Strange as it may seem, Little Darwin has received an exclusive report that the star of an American TV series -SpongeBob SquarePants - and his mother saw in the New Year celebrations in Darwin. Our informant was rap dancing in Mitchell Street just before midnight when he claims he saw the famous sponge and his keepers . Artistic by nature, our man quickly drew the above family group on a soggy beer mat from Monsoons. It shows an apprehensive looking young SpongeBob (left )following his mother(right) , obviously aghast at the goings on . The non- sponge looking person in the drawing is believed to be marine biologist Stephen Hillenburg who created SpongeBob. Hillenburg is very protective of his creation and , hearing about Darwin's polluted beaches, took water samples before he reluctantly allowed SpongeBob to soak up some of the Mindil water, warning him to watch out for crocs and algal bloom. It has been suggested that because US Marines are great fans of SpongeBob he will make regular trips to the Territory to cheer them up when they are stationed in the Top End. No doubt some readers will take this story with a pinch of SALT , but the local media will be green with envy when they read this showbiz scoop .
