Product Review

This quintet of 11-minute episodes will not edify, but it will entertain, as the enduring popularity of this Nickelodeon offering attests. In an undersea version of "Green Eggs and Ham," the persistent boy sponge discovers Squidward has never tasted a krabby patty and hounds him until an addiction is born. The patties are featured again in the final episode when restaurant owner Krabs insists on trying to sell a spoiled sandwich. Since no one will bite, Krabs does, leading to a near-death experience. In between, the tenacious sponge and his seastar sidekick Patrick lure aging superheroes Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy (guest-voiced by Ernest Borgnine and Tim Conway) out of retirement to vanquish a maniac. In the remaining two stories, the "little square dude" has fun with a gum wrapper and later nearly suffocates in the air-filled home of Sandy the squirrel. Best for ages 4-12, but nothing more objectionable than vomit humor for younger siblings. --Kimberly Heinrichs