States, perhaps because of the shows popularity showing something of a decline at the time of it's release. Simmons also mentions that the use of the painful traditional tattooing implements began to be abandoned in favour of grouped metal needles starting from about 1910 (ibid). The president of Nickelodeon announced that the show would continue without Hillenburg featuring Paul Tibbitt as supervising producer and Derek Drymon taking over Hillenburg's spot as executive producer. Women were not as extensively tattooed: with some exceptions, only their lips and chin were decorated. The show continued to gain high approval ratings despite a lack of new episodes, and many fans feared they would never air. It was an extremely long and painful process, and often leaves from the karaka tree were placed over the swollen incisions to hasten the healing process.

Following this, the movie was released in November of that year. Next, the chisel was dipped into a sooty pigment such as burnt kauri gum which was then smeared into the skin. SpongeBob Meets The Strangler/Pranks A Lot" was the last episode of this season, and aired in October of 2004. The first stage of the tattoo started with the carving of deep grooves into the skin (see Simmons 1997:19). Fans were devastated and online petitions were widely distributed to convince Nickelodeon to produce more episodes by showing continuing fan support. The instrument used to tattoo in former times (up to 1925) was a bone chisel with an extremely sharp edge. Due to rumors of a movie, there was high speculation that the show would be cancelled and that 2003/2004 would feature the last season of new episodes. Apart from signalling status and rank, another reason for the practice in traditional times was to make a person more attractive to the opposite sex.

The year also saw another more low-budget show with popularity (The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius), but things changed late in the year. According to Simmons, in both men and women, the patterns used were highly significant of a person's rank, skills, knowledge, personal life history, tribal affilations and genealogy; in contrast Buck (1974:298) thought that because tā moko experts travelled widely to carry out their art the designs would have related more to the tribal affiliations of the tattooist rather than those of the tattooed. The beginning of the third season produced many classic episodes and focused on the same style and animation concepts. The receiving of tattoos constituted an important milestone on a person's journey to maturity and was accompanied by many rites and rituals. 2002 also saw a bright side, as the first part of that year saw SpongeBob at its peak. It is thought that in traditional society many or most high-ranking persons were tattooed, and those who went without tattoos were seen as persons of lower social status; although Simmons (1997), cited below, contains references throughout to servants who were tattooed with patterns that signalled that they were the slave of a high ranking chief. SpongeBob, however, was the leader of all these shows and had by this time started its now famous merchandise line. As a cultural practice tattooing (tā moko) was brought by the Māori from their Eastern Polynesian homeland, and the implements and methods employed were similar to those used in other parts of Polynesia (see Buck 1974:296, cited in References below).

That same year, Invader Zim aired, created by comic book writer Jhonen Vasquez; it had a dark but silly sense of humor (similar to Vasquez's other comic books) that managed to attract a very loyal cult following consisting more of teens and adults than young children (though also containing a moderate amount of preteens). These trends have contributed towards a worldwide interest in traditional Māori culture and arts. It focused on a sense of humor similar to SpongeBob’s, only more realistic, slightly crazier (and more suggestive to "adult" topics), and with more pop culture references; this show managed to become a hit as well and currently ranks behind SpongeBob as Nick's second most popular show. Several actors who have recently appeared in high-profile movies filmed in New Zealand have come back wearing such jewellery, including Viggo Mortensen of The Lord of the Rings fame, took to wearing a hei matau around his neck. In 2001, The Fairly OddParents aired from the then-small Frederator company. These collectives have begun creating and exporting jewellery (such as bone carved hei matau pendants and greenstone jewellery) and other artistic items (such as wood carvings and textiles). By then it was clear to the world that SpongeBob had opened the door to many other cartoons to use more "adult" senses of humor and come from smaller companies. Several artistic collectives have been established by Māori tribal groups.

