"Beating A Dead...": Why SpongeBob SquarePants Graveyard Channel Still Serves A Purpose In Africa?

Nicktoons is an international brand operated by Paramount Global and also serves as a sister station to both Nickelodeon and Nick Jr. It was basically a nickname given for the latter's animated productions as the linear channel exists to air archived material.

The channel launched in Africa by September 2014 after NBCUniversal and Corus Entertainment had shuttered KidsCo. It served as the most popular international adaptation of the channel airing animated shows from the 90s to early 00s.

But in recent years this had all changed as the channel was often functioning on autopilot as SpongeBob SquarePants and The Casagrandes takeover the channel. The magic had just vanished as the brand follows a similar pursuit as other international feeds.

As some readers are aware, similar to MTV both Nickelodeon and Nick Jr. are being streamlined at this point using a more unified feed in other countries. This has prevented/minimized the number of local variations to hit consumer's screens.

There are still a few of these feeds available some due to local quotas which expand further to include children's channels.

In Africa, these local investments had been splashed onto Paramount’s remaining set of channels. For instance, MTV Base it has been seen airing MTV's Shuga despite being positioned as a music channel while others like Have Faith air on BET.

Nicktoons was also a result of these endeavors as it currently offers the Nick Jr. block which would often air content that hasn't been seen on the Nick Jr. channel like Munki And Trunk. Same goes with local dubbings of animated shows and NickMusic.

Adventure Time | Pilot | Nickelodeon/Cartoon Network

The short focuses on a boy named Pen (later renamed Finn in the television series) and his best friend, a shapeshifting dog named Jake. One day, Lady Rainicorn, a unicorn-like creature, flies past them in tears; Pen and Jake follow her to an icy domain, where they discover that the Ice King has kidnapped Lady Rainicorn's owner, Princess Bubblegum, in the hope of marrying her. 

Daran Norris Confirms New 'The Fairly OddParents' Project Is In Development

Speaking on the Ned's Declassified Podcast Survival Guide, Norris, who voiced characters such as Cosmo, Timmy's dad, and Jorgen Von Strangle on the long-running animated series, revealed that, following last year's live-action/CG-animated hybrid spin-off Fairly OddParents: Fairly Odder, that "we're in the process of doing something new":

During the podcast episode, Norris also reminisced about working on three shows - Fairly OddParents, Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide and Veronica Mars - at the same time and working on Team America: World Police.

The news follows the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) revealing earlier this year that Paramount Global, the parent company of the Nickelodeon brand, has applied to register The Fairly OddParents: A New Wish with the USPTO under several NICE classes, including NICE class "41 - Education, entertainment, sporting and cultural services", which is for Goods & Services pertaining to "entertainment services in the nature of continuing program series, featuring live action, comedy and drama provided through cable television, broadcast television, internet, video-on-demand, and through other forms of transmission media; providing online information in the field of entertainment concerning television programs".

Paramount has also applied to register the title under NICE classes 28 for "Games; toys; sports equipment" and 25 for "Clothing; footwear; headgear".

At the moment, not much information is available about The Fairly OddParents: A New Wish, including whether it'll be a TV series of a movie, a reboot or a revival of the original series, live-action or animated (or a hybrid of both), and whether it'll be for Nickelodeon, Paramount+ or both. The news comes as Nickelodeon is in the midst of reviving a raft of iconic properties, including Rugrats, iCarly, Good Burger, Zoey 101, The Thundermans, Dora the Explorer, and more. The Fairly OddParents: A New Wish would also be the second Fairly OddParents revival in recent years, following last year's animated/live-action hybrid Paramount+ Original series Fairly OddParents: Fairly Odder.

Nickelodeon’s beloved animated The Fairly OddParents series, which ran from 2001-2017 with 172 episodes, followed the magical adventures of 10-year-old Timmy Turner and his well-meaning fairy godparents, Cosmo & Wanda, who grant him wishes. During its run, The Fairly OddParents became one of Nickelodeon’s most beloved properties from both fans and critics alike, having won and been nominated for dozens of awards. The Fairly OddParents was created by Butch Hartman.

