 The popularity of SpongeBob SquarePants inspired merchandise from T @-@ shirts to posters . It was reported that the franchise generated an estimated $ 8 billion merchandising revenue for Nickelodeon . It is also the most distributed property of MTV Networks . SpongeBob is viewed in 170 countries speaking 24 languages , and has also become " a killer merchandising app " . The title character and his friends have been used as a theme for special editions of well @-@ known family board games , including Monopoly , Life , and Operation , as well as a SpongeBob SquarePants edition of Ants in the Pants , and Yahtzee . 
