Nickelodeon held a preview for the series in the United States on May 1 , 1999 , following the television airing of the 1999 Kids ' Choice Awards . The series officially premiered on July 17 , 1999 . It has received worldwide critical acclaim since its premiere and gained enormous popularity by its second season . A feature film , '' The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie '' , was released in theaters on November 19 , 2004 . A sequel followed on February 6 , 2015 , as well as a third film coming out on May 22 , 2020 . In 2018 , the series began airing its twelfth season
1999 Kids ' Choice Awards
1999 Kids' Choice Awards
SpongeBob SquarePants