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| “ | Hello, I like money! | „ |
| ~ Mr. Krabs' most famous quote from The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie. |
| “ | You're fired! | „ |
| ~ Mr. Krabs' famous catchphrase. |
| “ | Oh, boohoo! Let me play a sad song for you on the world's smallest violin! (plays violin) | „ |
| ~ Mr. Krabs mocking Squidward Tentacles. |
Eugene Harold Krabs, better known as Mr. Krabs, is a major character in Nickelodeon's SpongeBob SquarePants franchise. He is the money-obsessed founder of the Krusty Krab, as well as the archenemy and business rival of his ex best friend, Plankton.
Although he is one of the series' main characters, Mr. Krabs is frequently known for having a villainous side throughout the series' run, and can even be seen as the main antagonist in several episodes. He treats his employees poorly. He serves no consideration for almost anyone (including his own daughter) unless money is involved. He is also shown to take joy in Plankton’s misery and failures. Those continuous traits overtime serve him as an antagonistic or yet, an outright villainous character on multiple occasions. In fairness, however, his cheapness is all to blame for this as he deep down does care about SpongeBob, and his daughter Pearl at heart.
He is voiced by Clancy Brown, who also played Byron Hadley in The Shawshank Redemption, Ray Schoonover in Daredevil, Viking Lofgren in Bad Boys, the Kurgan in the Highlander film franchise, Lex Luthor in the DCAU and other DC animated works, Richard Hughes in Saints Row, Long Feng in Avatar the Last Airbender, The Splotch in The Epic Tales of Captain Underpants, and Yakone in The Legend of Korra. While in a few video games, he is voiced by Joe Whyte and Bob Joles. In SpongeBob SquarePants: Typing, he is voiced by Patrick Pinney. In the Broadway musical adaptation, he was portrayed by Brian Ray Norris.
Villainous Side
Since the beginning of the series, Mr. Krabs' overall characterization has become more and more negative. Sometimes, he becomes the villain in some episodes of the show, with Mr. Krabs being just as bad as, if not worse than, Plankton himself.
Although he had moral standards and was a reasonable father figure for SpongeBob at times despite his greedy and recurring antagonistic behavior, the Post-First-Movie Seasons utterly removed it all in favor of more out of character moments where he's much more villainous. Subsequently, this turned him into a full-blown protagonist villain who proved time and time again to be more detestable than Plankton in his worst episodes.
Even prior to the controversial Post-First-Movie Seasons, Mr. Krabs does have fair records of villainous and antagonistic acts, notably his recurring tendency to exploit his employees and even exhibits unnecessary sadism towards torturing Plankton upon the latter's defeat. One of Mr. Krab’s most villainous roles before the movie is in “Jellyfish Hunter,” where he abuses captured jellyfish in favor of producing as much jellyfish jelly as he can and nearly eradicate them all had the blue jellyfish save the day by exposing his crime on SpongeBob.
Other examples of his villainous acts include trying to kill Squidward Tentacles so that he could make money off of his art, using the magnet Gary swallowed to steal spare change despite Gary's painful discomfort from doing so, capturing Patrick and trying to con him out of his coupon, committing genocide on Bubbletown, having his employees work 24 hour shifts for 43 days straight, charging his customers a dollar for every step they take with the bait of free Krabby Patties, tormenting Plankton for 16 days straight causing Plankton to lie down on the road and wait for a bus to run him over though Mr. Krabs didn’t even care, and several other crimes. As with most characters, however, his morality depends on who is in-charge of writing the episode. One should also note that while it doesn't excuse his actions, he did try to convince Squidward to leave so that he wouldn't have to resort to murdering him.
A hideous and demonic version of Mr. Krabs that appeared for one second in the episode "Jellyfish Hunter", and now is seen frequently in videos on the internet is called Moar Krabs.
Appearance
Mr. Krabs is an elderly red crab who has a very thick shell. He also has very tall lime-green eyestalks, a crinkled dark red nose, large claws, and very short, pointy legs. He wears a light blue shirt and slackers with a black belt. When he comes out of his shell (like in some in "Shell of a Man," "Shell Shocked," and "Company Picnic"), he has a wrinkled pink body.
