SpongeBob SquarePants creator Stephen Hillenburg gave the internet language

Although SpongeBob SquarePants has been airing more or less consistently for nearly 20 years, the show’s first three seasons — which aired between 1999 and 2004 — were its most influential. Those 60 episodes were the only ones personally overseen by creator Stephen Hillenburg, who died yesterday from ALS. They aired during a critical period for today’s 20-something adults. We were young enough to be engrossed with the show’s silly, absurd characters, returning home