In 2023 Nickelodeon launched a dubbed version of the iconic SpongeBob SquarePants series in Zulu with the getting over 2 million eyeballs to the show. It was clear - South Africans loved it. So in 2024/2025 the question became how could we grow that love for the dubbed version of Zulu SpongeBob a little more. We chose to lean into the clear cultural passion point of music and the genre of the moment, Amapiano. In a first for Africa, Nickelodeon International agreed to partner with a local artist and give the producer and singer the free range to play with an iconic Nickelodeon staple - the SpongeBob SquarePants song. The result? A family friendly track and music video with all the energy of Amapiano, the character brand love that surrounds SpongeBob, the nostalgia of the original track AND an all-embracing international pop-culture moment embracing a South African language and phenomenon. The music video debuted on the NickMusic show before Zee dropped it on YouTube for her fans. The originally shot music video filmed with Zee organically ran 280K views on YT in just three months and circulated on the local feeds of Nickelodeon and NickToons as short form. The music video and interviews with Zee also featured on YFM and on MTV Base in new hits segments. The job was done locally, but then came that bit extra - the track went global. The track was selected for the US NickMusic television channel, truly taking Amapiano, Zulu language, African culture and talent to the world. An animated tribute video version was then also featured on the global NickMusic YouTube page.