Personality
Mainstream
| “ | Krusty Krab is unfair! Mr. Krabs is in there standing at the concession, plotting his oppression! | „ |
| ~ SpongeBob rioting against Mr. Krabs. |
Mr. Krabs is extremely greedy, cheap, avaricious, callous, arrogant, and sometimes hypocritical. He can be quite cruel, often being portrayed to be just as bad, if not worse, than his rival, Plankton. His only interest is money, and he could not care less for his customers, employees, family, or even himself, as he is shown to risk his life several times if it means making more money. Mr. Krabs also admits this during the episode "Krabby Land."
Eugene frequently associates his customers and products with money, with lines such as, "That's me money walking out the door!" It should be noted that, while the portrayal of Mr. Krabs shows him as being obsessed with money to the point of anthropomorphizing it from the beginning, he becomes more miserly, cheap, and immoral as the series progresses. His obsession with money causes him to sometimes make bad decisions such as stealing money, exploiting kids, and lying. He once made SpongeBob write lies about people in "The Krabby Kronicle" to make more money at the expense of others. His greed also motivates him to hoard his money, which then makes it difficult for him to lose even a penny. He'll also steal other items like food and equipment in order to not pay for anything, even stuff belonging to his own employees, such as in "Growth Spout." His money hunger may stem from his childhood poverty. When SpongeBob uses the term "obsession" to describe his relationship with money during "Plankton's Good Eye," Mr. Krabs denies it and claims it to be a strong word.
He is prone to fits of insanity if he has to give up as much as a penny, which is why he does anything he can to avoid giving his customers refunds, such as making the money back guarantee so small on the menu that it's invisible to the naked eye. Mr. Krabs often goes to irrationally great lengths to acquire or to avoid losing money, no matter how big or small the amount, with little (if any) to no regard to the safety or well-being of others. For instance, he was more concerned about not getting the wrestling tournament cash prize than SpongeBob and Patrick getting killed in “Krusty Krushers." He also exploited Patrick hurting himself in "No Hat for Pat" and fired him coldheartedly when a failed stunt that left Patrick unharmed resulted in the customers taking all their money back. Mr. Krabs also doesn't care about his own well-being if money is involved. In "Squid's Day Off," he loses both arms and suffers a severe head injury while attempting to pull a dime out of the sink. He also sacrificed a large portion of his body to reclaim his one millionth dollar in "Clams," with him even claiming it to be nothing important. He'll also find any reason to inflate the prices on the menu, especially to exploit people with large bank accounts, for example, King Neptune. In "Krab Borg," (and shown earlier in "Squeaky Boots") Mr. Krabs is shown to always remember the price for everything he has bought, which proves his greed has a strong memory. In "SpongeBob, You're Fired," he fires SpongeBob not because the fry cook did anything wrong, but because he learned he could save himself a nickel from doing so. In "Born Again Krabs," he sells SpongeBob's soul to the Flying Dutchman for 62 cents, despite the fact that SpongeBob put his own life on the line to protect him from being sent to Davy Jones' Locker. Even Squidward is angry with Mr. Krabs after the exchange, and he tells Mr. Krabs off (even though he hates SpongeBob). Squidward also acted this way when Mr. Krabs tried to steal Patrick’s coupon in “Patrick’s Coupon.”
The way he treats Plankton can be considered beyond cruel. Being the most successful out of the two compared to Plankton’s lack of success, he takes every chance to gloat at Plankton, mostly after one of Plankton's failed attempts to steal the Krabby Patty secret formula. He’ll also step on Plankton, crush him, launch him back to the Chum Bucket, and occasionally eat him. Even when Plankton is at his most harmless, Mr. Krabs shows absolutely no respect towards him. He will even drive Plankton to suicide for his own amusement, as shown in “One Coarse Meal.” He'll also complain when Plankton manages to get even one customer and will do anything in his power to make sure Plankton doesn’t get any business, including telling SpongeBob to get the customer to go to the Krusty Krab instead in "Plankton's Regular" as well as directly setting shop and calling dibs on Plankton's property in "Chum Caverns." And as shown when Plankton gets blamed for the secret formula’s disappearance in The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water, Mr. Krabs hates Plankton more than he trusts SpongeBob (who knows that Plankton is innocent and that it wasn’t him), even going as far to claim that SpongeBob has been working for Plankton and is lying to cover it up.
