^{Credit: SpongeBob SquarePants (Nickelodeon)/ Teen Titans Go! (Cartoon Network)}

On June 21, 2025, SpongeBob SquarePants won its 22nd Kids’ Choice Award for Favorite Cartoon. Among SpongeBob’s competitors were Dragon Ball Daima, Monster High, The Loud House, The Simpsons, and Teen Titans Go!, the latter of which was on its eleventh consecutive nomination. It would be the Titans’ eleventh loss, making it the most nominated program in this category’s history without a win. Perhaps not coincidentally, Teen Titans Go! aired a new episode that same day entitled “Favorite Animated Show Nominee.” The Titans attend the 20th Annual Kids’ Opinions Awards, a thinly veiled send-up of the KCAs, where they go up against reigning champ Loofah Louie, the most blatant SpongeBob clone since Coconut Fred.

First clip at the ‘Teen Titans Go!’ parody episode of the Kids Choice Awards featuring cameos of Cartoon Network and Warner Bros characters.

The new episode, ‘Favorite Animated Show Nominee’ will premiere on Cartoon Network on June 21st at 10AM EST.
pic.twitter.com/wvTIhXGt5q

— ToonHive (@ToonHive) June 14, 2025

After losing yet again, Robin is more convinced than ever that Loofah Louie is cheating. Teen Titans Go! might not be the most beloved show online, but Robin’s words echo every conspiracy theorist who has ever questioned SpongeBob’s winning streak. The Teen Titans Go! writers aren’t the first people from the animation industry to throw shade at the sponge. When Gravity Falls lost to SpongeBob in 2016, creator Alex Hirsch tweeted, “The Kids Choice Awards is rigged! I'm blowing the lid off this conspiracy! SpongeBob UNFAIR-PANTS amiright.” Hirsch credits Jason Ritter, the voice of Dipper Pines, for that pun. At least Hirsch has an Annie Award to ease his pain.

The Kids Choice Awards is rigged! I'm blowing the lid off this conspiracy! SpongeBob UNFAIR-PANTS amiright #Conspiracy #KCAS #Scientology

— Alex Hirsch (@_AlexHirsch) March 13, 2016

That said, a KCA doesn’t exactly carry the same weight as an Annie… or an Emmy… or an Oscar. Teen Titans Go! alludes to this in the episode. Regardless, KCA is one of the few televised award shows on a major network that recognizes animated shows. Yes, there’s also the Creative Arts Primetime Emmys, but Teen Titans Go! lost there three times. Gravity Falls infamously never got nominated for a competitive Primetime Emmy, although Ian Worrel and Alonso Ramirez Ramos were honored for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Animation. Even SpongeBob lost at the Primetime Emmys ten times without a win. It wasn’t until SpongeBob switched to the Daytime Emmys that its awards closet crew.

At the Primetime Emmys, SpongeBob usually lost to animated programs aimed at older demographics like South Park, as is often the case for quote-unquote “kids’ shows.” The playing field has been leveled with the newly created Children's and Family Emmy Awards, where SpongeBob and Teen Titans Go! now compete. While this should open the door for more animated shows to be recognized, the KCAs remain the SpongeBob show. Literally last year, SpongeBob and Patrick hosted the KCAs, complete with a tribute to the show’s 25^th anniversary. At that point, it would’ve been awkward if SpongeBob didn’t win Favorite Cartoon.

Of course, it is frustrating when the same show wins annually, especially when that show is a Nicktoon on the Nickelodeon network at an award show draped in the Nickelodeon branding, including the coveted orange blimp prize. Before SpongeBob started sweeping, this was already a trend. The inaugural Favorite Cartoon Award went to Nickelodeon’s Doug in 1995. The following year, Rugrats kicked off a six-year streak. During that period, Rugrats not only beat fellow Nicktoons like Hey Arnold! and CatDog, but also Animaniacs, The Powerpuff Girls, and Pokémon at the height of its popularity.

