Kraft Is Bringing Back SpongeBob Mac And Cheese After A Decade Of Demand

Kraft Macaroni and Cheese will be bringing its SpongeBob SquarePants-shaped pasta back to grocery store shelves thanks to fan demand, according to a press release shared with Daily Meal. The cartoon-themed boxed macaroni and cheese was originally released in the early 2000s before being discontinued in 2019, as confirmed by Kraft Mac & Cheese in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter. The SpongeBob macaroni and cheese was rereleased as a limited-time offering in late 2020 but quickly disappeared from store shelves again.

Since then, fans have reportedly emailed the company, posted on social media, and launched a Change.org petition in the hopes of inspiring a comeback. Fortunately for those passionate about the pasta product, their demands seem to have been heard.

The brand will sell boxes of macaroni and cheese, as well as four-packs of microwavable single-serving Easy Mac cups. Each will contain pasta representations of characters from the animated show, plus the iconic cheese powder that gives the product its signature hue and taste. The returning pasta shapes feature the titular character, SpongeBob SquarePants, as well as his friends Patrick Star (a starfish), Squidward Tentacles the octopus, and Gary, the pet snail.

The press release highlights the two-plus decades that "SpongeBob SquarePants" has spent as a cultural touchstone. It's possible that the show's long-spanning run on television (it premiered in 1999) may have contributed to the demand for the pasta's return. Adult fans who grew up eating the pasta may have craved a childhood favorite meal, only to be disappointed when it was no longer available among other boxed mac and cheese brands on store shelves.

There has even been some online debate over whether or not shaped pasta tastes different than the traditional Kraft elbows. Some Reddit users suggested in the comments of a post that the increased surface area of the pasta meant more space for the cheese sauce to hold onto. The shaped macaroni and cheese underwent a recipe change in 2013 to remove artificial dyes, according to NPR, instead utilizing paprika and turmeric to achieve a vibrant yellow-orange hue. The noodle recipe was also altered to include more whole grains and lower amounts of sodium and saturated fat. SpongeBob macaroni and cheese is expected to hit grocery store shelves in October 2023.