The show began its second season in 2000 with more high-quality animation and even more popular episodes. For many Māori the wearing of such items relates to cultural identity; however, they are also popular with young New Zealanders of all races. Many people attribute the "Fall Of Rugrats/Klasky-Csupo/Rise Of Low-Budget Cartoons" to SpongeBob. Other taonga (treasured possessions) used as items of personal adornment include bone carvings in the form of neck ornaments, earrings or necklaces. SpongeBob's signature voice (provided by Kenny) and humorous style was enjoyable to both younger and older audiences. After laborious and lengthy polishing, the completed pendant is suspended by a plaited cord and secured by a loop and toggle. After about a year, it surpassed Rugrats as Nick's most highly rated show. Creating a hei-tiki with traditional methods is a long, arduous process during which the stone is smoothed by abrasive rubbing; finally, using sticks and water, it is slowly shaped and the holes bored out.

Although it struggled in its early days, its ratings flew up. The tilted head of the pitau variety of hei-tiki derives from the properties of the stone - its hardness and great value make it important to minimise the amount of the stone that has to be removed. SpongeBob, with its generally lower-class animation and humor style more rooted in clever word-play and culture-references unlike the potty humor that made Rugrats so popular, was expected to be just another one of those shows. From the size and style of traditional examples of hei-tiki it is likely that the stone was first cut in the form of a small adze. At this time, Rugrats was at the height of its popularity and had already outlived dozens of other lower-budget cartoons. Named varieties include translucent green kahurangi, whitish inanga, semi-transparent kawakawa, and tangiwai or bowenite. In 1999, SpongeBob aired its first episode, "Help Wanted/Reef Blower/Tea at the Treedome", after the 1999 Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards. Pounamu is esteemed highly by Māori for its beauty, toughness and great hardness; it is used not only for ornaments such as hei-tiki and ear pendants, but also for carving tools, adzes, and weapons.

Krabs' line, "SpongeBoy, me Bob!." The Krusty Krab was originally spelled with the letter C rather than K, but Stephen Hillenburg thought K's were funnier. New Zealand greenstone consists of either nephrite (a type of jade, in Māori: pounamu) or bowenite (Māori: tangiwai). Hillenburg later chose the alternative name "SpongeBob." The original name was once referenced in the show by Mr. The most valuable hei-tiki are carved from greenstone or pounamu. The name "SpongeBoy" did not make it into the show since the name was already officially trademarked by Bob Burden, creator of Flaming Carrot. Another less romantic theory holds that it served merely for personal adornment. SpongeBob used to be named SpongeBoy, and used to wear a red hat with a green base and a white business shirt with a tie. One theory of the origin of the hei-tiki suggests a connection with Tiki, the god who created human life, in which case the hei-tiki is a symbol of fertility.

During production of the show, Hillenburg provided a concept of short comics with the same style of the show, but the characters looked different. The hei-tiki, a small ornamental pendant usually made of pounamu and worn around the neck, is often incorrectly referred to as a tiki, a term that actually refers to large human figures carved in wood, and, also, the small wooden carvings used to mark sacred places. Another crew member with previous Nickelodeon cartoon experience was former Angry Beavers story editor Merriwether Williams, who worked on that show for its first few seasons and switched to SpongeBob in July 1999. The New Zealand national rugby team, the All Blacks, perform a haka before international matches not only as a reflection of the importance of the game that is about to be played but also to motivate themselves and their supporters to greater efforts; indirectly then, as in days of old on the Māori battlefield, they are paying a compliment to the perceived skills of their opponents. Drymon had worked with Hillenburg on Rocko's Modern Life as well, as did many SpongeBob crew members, including writer Tim Hill and voice actors Tom Kenny and Doug Lawrence. In today's environment however, haka are often performed as a mark of respect for distinguished visitors, or to express a sense of the importance of an occasion. He teamed up with creative director Derek Drymon, who had worked on shows such as Doug, Action League Now!, and Hey Arnold!. The aim of the warriors was to kill all the members of the enemy war party, so that no survivors would remain to undertake revenge.

