Case Study: Custom Christmas Sweaters for SpongeBob SquarePants
Client: Nickelodeon
Project: Custom Christmas Sweaters
Brief: Multiple sweaters for their apparel line
Overview:
Nickelodeon is an American television network and media brand primarily focused on children’s and family entertainment. Launched on December 1, 1977, as part of QUBE’s cable system in Columbus, Ohio, under the name Pinwheel, it officially became Nickelodeon in April 1979. Owned by Paramount Global (formerly Viacom), it’s a cornerstone of kids’ programming, known for iconic shows like SpongeBob SquarePants, Rugrats, Hey Arnold!, and Blue’s Clues.
Spongebob SquarePants:
Nickelodeon revolutionized kids’ TV with original content, moving away from reruns. Shows like SpongeBob SquarePants were a huge success, generating $13 billion in merchandising by 2019.
SpongeBob SquarePants was created by Stephen Hillenburg in 1996. It was inspired by his love for the ocean and earlier comic The Intertidal Zone. He pitched it to Nickelodeon, where it premiered on May 1, 1999. Hillenburg’s vision of a quirky, optimistic sea sponge in the underwater city of Bikini Bottom defined the show’s unique humor and enduring appeal.
Since its premiere in 1999, it has become one of the longest-running animated series, with over 300 episodes across 14 seasons as of 2025. It consistently ranks among Nickelodeon’s top shows, drawing millions of viewers globally—its 2023 Halloween special averaged 2.5 million viewers in the U.S. alone. The franchise has grossed over $14 billion in merchandise sales, spawned three feature films, multiple video games, and a Broadway musical nominated for 12 Tony Awards. Social media buzz on X highlights its cultural staying power, with fans memeing iconic lines and celebrating its multigenerational appeal.
Fans:
SpongeBob SquarePants has a large following. Fans of the show even have Reddit threads discussing the merch available and looking for certain merch items that they can’t find. The merch is highly sought after and Nickelodeon wanted to create merch that is popular and on trend so we created
custom Christmas sweaters
featuring beloved characters and underwater-themed holiday art.
Nickelodeon x Roody
Nickelodeon contacted Roody to create a SpongeBob and Patrick sweater. They wanted a blue solid sweater with a design on the front only. The sweater was a gift to thank media, presenters and influencers for support during the year.
There was a huge level of engagement throughout the social media channels and SpongeBob got lots of love. After the success of the Christmas sweater, their Christmas sweater collection grew year on year.
Now, there are multiple different SpongeBob sweater options- from sweatshirts to fully knitted sweaters. They all feature vibrant colors to match the TV show and the fun and cute characters,
The Result:
Nickelodeon loved the sweaters. Some were used for e-commerce stores so that fans could buy them directly and others were used for PR events and gifts.
The Christmas sweaters are a gift that everyone loves to get every year as brands create a “2023”, “2024”, “2025” addition. That makes them much sought after items.
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