Mr. Krabs
Mr. Krabs | |
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SpongeBob SquarePants character | |
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First appearance |
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Created by | Stephen Hillenburg |
Designed by | Stephen Hillenburg |
Voiced by |
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Portrayed by | Brian Ray Norris (Broadway)[2] |
In-universe information | |
Full name | Eugene Harold Krabs[3] |
Species | Crab |
Gender | Male |
Occupation | Owner and manager of the Krusty Krab |
Family | Victor Krabs (father)[4] Betsy Krabs (mother)[5] Unnamed sister |
Significant other | Mrs. Puff (girlfriend) |
Children | Pearl Krabs (daughter) |
Relatives | Redbeard Krabs (grandfather) Sally (aunt) 3 nephews |
Birth date | [6] or September 25, 1960[7] | November 30, 1942
Eugene Harold Krabs,[6] better known as simply Mr. Krabs,[8] is a fictional character in the American animated television series SpongeBob SquarePants. He is voiced by actor Clancy Brown and first appeared in the series' pilot episode "Help Wanted" on May 1, 1999. The character was created and designed by marine biologist and animator Stephen Hillenburg.
Krabs owns and operates the
Critical reception for Mr. Krabs was positive upon the series' debut but has been mixed as the show progressed. Critics have offered praise toward his portrayal as a single father to Pearl but criticized a perceived exaggeration of his greed throughout the series' run. The character has been featured in a variety of merchandise, including
.Role in SpongeBob SquarePants
Mr. Krabs
Krabs' rival and former best friend Plankton operates the Chum Bucket, an unsuccessful restaurant across the street from the Krusty Krab.[13] A major plot point throughout the series is Plankton failing to steal the Krabby Patty formula with the help of his computer wife, Karen, under the assumption that they would be able to replicate the burgers and put the Krusty Krab out of business. To avoid this, Krabs goes to extreme lengths to prevent Plankton from obtaining the recipe; he even refuses to allow him to buy a Krabby Patty legitimately out of fear that Plankton might use Karen to reverse-engineer the formula.[14] Krabs also makes it his duty to ensure that the Chum Bucket never has any business whatsoever.[15]
Krabs values money more than his own well-being and assesses the other characters based on their financial value to him.[16] The only exceptions are Pearl and his girlfriend Mrs. Puff. His love for Mrs. Puff is so strong that it temporarily transcends his greed and drives him to buy her expensive gifts.[17] Krabs tolerates his two employees because they work for little pay and because of their positive impact on his finances, but he is quick to rebuke them if they engage in behavior that drives away customers. Krabs has a tentative father-son relationship with SpongeBob; Krabs often scolds him if he gets in trouble, but at times gives him fatherlike advice.[18] Former showrunner Paul Tibbitt has stated that this Krabs-SpongeBob dynamic is his favorite part of the show, telling Digital Spy in 2011 that "the aspect of SpongeBob I love the most is his undying loyalty to Mr. Krabs. No matter how Mr. Krabs treats him. I try to replicate that in my own life in every way."[19]
Character
Development
![refer to caption](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/7/78/SpongeBob_SquarePants_Pearl_and_Mr._Krabs_Early_Designs.jpg/220px-SpongeBob_SquarePants_Pearl_and_Mr._Krabs_Early_Designs.jpg)
Mr. Krabs is the only character in SpongeBob initially based on a specific person from Stephen Hillenburg's life.[20] When designing Mr. Krabs, Hillenburg drew inspiration from his former manager at a seafood restaurant. According to Hillenburg, his manager was redheaded, muscular, and a former army cook; these three traits were adapted into Krabs' character, with Krabs' red color standing in for hair.[21] Krabs' speaking manner was also inspired by the restaurant owner, who reminded Hillenburg of a pirate with his strong Maine accent. However, the owner was not greedy, with this detail added by Hillenburg to "give him more personality."[20]
When Hillenburg first created Mr. Krabs, his and Pearl's surname was spelled with a C rather than a K. Thus, the name of Krabs' restaurant was the "Crusty Crab." Hillenburg changed the name shortly before production began on the show's pilot episode, deciding that K's were funnier and more memorable.[22] The decision to have Mr. Krabs and Pearl live in an anchor was made after production on the first season had started. The original map of the show's setting, which Hillenburg showed Nickelodeon executives as part of his pitch to the network in 1997, did not include an anchor house and instead labeled the Krusty Krab as both of the characters' residence.[22]
