Nickelodeon's family-friendly broadcast of Super Bowl LVIII was ‘absolutely electric,’ viewers say. All the highlights
The
Super Bowl might have more female viewership this year with Taylor Swift front and center, but Nickelodeon has another audience in mind: children.
Though CBS was carrying the Feb. 11 matchup between the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Fransisco 49ers, Nickelodeon has been carrying a kid-friendly broadcast called Super Bowl LVIII Live from Bikini Bottom — and the internet is erupting.
During the opening to the big game, SpongeBob SquarePants performed "Sweet Victory," made famous by the iconic
SpongeBob SquarePants episode "Band Geeks," as shots of the players flashed by among cartoon jellyfish and cutaways to the gang: Patrick Star, Squidward Tentacles, Sandy Cheeks, Mr. Krabs, and Mrs. Puff.
Throughout the game,
Dora the Explorer, sporting her new CG-animated look, has been popping in to remind viewers of football guidelines, earning her the official title of the NFL's "rules expert," per the league's X account.
After an NFL announcer asked for Dora’s thoughts on the game during the first quarter of the Kansas City Chiefs vs. San Francisco 49ers match, the character popped up on the screen with the perfect out-of-pocket reply. “OK. Who needs a map to find the end zone?”
she quipped.
When introducing Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, the Nickelodeon broadcast referred to him as "Taylor Swift's boyfriend" with a cartoon avatar next to the title. The lower third also read, "Good at football" in all caps.
Another moment showed Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, but superimposed a pirate hat, a parrot and bubbles on the screen. On X, another image showed a 49ers player in an eye patch and mustache.
The children's broadcast also created fish versions of celebrities, including "Claumuel L. Jackson," "Doja Catfish," "Billie Eelish," "LePrawn James" and "Fin Diesel." "
Herring Styles" and "Oprah Finfrey" were also spotted in the crowd.
Fans online couldn't get enough of SpongeBob and Patrick as the game commentators.
"Flipped over to the Nickelodeon broadcast…. it’s absolutely electric," the X user wrote.
In one highlight, Patrick Star had a helpful note for 49ers player Christian McCaffrey after he fumbled the football.
During the telecast, Leonardo DiCaprio was spotted in the crowds. Naturally the actor sharing a name with one of the four
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles was
brought up, leading to none other than Michelangelo who appeared on screen and launched pizzas at camera.
The clip continued after what was seen below, and actually featured SpongeBob making a joke about Leonardo DiCaprio's dating history. "Leonardo DiCaprio...25! That's his dating history," a reference to DiCaprio's frequency for dating younger woman and also a SpongeBob SquarePants reference (because the only thing funnier than 24 is 25).
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Originally published: February 12, 2024.
Based on an article by TODAY.