Even as a kid who religiously watched Rugrats, I found its dominance in this category suspicious. Ten-year-old me put far too much thought into awards, which I guess hasn’t changed. Just when I was ready to call the KCAs rigged, Rugrats lost in 2002 to The Simpsons, to this date the only non-Nickelodeon cartoon to win in this category. In 2003, Rugrats lost again to SpongeBob, which had premiered after the 1999 KCAs. If you’re like me, you still remember the promo lyrics, “His show’s a real hoot, he lives in a fruit, SpongeBob SquarePants big sneak peek, right after Kids’ Choice.”

While seeing Rugrats lose twice eased my concerns that the race was fixed, this commenced SpongeBob’s parade of wins. Since 2003, SpongeBob has won Favorite Cartoon almost every year except 2008, when it went to Avatar: The Last Airbender. Even when another Nicktoon like The Fairly OddParents, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, or The Loud House manages to creep up on it in the ratings, they couldn’t top SpongeBob at Kids’ Choice. Over the past two decades, SpongeBob has also triumphed over the likes of Adventure Time, Steven Universe, and Phineas and Ferb.

One year, Phineas and Ferb creators Dan Povenmire and Jeff "Swampy" Marsh attended the KCAs, confused that the Favorite Cartoon category wasn’t presented. That’s because it was announced in passing during the telecast that SpongeBob had won. With a SpongeBob win being preordained, there isn’t much point in dedicating airtime to the category. There have been other years when Favorite Cartoon received more fanfare. This year, a brief animated segment was produced where SpongeBob receives an orange blimp from the surface world. Patrick then arrives in a decked-out boat, saying he bought it with their award money. SpongeBob clarifies there was no cash prize, much to Patrick's horror. 

SpongeBob SquarePants accepts his Kids Choice Award for Favorite Animated TV Show. pic.twitter.com/DM1BJav3NJ

— ToonHive (@ToonHive) June 22, 2025

The nominees for this year's KCAs were announced on May 15. This would’ve given them just over one month to produce this segment… assuming they didn’t already have it prepared before any votes were tallied in the very likely case SpongeBob won. Is SpongeBob truly winning fair and square, though? As much as I’d like to share irrefutable evidence of a conspiracy, keep in mind that while Favorite Cartoon has primarily belonged to Nickelodeon, that hasn’t been the case with every other category. In fact, Selena Gomez, who broke out on the Disney Channel, has won a record thirteen KCAs. Year after year, Gomez beat out Nickelodeon stars like Miranda Cosgrove, Victoria Justice, and even Keke Palmer.

Since Nickelodeon is basically the SpongeBob Network at this point, I’m not going to act like there isn’t a home team advantage. It’s like when the teacher’s kid wins Student of the Month, complete with a good noodle star. If you go looking for a conspiracy, though, chances are you’ll come back with the same results as Robin, who finds Loofah Louie isn’t cheating. He’s simply a cherished cartoon icon. The same can be said about SpongeBob.

Yes, you can say that SpongeBob has gone downhill ever since the first movie came out. Yes, you can argue that there are newer, more ambitious animated shows worthier of the orange blimp. Yet, there’s a reason why SpongeBob memes still dominate your social media feeds. Few animated icons have endured like the late Stephen Hillenburg’s creation. Teen Titans Go! is Cartoon Network’s longest-running series, but SpongeBob still has over a decade on it. Gravity Falls has a passionate following, but it didn’t take over an entire brand’s identity like SpongeBob.

Whether you’re a kid who just discovered SpongeBob, an adult who hasn’t watched the show in eons, a 26-year-old who has seen every episode, or a 35-year-old who's still tracking its performance at the Kids' Choice Awards, people are always going to have a strong connection to this character. When people vote for SpongeBob, they aren’t necessarily voting for the show’s current state of quality. They’re voting for the Krusty Krab Pizza, imaaaaagination, and “CHOCOLATE!” I always encourage award shows to spread the love, especially when the winner has already been well-compensated. Until that surprise upset comes, though, don’t be a Robin and call foul play. Congratulate SpongeBob on another sweet victory… unless there really is a conspiracy.

In other animation-related news, Inside Out 2 won Favorite Animated Movie, Dwayne Johnson won Favorite Male Voice from an Animated Movie for Moana 2, and Auliʻi Cravalho won Favorite Female Voice from an Animated Movie for Moana 2.

Nick Spake is the Author of Bright & Shiny: A History of Animation at Award Shows Volumes 1 and 2. Available Now!