Apparently, according to the creators and Tom Kenny (the eponymous character's voice), each main character in the show is modeled after a mortal sin. Yeah, that's right, those mortal sins. I go through the movie Se7en to count them all up, but here they are, in no particular order: greed, sloth, gluttony, lust, envy, pride, and wrath.
So, some of these are pretty obvious, such as Mr. Krabs, the capitalistic entrepeneur and owner of a business that's often portrayed as exploitative of its workers and customers alike. Definitely greed, as often he's shown valuing money and wealth above all else. Squidward, one of the main antagonists of the series, finds his inspiration in pride. He feels above the others' escapades quite often, and condescends to the other characters on the show in a high-and-mighty way. Sandy is quick to anger, so she probably represents wrath. Patrick is fairly interesting, as he could be a number of things - gluttony for his propensity to eat a lot, sloth for his laziness, and envy in his jealousy of Spongebob.
The most interesting of them all, though, is probably Spongebob's seemingly major character flaw, lust. Connotatively, it seems like this wouldn't fit very easily into a cartoon meant for children, but Spongebob lusts after something other than carnal pleasures, preferring to chase excitement and fame in often unhealthy ways.
Anyway, there might not be much to it, but it's interesting in its own way. I wonder how the constructions of these characters were affected by this early decision in their development, and how far it really did go. In the end, though, it seems to have worked out - character flaws shape personalities and make predicting and writing behavior pretty easy.
And now I want to watch all the old Disney movies to figure out what sorts of gender stereotypes, subtle clues dropped about religion, and evidence of adult themes therein. Weird. I did happen to notice the ridiculously pro-monarchy stance in Anastasia from the beginning, though. Filthy reds!
EDIT: Thanks Duckbag for making me laugh at this.
[HERO is at the OUTDOOR RECREATIONAL FACILITY]
HERO: I AM THE GOOD GUY, YOU CAN TELL BECAUSE I HAVE FASHIONABLE 80'S HAIR AND DON'T HAVE SKULLS ON MY OUTFIT. I YELL ALL THE TIME BECAUSE I AM THE GOOD GUY AND I'M ALWAYS EXCITED ABOUT DOING GOOD, AND MY VOICE ACTOR CAN'T ACT. TIME TO ENGAGE IN A HEALTHY OUTDOOR ACTIVITY BECAUSE I AM A GOOD ROLE MODEL FOR YOUNG PEOPLE.
[VILLAIN is scheming in his SECRET LAIR]
VILLAIN: I AM THE BAD GUY, YOU CAN TELL I AM BAD BECAUSE MY OUTFIT HAS SKULLS ON IT. I SPEAK IN AN ANNOYING UNNATURAL SCREECH AND USE REALLY BAD PUNS BECAUSE I AM EVIL. NOW I WILL ENACT MY EVIL PLAN TO DO SOMETHING STUPID THAT'S NOT ACTUALLY IN MY BEST INTEREST BECAUSE ALL EVIL PEOPLE ARE ALSO INSANE.
[Back at the OUTDOOR RECREATIONAL FACILITY.]
HERO: THIS IS GREAT. I LOVE OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES.
VILLAIN: BWAHAHAHA I AM GOING TO DO SOMETHING EVIL IN THIS OUTDOOR AREA.
HERO: NOT SO FAST, VILLAIN!
VILLAIN: HERO?! WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?!
HERO: I AM GOING TO DEFEAT YOU BECAUSE CHILDREN NEED TO LEARN TO OVERCOME ADVERSITY. NOW WATCH AS I SOLVE PROBLEMS WITH VIOLENCE.
[HERO picks up HEAVY OBJECT from a stack of slightly darker colored heavy objects and defeats VILLAIN with it.]
VILLAIN: OH NO I HAVE I BEEN DEFEATED BECAUSE I AM A BAD GUY AND GOOD GUYS ALWAYS BEAT BAD GUYS.
HERO: NUTS! LOOKS LIKE HE GOT AWAY, BUT AT LEAST THE OUTDOOR RECREATIONAL FACILITY IS SAFE, FOR NOW. ALSO HERE'S A TACKED ON MESSAGE ABOUT LITTERING.
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