More than half a million people have rallied to have the Nickelodeon show's iconic song 'Sweet Victory' played at the upcoming event in honor of the late Stephen Hillenburg.
- Dec 3, 2018
AceShowbiz - People no longer want to watch Maroon 5 perform at the Super Bowl LIII halftime show. More than half a million people have rallied to have "SpongeBob SquarePants" iconic song "Sweet Victory" played at the upcoming game. The petition is posted on Change.org by Isreal Colunga along with headline, "Have 'Sweet Victory' performed at the Super Bowl."
Addressed to NFL and Nickelodeon, the message read, "As some of you may or may not know, Stephen Hillenburg -- the creator of SpongeBob SquarePants -- has passed away recently. As a tribute to his legacy, his contributions to a generation of children, and to truly showcase the greatness of this song, we call for Sweet Victory to be performed at the Halftime Show."
The petition also got a boost from Bob Kulick, a Grammy-winning producer who worked on the song for the episode.
For those who need a refresher, "Sweet Victory" was played in a season two episode called "Band Geeks", in which Squidward enlisted the help of his fellow Bikini Bottom residents to form a marching band after he lied to his former high school colleague. After several failed practices, the marching band stunned both Squidward, his friend and other Bubble Bowl attendees when they performed the song flawlessly.
Stephen Hillenburg passed away on Monday, November 26 following a battle with ALS. He was 57. Nickelodeon confirmed the sad news in a statement, expressing their deep condolences. "He was a beloved friend and long-time creative partner to everyone at Nickelodeon, and our hearts go out to his entire family," so the statement read.
"Steve imbued SpongeBob SquarePants with a unique sense of humor and innocence that has brought joy to generations of kids and families everywhere," the message continued. "His utterly original characters and the world of Bikini Bottom will long stand as a reminder of the value of optimism, friendship and the limitless power of imagination."
