Krabby Patties

I love Spongebob Squarepants. He's just so silly and so funny. But what's also funny is the "spongenapping" of inflatable Spongebobs from Burger Kings across the country.

The actual theft isn't funny. It's sad, really. But the news stories written about the spongenappings? Very funny.

I read a story on CNN on Thanksgiving about spongenappings. Among other things it said:

First some oversized figures of SpongeBob Squarepants were swiped from Burger Kings in Michigan, Minnesota and Utah.

Now police in Wisconsin are on the lookout for spongenappers who clipped a six-foot Squarepants that was promoting the SpongeBob movie opening.

No ransom note was left in Sheboygan -- although in Minnesota, the list of demands includes ten Crabby Patties for SpongeBob's return.

After some shrewd negotiations between police and a lawyer, a SpongeBob from Bad Axe, Michigan, has been returned home, slightly the worse for wear.

How can you not be amused by news stories like that?

And the latest story to amuse me from Zap2it:

LOS ANGELES (Zap2it.com) - Wanted: SpongeBob SquarePants, collapsed or inflated.

Burger King Corporation is offering a reward of burger bucks good for a year's supply of whoppers -- the chain's equivalent of Krabby Patties -- to anyone providing information leading to the safe return of missing SpongeBob SquarePants inflatables.

The 9-foot by 9-foot, 50 pound promotional characters have been swiped from Burger King rooftops nationwide. More than 50 abductions have been reported since the balloons first perched upon the fast food chain's rooftops more than a week before "The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie" was released on Nov. 19.

The folks at Burger King can see the humor in the situation and are aware of its publicity value to the restaurant, as evidenced by the jocular statements released to the press.

"As to the motives behind these apparent 'spongenappings,' we can only speculate," says Russ Klein, Chief Marketing Officer for the corporation. "We did receive one ransom note related to an inflatable SpongeBob disappearance in Minnesota.

"We are concerned about our missing, massive sponges and the effect their absence is having on SpongeBob fans, employees, children and parents everywhere. We hope the reward will help these AWOL SpongeBobs find their way home."

Any unsavory characters tempted to collect the tasty reward by perpetrating an abduction of their own should think twice since the reward "only applies to previously 'napped SpongeBob SquarePants inflatables." Anyone with information leading to the safe return of the missing balloon character should call (305) 378-3998 to qualify for the reward.

Oh, poor Spongebob. :) But I'm very entertained. ;-)