Transformers: Earthspark Inked To More International Broadcasters

Hasbro has locked in ABC Australia as a new broadcast partner for its CG-animated adventure series Transformers: EarthSpark (26 x 22 minutes).

The first 10 episodes of this family-friendly show from eOne and Paramount will debut in December on linear channel ABC ME and the ABC iview streamer. The remaining 16 episodes will air next year. 

The show will join several other eOne series already in ABC’s lineup, including Peppa Pig and PJ Masks .

Hasbro has been paving the way for EarthSpark‘s Australian expansion this month, launching toys related to the show at mass retailers throughout the country.

The series premiered globally on Paramount+ in 2022, and eOne inked deals for the toon earlier this year with several international broadcasters, including Gulli (France), Channel 5 (Singapore), TV Cultura (Brazil) and Super! (Italy). In July, the

BBC picked it up for CBBC and BBC iPlayer, where it’s among the top-10 most-watched shows on the app, according to a release.

Nickelodeon Expands The Universe Of SpongeBob SquarePants With Season 15

Nickelodeon continues to grow its most popular global franchise with the season 15 pickup of number-one animated series SpongeBob SquarePants. The announcement made today by Ramsey Naito, President, Paramount Animation and Nickelodeon Animation, comes ahead of SpongeBob SquarePants' milestone 25th anniversary next year. SpongeBob SquarePants is produced by Nickelodeon in Burbank.

In season 15 (26 episodes) of SpongeBob SquarePants, incurable optimist SpongeBob, Patrick, Sandy, Mr. Krabs, Plankton and Squidward will uncover even bigger nautical adventures. The pickup marks 345 total episodes of the series since its July 1999 launch and counting.

All-new episodes continue to debut on Nickelodeon and feature the characters embarking on a range of situations, including SpongeBob thinking he has developed an allergy to Krabby Patties, Plankton learning self-defense from Sandy, Mr. Krabs stepping into the gym and more. Fans can also check out seasons 1 – 12 on Paramount+, the home for SpongeBob SquarePants Universe content.

SpongeBob SquarePants voice cast members include Tom Kenny (SpongeBob SquarePants), Bill Fagerbakke (Patrick Star), Rodger Bumpass (Squidward), Clancy Brown (Mr. Krabs), Carolyn Lawrence (Sandy Cheeks) and Mr. Lawrence (Plankton).

Marc Ceccarelli and Vincent Waller are executive producers of SpongeBob SquarePants, The Patrick Star Show and Kamp Koral: SpongeBob's Under Years. Production is overseen by Claudia Spinelli, Senior Vice President, Animation for Big Kids, Nickelodeon, and Kelley Gardner, Vice President, Current Series, Animation, Nickelodeon.

The greenlight is part of Nickelodeon's strategy to be the home of the biggest franchises kids and families love, and it expands its growing portfolio of influential properties that already includes SpongeBob SquarePants, PAW Patrol, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and Dora, along with The Smurfs partnership and Transformers and Monster High co-productions.

Since its launch July 17, 1999, SpongeBob SquarePants has reigned as the most-watched animated series for 21 consecutive years, while generating a universe of beloved characters, pop culture catchphrases and memes, theatrical releases, consumer products, a Tony award-winning Broadway musical and a global fan base. SpongeBob SquarePants is one of the most widely distributed properties in Paramount Global history, seen in more than 170 countries, translated in 29+ languages, and averaging more than 100 million total viewers every quarter. SpongeBob SquarePants was created by Stephen Hillenburg and produced by Nickelodeon in Burbank, Calif.  The character-driven cartoon chronicles the nautical and sometimes nonsensical adventures of SpongeBob, an incurable optimist and earnest sea sponge, and his undersea friends.

Nickelodeon, now in its 44th year, is the number-one entertainment brand for kids. It has built a diverse, global business by putting kids first in everything it does. The brand includes television programming and production in the United States and around the world, plus consumer products, digital, location-based experiences, publishing and feature films. 

The Ren & Stimpy Show: Buckeroo$! (NES)

Stimpy invents the Gametron 5000 Moneymaker which is the first video game machine in the world that rewards the player with money. Ren, who is always on the lookout to get rich, eagerly gets to playing with the video game system on the quest to earn big bucks.

