Bye Bye Popeye, Hello Bikini Bottom?
Toon Lagoon at Universal’s Islands of Adventure is living on borrowed time. And SpongeBob SquarePants might be the one holding the eviction notice.
Built in 1999 as a tribute to classic newspaper comics, Toon Lagoon was already retro the day it opened. While the rest of the park leaned into blockbusters and bold IP, this land was for the Sunday funnies crowd: Popeye, Dudley Do-Right, and a mashup of forgotten characters your dad might vaguely remember from a cereal box. And while its water rides have survived thanks to Florida’s eternal humidity, the theming? Let’s be honest—it’s been outdated longer than SpongeBob’s been wearing the same pants.
Now, with a SpongeBob-themed land coming to the new Universal Kids Resort in Frisco, Texas, all eyes are on Orlando. Why would Universal build an entire Bikini Bottom land from scratch for a boutique resort—without planning something bigger for its crown jewel in Florida? The answer: it probably is. It’s just not saying it out loud yet (Universal Kids announcement, 2025).
Toon Lagoon is a sitting duck. Or sitting sponge. The land already has two massive water rides, wide walkways, and a footprint big enough for a Krusty Krab, Chum Bucket, Jellyfish Fields, and at least one Sandy Cheeks-themed splash zone. Popeye and Bluto’s Bilge-Rat Barges could be easily reskinned as a Goo Lagoon rafting adventure. Dudley Do-Right’s Ripsaw Falls? Swap out moose jokes for a showdown between Plankton and a giant mechanical spatula. The infrastructure’s already there. All it needs is some yellow paint and a few nautical nonsense overlays.
What’s more, the licensing relationship between Universal and Nickelodeon isn’t new—it’s been simmering for decades. SpongeBob has had a presence at Universal Studios Florida for years, from meet-and-greets in KidZone to merch inside the main shops. But that’s small potatoes compared to what’s brewing in Texas. The Frisco park will have SpongeBob as a land anchor alongside other major DreamWorks and Illumination properties (Universal Kids plans, 2025). That’s a clear signal: Universal sees SpongeBob not just as a character, but as a fully immersive, expandable universe.
The internet, naturally, has noticed. Fan speculation has reached a frothy boil over the last year, especially after concept art for the Texas park revealed SpongeBob’s pineapple house, Boating School rides, and more (Reddit discussions, 2024). And with the slow death of Toon Lagoon, many fans are connecting the dots. The once-beloved land has been left in the dark during recent park-wide refurbishments. The “What’s New” sections of Universal’s own materials rarely mention it. Poseidon’s Fury in the neighboring Lost Continent is already history. The writing’s not just on the wall—it’s scrawled in bubble letters and smells vaguely of kelp.
SpongeBob’s appeal crosses generations, unlike the land it’s poised to replace. Kids who were born into his meme-ified world are now having kids of their own. He’s not a fad—he’s a fixture. And a theme park investment in SpongeBob isn’t just chasing trends, it’s securing evergreen merchandise, food tie-ins, and ride experiences that can hit for ages 5 to 55.
There’s also the park strategy angle to consider. Universal is no stranger to recycling and upgrading underperforming lands. Just look at how The Lost Continent slowly shrank while The Wizarding World grew. It’s not hard to imagine the same strategy here: shutter the newspaper comics, upgrade the ride systems, and debut a shiny new Bikini Bottom district complete with bubble effects, squishy pavement, and a three-story animatronic Squidward who’s deeply unhappy to be working.
Yes, there are die-hard Toon Lagoon defenders. The comic book theming is clever, the sign gags are legitimately funny, and Popeye’s raft ride is still one of the best (and wettest) water rides ever built. But even fans admit the IP is a tough sell to today’s guests. Kids don’t know Blondie from Cathy, and they certainly aren’t paying to ride a ride based on characters they’ve never seen on TikTok.
And here’s the real kicker: Universal has never been afraid to kill its darlings. They took down Back to the Future, Jaws, and nearly every original concept in Universal Studios Florida that wasn’t tied to a billion-dollar movie. Do we really think Popeye and Snidely Whiplash have more staying power than SpongeBob, whose brand is literally built on staying power?
There’s a broader ecosystem logic here, too. With Super Nintendo World drawing gamers and families to Epic Universe, and rumors of Pokémon coming to Universal Studios Florida (likely replacing Simpsons), Universal could use something bright, loud, and family-friendly to rebalance Islands of Adventure. Marvel pulls teens and adults. Jurassic hits the thrill crowd. Seuss Landing captures toddlers. But there’s a middle-aged gap between ages 6 and 12 that SpongeBob could fill perfectly. Add in a walkaround Patrick, bubble-blowing minigames, and a soundscape that blasts the jellyfish jam beat on loop, and it’s a win across demographics.
Will Universal announce it tomorrow? Probably not. But if SpongeBob’s land in Texas opens in 2026 and overdelivers—which, judging by the layout and tech rumored to be involved, it will—it’s only a matter of time before Bikini Bottom bubbles up in Orlando too.
So enjoy Toon Lagoon while you can. Take a final raft ride, pose with the newspaper comic murals, maybe even snap a selfie with the "I can’t swim" photo op. Because in a few years, odds are you’ll be eating a Krabby Patty in that same spot, wondering why you ever settled for a spinach joke when you could have been under the sea.
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