a color story: mr. krabs and his red shell
crabs are usually not red unless they are boiled. why was Mr. Krab red?
SpongeBob was yellow like a sea sponge. Squidward was grey like a squid. But, Mr. Krabs was red. Although Christmas Island Red holiday crabs do exist, crabs are usually found in colors grey, olive green, or brown. A red crab meant its cooked. Why this color design?
"Money, money, money, money"
Mr. Krabs owned the Krusty Krab, a popular burger spot. He constantly thought about money, founds shortcuts to save money, and he was obsessed with making money. Mr. Krabs even introduced himself with, "Hello. I like money!" He doesn't treat his employees well; he reminds them that they were replaceable. Another common catchphrase was "You're fired". There are getting paid too little for him to consider the action. How greedy and soulless can this crab get?
Does he represent the devil? Why is his shell red?
According to the book, "The SpongeBob SquarePants Experience : A Deep Dive into the world of Bikini Bottom", the author, Jerry Beck discussed Mr. Krab's character design:
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.
Hillenburg's former manager with red hair inspired Mr. Krab's character? I was not convinced.
Then, I noticed Mr. Krab's responsibility as a restaurant owner. Plankton, a neighboring restaurant owner, constantly attempted to steal the magic recipe to his secret burgers. He has rent, utility, insurance bills, payrolls to meet and has responsibility as a father for his spoiled daughter, Pearl. Furthermore, he was in the restaurant industry, notorious for small margins and businesses closing. You don't see him out of the Krusty Krab, either.
As a professional cook, you never worked in the restaurant industry if you don't experience burnout. In the case of Mr. Krabs, I was convinced that burnout is all he knows. Hence, the red shell. Cool under pressure.
Mr. Krab was misunderstood. There was another complexity to his character. A greedy restaurant owner who burnt out. Red shell does not represent a character without a soul, but a soul who has to keep it together with all the pressures of running a restaurant. The red shell design made sense in terms of Mr. Krab's as a restaurant owner, not a greedy person.
Poor Mr. Krab. "Money, money, money, money"