
Viewers of SpongeBob SquarePants have proposed a notion concerning the message the iconic animation is attempting to convey.
The long-running cartoon, which premiered in 1999, chronicles the exploits of a group of aquatic pals who dwell in the undersea city of Bikini Bottom.
Starfish Patrick, squirrel Sandy Cheeks, and copepod Plankton are among the colourful group of characters lead by SpongeBob, who works at fast food diner Krusty Krab.
But fans believe that there’s more than meets the eye with the sea creatures, with the same theory cropping up on TikTok and Reddit.
According to one social media account, many people believe that Pearl, Squidward, and Gary each represent a separate mental disorder.
The Reddit user goes on to say that SpongeBob has ADHD because he is ‘never seen to be still for most episodes’, while Mr Krabs has narcissistic personality disorder as he is ‘kind only when it comes to his own selfish needs.’

Meanwhile, Squidward suffers from social anxiety disorder because he “hates social interaction,” and Pearl suffers from an inferiority issue because “she often abuses others and desires attention,” according to a fan.
Do you think Patrick and his friends reflect mental illness, or do you have another theory?
We do know that Spongebob Squarepants is a member of the LGBTQ community, as disclosed by Nickelodeon in honour of Pride Month.
In 2020, the station tweeted a picture of Spongebob with canonically LGBT characters Schwoz Schwartz from Henry Danger and Korra from Avatar: The Last Airbender spin-off Legends of Korra.
Posting the three images, the official Twitter account wrote: ‘Celebrating Pride with the LGBTQ+ community and their allies this month and every month.’
SpongeBob SquarePants is available to stream on Paramount Plus.