It’s a shame he passed away at a relatively early age but his main creation, Spongebob Squarepants, have given children and adults alike joy.
Before Spongebob, Steve got his start with Nickelodeon’s second wave of original cartoons through Rocko’s Modern Life. It was a clever and original show which helped get comedians Tom Kenny and Carlos Alazraqui rolling as voice actors.
I wasn’t initially interested nor keen on Spongebob when he debuted, the show seemed childish and a tad non-sensical (not in a good way). Eventually I caught some episodes showing the more subversive side of the cartoon, probably how Spongebob and Patrick torment poor Squidward.
Thanks for the contribution to animation and pop culture Mr. Hillenburg.