He has been shown mistreating his employees as if they were slaves. For starters, he constantly underpays them, with Squidward saying that Mr. Krabs hardly pays him at all and SpongeBob remarking that a nickel is more than he himself makes in a year, with the latter even having to pay to work when he got started. He’ll even pay them with fake money. He also uses them for personal and financial gain, such as when he ruined SpongeBob and Squidward’s chances of being a rich and famous band under Colonel Carper’s management all so he could forcefully make himself their band manager instead and keep all the profits for himself. He also tried to make money off of a mob of peeping toms that wanted to 'get' Squidward in "The Two Faces of Squidward" at the knowing expense of the cashier. He especially exploits SpongeBob's loyalty and naïve nature, such as when the fry cook opened his own restaurant and Mr. Krabs offered to be his manager again in exchange for 99% of all profits, which SpongeBob surprisingly claimed to be more than generous. He’ll even go as far as finding ways to take their own money, whether it be giving them bills instead of paychecks, taking advantage of Squidward’s crane machine addiction, or going through drastic lengths to take a “penny” SpongeBob found.
His safety measures and maintenance of the restaurant are extremely poor; if existent, frequently resorting to improvised and obviously inadequate measures to avoid paying for actual insurance and repairs. He is also known to take shortcuts both at the Krusty Krab and at home to save money. Such examples include making a hole in the wall for a drive-through, using grease to make his own soap, not getting a wet floor sign, putting ketchup packets on crackers to avoid buying pizza, and selling his customers expired patties that are poisonous to eat. He is especially cheap when it comes to raising his own daughter, which led to her having many terrible birthday parties. Even when Pearl Krabs demanded him to not be cheap for her sweet 16 and even gave him a list of things she wanted for her birthday party, he still ended up taking as many money-saving shortcuts as possible to the point where it would've been a failure had it not been for SpongeBob.
Despite his covetous behavior, Mr. Krabs is also shown to be highly compassionate and tolerant. He has apologized for his actions on occasion, and despite being cheap when it comes to his daughter, Pearl, he does care for her, going to great lengths to acquire food for her in "Growth Spout." Despite his abusive treatment of SpongeBob and Squidward, he does care for and appreciate them, as the two help keep his restaurant afloat. In "Krusty Love," Mr. Krabs finds his second love (after money): Mrs. Puff. Also, in "Best Day Ever," when SpongeBob is sad, he actually uses his money to try to cheer him up. This is because, despite often taking advantage of SpongeBob's true nature, he loves him like a son. When SpongeBob saves his life after Plankton steals King Neptune's crown and frames Mr. Krabs for the crime, Mr. Krabs apologizes to SpongeBob for not choosing him as the manager of the Krusty Krab 2. He assures SpongeBob it was a mistake he will never make again, and gives SpongeBob the job as the manager of the Krusty Krab 2.
Mr. Plankton Universe
In the episode "The Algae's Always Greener" where Plankton teleports to an alternate universe where his and Mr Krabs' roles are swapped, Mr. Krabs acts like Plankton does in the mainstream continuity, but with some differences. He prefers to steal the Krabby Patty formula by simply sneaking in and taking a sandwich rather than using ingenious plots or devices. Also, like Plankton, he is always naked, but because he was much crazier, he hates wearing clothes to the point where he surrenders when SpongeBob successfully makes him wear something. On top of this, his deranged nature makes Plankton realize how terrible Mr. Krabs' life is at times because of him. Because of this, he leaves this timeline and goes back to his own despite knowing he would never get the formula. However, due to the lack of continuity, Plankton never learned his lesson and continued his quest. That or, he ended up continuing their feud because he enjoyed tormenting his former friend.
Other Media
The Endless Summer
Mr. Krabs takes advantage of Global Warming and increases the temperature to get everyone to swim in his new pool for more money. He makes the temperature extremely hot, causing everyone to evacuate Bikini Bottom and all the water in his pool to evaporate.
