SpongeBob was created and designed by Stephen Hillenburg, an artist, and marine science educator.  The character's name is derived from "Bob the Sponge", the host of Hillenburg's unpublished educational book The Intertidal Zone. He is a good-natured, naive, and enthusiastic sea sponge. SpongeBob SquarePants is the title character and protagonist of the animated television series of the same name. In The SpongeBob Musical, his exact species of animal is identified: Aplysina fistularis, a yellow tube sponge that is common in open waters. His optimism and childlike attitude make him very popular among children and adults!