Nickelodeon Lets Kids Cast Their Vote for President in the Biggest Kelp-slinging Election of the Year

BURBANK, Calif., Feb. 6 /PRNewswire/ -- It's the hottest campaign Bikini Bottom has ever seen! "Patrick for President" has pulled out all the stops, promising supporters three all-new episodes of SpongeBob SquarePants if they cast a vote for him in his race to become President. And Nickelodeon is covering the entire campaign with a SpongeBob programming event kicking off on Monday, February 19 at 5:00 p.m. including an interactive, two-hour marathon during which votes are tallied as they come in, and followed by three all-new back-to-back Patrick themed episodes (7-8:30 p.m.). An announcement of the new President-elect will cap off the premieres. (All times ET/PT).

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20070206/NYTU137 )

"SpongeBob has been the number-one animated kids' show on television for over five years and running. And who would've thought that after all this time Patrick would actually run for President?" said Tom Ascheim, Executive Vice-President & General Manager, Nickelodeon Television. "It's creative new programming events like 'Patrick for President' that keep it fresh and funny, with viewers coming back for more."

Leading up to "Patrick for President" (beginning February 8), Nickelodeon will invite kids to pledge their allegiance and support to Patrick's candidacy on nick.com/prezday. Kids can log on to read up on the latest election updates, vote for Patrick or Larry the Lobster, create their own video campaign posters and share them with friends, voice their opinion on why Patrick is a good President by submitting video testimonials, and create their own mash-ups using clips from the new Patrick themed episodes that will air on Presidents' Day. In addition, kids will be able to sneak peek the three all- new episodes on TurboNick.com.

Kicking off on Saturday, February 19 at 5:00 p.m., the marathon begins the countdown to the closest Presidential race to hit Bikini Bottom. The race really heats up when Larry the Lobster leaves no shell, or starfish unturned and responds to Patrick's promise to voters with a kelp-slinging smear campaign. Between episodes, votes are counted and the winners of various states are marked off as they are claimed by either Larry the Lobster's Crustacean Party (in red) or the Patrick's Invertebrate Party (in pink). The marathon will culminate with three brand new SpongeBob episodes - as promised by Patrick - followed by the final vote tally and victory announcement of Bikini Bottom's next President.

Following are details on the three all-new episodes:

7-7:30 p.m. -- In "Driven to Tears," SpongeBob has failed his driving test-again. Patrick is so outraged by the injustice of it all that he storms into the testing facility and takes the test to prove that it is unfair and impossible to pass. Only Patrick does pass and earn his license. In fact, as the one-millionth customer at the DMV, Patrick is awarded a brand new car! SpongeBob tries to be happy for his pal, but watching Patrick abuse his driving privilege and disobey common driving rules is more then he can bear. Then, in "Rule of Dumb," an oversight in a Royal genealogy document reveals that Patrick is the next in line to receive a kingly title. It's not long before the power of the crown goes straight to the starfish's head.

7:30-8 p.m. -- In "The Pink Purloiner," SpongeBob's favorite jelly fishing net is missing! And worst of all, Patrick may have been the one who stole it.

But SpongeBob can't accuse his friend of anything until he can find some hard evidence that he does indeed have the net. Then in "The Gift of Gum," it's Best Friends Day and SpongeBob and Patrick trade presents. SpongeBob presents Patrick with a fancy robot, and Patrick gives SpongeBob his most prized possession: an enormous ball of used chewing gum. SpongeBob is touched. He thinks this gift is the coolest thing in the world. However, once he finally fits the giant wad of gum into his house, it slowly starts to creep him out.

8:30-9 p.m. -- In "Rise and Shine/Waiting," a glimpse into the interior of Patrick Star's rock/home proves that his morning routine is anything but ordinary. Then, SpongeBob discovers that his breakfast cereal has an offer for a free toy. Once he responds to the offer, he must wait patiently for the toy to arrive. So SpongeBob sets up camp right next to his mailbox, determined to be present when the mailman shows up with his treasure. And, in "Sing a Song of Patrick" SpongeBob helps Patrick promote a song he wrote by securing some air time at the local radio station.

Launched in July 1999, SpongeBob SquarePants has since emerged as a pop culture phenomenon and one of the most popular series in kids' television history. The Saturday morning play of the series currently ranks as the number-one rated program among Kids 2-11. Nearly 67.2 million viewers tune into the show each month, including 24 million Kids 2-11, 14.5 million Tweens 9-14 and 32.9 million Adults 18+. (Source: Nielsen Cume Data -November 2006).

Adult viewers also continue to tune in and have increased by 106% since the premiere of the show.

The most widely distributed property in MTV Networks history, SpongeBob SquarePants is syndicated in 171 markets in 25 languages and consistently rates in the top 3 series among kids in every major market it currently airs in across Europe, Asia, Australia, Latin America and the United States.

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 and 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 Nicktoons Studios in Burbank, CA.

Nickelodeon, in its 27th 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 almost 92 million households and has been the number-one- rated basic cable network for almost 12 consecutive years. Nickelodeon and all related titles, characters and logos are trademarks of Viacom Inc. .