Thanks to some hints floating around the internet from Maroon 5 and others, SpongeBob SquarePants fans have high hopes that the famous cartoon character might be making a Super Bowl LIII cameo.
One main reason for the theory comes down to a brief appearance of the Pineapple-Under-the-Sea-dwelling creature in a tweeted video that Maroon 5, the headlining Super Bowl 2019 Half Time performers, shared earlier in January. About 30 seconds in, a cryptic, brief snippet of SpongeBob appears.
The SpongeBob fan theories
While SpongeBob and Maroon 5 don’t normally have any particular connection, SpongeBob does have a song — “Sweet Victory” — that was performed in a season two episode of the show called “Band Geeks” by the Bikini Bottom Super Band. Longtime fans think this means “Sweet Victory” may end up on Maroon 5’s set list, or in some other way SpongeBob will be involved in the Super Bowl LIII Halftime Show.
While there’s currently no confirmation one way or another, it’s worth noting that many responses to Maroon 5’s video teaser are related to the potential for a SpongeBob song cameo. And the SpongeBob snapshot in the video is the only cartoon that appears: the rest of the footage is clips of the band’s preparations and performances and hints of Travis Scott and Big Boi, two rappers who will also be featured at the show.
The Episode
There’s more to it, too: a Change.org petition was set up earlier in January calling for a “Sweet Victory” tribute at the Super Bowl. It’s collected nearly 1.2 million signatures so far. The reason? To honor SpongeBob creator Stephen Hillenburg, who passed away in November last year.
The GIF
In another bump for the theory, Mercedes-Benz Stadium’s Twitter account even shared a GIF of SpongeBob dancing in his band outfit all the way back in December, adding fuel to fans’ fire about the potential cameo.
The Bet
People are even betting on it — literally. The odds, according to an online betting pool, are in favor of SpongeBob appearing at the Super Bowl, in particular popping up in an inflatable costume.
In another more under-the-radar hint, according to CNET, Rodger Bumpass, the voice actor behind the character of Squidward, reportedly posted on Facebook that he was going to be making some kind of Super Bowl introduction for the Halftime Show.
SpongeBob fans, at least, were convinced.
