Who Lives in a Pineapple Under the Sea and has 16 Million Facebook Friends?

BURBANK, Calif., Jan. 20, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Nickelodeon, in a first for the network, presents "Legends of Bikini Bottom," an anthology of five all-new, deep-sea SpongeBob SquarePants tales, premiering online first on Facebook then on-air on Nick.  Guest starring Ginnifer Goodwin (Big Love) and Amy Sedaris (Strangers with Candy) "Legends of Bikini Bottom" kicks off with "Trenchbillies" (guest starring Sedaris) on the SpongeBob SquarePants Facebook page (www.facebook.com/spongebob) Thursday, Jan. 27, at 8 p.m. (ET) / 5 p.m. (PT).  The next four stories – "Sponge-Cano", "The Main Drain", "The Monster Who Came to Bikini Bottom" and "Welcome to the Bikini Bottom Triangle" (guest starring Goodwin) – will premiere on Nickelodeon in an hour-long prime-time TV special on Friday, Jan. 28, at 8:00 p.m. (ET/PT). The anthology of all five tales, including the on-air premiere of "Trenchbillies", will air Saturday, Jan. 29, from 10:00 to 11:15 a.m. (ET/PT) on Nickelodeon.

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"The anthology format of 'Legends of Bikini Bottom' provides a great opportunity to try something new where we can give SpongeBob's 16 million fans on Facebook a first look, in addition to new content on-air," said Brown Johnson, President, Animation, Nickelodeon and MTVN Kids and Family Group.  "Ginnifer Goodwin and Amy Sedaris have done a fantastic job voicing their characters, which enriches the entire collection of stories."

SpongeBob SquarePants' "Legends of Bikini Bottom" will roll out as follows:

Thursday, Jan. 27, at 8 p.m. (ET) / 5 p.m. (PT)

Premiere of "Trenchbillies" (Guest starring Amy Sedaris) on Facebook (www.facebook.com/spongebob)

While jellyfishing one day, SpongeBob and Patrick fall into a deep sea trench and are held captive by a clan of trenchbillies.  The leader of the clan, Ma Angler (Sedaris), takes a liking to these colorful intruders and offers them a chance to prove their worth in a series of tests.  The boys finally win their freedom, but have a hard time actually leaving their new family.

Friday, Jan. 28, at 8:00 – 9:00 p.m. (ET/PT)

Premiere of Hour-Long "Legends of Bikini Bottom" on Nickelodeon:

"Sponge-Cano"

The undersea volcano outside of town has gone active, and everyone is in a panic and desperate to find a way to appease the volcano.  Just then, an ancient warrior appears, proclaiming that the only way to stop the volcano is to sacrifice the most miserable person in Bikini Bottom: Squidward.

"The Main Drain"

Legend has it that long ago, two young boys stumbled across a drain in the middle of the ocean floor.  Curiosity got the best of them and the boys pulled out the plug, washing everything and everyone in Bikini Bottom into the gaping drain, never to be seen again.  When SpongeBob and Patrick hear the story of the main drain, they decide it's up to them to uncover the truth behind the myth.  The two friends embark on a journey to find the main drain and prevent anyone from ever making the mistake of pulling the plug again.  

"The Monster Who Came to Bikini Bottom"

Patrick befriends a giant sea monster that has wandered into Bikini Bottom.  The two unlikely pals develop a means of communication and discover they have many things in common.  But the large monster becomes destructive and the citizens of Bikini Bottom want him out of their town.  They almost succeed, until SpongeBob finds a solution that makes everyone happy.

"Welcome to the Bikini Bottom Triangle" (Guest starring Ginnifer Goodwin)

Things begin to disappear from Bikini Bottom, and when Mr. Krabs also goes missing, SpongeBob and Squidward go out to look for him.  Suddenly, they hear the distant singing of mermaids and they are sucked into the mysterious Bikini Bottom Triangle.  There they find a treasure trove of things that have gone missing over the years, as well as the keepers of the Triangle, a vain teenage mermaid (Goodwin) and her friends who wreak havoc on the inhabitants of the ocean, stealing all their stuff.  

The hour-long premiere of Legends of Bikini Bottom will be simulcast on Nick Mobile, and post premiere, it will be available via Nickelodeon's download-to-own partners. On Nick.com, a dedicated show page will feature clips from the special, SpongeBob trivia, games and a Patchy the Pirate-themed message board.  Additionally, Nick.com will launch a new Game of the Week, "Legends of Bikini Bottom", which is comprised of six mini games that require players to maneuver SpongeBob or his pals through a different legend-themed adventure.  The first game will launch on Thursday, Jan. 20, and the remaining five will launch one each day from Monday, Jan. 24, through Friday, Jan. 28.  To gain access to the final game, players must enter the code available only on-air during the hour-long special Jan. 28.

Since its launch in July 1999, SpongeBob SquarePants has emerged as a pop culture phenomenon.  The series has been the number-one animated program with kids 2-11 for more than 10 consecutive years on Nickelodeon, and over the past several years, it has averaged more than 100,000,000 total viewers every quarter across all Nickelodeon networks.  Syndicated in 171 markets in 36 languages, it's the most widely distributed property in MTV Networks' history.

Nickelodeon, now in its 31st 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 and feature films. Nickelodeon's U.S. television network is seen in more than 100 million households and has been the number-one-rated basic cable network for 16 consecutive years. For more information or artwork, visit www.nickpress.com. Nickelodeon and all related titles, characters and logos are trademarks of Viacom Inc. (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B).

SOURCE Nickelodeon