SpongeBob Squarepants fans furious at brief cameo during Super Bowl halftime show

Last month, a petition for the song "Sweet Victory" to be performed in honour of late creator Stephen Hillenburg reached over a million signatures

Fans of the animated character Spongebob Squarepants weren’t impressed by his cameo during the Super Bowl halftime show.

Last month, a petition for the song “Sweet Victory” to be performed in honour of late creator Stephen Hillenburg reached over a million signatures.

It’s become a fan favourite after featuring in an episode named “Band Geeks”, which sees Squidward attempt to outdo his rival Squilliam by forming a marching band, with the help of Spongebob, Patrick and Mr Krabs.

This culminates in a performance at the Bubble Bowl, where Spongebob launches into the rock anthem-esque ”Sweet Victory”.

There was a nod to the track during Maroon 5‘s performance, with Spongebob and Squidward appearing in their band uniforms to introduce a “true musical genius”, before the first few seconds of the song were heard.

However, it was quickly revealed only to be an introduction to rapper Travis Scott, leaving fans of the show feeling underwhelmed.

A review in The Independent criticised the halftime performance for being “lacklustre” and said “not even early 2000s nostalgia could salvage the disappointing concert”.