On May 1, 1999, Nickelodeon debuted a new cartoon featuring a bunch of anthropomorphic sea critters called "SpongeBob SquarePants." With bright colors, an amusing protagonist in the form of the titular sponge, and ample absurdist humor, the show became a big hit. Honestly, it's the biggest hit the network has ever seen, still going strong 25 years later with numerous movies and spin-offs under its belt. SpongeBob (Tom Kenny) is known the world over and shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon. 

It really deserves to be said how influential and hilarious those early seasons are. Much like "The Simpsons" before it, which had plenty of terrible storylines later on in its run, "SpongeBob SquarePants" may not exist at the creative glory it once retained. But the fact the show's responsible for so many classic jokes that would later turn into memes is something that can never be taken away from it.