SpongeBob, Nickelodeon?s popular cartoon character, is turning 10 this November and the celebration has extended to the mobile platform.

The anniversary special, ?Truth or Square,? is set to air on Nov. 6 on Nickelodeon and on Nick Mobile, the cable television channel?s wireless platform. Along with the simulcast, Nickelodeon has launched several applications and mobile sites to celebrate SpongeBob.

?We use mobile as a complementary platform to kids? linear television viewing and we program it very closely with our on-air team, so that it provides a complementary experience to our TV events,? said Steve Youngwood, executive vice president of digital media at Nickelodeon and MTVN Kids and Family Group, New York. 

?SpongeBob SquarePants? is a Nicktoons Production for Nickelodeon, a popular entertainment brand for children.

Nickelodeon?s TV network and programming is seen by approximately 100 million households in the United States.

Nickelodeon?s SpongeBob.com also redirects to the network?s WAP site, featuring advertisements for SpongeBob-related content such as the application and wallpapers.

Kids love cartoon sponges and mobile
Mr. Youngwood said that SpongeBob.com ranked as the most-visited Web site of any TV show for the week of Oct. 10 and that the show is the No. 1 kid?s program and is seen by 70 million viewers monthly.

?We program on all platforms that our audiences ? both kids and parents ? use and mobile is one of those,? Mr. Youngwood said. ?And Nickelodeon research shows that mobile has increasingly become an important part of kids' and parents? lives.
 
?Applications, games and videos that give kids and parents the opportunity to connect with the beloved SpongeBob characters and content has become a valuable extension of their TV-viewing experience,? he said.

SpongeBob?s anniversary special will feature guest stars such as Tina Fey, Robin Williams and Will Ferrell. The stars will play themselves in live-action sequences involving the cartoon sponge and his Bikini Bottom friends.

Actor Ricky Gervais will narrate the special episode, where the characters reminisce through a series of original, never-before-seen flashbacks.

Cee-Lo Green of Gnarles Barkley will perform a cover of the SpongeBob theme song to go along with an all-new stop-motion opening title sequence.

Mr. Youngwood said that parents, as well as kids with access to their own mobile phones are the targeted demographic for the SpongeBob special.

?Mobile is complementary to television,? Mr. Youngwood said. ?It?s an exciting space because it?s growing so quickly.

?It?s an accessible platform for kids and families to connect with our content and for us to provide unique experiences when it makes sense, like with the SpongeBob Tickler,? he said.

In February, Nickelodeon launched the SpongeBob application and a series of other iPhone and iPod touch applications based on TV series such as ?Dora the Explorer" and "iCarly? (see story).

Mr. Youngwood said that Nickelodeon?s SpongeBob Tickler application has been downloaded 1.2 million times since its launch.

Nickelodeon?s research found that children 12 and up are using mobile devices as means of entertainment, specifically for gaming, videos, music and photos.

?Kids today are living a multiplatform life, seamlessly transitioning across various screens?TV, online and mobile,? Mr. Youngwood said.