Nickelodeon explicitly banned the creation of a spin-off for SpongeBob SquarePants while creator Stephen Hillenburg was alive, as he strongly felt the original show should remain a standalone piece of animated art.

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Nickelodeon explicitly banned the creation of a spin-off for SpongeBob SquarePants while creator Stephen Hillenburg was alive, as he strongly felt the original show should remain a standalone piece of animated art. Almost immediately after Hillenburg tragically passed away from ALS, the network eagerly greenlit Kamp Koral and the Patrick Star Show, completely ignoring the stated wishes of the man who built their most profitable intellectual property. It is a stunning display of corporate greed that perfectly encapsulates how modern media conglomerates view artistic integrity as a minor inconvenience to be stepped over the moment the original creator is out of the picture. We can only assume the executives wiped away their crocodile tears with hundred-dollar bills while frantically figuring out how many more ways they could milk a slightly annoying yellow sponge