When Rocko's Modern Life was cancelled in 1997, Hillenburg began working on SpongeBob (although some sketches trace back to 1996). Often, warriors went naked into battle, apart from a plaited flax belt around the waist. One of the producers was Stephen Hillenburg, a cartoon worker/marine biologist who loved both his careers. If the haka was not performed in total unison, this was regarded as an bad omen for the battle. SpongeBob's history can be traced back to 1993 when Rocko's Modern Life first aired. It involved fierce facial expressions and grimaces, poking out of the tongue, eye bulging, grunts and cries, and the waving of weapons. LEGO recieved license to produce SpongeBob SquarePants building sets, beginning to sell them in August 2006. Its purpose was to invoke the god of war and to warn enemies of the fate awaiting them.

There were contests tied in with the movie where you could win SpongeBob-related items or a trip to the Cayman Islands. In former times, the peruperu was performed before a battle. In October 2004, a NASCAR Busch Series race was named The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie 300, presented by Lowe's and broadcast on TNT featuring Jimmie Johnson's #48 Lowe's stock car and Kyle Busch's #5 stock car painted for the race with the SpongeBob Movie paint schemes. There are various types of war haka - one performed without weapons, usually to express public or private feelings, is known as the "haka taparahi"; another, the peruperu, is performed with weapons. Events in the past with the SpongeBob SquarePants theme include an exhibit at Underwater Adventures Aquarium in the Mall of America called SeaCrits of Bikini Bottom during the summer of 2003. There are haka of song and joy, and warlike haka. More recently, a tie-in beverage for 7-Eleven convenience stores has been created, a pineapple-flavored Slurpee. A number of different types of haka are performed depending on the occasion.

SpongeBob was also featured on VH1's I Love the 90s: Part Deux: 1999 as part of a commentary by Michael Ian Black. The haka is just one of many kinds of group dance or performance. Plankton, a character from the show. Today, tapu is still observed in matters relating to sickness, death, and burial. The ransom note was signed by someone in Minneapolis, Minnesota claiming to be Sheldon J. In pre-contact society, tapu was one of the strongest forces in Māori life; however in the early 1800s, Māori enthusiastically embraced Christianity and its concepts and adapted them to their culture. There have been kids meal tie-ins at Wendy's for SpongeBob's House Party Special in 2002 and at Burger King restaurants in 2001, 2003, and for the movie in 2004; in 2004, thieves stole nine-foot-high by nine-foot-wide SpongeBob inflatables from the Burger King restaurant franchises, demanding Krabby Patties as ransom. Burial grounds and places of death were always tapu, and these areas were often surrounded by a protective fence.

The show also spawned a large and popular merchandise line at Hot Topic, Claire's, RadioShack, Target, Wal-Mart, and Toys "R" Us stores. Not only were the houses of people of high rank perceived to be tapu, but also their possessions including their clothing. Merchandise based on the show ranges from Kraft SuperMac & Cheese, Kellogg's cereal, and video games to boxer shorts, pajamas, and t-shirts. A chief's house was tapu, and even the chief could not eat food in the interior of his house. However, in a more typical Nickelodeon-style move, Avril Lavigne did the movie theme song. In earlier times food cooked for a person of high rank was tapu, and could not be eaten by an inferior. Non-mainstream alternative rock bands such as Wilco, The Shins, The Flaming Lips and perhaps most notably Ween (who have contributed two original songs to the show and their 1997 classic "Ocean Man" to the movie soundtrack), as well as metal bands Pantera, Motorhead, and Twisted Sister have made appearances on the show and movies soundtracks, and classic thrash metal group Metallica even released a T-shirt featuring cartoon versions of them playing live with Spongebob & Patrick [1] (leading to as of yet unproven rumors that the band will appear on a future episode of the show). A violation of tapu could have dire consequences, including the death of the offender through sickness or at the hands of someone affected by the offence.

