>>3701360>Its the vibe he gives that informs those interpretationsNot really -- arguably, his vibe is the least adult thing about him
>doesn't act like an adult, even a manchildHe absolutely does ... or at least he used to.
Look at him in the first 3 seasons (the only ones I consider canon):
He asks for a job, has a salary, goes to the supermarket by himself, lives alone, hangs out exclusively with people who also live alone, cleans his own lawn, could afford a car, does racy offensive stand-up comedy (every kid's favorite!), pays for cable TV porn, owns a big library, goes on strike, tries to get into a bar, lived in the wilderness, drinks coffee alone in diners, got arrested multiple times, and his favorite nostalgic childhood TV show is so old that its stars are in a nursing home!
And that party he threw, it was so ... adult-like. Sure, it was from an instruction manual, but he was right at home with all of its ideas: adult conversation, fancy finger food, name tags, schedules, lateness.
What child is like that?
On the other hand ....
He goes to school, had a problem with a bully, spends his off-days playing with his two best friends, didn't know what swearing was, did errands for his boss that you would confer to a teenager ....
He's a weird mix of child and adult, with adult responsibilities and privileges, but also childish hobbies and pastimes. I'd say he's a weird kind of manchild.
>>3701362This explains it.
I remember that the reason Spongebob went to boating school in the first place was as a compromise between the network which wanted him more childlike and the staff which wanted him more adult.
By nature of his medium, his audience, and the intents of his creators, he has to be both