Mr. Krabs has a distinct manner of walking; when he moves, he moves his feet very quickly and he is drawn as if he has more than two legs. When directing animation for early episodes, one of Hillenburg's goals was for each character to have a separate walk cycle that showed their personalities; storyboard artist Erik Wiese designed Krabs' walk cycle with the intention of making it cartoonish. Wiese recalled in 2012, "I animated Mr. Krabs' little feet on a four-frame multi-blur cycle—I think it was the best solution to making him walk like a crab." Hillenburg approved of the walk after Wiese demonstrated it on a pencil test machine.[23]
Voice
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/39/Clancy_Brown_by_Gage_Skidmore.jpg/150px-Clancy_Brown_by_Gage_Skidmore.jpg)
Mr. Krabs' voice is provided by American actor Clancy Brown. Brown describes the voice he uses for the character as "piratey," with "a little Scottish brogue."[24] According to Brown, Krabs' voice was improvised during his audition and it was not challenging for him to find the correct voice.[24] Brown is fond of playing the role, having told the New York Post in 2015, "I wouldn't mind doing [the voice] until the end of time. There's just no corollary in live-action work—television or films or anything—to playing a miserly crab on the bottom of the ocean."[25]
In a 2005 interview with the magazine
Reception
Critical reception for Mr. Krabs has been mixed, with most criticism directed at his parsimony and the lack of realistic consequences he faces for it. In 2014, Spanish professor
Polish scholar
In his 2011 book SpongeBob SquarePants and Philosophy, political scientist Joseph J. Foy discusses Krabs' antagonistic side over several chapters. Foy argues that Krabs, not Plankton and Karen, is the true evil character in the series. He also notes his problem with Mr. Krabs' character that "Krabs never seems to learn from the suffering he undergoes, or from witnessing the pain and struggles he inflicts on others."[31]
In an article for
Basketball player LeBron James has stated that if he "could be any character on the show, [he] would be Mr. Krabs."[36] Cartoonist Michael Cavna commented on James' high opinion of Krabs, writing in The Washington Post that he found it intriguing how "the gazillionaire NBA hoopster cites his respect for ... the show's resident tightwad."[37] Mr. Krabs is also the favorite SpongeBob character of football running back Cedric Benson.[38]
In other media
![refer to caption](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/2/23/SpongeBob_SquarePants_Mr._Krabs_and_Pearl_the_Whale_Float.jpg/220px-SpongeBob_SquarePants_Mr._Krabs_and_Pearl_the_Whale_Float.jpg)
Mr. Krabs has been featured in various merchandise such as plush toys, video games, comics, and trading cards.
In 2011, the indie rock group
A track on The Best Day Ever, a 2006 soundtrack album, titled "Fishin' for Money" features the vocal performance of Clancy Brown as Mr. Krabs.[49][50] In the 2017 Broadway musical based on SpongeBob, Krabs, played by Brian Ray Norris,[2] sings a duet with Pearl titled "Daddy Knows Best," an original composition written by Alex Ebert that highlights the characters' differences.[51] In his pre-Broadway review of the musical, Variety's Steven Oxman asserted that the musical's version of Mr. Krabs "fall[s] flat" compared to his animated counterpart, and that the theatrical adaptation "finds no humor or wit or even edge in Mr. Krabs' obsession with money, nor in the nonsensical element that his daughter is a whale."[51]
References
- ^ "Mr. Krabs".
- ^ a b McPhee, Ryan (December 4, 2017). "What Did Critics Think of Broadway's SpongeBob SquarePants Musical?". Playbill. Philip S. Birsh.
- ^ a b c Writers: Aaron Springer, C. H. Greenblatt, Kent Osborne (May 10, 2002). "Krusty Krab Training Video". SpongeBob SquarePants. Season 3. Episode 50b. Nickelodeon.
- ^ Writers: Andrew Goodman (July 6, 2019). "Senior Discount". SpongeBob SquarePants. Season 12. Episode 251b. Nickelodeon.
- ^ Writers: Walt Dohrn, Paul Tibbitt, Merriwether Williams (September 21, 2001). "Sailor Mouth". SpongeBob SquarePants. Season 2. Episode 38a. Nickelodeon.
- ^ a b Rohwedder, Kristie (November 30, 2017). "Today Is Mr. Krabs' Birthday & His Age Is Going To Make '90s Kids Feel Extremely Old". Bustle. Archived from the original on January 16, 2021. Retrieved September 15, 2021.
- ^ Writers: Clare O'Kane (March 12, 2016). "Mall Girl Pearl". SpongeBob SquarePants. Season 9. Episode 197a. Nickelodeon.
- ^ Writers: Paul Tibbitt, Kent Osborne, Merriwether Williams (October 4, 2003). "Born Again Krabs". SpongeBob SquarePants. Season 3. Episode 56a. Nickelodeon.
- ISBN 978-1-4357-3248-3.
- ^ Writers: Aaron Springer, Eric Shaw (July 24, 2007). "The Krusty Sponge". SpongeBob SquarePants. Season 5. Episode 89a. Nickelodeon.
- ^ Writers: Walt Dohrn, Paul Tibbitt, Mark O'Hare (October 12, 2001). "Squid on Strike". SpongeBob SquarePants. Season 2. Episode 40a. Nickelodeon.
- ^ "Eugene H. Krabs". Encyclopedia SpongeBobia. Retrieved June 12, 2024.