Unlike its mainstream-culture-promoting network, SpongeBob features many semi-obscure musicians who contribute to its soundtrack. Death was the penalty. Fairly Oddparents), SpongeBob chooses to go for a more teen/adult friendly formula that was used in highly sucessful older Nick cartoons such as Ren and Stimpy and Rocko's Modern Life, non-human young adults in crazy, unrealistic situations, with minimal pop culture references. This was considered "pollution" and persons of a lower rank could not touch the belongings of a highborn person. While many newer cartoons revolve around pre-adolescents with strange lives and feature massive amounts of pop-culture references (eg. In earlier times, tribal members of a higher rank would not touch objects which belonged to members of a lower rank. The show also, unlike many current Nickelodeon cartoons, is not "mainstream" or "cliche". A person, object or a place could be made sacred by tapu for a certain time.

Its appeal to older audiences, as mentioned earlier, can be contributed to the show's crazy but witty and at times even sophisticated humor. A person, an object or a place, which is tapu, may not be touched by human contact, in some cases, not even approached. When naming reasons why many fans believe Nickelodeon has gone downhill in recent years, SpongeBob is often listed as an exception. There are two kinds of tapu, the private (relating to individuals) and the public tapu (relating to communities). However, the characters are not immune from more adult avocations, including rock musicianship in a stadium performance reminiscent of a hard rock concert. Tapu can be interpreted as "sacred", as "spiritual restriction" or "implied prohibition"; it involves rules and prohibitions. Part of the show's appeal has to do with the childlike nature of SpongeBob and his best friend, Patrick, both of whom are idiots and display an innocence typical of human children. According to some, the supreme god of the Māori is Io; however this idea is controversial.

The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie, released on November 19, 2004, features a cameo appearance by actor David Hasselhoff, reprising his role from the Baywatch TV series. Tane is the god of the forest and the origin of all birds, and Rongo is the god of peaceful activities and agriculture. Ren and Stimpy, among others, had followed a similar path. In accordance with the Polynesian tradition, Tangaroa is god of the ocean and the origin of all fish. A certain quote by Patrick ("It's gonna rock!") has been used as a promo for rock stations. Certain people and objects contain mana - spiritual power or essence. SpongeBob is one cartoon in a long line of shows to put in more "adult" references, and has become so popular with the adult crowd that it has been shown on MTV and Spike TV. Māori religion is closely related to nature and to the ancestors, and all things are conceived of as possessing a life force or mauri, since all living things are connected by a common descent through whakapapa or genealogy.

SpongeBob works at the Krusty Krab, a restaurant seemingly based on McDonald's or Burger King. Oratory, the making of speeches, is especially important in the rituals of encounter, and it is regarded as important for a speaker to include allusions to traditional narrative and to a complex system of proverbial sayings, called whakataukī. Aside from the many undersea puns, some common products from the surface world have somehow found their way into Bikini Bottom, such as Canned Bread, Roast Beef, and even Pizza. The history of individual tribal groups is kept by means of narratives, songs and chants, hence the importance of music, story and poetry. SpongeBob's telephone is shaped like a conch and referred to as a "shell phone". Finally, soil is heaped over the hāngi to keep the heat in. In addition to this, instead of peanut butter, SpongeBob SquarePants uses what is called in Bikini Bottom "Sea-Nut Butter". The hāngi is then covered with leaves or mats woven out of flax (or wet sacks) and left to cook.

Clams behave like birds, propelling themselves through the water with their shells and tweeting. The food is placed on top of the stones, the meat first, with the vegetables, such as kumara and potatoes, on top of it. Jellyfish are the equivalent of bees (buzzing and stinging), but are collected or appreciated like butterflies and are used for their delicious jelly. When the stones are hot the hāngi is prepared for cooking by leaving the hot stones and some of the coals at the bottom of the hole. In relation to this, underwater worms bark (and act) exactly like dogs, and are kept on chains. A fire is prepared in the hole and stones are placed on the top of it. SpongeBob's house-pet is a snail named Gary, who meows like a cat (though characters have shown signs of being able to understand him). The hāngi consists of a shallow hole dug in the ground.

