Nickelodeon has never been shy when it comes to crossovers, as there have been several times that the NickToons have crossed into one another’s universes. Video games, animated specials, and feature-length films have seen the likes of the Rugrats, Wild Thornberrys, Aaahh!! Real Monsters, and more collide. Unfortunately, not every proposed crossover makes it across the finish line, and a legendary animator goes on record about one union that was shot down. In years past, SpongeBob SquarePants came close to meeting the residents of another major Nickelodeon franchise, though it seems as though this crossover will never become a reality.
In a recently released video from animator Butch Hartman, the man responsible for The Fairly Oddparents and Danny Phantom, the creator revealed that Timmy Turner, Cosmo, and Wanda almost met the denizens of Bikini Bottom. Specifically, Hartman said, “I was pretty good friends with Steve Hillenburg (creator of SpongeBob SquarePants), and I said, ‘we should probably do a crossover.’ He was very open to the idea and he thought it would be a great idea. I took the idea to the heads of Nickelodeon, and they said, ‘You’re not doing that.’ I asked them why not and they said, ‘We want to keep SpongeBob on his own, and we want to keep you on your own,’ which was strange because I did a crossover with Jimmy Neutron.” You can see the video for yourself below.
Hartman then explained his thoughts as to why Paramount initially decided to shoot down the crossover concept, “They wouldn’t let me touch SpongeBob, they just wouldn’t let me do it. I think because SpongeBob, in their eyes, was their premier character. I think it would have been awesome.” In the video, Butch also confirms that he was offered an animator position on SpongeBob SquarePants before Nickelodeon purchased The Fairly OddParents. Hartman takes the opportunity in the video to spitball crossover ideas, while drawing all the characters who would have been involved.
As to the state of the two Nickelodeon franchises, the two worlds have very different futures laid out ahead of them. The Fairly OddParents recently returned thanks to the CG-animated series, The Fairly OddParents: A New Wish, which has twenty episodes to its name. As of the writing of this article, a new season has yet to be confirmed, leaving the future of the franchise up in the air. SpongeBob SquarePants is currently on its sixteenth season, after decades of episodes released on the cable network, with another in the works. With Bikini Bottom recently releasing several feature-length films in theaters and on streaming, Nickelodeon doesn’t appear to be slowing down with the SpongeBob SquarePants franchise anytime soon. During the video, Hartman shares his desire to still make this crossover happen, so never say never when it comes to seeing these worlds collide.
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