- ^ Writers: Aaron Springer, Richard Pursel (March 19, 2009). "Komputer Overload". SpongeBob SquarePants. Season 6. Episode 118b. Nickelodeon.
- ^ Writers: Luke Brookshier, Marc Ceccarelli, Steven Banks (April 12, 2012). "For Here or to Go". SpongeBob SquarePants. Season 8. Episode 174b. Nickelodeon.
- ^ Writers: Casey Alexander, Zeus Cervas, Dani Michaeli (August 6, 2008). "Plankton's Regular". SpongeBob SquarePants. Season 6. Episode 108b. Nickelodeon.
- ^ Writers: Luke Brookshier, Tom King, Dani Michaeli (July 31, 2007). "Money Talks". SpongeBob SquarePants. Season 5. Episode 88a. Nickelodeon.
- ^ Foy 2013, p. 49
- ^ Writers: Sherm Cohen, Vincent Waller, Merriwether Williams (April 8, 2000). "Hooky". SpongeBob SquarePants. Season 1. Episode 20a. Nickelodeon.
- Hearst Communications.
- ^ a b "What a Sponge!" (PDF). The Mini Page. Andrews McMeel Universal. July 12, 2015.
- ^ Beck 2013, p. 84
- ^ Viacom International. June 2003.
- ^ Wiese, Erik (September 21, 2012). "The Oral History of SpongeBob SquarePants". Hogan's Alley. Bull Moose Publishing Corporation. Archived from the original on August 31, 2015. Retrieved April 14, 2017.
- ^ a b c Beck 2013, p. 86, 88
- News Corp.
- ^ "The Carnivale actor preaches 'The Curse of Clancy Brown'". Starlog. Kerry O'Quinn. April 2005.
- ISBN 978-84-9060-149-5.
- ISBN 978-1-119-25833-9.
- ISBN 978-1-78471-702-5.
- The Huffington Post. AOL.
- ^ Foy 2013, p. 55, 59–60
- Verizon Hearst Media Partners.
- ^ Giannotta, Meghan (October 14, 2016). "The coolest animated animals from 'Garfield' to 'Scooby-Doo'". Newsday.
- Daily Herald. Paddock Publications.
- ^ Mavis, Paul (April 29, 2014). "SpongeBob SquarePants: SpongeBob, You're Fired!". DVD Talk. Archived from the original on October 6, 2014.
- Paramount Home Entertainment.
- ^ Cavna, Michael (July 14, 2009). "Absorbent and Yellow and Beloved At 10 Is He". The Washington Post. Nash Holdings LLC. Archived from the original on April 15, 2017.
- Daily Herald. Paddock Publications.
- ^ "Beckett Presents: SpongeBob SquarePants". Beckett Media. November 2009.
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: Cite magazine requires|magazine=
(help) - ^ "Krusty Krab Adventures 3833" (PDF). Lego.com. The Lego Group. 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 15, 2017. Retrieved April 14, 2017.
- ^ "Gold Coast Theme Parks Trade Brochure 2012". Gold Coast Attractions. Archived from the original on October 11, 2012.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^ Nordyke, Kimberly (July 21, 2014). "'SpongeBob SquarePants': Real-Life Krusty Krab Restaurant to Open in Palestine". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved August 12, 2014.
- Complex.
- ^ Gardner, Eriq (January 11, 2017). "Judge Rules 'Krusty Krab' Restaurant Violates Viacom's 'SpongeBob' Rights". The Hollywood Reporter.
- ^ Gershman, Jacob (January 12, 2017). "SpongeBob and Krusty Krab Prevail in Real-Life Trademark Battle". The Wall Street Journal.
- ^ Lloyd, Robert (March 3, 2011). "The Sponge and the Fury: Ira Kaplan on Yo La Tengo's 'Sitcom Theater'". Los Angeles Times.
- ^ Gil, Billy (February 25, 2011). "Yo La Tango @ El Rey Theatre". L.A. Record. YBX Media.
- ^ Writers: Mike Fasolo, Seth Green, Matthew Senreich, Zeb Wells (February 13, 2011). "Major League of Extraordinary Gentlemen". Robot Chicken. Season 5. Episode 87. Adult Swim. Archived from the original on August 9, 2013.
- All Media Network. September 12, 2006. Archived from the originalon July 20, 2012. Retrieved August 2, 2013.
- Nick Records. September 12, 2006.
- ^ a b Oxman, Steven (June 20, 2016). "The SpongeBob Musical Review: Musical's Pre-Broadway Run in Chicago". Variety.
Bibliography
- Brown, Arthur (2011). Everything I Need to Know, I Learned from Cartoons!. Arthur Brown. ISBN 978-1-4357-3248-3.
- ISBN 978-1-60887-184-1.
- Foy, Joseph J. (August 21, 2013). SpongeBob SquarePants and Philosophy: Soaking Up Secrets Under the Sea!. ISBN 978-0-8126-9735-3.