The popular animated series SpongeBob SquarePants is considered one of the most popular cartoons of all time, as evidenced not only by its popularity and internet presence but also by its awards. Only one series was able to surpass the sponge as “best cartoon” once.
Which award is being referred to? SpongeBob SquarePants by Stephen Hillenburg is an animated series that first aired in 1999 on Nickelodeon in the USA. A few years later, in 2003, the series won the Kid’s Choice Award for “Favorite Cartoon” for the first time, which was just the beginning of its winning streak.
Since the victory in 2003, SpongeBob has won the same award year after year, even until 2025. However, it could not defend this title flawlessly, as another popular series from your childhood once contested the title. In 2008, SpongeBob SquarePants was not named Favorite Cartoon, but another animated series on Nickelodeon: Avatar – The Last Airbender.
Here you can see the trailer for the Netflix adaptation of the series that was able to dethrone SpongeBob as favorite cartoon:
The epic battle against the Fire Lord was more popular than Bikini Bottom
What did Avatar – The Last Airbender achieve? The series is still well-known and extremely popular among fans due to its nostalgia factor, a Netflix reboot, and its upcoming continuation of the Avatar spin-off “The Legend of Korra”.
In 2008, three years after its premiere, the third and final season, referred to as “Book” in Avatar, was released in which the airbender and Avatar Aang, along with his friends, stood on the brink of the battle against the tyrannical and power-hungry Fire Lord Ozai – an indication of why Team Avatar was able to surpass SpongeBob that year.
The Reddit user Psykpatient explains, however, what really caused the victory, as the winner of the Kid’s Choice Award in each category is not entirely dependent on the votes as one might assume from the name, but rather through “votes and other methods”.
“SpongeBob wins every year because it would be embarrassing for Nickelodeon to let anything else win apart from their mascot,” writes Psykpatient on Reddit, “[Avatar] won because there was a coordinated fan campaign that was so large that there would have been an enormous backlash if the series had not won.”
What do other fans say about the success of both series? SpongeBob SquarePants and Avatar are two series that were very popular in the early 2000s and are a significant part of many childhoods. Under a Reddit post with nearly 10,000 upvotes, fans celebrate the success of both series.
“I remember it like it was yesterday,” writes Bearspoole on Reddit, reminiscing about the final episodes of Avatar, “No other series has had the same effect on me since. I wish I could see those four episodes for the first time again.”
Other fans also have to admit that Avatar’s victory was truly deserved. GyaradosDance writes: “I love you, SpongeBob, but sometimes it’s refreshing to see others win” (via Reddit)
The new series of the Avatar universe titled “Avatar: Seven Havens” is a direct continuation that will take place after the time of Avatar Korra. It is set to have two seasons with 13 episodes each and will be created by the original makers of The Last Airbender. If you want to learn more about the new series, you can do so here on MeinMMO: The creators of Avatar explain that the new series is intended to be like your favorite childhood anime
