Nickelodeon Airing ‘SpongeBob SquarePants’ Marathon in Wake of Creator Stephen Hillenburg’s Death

Nickelodeon has announced it will be airing a SpongeBob SquarePants marathon in the wake of creator Stephen Hillenburg’s death.

According to the Nick and More!, the network will be playing a block of episodes that will run for nearly nine hours.

“In honor of Stephen Hillenburg, [Nickelodeon] is airing a #SpongeBob marathon this Sunday, Dec. 2 from 12pm-8:30pm ET/PT,” a tweet from the outlet revealed. “The marathon starts at episode 1 and includes mostly classics from seasons 1-3.”

The outlet later went on to share a graphic with the list of episodes that will be airing during the marathon.

Included are the pilot (with Help Wanted, Reef Blower, and Tea at the Treedome) as well as classics such as Hall Monitor, Have You Seen This Snail?, and Squidward’s School for Grown-Ups.

Hillenburg passed away earlier this week, after announcing one year ago that he had been diagnosed with ALS.

The animation legend has been mourned by friends and fans alike, with many taking to social media to express their sympathy and gratitude for his brilliant creations.

“Rest In Peace, Stephen Hillenburg. Thank you for supplying me with some of my favorite childhood memories,” one fan tweeted. “Your hilarious absurdity and comedic genius is still quotable to this day. SpongeBob will always be the best show ever. I hope there’s plenty of Krabby Patties where you are.”

“There’s no words to describe how much SpongeBob has shaped my entire childhood and present, its still the base of my entire sense of humour today,” another fan commented. “I’ve made multiple friends through it and it made my life better in so many ways. Rest in peace stephen hillenburg, thank [you].”

Fans can tune into Nickelodeon on Sunday, Dec. 2 at 12 p.m. ET to check out the SpongeBob SquarePants marathon that runs until 8:30 p.m.