Video games
Fall Guys
In Fall Guys, a costume of Mr. Krabs was added to the game as part of the game's third free-to-play season, being one of six unique SpongeBob SquarePants-themed costumes currently in the game.
The Patrick Star Game
In The Patrick Star Game, Mr. Krabs takes sand dollars out of SpongeBob's paycheck to pay Patrick.
Quotes
SpongeBob SquarePants
| “ | Squidward: I'm not taking an order for a bubble! Mr. Krabs: Sure you are! Or I'll fill your life with misery and woe. Even if you quit. |
„ |
| ~ Mr. Krabs' threat to make Squidward serve Bubble Buddy. |
| “ | More! More! More! More! More! More! More! More! More! More! More! More! More! Moooooore! | „ |
| ~ Mr. Krabs telling SpongeBob to get more jellyfish for jellyfish jelly Krabby Patties. |
| “ | WHAAAAAT?! YOU THINK I'M A ROBOT?! | „ |
| ~ Mr. Krabs after being accused of being a robot by SpongeBob and Squidward. |
| “ | Mr. Krabs: YOUR LUCK JUST RAN OUT! Customer: Hey man, ease back...! You're crushing my arm! Mr. Krabs: Unhand that penny or the arm comes off! |
„ |
| ~ Mr. Krabs threatening to rip off a customer's arm for a penny on the ground. |
| “ | SpongeBob: But Mr. Krabs, what about the true meaning of summer? What about the children? Mr. Krabs: The children? I don't care about the children, I just care about their parents' money. Ah, the fact that their feeble minds are easily distracted by cheap playgrounds and talentless clowns is no skin off my nose! Survival of the fittest, SpongeBob. Survival of the fittest. Heh heh. |
„ |
| ~ Mr. Krabs talking about deceiving the children. |
| “ | Mr. Krabs: I feel so alive! ♫ Cha-ching, cha-ching, cha-chingaree. Money, oh money, how I love thee. Cha-ching, cha-chong, cha-changaroo. From pennies to dollars, any amount'll do Cha-ching, cha-ching, it's no contest. There's only one thing that I love the best, from every sight I've ever seen to the sweetest sound I've heard, I'd gladly give up everything for all the money that I've earned! (laughs) Cha-ching, cha-ching, cha-chingaree. There's nothing on Earth like the feeling of greed! There's nothing on Earth, like the feeling of, greed! ♫ (laughs heartily) Squidward: Please don't do that again. |
„ |
| ~ Mr. Krabs singing about his obsession with money. |
| “ | What do I do?! I can't let Plankton have so much as one single customer! I just can't afford it! | „ |
| ~ Mr. Krabs' motive. |
| “ | Jackpot! Money money money money! Come to papa! Oh boy. | „ |
| ~ Mr. Krabs about to be injured by a huge wave of coins. |
| “ | That's it, boys! Keep that gelatinous gold mine flowing! | „ |
| ~ Mr. Krabs killing and injuring jellyfish in the jellyfish factory to make jelly. |
| “ | SpongeBob: This is perhaps the greatest day of my young life, Mr. Krabs! I can't believe I'm representing the Krusty Krab in the Fry Cook Games! To bring home the gold is to bring honor and glory to the Krusty Krab. Mr. Krabs: And all that free publicity will bring in customers! So don't lose! SpongeBob: Aye-aye, Mr. Krabs! |
„ |
| ~ Mr. Krabs openly using SpongeBob as a means to give his restaurant publicity in the Fry Cook Games. |
| “ | Am I really going to defile this grave for money? Of course I am! | „ |
| ~ Mr. Krabs showing how far he thinks he can go. |
| “ | Who... touched..... ME THERMOSTAT?! | „ |
| ~ Mr. Krab after Squidward touched his thermostat. |
| “ | Nooo! You'll never get a cent out of me! Never! I'D RATHER THAT WORM COME IN HERE RIGHT NOW AND EAT YOU ALL ALIIIVE!!! | „ |
| ~ Mr. Krab after, for dramatic effect, Sandy said she would hunt down the worm for a price. |
| “ | And if I see that clarinet again, IT'LL BE GOING INTO THE WOODWIND CHIPPER! YOU HEAR ME?! | „ |
| ~ Mr. Krabs threatening Squidward when playing his clarinet in the Krusty Krab. |
The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie
