Cable TV’s top animated show “SpongeBob SquarePants” has been renewed for a ninth season on Nickelodeon, Deadline reported Monday.

The series will hit the momentous 200-show mark in the season that will air in 2012.

The show has consistently ranked as television’s number one animated series for children aged two to 11, and on cable it is the number one animated show in terms of total viewers.

“We never imagined we would be on for that long but we’re going to keep going,” the show’s creator Stephen Hillenburg said.

“The trick is to try to keep the episodes funny and simple and press from there,” he added.