SpongeBob SquarePants fans shocked at theory that connects all the characters

You might think you know everything about SpongeBob SquarePants, but a fan theory suggests there's more than meets the eye with the guy who lives in a pineapple under the sea.

Absorbent, yellow and porous he may clearly be, but some suspect SpongeBob and all his friends have a hidden link which ties all of their characters together.

There's a fan theory doing the rounds which reckons it's pinpointed a common theme that helped create the show's main characters.

This theory goes that the major characters in SpongeBob are actually meant to be depictions of various mental disorders.

The wacky, zany SpongeBob is supposedly a manifestation of ADHD, while Patrick Starr is apparently meant to represent Down Syndrome and Squidward is a stand-in for depression.

Meanwhile, Mr Krabs is Narcissistic Personality Disorder and Plankton is theorised to be a representation of Bipolar disorder.

The theory has become incredibly popular on TikTok, racking up almost 30 million views and causing a torrent of comments from people weighing in with their opinions.

One person said they were sure the theory was 'true' and urged their fellow viewers to 'look at the bigger picture', while another said they'd 'never be able to watch SpongeBob in the same way again' after learning the theory.

Others suspected there was 'a chance you're overthinking this' and wondering 'why are we psychoanalysing SpongeBob'.

It does seem like quite a gloomy theory for a show where the theme song opens with 'Are you ready kids?', but this is a show about a cartoon sponge who lives in a pineapple and has a pet snail that meows so anything's possible at this point.

Some said they agreed with the theory and they'd also seen it in action with the characters from Winnie the Pooh (no prizes for guessing Eeyore is meant to be) long before the days of SpongeBob.

This isn't the only popular SpongeBob SquarePants theory which fans reckons ties all the characters together into a central theme.

Another popular one suggests that the main cast's personalities are based around the seven deadly sins.

SpongeBob himself is apparently a representation of Lust, not of the best known expression of lust that is the desire to do the horizontal bop with everyone you see, but the enthusiasm and eagerness that comes with having a lust for life.

His best friend Patrick is obviously Sloth, being slow, lazy and generally preferring to do absolutely nothing if he can help it, it's accurate starfish behaviour but he still fits the bill.

Squidward gets slapped with the sin of Wrath, generally being an angry sort who often loses his rag with SpongeBob (except for that whole Handsome Squidward thing, he was pretty chill then) and lashes out.

Mr Krabs is obviously Greed, not a surprise from the guy who said 'hello, I like money', while his arch nemesis Plankton is Envy for always wanting to steal the Krabby Patty formula so he can have the success he sees in others.

Then of course Gary the Snail is Gluttony as he's always interested in finding new things to eat, while Sandy Cheeks is Pride since she's very proud of her Texan origins and incredibly vocal about herself.

It's really no less hard to believe than a sponge living in a pineapple on the ocean floor who works in a fast food restaurant run by a crab.