TULSA, Okla. — The creator of SpongeBob SquarePants was honored in his home state on Friday. The Oklahoma Museum of Popular Culture, or OKPOP, hosted the special event.
It celebrates the life and work of Oklahoma native Stephen Hillenburg. Fans got a first look at his archive. Special guests included Tom Kenny, the Emmy-winning voice of SpongeBob.
"It's just incredible. Little kids are discovering it, and one thing I think is cool is that it's not an old dead thing that parents are trying to make their kids watch, you know, Hey, I like this when I was little, watch it., Kenny said. "What is it? This is weird that, you know, SpongeBob is still in the world and still contemporary, as well as being, you know, 30 years old. So it's, it's, it's kind of the best of all worlds. It's, it's, it's just wonderful."
Kenny also added he loves Tulsa and is honored to play music here, and SpongeBob added his thoughts as well.
WATCH: SpongeBob on visiting Tulsa
"Oh man, Tulsa's incredible. Look at this place, a little dry for me, and it's 110 degrees, but hey, you know, it's Tulsa. SpongeBob is living, yeah, SpongeBob is not living on Bikini Bottom time. He's living on Tulsa time."
Museum leaders say Hillenburg's story proves great ideas can start anywhere.
"Through this collection and future exhibit storytelling, OKPOP is honored to help celebrate Stephen’s creativity and inspire the next generation of artists, animators, writers, performers, and storytellers.”
Kenny will be at Oklahoma Comic Con at the Arvest Convention Center August 8 and 9.
WATCH: Full interview with Tom Kenny, the voice of SpongeBob
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