Reviving SpongeBob: A Unique Immersive Experience

Glow Studio's Award-Winning Design Brings the Krusty Krab to Life

The inspiration for the design came directly from the original SpongeBob cartoon and the concept of life under the sea. The design team aimed to create a realistic rendition of the Krusty Krab, a key location in the cartoon, using fabric architecture and printed graphics over a hardscape. The goal was to create a seamless experience, hiding the technology involved in the complex activation to not detract from the immersive experience.

The unique property of this design lies in its ability to engage SpongeBob fans in a novel way: by working at the Krusty Krab. The design team created a game using computer vision algorithms to engage and entertain the audience. The game involved players entering their names onto a leaderboard via iPad, which would then display their first “ticket order” for a Krabby Patty. The player who could correctly assemble and serve the most Krabby Patties in 75 seconds was crowned the winner.

The booth was 60’ x 30’ and encompassed a Krusty Krab Fry cook activation, Chum Bucket retail store, and Mr’s Puff custom t’shirt printing. The Krusty Krab was 28’ wide x 24’ deep and 22’ tall. The structure was built using fabric architecture and printed graphics over a hardscape. The activation performed stunningly with 731 completed games in New York and 698 in San Diego. The Fry Cook Games had a 2-hour long line each day of Comic-Con.

The project was built and run at both New York and San Diego Comic-Cons, and ran for 4 days at each. The design team faced the challenge of celebrating 20 years of the SpongeBob SquarePants franchise while generating media buzz by engaging SpongeBob fans in a way not done before: working at the Krusty Krab. Despite the challenges, the design was successful in generating press hits, with at least 40 media write-ups, interviews, and news segments from respected organizations like People Magazine, AdWeek, Variety, Fox, Entertainment Weekly, and more.

The design was awarded Golden in A' Event and Happening Design Award in 2020. The Golden A' Design Award is granted to marvelous, outstanding, and trendsetting creations that reflect the designer's prodigy and wisdom. They are venerated products and bright ideas that advance art, science, design, and technology, embodying extraordinary excellence and significantly impacting the world with their desirable characteristics.