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SpongeBob SquarePants Pitch Bible (PDF)

SpongeBob SquarePants, commonly known as the SpongeBob Bible, is the pitch bible for SpongeBob SquarePants . It contains many concepts originally made for the show, but a lot were not included.

The pitch bible is laid out as scientific discoveries from a team of deep sea divers. The research is dedicated to a diver who lost their life due to ocean pressure. The pitch bible starts off detailing the main character, Sponge Boy. It describes his character, how he's different, and his appeal to children. It then shows various drawings of the important buildings and their attributes, with a description of background characters interspersed. After which, A drawing made by Stephen Hillenburg shows a couple on a beach. The woman says "Dave, lets take a moment to talk about the Secondary Characters." It then describes Squidward, Patrick, and Sandy, in that order. A drawing of a tiki saying "other characters is then also seen," followed by drawings and descriptions on Mr. Crabs, Pearl, Plankton, Barnacle Bill, and Mermaid Man. It then describes in further detail, aimed towards executives, of the appeal of Sponge Boy to kids. A comic-style of Sponge Boy is then shown, followed by a Hawaiian background with the text "story ideas for a pilot." Another drawing of Sponge Boy is seen, followed by early plot descriptions and drawings of "Jellyfishing" and "Reef Blower." Another Hawaiian background is shown, now with the text "more story ideas." Then follows plot descriptions for "Mussel Beach," "Squeaky Boots," "Bubblestand," and "Employee of the Month." A drawing of Patrick is shown, followed by more shorter and unnamed story ideas. Another page describing the appeal of Sponge Boy, titled "Why 'SpongeBoy'?" is shown, followed by an image and description of the show pitcher, Stephen Hillenburg. Finally, four drawings depicting various settings in Bikini Bottom are shown, which marks the end of the pitch bible.

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Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Arcade Game (NES)

The player chooses from one of the four Ninja Turtles: Leonardo, Michelangelo , Donatello , and Raphael . Depending on the version of the game, the characters are either chosen via an in-game select screen or based on which coin slot the player placed their credit into. After Shredder kidnaps the Turtles' friend April O'Neil and their mentor Splinter , they must give chase, save their comrades, and defeat the evil Shredder.

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Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (NES)

Shredder kidnaps April and gains the Life Transformer Gun, a weapon capable of returning Splinter to his human form. In order to save April, the turtles (Leo, Mikey , Donny and Raph ) embark on the streets of New York to confront the Foot Clan. While traversing the sewers, the turtles encounter Bebop , a mutated pig, and Rocksteady, a mutant rhino. Though the turtles defeat Bebop, Rocksteady escapes with April O’Neil . The turtles then chase Rocksteady to an abandoned warehouse, fight him, and rescue April. After disabling bombs in the Hudson River dam, Shredder captures Splinter, so the turtles give chase in the Party Wagon. Hot in pursuit, the turtles scour the city and eventually find that Splinter is held captive by the robotic Mecaturtle on a skyscraper rooftop. After the turtles save Splinter, Shredder escapes in a helicopter. The turtles give chase, tracking him to JFK airport, where they encounter Big Mouser. After defeating Big Mouser, the turtles head to Shredder's secret Foot Clan base in the South Bronx via the Turtle Blimp. Once there, they locate and battle the Technodrome underground. The turtles descend into the Technodrome’s reactor and ultimately defeat Shredder. With the Life Transformer Gun, the turtles help Splinter return to his human form. With a tough mission accomplished, the turtles and April celebrate with a pizza.

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SpongeBob SquarePants: Here Lies Squidward's Hopes And Dreams

When I was younger I always thought that Squidward was a grumpy and mean character because of the way he always talks to his "friends". But as I got older I realise that Squidward wasn't that mean after all - it was SpongeBob.

You see countless scenes where he arrives or works at The Krusty Krab. He is annoyed at all of it when you get older working at jobs you don't like to pay the bills. You can almost relate to him in a way.

It's kind of absurd that us humans have to work our entire lives for money only to then just die. Us humans chase money almost like we're gonna bring it into the next life with us.

