SpongeBob SquarePants is famous for many reasons, including the fact that he lives in a pineapple under the sea – but why would a sea sponge live inside a fruit, specifically a pineapple? Created by Stephen Hillenburg, SpongeBob SquarePants premiered on Nickelodeon in 1999 and has been unstoppable ever since, becoming the most successful Nicktoon to date as well as one of the longest-running American animated series. The adventures of SpongeBob and friends have been a hit with kids and more mature audiences, allowing the series to expand to other media, most notably film.
SpongeBob SquarePants centers on the daily adventures of the title character and his friends in the underwater city of Bikini Bottom, where they have come across a variety of characters. SpongeBob and his friends Patrick Star, Sandy Cheeks, Squidward Tentacles, and Mr. Krabs have become very popular with viewers, and the series has dedicated some time to explore their personal stories, what they like, what they do, and where they live. Each character has a house that matches their personality, but the one that stands out is SpongeBob’s, as he literally lives inside a fruit.
The SpongeBob SquarePants theme makes sure the audience knows right away that the title character lives in a pineapple under the sea, which fits with the quirks and adorable weirdness of the famous sponge, but it still seems strange that he lives in it (and is the only character to live inside a fruit). The series has already given an in-universe backstory to the pineapple house, specifically in the episode “Truth or Square”, where it’s revealed that the fruit fell off a ship that was navigating the area and landed on Squidward’s garden (which is also why Squidward dislikes SpongeBob so much), and so SpongeBob found a home in it. Behind the scenes, however, the story behind SpongeBob living in a pineapple is simpler but still fun. Among the inspirations for the world of SpongeBob SquarePants is Polynesian culture (via Looper), and pineapples are a common motif in Polynesian fabric.
Hillenburg then started drawing different things the characters in SpongeBob SquarePants could live in, and among those was a pineapple. As for why, out of all the objects he could have come across with as potential homes for good old SpongeBob, he chose a pineapple, Hillenburg shared that he thought about what SpongeBob would pick if he was presented with “a rock, a pineapple, an Easter Island head, and an old rubber boot”, and the answer was definitely the pineapple, simply because SpongeBob is “an optimist, he would like the smell”. Of course, not all the objects he came up with were useless, as the rock ended up becoming the home of Patrick Star and the Easter Island head or tiki head (depending on who you ask) has been the home of Squidward Tentacles.
Ultimately, each unique home matched the personalities of the characters quite well: Patrick is known for being dumb and he literally lives under a rock, Squidward’s home has an artistic vibe just like him, and the pineapple is as fun and vibrant as SpongeBob himself. This is one of those times where Stephen Hillenburg’s marine biology background didn’t shine through, and instead, he relied on his sense of humor and what the character would prefer.