| “ | SpongeBob: People of Bikini Bottom, as the manager of... Mr. Krabs: Uh, SpongeBob. SpongeBob: Hold the phone, folks, I'm getting an important news flash from Mr. Krabs. Go ahead, Mr. K. Mr. Krabs: [Whispers into SpongeBob's ear] SpongeBob: I'm making a complete what of myself? Mr. Krabs: [Whispers again] SpongeBob: The most embarrassing thing you've ever seen? Mr. Krabs: [Whispers a third time] SpongeBob: And now it's worse because I'm repeating everything you say into the microphone? Mr. Krabs: [Annoyed] Oh, for cryin' out loud, SpongeBob! Ya didn't get the job! SpongeBob: What? Mr. Krabs: You... did not... get... the job! SpongeBob: But... but why? Mr. Krabs: SpongeBob, you're a great fry cook, but I gave the job to Squidward because bein' manager is a big responsibility. Well, let's face it, he's more... mature than you. SpongeBob: I'm not... mature? Mr. Krabs: Lad, I mean this in the nicest of ways, but there's a word for what you are, and that word is... now, let's see... Lenny: Dork? Mr. Krabs: No, wait, that's not right. Not a dork. Pearl: A goofball? Mr. Krabs: Closer, but no, no, no. Fred: A ding-a-ling. Jimmy: Wing nut. Mable: A Knucklehead McSpazatron! Mr. Krabs: OK, that's enough! [To SpongeBob] Look, what I'm trying to say is, you're just a kid. And to be a manager, you have to be a man. Otherwise, they'd call it "kid-ager." You understand-ager? I mean, you understand? SpongeBob: I guess so, Mr. Krabs. [He walks away] Mr. Krabs: SpongeBob? SpongeBob: [Depressed] I'm ready. Depression. I'm ready. Depression. Mr. Krabs: Poor kid. |
„ |
| ~ Mr. Krabs tells SpongeBob that he gives the job of manager to Squidward, thinking SpongeBob is a kid and stating that Squidward is more mature than him even though SpongeBob is his most loyal employee unlike Squidward. |
| “ | Squidward: A hundred and one dollars for a Krabby Patty? Mr. Krabs: With cheese, Mr. Squidward, with cheese. |
„ |
| ~ Mr. Krabs changing the cost of a Krabby Patty with cheese from $1 to $101 in an attempt to get more money off of King Neptune. |
| “ | Mr. Krabs: SpongeBob, me boy, I'm sorry I ever doubted ye. That's a mistake I won't make again. SpongeBob: Oh, Mr. Krabs, you old soft serve. Mr. Krabs: And now, SpongeBob, I'm gonna do something that I should've done six days ago. Mr. Squidward! Front and center, please. [Squidward comes] I think we all know who rightfully deserves to wear that manager pin. |
„ |
| ~ Mr. Krabs giving the job of manager to him after he has manage to get back with the crown in time to save him form Neptune’s wrath and freeing everyone from Plankton's control. |
The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out Of Water
| “ | Mr. Krabs: Where is my formula Plankton? Plankton: I don't know, it just disappeared. Mr. Krabs: WHY SHOULD I BELIEVE YOU, YOU LYING LIAR?! |
„ |
| ~ Mr. Krabs enraged overseeing that his formula is missing. |
| “ | Mr. Krabs: Enough with the niceties, Plankton! This is the last time I'm gonna ask ya: WHERE IS ME FORMULAR?! Plankton: I told you, Krabs, I don't have it! Mr. Krabs: Wrong answer! [Nearly steps on Plankton] |
„ |
| ~ Mr. Krabs accusing Plankton of stealing the Krabby Patty formula, before nearly killing him. |
| “ | Customer: They're in cahoots! Mr. Krabs: Yeah I guess that's a short way of saying it. STOP THAT BUBBLE! |
„ |
| ~ Mr. Krabs ordering the customers to pop the bubble containing SpongeBob and Plankton. |
| “ | Mr. Krabs: Oh, you were like an underpaid son to me. I would have expected Squidward to stab me in the back! Squidward: [Wakes up] Huh, what? Mr. Krabs: But SpongeBob, me most trusted employee, working with me sworn enemy?! [While pointing at Squidward] You know what this means, Mr. Squidward? Squidward: We get the rest of the day off? Mr. Krabs: No! This be but a harbinger of what I fear lies ahead. For you, for me, for all of Bikini Bottom! The Krabby Patty is what ties us all together! Without it, there will be a complete breakdown of social order! A war of all against all! Dark times are ahead! Dark times indeed! [Falls on his face] Squidward: Seriously? [Mr. Krabs gets up] Aren't you overreacting a bit? [Bikini Bottom and its citizens shift to a post-apocalyptic phase à la Mad Max full of fire] Mr. Krabs: Welcome to the apocalypse, Mr. Squidward. I hope you like leather. Bikini Bottomites run away angrily] Squidward: I prefer suede. |