The suggestion is that both the head and the pineapple have fallen from a tropical island to become underwater habitats. Although marae have modern cooking facilities, the hāngi, a traditional way of cooking food in Polynesia, is still used to provide meals for large groups because the food it produces is considered flavourful. The main character, SpongeBob lives in a pineapple, while his neighbor Squidward lives in an Easter Island head and his other neighbor and best friend, Patrick lives under a rock. When Māori refer to themselves as tāngata whenua this is not done solely to emphasise their indigenous status, as is often assumed, because the connotation in Māori of the phrase is one not of separation but rather of welcome and inclusion. A flurry of bubbles accompany many actions, just to remind the viewer everything is underwater. Should other groups of manuhiri arrive, the manuhiri who arrived previously - regardless of their race - are considered tāngata whenua for the purposes of formally welcoming the new group. Once, while out in the wilderness, Patrick questions how they could have a camp fire on the lagoon bottom—the fire is immediately extinguished with a sizzle. Should a group of people come to stay on a marae, they are considered manuhiri (guests) while the owners of the marae are known as tāngata whenua.

Instead of cars, the residents of Bikini Bottom drive boats (with wheels). This is when the phrase tāngata whenua (people of the land) comes into play. This has a lot to do with the way underwater life and situations are represented, absurdly, as though they are almost equivalent to normal terrestrial lifestyles. Locals and visitors have to respect certain rules, especially during the rituals of encounter. The cartoon is designed to appeal to children as well as older viewers. The older people have the authority on the marae, and they impart to the young people traditions and cultural practices including legends, songs or the arts of weaving or carving. Other shows have followed in this trend as well: The Fairly OddParents and Invader Zim took a similar role when they aired in 2001, and the former is now second only to SpongeBob in popularity. On the marae official functions take place including formal welcomes, celebrations, weddings, christenings, tribal reunions, and tangihanga (funerals).

SpongeBob follows some other Nickelodeon shows that have attracted "older" followers: The Ren & Stimpy Show, Rocko's Modern Life, the Kablam! skits, Action League Now!, and The Angry Beavers. The marae symbolises group unity and generally consists of an open grassed area in front of a large carved meeting house, along with a dining hall and other facilities necessary to provide a comfortable stay for visiting groups. Low-budget cartoons had not garnered as much esteem as higher-rated (and higher-budgeted) shows, such as Rugrats, although when SpongeBob aired in 1999, it had obtained a substantial amount of viewers in the ratings to be considered popular. The marae is a communal ceremonial centre where meetings and ceremonies take place in accordance with traditional protocols. SpongeBob is the first "low budget" Nickelodeon cartoon, according to the network, to become extremely popular. The people also wore highly decorative personal ornaments, and people of rank were often extensively tattooed. . Art was and is a prominent part of the culture as seen in the carving of houses, canoes, weapons, and other items.

SpongeBob SquarePants officially aired on July 17 of the same year with the second episode, "Bubblestand/Ripped Pants." Most episodes take place in the town of Bikini Bottom or the surrounding lagoon floor. Main tasks were separated for men and women, but there were also a lot of group activities involving food gathering & food cultivation, and warfare. The pilot episode first aired in the United States on Nickelodeon after the Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards on May Day (May 1), 1999. Seasonal activities included gardening, fishing and the hunting of birds. SpongeBob SquarePants is a comedy set under the Pacific Ocean that uses puns (including the names of certain characters), non sequiturs, double-talk, breaking of the fourth wall, some crude humor, and other such antics to entertain the audience. The harakeke (flax plant) served as a replacement for coconut fronds and hibiscus fibre in the manufacture of mats, baskets, rope, fishing nets and clothing. SpongeBob SquarePants is an popular American animated television series shown on Nickelodeon, YTV, and Nicktoons Network created by marine biologist and animator, Stephen Hillenburg. Great ingenuity was required to grow the tropical plants they had brought with them from Polynesia, including taro, kumara, gourds, and yams; this was especially difficult in the chillier southern parts of the country.

