Sponge (TV program)

Sponge (Korean: 스펀지) is a South Korean television show that aired on KBS2 from November 8, 2003, to September 21, 2012. The show is an infotainment program that deals with factoids and trivia, and tests and proves (or disproves) pieces of knowledge. Facts are usually submitted by viewers, though sometimes the TV station finds facts on their own. In 2007, the program was rebooted as Sponge 2.0 and shifted its focus to useful and necessary knowledge for a general audience. It was rebooted again and renamed Sponge 0 in 2010 but returned to its original name in March 2012.

Sponge saw popularity among young audiences; at the peak of its fame, some elementary schools incorporated it into their homework. It was adapted into a book series, the first 3 copies of which sold over 200,000 copies. The show was runner-up for the 2005 Asian Television Awards' Best Infotainment Program prize, and it reached the finals at the 2007 Rose d'Or. Sponge ended its 9-year run in 2012 on account of topic exhaustion.