„ |
| ~ Mr. Krabs starting a post-apocalyptic riot. |
| “ | SpongeBob: What? "Home of the Krabby Patty?" But the Krusty Krab is the home of the Krabby Patty! Mr. Krabs, what are we gonna do?! Mr. Krabs: [Pushes SpongeBob out of the way] $8.99 for a Krabby Patty?! Why didn't I think of that? |
„ |
| ~ Mr. Krabs discovering that Burger-Beard is selling his Krabby Patties for $8.99. |
Trivia
- Mr. Krabs has broken the law more than Plankton.
- In the episode "Jellyfish Hunter," Mr. Krabs demands more jellyfish from SpongeBob, upon which he begins to repeat the words "more", which is eventually followed by a grotesque image of Mr. Krabs with his claws raised up. The image is commonly featured and parodied in YouTube Poops and has been dubbed "Moar Krabs".
- Even in his old age, he is quite tough. He was also in the navy for several years and he was a pirate for several other years.
- At the beginning of the series, Mr. Krabs genuinely cared about SpongeBob and was even somewhat of a father figure to him (since SpongeBob's real dad lives far away from him). This fatherly behavior has waned in the later series, although it occasionally surfaces (depending on the writer of the episode).
- Despite the claim of him always paying his employees below minimum wage, there are instances where Mr. Krabs paid them more proper wage such as "Skill Crane" and "Squeaky Boots.” Once again, this all depends on the writer.
- Pearl often takes Mr. Krabs’ money as a way to discipline him, such as when he and SpongeBob ruined her sleepover in "The Slumber Party" and when he took her on a terrible vacation that only he himself would enjoy in "Mr. Krabs Takes a Vacation." She also threatened to eat his money in "Growth Spout" to make him find food for her.
- As shown in "Bucket Sweet Bucket" and "Walking the Plankton," he takes the secret formula with him whenever he goes on vacation in case Plankton ever decides to take advantage of his absence.
- Mr. Krabs also leaves behind decoys of the secret formula in case Plankton ever gets his hands on it.
- Not surprisingly, in the theory about how SpongeBob's cast represents the Seven Deadly Sins, Mr. Krabs easily represents the Deadly Sin of greed.
- Though speculative, Krabs' Post-First Movie Seasons portrayal could be attributed to newer showrunners involved misunderstanding his character as much as the rest of the main cast. While they understandably shared fans and ex-fans' sentiment regarding his infamy (which isn't helped by the fact that the anthropomorphic crab broke the law more often than Plankton), the same showrunners unfortunately only saw the worst in Krabs just as they found Plankton sympathetic enough to deserve the anti-heroic role that Krabs always had in the series proper. This in turn, explained his depraved actions throughout said seasons where some of them (ex. the aforementioned attempt to force Plankton to commit suicide) proved to be too out-of-character for him in some respects, even at his worst.
- His voice actor, Clancy Brown still portrays him amazingly and memorably. In fact, he publicly admitted he hated recording the lines for Mr. Krabs in "One Coarse Meal" due to how he was written as a cruel and heartless monster.
External Links
- Mr. Krabs on the Heroes Wiki
- Mr. Krabs on the Nickelodeon Wiki
- Mr. Krabs on the Encyclopedia SpongeBobia Wiki
- Mr. Krabs on the Wikipedia
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