The Brief: SpongeBob SquarePants is the star of yet another meme, one where he travels the world in drag.

DEEP DIVE
There is no doubt that SpongeBob SquarePants is a meme icon. This weekend, the people of Twitter helped him embark on an international tour. By photoshopping images of SpongeBob dressed in drag in various international settings, Twitter memers created a myriad of images of Mr. SquarePants in different countries and cities with accompanying outfits and props. Most of the images of SpongeBob on his travels depict surface-level and stereotypical characteristics of each place he visits. These memes are usually captioned with clever titles for another layer of humor.
The first iteration of this meme by @DIXIENORMOUS shows SpongeBob in Paris:
me when i eat a packaged croissant from walmart pic.twitter.com/ocOeIxLGHf
— french dixie normous (@DlXlENORMOUS) June 1, 2019
Twitter user @afadisborn compiled a thread of SpongeBob traveling the world in drag memes:
Thread of spongebob traveling the world in drag 👛 pic.twitter.com/KkH26IaW21
— andrew (@afadisborn) June 2, 2019
SpongeBob in London:
— ethön café owner❼ (@sobblesquad) June 2, 2019
SpongeBob in Mexico:
Made a Mexican version of the spongebob French meme 🇲🇽✨ pic.twitter.com/qiCFfCPeo5
— andrew (@afadisborn) June 2, 2019
SpongeBob in South Korea:
Inspired by the French and Mexican Spongebob meme, I made Korean Spongebob pic.twitter.com/IQ50Ec5BW6
— ✨AntiSkilled✨ (@AntiSkilled) June 2, 2019
SpongeBob in Italy:
Bitches after boiling a pot of water pic.twitter.com/oUjJ7Yb5LD
— i hate waiting. come on! 😘 (@CellyClarkson) June 2, 2019
Cleopatra SpongeBob in ancient Egypt:
Cleopatra walking home from drunk trying trying to remember which pyramid is her house pic.twitter.com/vpoKo25lUA
— Assur (FKA Analeaze) 🐀 (@deaddilf69) June 2, 2019
SpongeBob in Spain:
cuando me dicen de ir de tapas pic.twitter.com/0fUqSWumM9
— albert (@alberthexx) June 2, 2019
SpongeBob in the Soviet Union:
how y’all act after taking one sociology class pic.twitter.com/sDBcoouz9V
— ᶜᵒⁿˢᵗᵃⁿᵗⁱⁿᵉ (@greenIight) June 2, 2019
Scottish SpongeBob:
twice coming to scotland for twicelights pic.twitter.com/XxJWgNnXAo
— ruby (@punkjeongyeon) June 2, 2019
SpongeBob in Kansas:
when country girls make do pic.twitter.com/Z7FCxKioGp
— Not Jan (@bjorksgreatest) June 2, 2019
SpongeBob in Gerudo in The Legend Of Zelda:
Sav'saaba💋 pic.twitter.com/lZzuBqrDpC
— GOHSOKA (NeveRbit Edition) (@Gohsoka) June 2, 2019
A small sponge in the Big Apple:
arya stark when she arrives west of westeros and discovers america pic.twitter.com/lqhxSrnWiT
— damaris (@valarsmorghuIis) June 2, 2019
It’s a small world (of SpongeBob in drag) after all!
It’s A Small World 🌎 🌈 pic.twitter.com/8GjRqfjwm0
— andrew (@afadisborn) June 2, 2019
In addition to SpongeB0b travel memes, this trend has inspired a number of other renditions including SpongeBob as female music stars:
First you had French spongebob, then Spanish spongebob, then British spongebob, now you have Nicki Minaj spongebob. Don’t lets this flop! pic.twitter.com/UvxpIFsr1F
— dave stan account (@_anna_ou) June 2, 2019
Beyoncé: Coachella, you READY?!
me: pic.twitter.com/wr3tFdYRCk
— blue ivy stan 🗿 (@heyitzkennedi) June 2, 2019
Me when I had my red dress on and was cruising down the coast going about 99 pic.twitter.com/I30pvVmOc7
— tropico 🤖 (SCP EDITION) (@ChildTropico) June 2, 2019
Lorde when she sees her ex at the beach pic.twitter.com/Bu3t8R9YlR
— weyes get that strap (@popcummer) June 3, 2019
— sav (@alltoosav) June 2, 2019
And, of course, the meme has evolved into numerous spinoffs that can’t quite be categorized:
My head after seeing all the spongebob memes pic.twitter.com/cGOohaM6h3
— 𝐑ä𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐥 ✰ (@sistxr_) June 2, 2019
no one:
peter parker at midtown: pic.twitter.com/95PD3oAXKW
— jay gylnhal is petermj’s child (@dayasgem) June 2, 2019
nobody:
villanelle: pic.twitter.com/jo4KAw7Q5x
— tris (@villqnelle) June 2, 2019
the main character of every coming of age movie ever moving from a big city to a small town in the middle of nowhere pic.twitter.com/yUsTWfeoTV
— dallas (@abhorrentansel) June 2, 2019
Me during my reservation at Galaxy's Edge
cc: @afadisborn @DlXlENORMOUS pic.twitter.com/HQKphm0iPa
— Grant Whitson (@OMFGrant) June 3, 2019