SpongeBob Squarepants, the longest-running American animated series, has entertained several guest stars playing either original characters or parodied versions of themselves. These range from a Snoop Dogg musical number to Adam West playing a caricature of a superhero. Sports personalities, actors, singers, and many stars have been attached to the show in its thirteen-season run since 1999. The same can be said for several SpongeBob specials and feature films.
Some of these guest stars (like Johnny Depp) joined the show for their children are big fans of SpongeBob. Others like David Bowie were themselves avid fans.
Betty White: Beatrice
Legendary comedienne Betty White plays around with her aging image, guest-starring as the elderly fish Beatrice. In the episode Mall Girl Pearl, Pearl tries to stray away from her judgmental friends as she takes up a position in the Grandma’s Apron store in Bikini Bottom’s Mall.
This store for the elderly is run by Beatrice who helps Pearl in appreciating the mundane things in life and gives her a crash course in being the perfect grandma. White’s monologues balance the preachiness and the innocence of old age with warmth. Finally, she tells Pearl to get back to her life as she should live young as long as she can.
R Lee Ermey: Warden
From the olive-green costume to the character’s authoritative demeanor, R Lee Ermey sinks his teeth into the character of Warden that also serves as a nod to his iconic role of Drill Sergeant Hartman in Stanley Kubrick’s Full Metal Jacket.
As SpongeBob and Patrick mistakenly arrive at an island of prisoners thinking of it as a summer camp, Ermey’s Warden barks orders at them to complete prison tasks. However, the gullible protagonist’s test the Warden’s patience to great heights. The role seems effortless for Ermey who already had real-life military experience as a Marine Drill instructor.
Ernest Borgnine & Tim Conway: Mermaid Man & Barnacle Boy
While Adam West and Burt Ward’s portrayal of the younger versions of the superheroes Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy captures the youth and vigor of these self-parodying marine vigilantes, it’s Ernest Borgnine and Tim Conway’s voice acting that adds a funnier and aged approach.
Borgnine played Mermaid Man, a yesteryear TV star in a superhero show who now struggles with a fickle memory. His naivety is complemented well with Tim Conway’s deadpan humor and annoyed tone while tolerating a bumbling character as Mermaid Man. Both perfectly sum up a satirical scenario of superheroes
Biz Markie: Kenny The Cat
The world of Bikini Bottom defies all logic. Therefore, it wouldn’t be surprising to find a cat existing in this underwater universe. Legendary MC and DJ Biz Markie appeared as Kenny The Cat in an episode of the same name. Kenny is a cat who can achieve the feat of holding his breath underwater that turns him into a local celebrity. This makes SpongeBob idolize him who later finds out that Kenny is just a fraud with an oxygen tank.
Markie’s helpless monologue is a funny as well as heartfelt moment of the show as Kenny explains how he hates his terrestrial life of being a nobody, and how Bikini Bottom gives him newfound hope. Viewers can also figure out how Kenny’s physical appearance is pretty similar to that of Tom from Tom and Jerry.
David Hasselhoff: Himself
From Hop to Kung Fury, David Hasselhoff has had his fair share of remarkable cameos. In The Spongebob Squarepants Movie, he plays a parody of his own character in Baywatch, as he appears in his classic red swimming trunks.
He helps SpongeBob and Patrick from escaping the land and going to Bikini Bottom by literally propelling himself like a boat. It’s a hilarious scene encapsulating the surreal absurdity of the franchise. ‘The Hoff’ is revealed to be a part human, part android as he almost turns into a boat while driving them back home.
Kristen Wiig: Madame Hagfish
Madame Hagfish orders a Krabby Patty but falls one dollar short in her order. The miserly Mr Krabs refuses to accept her order even if SpongeBob offers her some empathy. The eel-like hagfish reveals to be a witch and offended by Krab’s lack of manners sets a curse on Krusty Krabs. The curse just turns out to be a closed sign preventing customers from entering the eatery.
SNL alumna Kristen Wiig’s voice as the hagfish is virtually unrecognizable from her actual voice, and it goes on to show her versatility.
Jon Hamm: Don Grouper
Mad Men fans would easily notice Jon Hamm’s presence as Don Grouper in the episode Goodbye, Krabby Patty. The role is an obvious reference to Hamm’s famous lead role in Mad Men, where he plays the advertising executive Don Draper.
In his guest appearance, he appears as a smooth-talking fish suited to perfection who attempts to strike an advertising deal with the money-hungry Mr Krabs. The episode also attempts to parody how large corporations can fool small restaurants as Grouper convinces Krabs to give up the Krabby Patty formula and use frozen Patties instead (that turn out to be made of sand).
David Bowie: Lord Royal Highness
Iconic rockstar David Bowie had portrayed several flashy, over-the-top characters for the story arcs of his own discography. So, it only makes sense for him to play the role of Lord Royal Highness in the SpongeBob special Atlantis SquarePantis. He plays the ruler of Atlantis, a gentle and polite sea-creature who later loses his cool when SpongeBob and Patrick end up bursting the world’s oldest bubble. That’s when viewers get to see his royal pettiness as he orders to have them killed.
The animation is pretty much on-point capturing Bowie’s orange hair and green and blue eyes. Even though he doesn’t get any singing parts, he does deliver a thoughtful dialogue in the episode that goes like, ‘art is what happens when you learn to dream’.
Andy Samberg: Colonel Carper
Brooklyn Nine Nine star and The Lonely Island member Andy Samberg is great at over-dramatic and musical impressions. The role of Colonel Carper allows him to channel both these sides of his acting. The stylish concert promoter expresses his admiration for Squidward’s clarinet-playing through a song, and he also encourages SpongeBob to join his neighbor.
Carper however loses his opportunity when Mr Krabs steps in as their manager (when he understands the music business as another money-minting opportunity). The character is also a cheeky reference to Elvis Presley’s manager Colonel Parker.
Keanu Reeves: Sage
Despite a resurgence in his film career with the John Wick trilogy, Keanu Reeves’s wholesome and philosophical off-screen persona has won him many new fans. The actor appears in the latest SpongeBob movie, Sponge On The Run as Sage. The character is a sage who is literally made out of sage!
He props up whenever Spongebob and Patrick undergo dilemmas and gives them his advice with strange metaphors and life lessons. Even though the sponge and the starfish hardly follow his words of wisdom, Sage helps them out with the patience and understanding that only Keanu Reeves can muster.