In the movie there is a second Krusty Krab (Krusty Krab 2), SpongeBob gets a promotion towards the end of the movie and dons a large "MANAGER" hat during the credits as well as other details. After arriving in New Zealand, Māori had to rapidly adapt their material culture and agricultural practices to suit the climate of their new land, cold and harsh in comparison to tropical island Polynesia. The events in the SpongeBob SquarePants Movie are not canonical with the events in the TV series. The East Polynesian ancestors of the Māori were hunters, fishermen and gardeners. Nearly every episode contains one still or motion non-animated sequence. There is no credible evidence of human settlement in New Zealand prior to the Māori voyagers; on the other hand, compelling evidence from archaeology, linguistics and physical anthropology indicates that the first settlers were East Polynesians who became the Māori. In "Bubble Buddy," Spongebob celebrates Leif Erikson Day, which is a real US observance held on October 9th; the narration indicated that Spongebob actually invented the day. Migration accounts vary among Māori tribes or iwi, whose members can identify with the different waka in their genealogies or whakapapa.

In the first series, it was possible to hear one fish scream "my legs!" in most or all episodes, usually at some point of inconsequential destruction, such as a boating school. In fact nowhere in the authentic voyaging traditions is there an account of several canoes all arriving together at one place and time. The show is "timeless" since the episodes have no dates that are set into stone and very few topical references or instances of continuity (the Krusty Krab is destroyed quite often). The spurious fleet scenario was then accepted by some Māori including Te Rangi Hiroa (Sir Peter Buck), and won general acceptance until it was debunked in the 1960s by the research of David Simmons and others. Although the show occasionally does make reference to pop-culture, the examples are never specific. More recent research has revealed that this concept originated with European researchers including Percy Smith who attempted to cobble together various unrelated Māori legends. Hillenburg has said that he intends to pass that concept over to the new people in charge of the show. During the 19th and early 20th centuries, the idea arose that Māori had voyaged to New Zealand in the so-called 'Great Fleet of 1350AD' which claims that seven canoes arrived simultaneously.

He wants his cartoon to be a timeless classic. Māori oral history describes their arrival from Hawaiki (a mythical homeland in tropical Polynesia) by large ocean–going canoes (waka). According to the insider book SpongeBob Exposed, the creator of the show, Steve Hillenburg, said that the policy of his show is to not do jokes about or reference pop culture and current events; the show's characters are isolated from the real world. Archaeological and linguistic evidence (see Sutton 1994 cited in References section below) suggests there were probably several waves of migration from Eastern Polynesia to New Zealand between 800 and 1300. According to the Season 1 DVD, its name is Shelly. Māori origins therefore cannot be separated from those of their Polynesian ancestors (for more information see Polynesian culture). It can also be seen in the episode "Something Smells", along with many others. Polynesian voyagers are believed to have migrated to what is now New Zealand from eastern Polynesia in the latter part of the 1st millennium.

In the episode "Help Wanted", SpongeBob can be seen with a pet scallop in a cage next to his bed. New Zealand was one of the last areas of the planet to be reached by humans. The pirate in the painting saying "Are you ready kids?" - "I can't hear you" in the beginning theme sequence had a chroma key used for the moving lips. . Krabs: Cancer. It is also the name of the people and language of the Cook Islands, referred to as Cook Islands Māori. Mr. "Māori" has cognates in some other Polynesian languages such as Hawaiian in which the word maoli means native, indigenous, real or actual.

Squidward: Capricorn (on the Tropical zodiac) or Libra (stereotype: likes the finer things in life, taking it easy, wants to do no work (on the Sidereal zodiac)). The word māori means "normal" or "ordinary" in the Māori language and denotes mortal beings as distinct from the gods. In one short, Plankton is depicted as a Leo. Māori is the name of the indigenous people of New Zealand, and their language. Plankton: Leo (stereotype: diabolical and plotting), among others. SpongeBob: Sagittarius (stereotype: overly enthusiastic, optimistic, and foolish).

Patrick: Taurus (stereotype: thick-headed). Featured characters have included: