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In one popular episode of SpongeBob SquarePants titled "Band Geeks," Squidward and the Bikini Bottom gang perform a rousing rendition of David Glen Eisley’s song "Sweet Victory" at the fictional Bubble Bowl. Now, in the wake of the death of SpongeBob creator Stephen Hillenburg, fans of the cartoon sponge are pushing for the song to be played at the Super Bowl, according to ComicBook.com.
A Change.org petition to have the song performed during the Super Bowl’s halftime show has been signed by more than 575,000 people—more than halfway to their goal of getting 1 million signatures. It was created in memory of Hillenburg, who died last week at the age of 57 due to complications from ALS, ak.a. Lou Gehrig’s disease.
“As a tribute to his legacy, his contributions to a generation of children, and to truly showcase the greatness of this song, we call for 'Sweet Victory' to be performed at the halftime show,” the petition reads.
The petition’s creator, Isreal Colunga, of Portland, Oregon, wrote that the petition “started as a joke on Twitter” but turned into something much larger. “It’s beautiful and it shows how much SpongeBob and Mr. Hillenburg impacted our lives,” Colunga writes. Bob Kulick, the guitarist who performed 'Sweet Victory' alongside Eisley, even shared the petition on his Facebook page.
The NFL hasn’t responded to this particular request, but Maroon 5 is already slated to be one of the halftime performers. If the tribute to SpongeBob did somehow get the green light, it wouldn’t be the strangest show in Super Bowl history. When the San Francisco 49ers played the Cincinnati Bengals in 1989, a magician dressed as Elvis Presley (called Elvis Presto, of course) performed the “world’s largest card trick” in 3D as spectators in disposable glasses watched on.