 In 2001 , SpongeBob SquarePants signed a marketing deal with Target Corporation and Burger King , expanding its merchandising . The popularity of SpongeBob has translated well into sales figures . In 2002 , SpongeBob SquarePants dolls sold at a rate of 75 @,@ 000 per week , which was faster than Tickle Me Elmo dolls were selling at the time . SpongeBob has gained popularity in Japan , specifically with Japanese women . Nickelodeon 's parent company Viacom purposefully targeted marketing at women in the country . Skeptics initially doubted that SpongeBob could be popular in Japan , as the character 's design is very different from already popular designs for Hello Kitty and Pikachu . Ratings and merchandise sales showed SpongeBob SquarePants has caught on with parents and with college audiences . In a recent promotion , college @-@ oriented website <unk> gave away 80 @,@ 000 SpongeBob T @-@ shirts , four times more than during a similar promotion for Comedy Central 's South Park . 
