Editing Sandy Cheeks (section)

===Creation and design===
[[Stephen Hillenburg]] first became fascinated with the ocean and began developing his artistic abilities as a child. During college, he majored in [[marine biology]] and minored in art. After graduating in 1984, he joined the [[Ocean Institute]], an ocean education organization, where he had the idea to create a comic book titled ''The Intertidal Zone'', which led to the creation of ''SpongeBob SquarePants''.<ref name="Ocean Institute">{{cite web|url=http://www.ocean-institute.org/|title=Welcome to the Ocean Institute|work=ocean-institute.org|access-date=December 24, 2013}}</ref><ref name=HillenburgInt>{{cite video |people=[[Thomas F. Wilson|Wilson, Thomas F.]](Interviewer); Hillenburg, Stephen (Interviewee) |date=May 29, 2012 |title=Big Pop Fun #28: Stephen Hillenburg, Artist and Animator–Interview |url=http://ec.libsyn.com/p/d/9/8/d98c6fd6cc81f188/BPF28_Stephen_Hillenburg_artist_and_animator.mp3?d13a76d516d9dec20c3d276ce028ed5089ab1ce3dae902ea1d01c08031d1c85f7cb2&c_id=4560686 |format=mp3 |medium=Podcast |publisher=[[Nerdist Industries]] |access-date=December 21, 2013 |archive-url=https://www.webcitation.org/6M1QBJ1BZ?url=http://ec.libsyn.com/p/d/9/8/d98c6fd6cc81f188/BPF28_Stephen_Hillenburg_artist_and_animator.mp3?d13a76d516d9dec20c3d276ce028ed5089ab1ce3dae902ea1d01c08031d1c85f7cb2&c_id=4560686 |archive-date=December 21, 2013 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="Hillenburg" /> In 1987, Hillenburg left the institute to pursue a career in animation.<ref name="Hillenburg">{{cite video | people=Hillenburg, Stephen|date=2003|title=The Origin of SpongeBob SquarePants. SpongeBob SquarePants: The Complete First Season| medium=DVD|publisher=Paramount Home Entertainment}}</ref><ref name="Banks, p. 9">{{Cite book|last=Banks|first=Steven|others= Gregg Schigiel (Illustrator)|title=SpongeBob Exposed! The Insider's Guide to SpongeBob SquarePants|publisher=Simon Spotlight/Nickelodeon|location=[[New York City]], [[New York (state)|New York]]|date=September 24, 2004|isbn=978-0-689-86870-2|page=9}}</ref>

A few years after studying experimental animation at the [[California Institute of the Arts]],<ref name="Banks, p. 9"/> Hillenburg met [[Joe Murray (animator)|Joe Murray]], creator of ''[[Rocko's Modern Life]]'', at an animation festival. Murray offered Hillenburg a job as a director of the series.<ref name="Hillenburg" /><ref name="Murray">{{cite video | people=[[Joe Murray (animator)|Murray, Joe]]|date=2003|title=The Origin of SpongeBob SquarePants. SpongeBob SquarePants: The Complete First Season| medium=DVD|publisher=Paramount Home Entertainment}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=Makin' Toons: Inside the Most Popular Animated TV Shows and Movies|publisher=Allworth Communications, Inc|author=Neuwirth, Allan|isbn=1-58115-269-8|year=2003|page=[https://archive.org/details/makintoonsinside0000neuw/page/50 50]|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/makintoonsinside0000neuw/page/50}}</ref><ref name="TrainorMurray">"[http://www.title14.com/rocko/contributors/murray.html Lisa (Kiczuk) Trainor interviews Joe Murray, creator of Rocko's Modern Life]," ''The Rocko's Modern Life FAQ''</ref> [[Martin Olson]], one of the writers for ''Rocko's Modern Life'', read ''The Intertidal Zone'' and encouraged Hillenburg to create a television series with a similar concept. At that point, Hillenburg had not considered creating his own series, but soon realized that this was his chance.<ref name=HillenburgInt/><ref name="Origin of SpongeBob SquarePants">{{cite AV media|last1=Hillenburg|first1=Stephen|last2=Murray|first2=Joe|last3=Drymon|first3=Derek|last4=Coleman|first4=Eric|last5=Hecht|first5=Albie|date=2003|title=The Origin of SpongeBob SquarePants. SpongeBob SquarePants: The Complete First Season| medium=DVD|publisher=Paramount Home Entertainment}}</ref><ref name="Banks, p. 20">{{Cite book|last=Banks|first=Steven|others= Gregg Schigiel (Illustrator)|title=SpongeBob Exposed! The Insider's Guide to SpongeBob SquarePants|publisher=Simon Spotlight/Nickelodeon|location=[[New York City]], [[New York (state)|New York]]|date=September 24, 2004|isbn=978-0-689-86870-2|page=10}}</ref> Shortly after production on ''Rocko's Modern Life'' ended in 1996,<ref name=Rocko>{{cite web|url=http://joemurraystudio.com/television/rockos-modern-life/|title=Rocko's Modern Life|publisher=JoeMurrayStudio.com|access-date=May 21, 2013|archive-date=June 15, 2013|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130615100743/http://joemurraystudio.com/television/rockos-modern-life/|url-status=dead}}</ref> Hillenburg began working on ''SpongeBob SquarePants''.<ref name="HillenburgInt" /> Sandy has been shown in the episodes about her being in the tree dome.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://cartoonician.com/the-oral-history-of-spongebob-squarepants/ |title=The Oral History of SpongeBob SquarePants &#124; Hogan's Alley |website=cartoonician.com |access-date=12 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150831044034/http://cartoonician.com/the-oral-history-of-spongebob-squarepants/ |archive-date=31 August 2015 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Whenever any aquatic creatures enter her home, they must wear helmets that are filled with water. Sandy works as a scientist, explorer, and inventor. She is also a rodeo champion with a number of athletic interests, such as "sand-boarding" and karate.<ref name="meet-the-gang">{{cite web|title=''SpongeBob SquarePants'': Meet the Gang!|url=http://www.nickelodeon.com.au/fullynick/tvshows/shows/spongebob-squarepants-show|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080310224329/http://www.nickelodeon.com.au/fullynick/tvshows/shows/spongebob-squarepants-show|archive-date=March 10, 2008|work=Nickelodeon (Australia and New Zealand) Australia|publisher=[[Viacom International]]}}</ref> Originally, in the pitch bible written by Tim Hill and Hillenburg, SpongeBob originally was a romantic interest for her, but this was quickly put out of the show.<ref>{{Cite book |title=SpongeBoy |last1=Hill |first1=Tim |language=English |last2=Hillenburg |first2=Stephen |date=1997-01-17|pages=27|url=https://archive.org/details/520748698-sponge-bob-bible-1997/}}</ref>