Nickelodeon greenlights 'SpongeBob SquarePants' prequel series

BURBANK, Calif. -- ARE YOU READY KIDS? Your favorite yellow friend is getting a spinoff series, Nickelodeon has announced.

The working title for the CG-animated series is "Kamp Koral." The 13-episode prequel series will chronicle 10-year-old SpongeBob's silly summer adventures at sleepaway camp, including swimming in Lake Yuckymuck, catching wild jellyfish and building underwater campfires (perhaps we'll learn the origin story of the "Campfire Song Song"?).

"SpongeBob has an incredible universe to expand upon and the greenlight for Kamp Koral is a testament to the strength and longevity of these characters known and loved by generations of fans around the world," Ramsey Naito, Nickelodeon's EVP of Animation Production and Development, said in a statement.

Production on "Kamp Koral" is slated to begin in June.

SpongeBob SquarePants launched July 17, 1999, and has reigned as the No. 1 kids' animated TV series for the last 17 years. The show was created by Stephen Hillenburg, who previously worked as a marine biology teacher and died of ALS last year. The SpongeBob fan base is so devoted that they petitioned for Super Bowl LIII to pay tribute to Hillenburg by recreating an iconic SpongeBob episode in which the gang of underwater buddies perform at the Bikini Bottom Bubble Bowl halftime show.

The show is celebrating its 20th year on air with a mixed animation and live-action special on July 12 and a new movie slated for 2020 titled "The SpongeBob Movie: It's a Wonderful Sponge."