What Is SpongeBob Up To?

What's big and square and yellow, and has a friend named Patrick? Yes. The wait is over: SpongeBob is back.

For the past year and a half, kids and adults alike have been anxiously awaiting new episodes of the hit cartoon series, "SpongeBob SquarePants." Finally, the wait is over.

"SpongeBob SquarePants" kicks off its fourth season Friday night with a two-part episode featuring old pal, Patrick, and the mean Mr. Krusty Krab.

Why the wait?

Cyma Zarghami, president of Nickelodeon Television, a sister network to CBS, tells The Early Show co-anchor Hannah Stormthat they had to take a break since they made a movie last year.

"It did $3.5 million at opening," she says. "It's a labor of love. The team took a break to make the movie, and they made every frame with a lot of love and a lot of heart and now they are back making episodes."

One of the lovable things about SpongeBob is that he works for minimum wage but he's got this attitude. Friday night, he gets a little overwhelmed by his job.

Offering a preview, Zarghami explains, "The competition, Plankton, opens his restaurant for 23 hours straight so that he can increase his business. Mr. Krab has to open the Krusty Krab for 24 hours, and SpongeBob loves flipping burgers so much that he is really excited. But then he burns out a little bit toward the end."

Asked about the reason behind the incredible SpongeBob SquarePants phenomenon, Zarghami says, "It's a smart, smart show. And SpongeBob is relentlessly optimistic. And I think people love optimism. And at the end of the day, like, a happy guy is a happy guy."

Now his face is everywhere, even in ice cream. "Once we make a property and put it on the air, we hope for the best," Zarghami says, "Then the audience responds. If the audience responds, then we give them what they want. This is clearly some of what they want. So it has been a $4 billion success at retail.

Does that mean fans should expect another movie? "At the moment, we're concentrating on delivering these 20 episodes," Zarghami says.

Asked if SpongeBob SquarePants has asked to renegotiate his contract in light of the big success, she says, "He's happy with minimum wage."