Why did stephen hillenburg decide to create a talking sponge named bob? a hillenburg had always wanted to create a character that lived in a pineapple; spongebob squarepants spent most of his life in a pineapple under the sea. b hillenburg wanted to make a character that looked like a kitchen sink sponge; he was just bob the sponge then. he was a sea sponge with cool black shades and a bright smile. c hillenburg thought making the comic would get him a job as a marine biologist; he made the comic while he was working as a teacher and artist at the orange county marine institute. d hillenburg wanted to make learning about intertidal pools fun and interesting; his goal was to teach kids about intertidal pools in an entertaining way.