The series revolves around Spongebob and his aquatic friends. SpongeBob SquarePants is an energetic and optimistic yellow sea sponge who lives in a submerged pineapple. SpongeBob has a childlike enthusiasm for life, which carries over to his job as a fry cook at a fast food restaurant called the Krusty Krab. One of his life's greatest goals is to obtain a boat-driving license from Mrs. Puff's Boating School, but he never succeeds. His favorite pastimes include "jellyfishing", which involves catching jellyfish with a net in a manner similar to butterfly catching, and blowing soap bubbles into elaborate shapes. He has a pet sea snail with a pink shell and a blue body named Gary, who meows like a cat.
An overweight coral-pink starfish, Patrick lives under a rock in the underwater city of Bikini Bottom, and is the best friend of SpongeBob SquarePants. His most significant character traits are his laziness and low intelligence, although he occasionally shows that he is smarter than he seems. Patrick is unemployed and a self-proclaimed expert in the "art of doing nothing".
