Nickelodeon's Spongebob Squarepants enjoys its reputation as Nick's flagship program, as it became a massive hit ever since its debut in 1999 and has continued its popularity well into the following decades. With numerous movies and now spin-off series, it should come as no surprise that Spongbob is consumed by millions of fans worldwide.
As the show has become more popular, the show has garnered some incredible guest stars ranging from famous actors, media personalities, sports stars, and, of course, musicians. A guest appearance by a musician is always exciting, especially if the musician in question has limited exposure in art mediums other than music. These musicians prove they are game to be silly and even poke fun at themselves in the timeless underwater cartoon.
Junior Brown
Country music artist Junior Brown's trademark is a double-necked guitar that combines the sounds of an electric and Hawaiian guitar. Guest-starring in the fan-favorite episode "Texas," Junior Brown is heard at the end of Sandy's iconic song "I Wanna Go Home."
The country roots shared by both Brown and homesick squirrel Sandy Cheeks make this combination a winning pair. As a result, the bluesy vocals of Sandy and Brown add a poignancy that shows just how much Sandy truly yearns for her home of Texas. The "Texas" episode was one of the first times the show revealed the heartfelt side of one of the funniest long-running gags in Spongebob Squarepants, that gag being Sandy's Texas references.
Pantera
Texas heavy metal band Pantera can be heard in the "Pre-Hibernation" episode. The instrumental portion of Pantera's song "Death Rattle" is heard when Sandy is surfing down Sand Mountain in a style befitting of the X-games.
Pantera's song blasting throughout the scene adds an adrenaline-pumping feel to Sandy's extreme sports montage. Sandy's necessity to do everything she wants before hibernation causes her to be even more high energy and hardcore than usual, making Pantera a perfect fit for the episode's soundtrack.
Victoria Beckham
Former pop star Victoria Beckham, known in her Spice Girls days as Posh Spice, appeared on Spongebob Squarepants in the episode "The Clash of Triton" as Queen Amphitrite. In the episode, Beckham plays the wife of King Neptune and mother of Triton. Spongebob and Patrick are tasked with bringing King Neptune and Triton back together. Throughout the episode, Queen Amphitrite zaps Mr. Krabs any time he disappoints her.
This voice-over role showed Beckahm's silly side, as her public image tends to paint her as a stoic sourpuss, albeit a very stylish one. Better known these days as a fashion designer, Beckham was one-fifth of the uber-famous Spice Girls girl group who were known for such popular hits as "Wannabe" and "Spice Up Your Life."
Dee Snider
The singer of the '80s band Twisted Sister, known in his band days to sport huge blond perm and pancaked-on makeup, is responsible for the earworm "We're Not Gonna Take It." In Spongebob Squarepants, Dee Snider lent his voice to the character Angry Jack in the episode "Shell Shocked."
In the episode, Angry Jack is a salesman who uses his ire to peddle products. This character was a great correlation to the rock star behind the character due to Snider's confrontational musical persona. Snider's Twisted Sister work also has connections to The Spongebob Squarepants Movie as the film uses the band's famous song "I Wanna Rock" during a climatic crucial scene. Angry Jack is definitely not a character who deserves to be Spongebob's third neighbor.
Sebastian Bach
Former lead singer to heavy metal band Skid Row and successful solo rock artist Sebastian Bach put his recognizable speaking voice to good use when he voiced Triton, Neptune's son, in the "Clash of the Triton" episode.
Bach was well suited for the rebellious role, as he was known to be quite the troublemaker himself back in the late '80s and early '90s. Sometimes, Spongebob is tasked with incredibly tough tasks like reconciling King Neptune and Triton, making this episode a worthy option for a time the audience felt bad for Spongebob.
Biz Markie
The man behind the hit hip hop single "Just A Friend," Biz Markie has been on a number of children's television programs, Spongebob Squarepants included. In addition to guesting on Yo Gabba Gabba, Markie's role in his episode of Spongebob was as Kenny the Cat.
Kenny the Cat is a media sensation, with Spongebob one of his biggest fans. Despite Spongebob's excitement, Kenny the Cat proves to not be as great as everyone in Bikini Bottom thinks. The always lovable Biz Markie plays the fraudulent cat as a mere ne'er-do-well rather than a full-on meanie, making what could have been an unlikeable character into one the audience has a soft spot for.
Gene Simmons
The long-tongued Kiss icon plays a gravely voiced sea monster in the Spongebob episode "20,000 Patties Under the Sea." In the episode, Spongebob and Patrick must give the sea monster Krabby Patties in order to keep the monster from getting angry. Gene Simmon's demon-esque creature stage persona is fitting to portray an angry sea monster. As mentioned by a Greensboro, NC news outlet, Simmons has even admitted that he was "born for this part."
Simmon's wife, Shannon Tweed, also made a guest appearance on the episode, being the second married couple to voice characters together on the show—the first couple being Tom Kenny, the voice of Spongebob, and Jill Talley, the voice of Karen the Computer.
Davy Jones
A member of the classic '60s American pop-rock band The Monkees, Davy Jones happens to have his name in common with the ocean legend Davy Jone's Locker. As Jones has shared ground with sea legend, it was a great idea to have the Monkee's star on the nautical cartoon in the episode "Spongebob Squarepants vs. The Big One."
Jones plays himself in a rare live-action segment on the show as he tangles with the Flying Dutchman, who gets caught in his literal locker filled with old, smelly gym socks. As Jones throws gym socks at the Flying Dutchman, he sings a part of The Monkees' "Daydream Believer" and laughs hysterically at the Flying Dutchman's misfortune.
Pink
The tough-cookie pop star is best known for her aerial acrobatic concerts and melodic tunes. Perhaps less well known is that the talented songstress has appeared on Spongebob Squarepants in the episode "Truth or Square." Pink stars as herself in the episode and provided the "We've Got Scurvy" pirate song to the show.
Touting the benefits of vitamin C in staving off the disease, "We've Got Scurvy" is a silly song befitting Spongebob Squarepants absurdist animated humor. For an animated show that has lasted more than a decade, Spongebob has gained a fair amount of original songs, thanks in part to guest stars like Pink.
David Bowie
The shapeshifting musician has had many acclaimed acting projects. From the Jim Henson musical Labyrinth to the psychological science fiction film The Man Who Fell to Earth, David Bowie is no stranger to playing a character. Likewise, Bowie guest-starred in an hourlong Spongebob special called Atlantis Squarepantis.
Bowie put on a faux posh accent to play the Lord Royal Highness of Atlantis, sporting an upper-class affectation. In a very detailed homage to the voice of the character, Lord Royal Highness even has one eye blue and one eye green. Bowie plays the royal character in a fun and campy way, showing that Bowie is both talented and unpretentious, up for having fun and guest-starring in a Nickelodeon cartoon.