It’s shockingly easy to get SpongeBob SquarePants to be the voice of a regional commercial — even one that airs at 3:28 a.m.

For Millennial cartoon fans whose memories of watching SpongeBob SquarePants form the central pillar of their comedy sensibilities, it’s hard to imagine that there was ever a time in television history when Tom Kenny wasn’t the defining voice of silliness. In fact, it’s hard for Tom Kenny to imagine those B.C. (before comedy) years, too. Nevertheless, the Syracuse, New York native didn’t start his comedy career as the most beloved voice actor in children’s entertainment, coming up as a stand-up comic along with his close childhood friend Bobcat Goldthwait before landing small roles on TV and in film throughout the 1990s while developing his talents as a cartoon voice actor on the short-lived but beloved Nickelodeon series Rocko’s Modern Life.