I order the food, you cook the food, then the customer gets the food. We do that for 40 years and then we die, sounds like pretty good deal to me. What do you say?, Squidward.

You start to sympathize with him, his character shows that he's tired of it all and the only time you ever see Squidward happy is when he's on vacation or away from people.

The reason Squidward is so mean to SpongeBob and Patrick is because they never leave him alone. Sure these two are very kind and caring individuals in a way but I understand Squidward's frustration with them. You gave to admit these two are very intolerable.

I understand Squidward as I too was an annoying individual as a child so I know what it takes to be an annoying person. It doesn't mean someone is a bad person because they are annoying.

They just treat SpongeBob like a brother to Squidward. He doesn't take no as an answer or know when to stop. He's basically can get on your nerves after a long day.

There's also a scene where Squidward arrives to a tombstone where it's filled with broken dreams.

It goes to show you that a lot of people have dreams that they haven't been able to achieve. This goes to show you that you should be able to chase your dreams don't end up like Squidward and work for a job you hate, grind for your dreams, it will take them but keep grinding and you'll get there.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: Back From The Sewers (GBC)

Similar to Fall of the Foot Clan, the previous Game Boy game in the series, the player can switch between turtles before each stage. Each turtle has his own strengths and weaknesses. Donatello has a long range of attack, but attacks slowly, Raphael's attack is fast but has a very short range, and Leonardo and Michaelangelo are well-balanced.

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The Rugrats Movie (GBC)

Tommy Pickles ' little brother, Dil, has vanished, so the Rugrats set out to find him.

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Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III: Radical Rescue (GBC)

The player begins the game by taking control of Michaelangelo, who must rescue the other turtles, along with Splinter and April O'Neil , who have been kidnapped by Shredder.

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Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: Back From The Sewers (GBC)

Similar to Fall of the Foot Clan, the previous Game Boy game in the series, the player can switch between turtles before each stage. Each turtle has his own strengths and weaknesses. Donatello has a long range of attack, but attacks slowly, Raphael's attack is fast but has a very short range, and Leonardo and Michaelangelo are well-balanced. When a turtle is defeated, he becomes captured by the enemy. The game is over when all turtles are captured.

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Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Fall Of The Foot Clan (GBC)

The player takes control of one of the Turtles through a total of five stages, battling Krang and Shredder's minions along the way. Enemies include Foot Soldiers, Mousers and Roadkill Rodney among others. If a Turtle runs out of health, he is captured and the player must select another Turtle to pick up where he left off.

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Garfield Labyrinth (GBC)

The game emphasizes puzzle-solving in a dungeon-like atmosphere. To advance to each new stage, the player has to collect stars, which open the door to the next level.

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Rugrats: Totally Angelica (GBC)

The game starts off with Angelica Pickles becoming the proud owner of a brand new "Cynthia Dream Mall Fashion Show Queen" set. She opens the box and finds that it is broken. However, after thinking about it, she ends up being the star.

Players play the role of Angelica, which she is exploring the shopping mall in search of stores and items to win, Starting on the first floor, she enters the shops to play games in order to win clothes and accessories for Angelica's fashion ensemble.

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SpongeBob SquarePants: Legend Of The Lost Spatula (GBC)

The game's story centers on SpongeBob SquarePants, a sea sponge who lives in the undersea town of Bikini Bottom and works for Mr. Krabs as the fry cook of the Krusty Krab fast food restaurant. SpongeBob is destined to become the ocean's greatest fry cook, and must embark on a quest to retrieve a golden spatula from the Flying Dutchman, a pirate ghost.

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The Wild Thornberrys: Rambler (GBC)

The Game Boy Color version consists of six side-scrolling platformer and mini-game levels, also based on different locations and characters from the television series. This version offers a multiplayer boardgame mode via the Game Link Cable accessory.

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Rocket Power Gettin' Air (GBC)

The Gang on an all-new adventure that calls upon their extreme sports skills. Player get to snowboard with Reggie, roller blade with Otto, hang ten with Sam, and get some wicked BMX air with Twister. Don't forget to read Reggie's Zine after each level to checkout your results.

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