SpongeBob Pays Homage to his Western Roots in 'Pest of the West', a New Special Episode Premiering Friday, April 11, at 8 p.m. on Nickelodeon

SpongeBob Pays Homage to his Western Roots in 'Pest of the West', a New Special Episode Premiering Friday, April 11, at 8 p.m. on Nickelodeon

Nickelodeon Home Entertainment and Paramount Home Entertainment to Release SpongeBob SquarePants: SpongeBob Pest of the West DVD April 15

BURBANK, Calif., March 24 /PRNewswire/ -- SpongeBob discovers that he is related to a famous western hero who forever changed the history of Bikini Bottom in an all-new, special half-hour episode of SpongeBob SquarePants, "Pest of the West," airing on Nickelodeon Friday, April 11, from 8:00 to 8:30 p.m. (ET/PT). While researching his family tree, SpongeBob finds that he is a distant relative of SpongeBuck, a chili-slinger from Bikini Bottom's past who helped save the citizens from the quickest whip draw in town, the evil Dead Eye Plankton.

(Photo:

http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080324/NYM061)

"SpongeBob consistently finds new ways to delight our audience," said Brown Johnson, President, Animation, Nickelodeon and MTVN Kids and Family Group. "And, this special is just another example of how the creative team can put SpongeBob in any setting and deliver funny, unforgettable classic moments."

"Pest of the West" is the tale of SpongeBob's ancestors who lived in the town of Dead Eye Gulch, which in happier days before the no-good Dead Eye Plankton came along, was known as Bikini Gulch. Dead Eye took over everything in town -- except one local watering hole, Pappy Krabs' Krusty Kantina. Just as it seemed that all hope was lost and Dead Eye would also rule the Krusty Kantina, SpongeBuck arrived in town to take a job as a chili-slinger at the Kantina and the desperate town took the opportunity to name him sheriff too. SpongeBuck may not have had the experience, the skills, or the smarts to take down Dead Eye, but he was certainly willing to try.

In the spirit of "Pest of the West", Nickelodeon will offer additional short-form videos of the special including a two-minute sneak peek, song clips and an instant replay of the special following its premiere on TurboNick, the network's broadband video service on www.nick.com.

Video, song clips and some "Pest of the West" wallpapers will also be available on Nick Mobile through its wireless partners. Following its premiere, "Pest of the West" will stream on Video-on-Demand and will be available for purchase through downloads on various Nickelodeon partner video distribution platforms.

www.nick.com/pest is the online destination for "Pest of the West" featuring a new game of the week, a "name generator" that allows kids to press a button and get their very own SpongeBob cowboy-themed name, downloads, and more. Additionally, prior to the show premiere, nick.com will replicate the high noon showdown between SpongeBuck and Dead Eye Plankton with head-to-head voting on episodes of SpongeBob vs. Plankton. The day of the premiere, the winners of the voting showdown will be revealed on-air in the packaging surrounding the special.

On April 15, Nickelodeon will release a new DVD entitled SpongeBob SquarePants: SpongeBob Pest of the West, created by Nickelodeon Home Entertainment and distributed by Paramount Home Entertainment. The DVD will feature the title special episode, in addition to six other SpongeBob SquarePants episodes, "The Krusty Plate," "Pat No Pay," "The Inmates of Summer," "To Save a Squirrel," "20,000 Patties Under the Sea" and "The Battle of Bikini Bottom." Bonus features on SpongeBob SquarePants: SpongeBob Pest of the West, include a "Pest of the West" original animatic and four "Pest of the West" shorts.

Currently in its sixth season, SpongeBob SquarePants has emerged as a pop- culture phenomenon and one of the most popular series in kids' television history. It has been the number-one animated program with Kids 2-11 for more than six consecutive years and its Saturday morning airing ranks as the top- rated program on television among Kids 2-11. Adult viewers also continue to tune in and have increased by 85% since the premiere of the show in July 1999.

The most widely distributed property in MTV Networks' history, SpongeBob SquarePants is syndicated in 171 markets in 25 languages and is among the top rated kids' shows, across broadcast and cable, in every major television market around the world.

SpongeBob SquarePants is executive produced by creator Stephen Hillenburg, who previously worked as a writer, director and creative director on Nickelodeon's animated series Rocko's Modern Life. Hillenburg graduated from the California Institute of the Arts with a master's degree in experimental animation and studied marine biology and art as an undergraduate. Hillenburg created and executive produced The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie which hit theaters in November 2004.

Paul Tibbitt served as a director and writer on SpongeBob SquarePants for its first three seasons and is currently executive producer. He wrote some of the show's most memorable episodes such as "Ripped Pants" and "Mermaid Man & Barnacle Boy." Tibbitt was one of the co-writers and storyboard artists on The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie. SpongeBob SquarePants is a Nicktoons Production and is produced at the Nickelodeon Animation Studios in Burbank, Calif.

Nickelodeon, in its 28th year, is the number-one entertainment brand for kids. It has built a diverse, global business by putting kids first in everything it does. The company includes television programming and production in the United States and around the world, plus consumer products, online, recreation, books, magazines and feature films. Nickelodeon's U.S. television network is seen in more than 96 million households and has been the number- one-rated basic cable network for more than 13 consecutive years. Nickelodeon and all related titles, characters and logos are trademarks of Viacom Inc. (NYSE:VIA)(NYSE:VIA.B).

Photo: NewsCom:

http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080324/NYM061
AP Archive:

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AP PhotoExpress Network: PRN13
PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com
Source: Nickelodeon

CONTACT: Nicole Parker, +1-818-736-3613, Nicole.parker@nick.com, or
Maria Poulos, +1-212-846-6283, Maria.Poulos@nick.com, both of Nickelodeon

Web site:

http://www.nick.com/

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