By Juliet Kallen

As some of you may know, Stephen Hillenburg, the creator of Spongebob Squarepants, graduated from Humboldt State University in 1984 as a Marine Biology major and Art minor. Rumors have circulated that a lot of the settings in the show were inspired by his time in Humboldt County. I cannot confirm of these to be true, but let’s take a speculative tour of the most famous spots: 

  1. The Krusty Krab:Krusty KrabThe Krusty Krab is rumored to be inspired by Stars Burgers, located on G Street in Arcata. Where it gets grim though, is the fact that the fictitious restaurant is designed after a lobster trap. Poor Mr. K! The nautical flags on the front of the building unfortunately do not mean anything. 2. The Chum Bucket: Chum Bucket | Encyclopedia SpongeBobia | FandomThe Chum Bucket is rumored to be inspired by Toni’s 24 Hour Restaurant in Arcata. Toni’s has much better customer service than Plankton!

    3. Sandy’s Tree Dome:Could you actually make Sandy's Treedome in real life? - Worldbuilding Stack ExchangeSandy’s Treedome is said to be inspired from the HSU greenhouse! If you haven’t already been inside, they offer scheduled tours! Contact Brianne Lee at bms561@humboldt.edu for more information. 

     

    4. The Goo Lagoon:Goo Lagoon | Encyclopedia SpongeBobia | FandomI believe that the Goo Lagoon was inspired by Big Lagoon here in Humboldt County. Big Lagoon State Park is open and a wonderful space to hang out and go kayaking/paddle boarding!

5. Makeout Reef:Make-Out Reef | Encyclopedia SpongeBobia | FandomThis is complete speculation on my part, but I believe that Makeout Reef is based on Scenic Drive in Trinidad, particularly Luffenholtz beach & lookout. If you haven’t checked out that area, I highly recommend! Not only is it gorgeous, but it has great (but steep) beaches for tide pooling, surfing, and you guessed it, making out.

6. Patrick StarPatrick Star - Wikipedia

Spongebob’s BFF is rumored to be named after Patrick’s Point State Park in Trinidad. The park is still open, please wear a mask and social distance while visiting!

7. Jellyfish Fields:Jellyfish Fields | Encyclopedia SpongeBobia | FandomAgain, this is complete speculation on my part, but Jellyfish Fields could be inspired by the farms in the Arcata Bottoms!

8. Houses of Bikini Bottom:

Bottomite houses | Encyclopedia SpongeBobia | Fandom

A lot of the houses in Bikini Bottom are car mufflers! While this pollutant is very common worldwide, Trinidad Harbor is filled with engine blocks and other man-made chunks of metal that boats use as moorings. Could Bikini Bottom be Trinidad?