“Even though SpongeBob worked as a hamburger cook, Mr. Hillenburg refused to license his image to sell fast food and other products he considered harmful to children. By 2009, Advertising Age magazine estimated that Nickelodeon earned $8 billion a year in sales of SpongeBob merchandise.”

— ‘SpongeBob SquarePants’ creator Stephen Hillenburg dies at 57, by Matt Schudel, Washington Post, November 2019