SpongeBob SquarePants aka スポンジ・ボブ

Who knew that SpongeBob SquarePants was even broadcast in Japan? I didn’t, but apparently it is. As images of the new LEGO SpongeBob SquarePants line have trickled out, Japanese LEGO bloggers have weighed in.

Legolife posts his excitement for the line, stating that he assumed the SpongeBob theme would be DUPLO. As English-speaking LEGO fans on Classic-Castle and elsewhere have said, it’s a pleasant surprise that the denizens of Bikini Bottom, including SpongeBob himself, are minifigs. Legolife concludes by saying, “This is a buy.”

Over on LEGO-BINGO, Azumu expresses his ambivalence about a Japanese market for the line: “Where’s the target audience? … With holes punched in him like cheese, I just don’t see this M&M-like character as especially cute.”

Brick0937 says he’s never heard of either SpongeBob or Avatar before, and wonders if they’re popular. “When I first saw these, I thought they were LEGO knock-offs. ;-) I wonder where LEGO is headed…”

Well, I’m personally looking forward to these sets — at least the minifigs. My wife and I have been watching SpongeBob for six years, and it’s really, really funny in some subtly subversive ways. Let’s hope this line does well.