6026 – 2025 First-Class Forever Stamp – SpongeBob SquarePants: SpongeBob with Open Mouth Smile

US #6026
2025 SpongeBob with Open Mouth Smile

• One of four SpongeBob SquarePants stamps
• Features characters from beloved animated TV series

Stamp Category:  Commemorative
Set:  SpongeBob SquarePants
Value:  78¢, First Class Mail Rate (Forever)
First Day of Issue:  August 1, 2025
First Day City:  New York, New York
Quantity Issued:  9,000,000
Printed by:  Banknote Corporation of America
Printing Method:  Offset/Screen
Format:  Pane of 16
Perforations :  Die Cut

Why the stamp was issued:  This is one of four stamps issued to celebrate the beloved animated series, SpongeBob SquarePants.

About the stamp design:  USPS art director Greg Breeding designed the stamps using artwork from the show.

First Day City:  The First Day of Issue ceremony took place in Times Square in New York City.

About the SpongeBob SquarePants set:  SpongeBob SquarePants isn’t just one of the most beloved cartoons of all time – it’s a pop culture icon that started with a sponge and a big idea.
Creator Stephen Hillenburg was a marine biologist before becoming an animator.  His love of sea life led him to create The Intertidal Zone, a comic to teach kids about ocean creatures, which later inspired SpongeBob and his friends in Bikini Bottom.  The show’s setting under Bikini Atoll, a real location in the Pacific Ocean, and characters like jellyfish, starfish, and plankton all reflect Hillenburg’s scientific background.
But the show also draws from classic comedy and cartoons.  SpongeBob’s silly movements and dramatic expressions were influenced by silent film stars like Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton, as well as zany cartoon creators like Tex Avery, Chuck Jones, and John Kricfalusi.  With its mix of science, slapstick, and sharp animation, the show has connected with audiences of all ages since its debut in 1999.
SpongeBob SquarePants has become the longest-running American children’s animated series and one of the most recognizable cartoons in the world.  It has inspired movies, memes, and musicals.  And in 2025, it made waves again with a set of US stamps celebrating its unforgettable underwater world.  The colorful characters bring their irrepressible joy to our letters.

History the stamp represents: SpongeBob SquarePants might be set underwater, but it has a tropical, beachy vibe that’s heavily inspired by Hawaii and the Pacific Islands.
The show’s creators filled Bikini Bottom with cheerful ukulele music, steel guitar sounds, and surf rock – music styles often heard in Hawaiian culture.  These fun tunes help set the laid-back, sunny tone of the show, even when things get a little silly.
The colorful flower-like shapes floating in the sky of Bikini Bottom are inspired by Hawaiian prints often seen on Aloha shirts.  They give the ocean sky a dreamy, island-style feel.  The show’s setting itself – Bikini Bottom – is located under the real-life Bikini Atoll in the Pacific Ocean.  This group of islands was once used for nuclear testing, which might explain the show’s strange and unpredictable characters!
Even the houses reflect Pacific influences. SpongeBob’s pineapple home has a Hawaiian flair.  Pineapples are a symbol of hospitality and grow in tropical places.  Squidward’s house is shaped like a moai – the giant stone heads on Easter Island. It reflects Squidward’s serious personality in contrast to SpongeBob’s playful pineapple house.  The moai also adds a historic, cultural touch to the underwater neighborhood.  These details help give the show its fun, tropical quality that feels like an underwater vacation.