• by David Goetzl  @dgoetzl, January 19, 2009

On a recent conference call, Viacom CEO Philippe Dauman shared an encounter with the head of one of the investment banks still in business. The executive had told him his favorite show was Nickelodoen's "SpongeBob SquarePants." A pleased Dauman asked whether it was because the executive had kids. No, the C-suiter said, it was simply his own passion.

The anecdote could serve as an example of just how breakthrough the cartoon about a character living under the sea has become since its summer 1999 debut. While the show has been a revenue boon for Nickelodeon, given its appeal to kids, Viacom is producing a documentary that likely will resonate in a cross-generational way.

A documentary is in the works chronicling the show's first decade and success in becoming a pop-culture mainstay. The one-hour production is set to air across the MTV Networks family--where Nick sits within Viacom--in July, to coincide with the 10th anniversary. Viacom offered no further details--but TV Land, Comedy Central and VH1 would seem to be likely distribution outlets.

The documentary's title has not yet been decided; it will come from the production company O'Malley Creadon.

"SpongeBob," which started as a Saturday-morning show, is now a near-daily presence--often with multiple episodes--on Nick. The brand has spawned games, spongebob.com, consumer products and other ancillary revenue streams.

Nick says it draws 70 million viewers a month and is the top animated program for kids ages 2 to 11.