Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

SpongeBob Squarepants fans furious at brief cameo during Super Bowl halftime show

Last month, a petition for the song "Sweet Victory" to be performed in honour of late creator Stephen Hillenburg reached over a million signatures

Clarisse Loughrey
Monday 04 February 2019 07:04 EST
Comments
Spongebob introduces Travis Scott during Super Bowl 2019 half time show

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Fans of the animated character Spongebob Squarepants weren’t impressed by his cameo during the Super Bowl halftime show.

Last month, a petition for the song “Sweet Victory” to be performed in honour of late creator Stephen Hillenburg reached over a million signatures.

It’s become a fan favourite after featuring in an episode named “Band Geeks”, which sees Squidward attempt to outdo his rival Squilliam by forming a marching band, with the help of Spongebob, Patrick and Mr Krabs.

This culminates in a performance at the Bubble Bowl, where Spongebob launches into the rock anthem-esque ”Sweet Victory”.

There was a nod to the track during Maroon 5‘s performance, with Spongebob and Squidward appearing in their band uniforms to introduce a “true musical genius”, before the first few seconds of the song were heard.

However, it was quickly revealed only to be an introduction to rapper Travis Scott, leaving fans of the show feeling underwhelmed.

A review in The Independent criticised the halftime performance for being “lacklustre” and said “not even early 2000s nostalgia could salvage the disappointing concert”.

Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in