“ | Take a look around. It's your dream come true. Through the wonders of automation, this factory can make as many Krabby Patties in one minute as you used to make in a week. Take a whiff of the future, Krabs. Does it smell like money? | „ |
~ Don Grouper, "Goodbye Krabby Patty?" |
Donald "Don" Grouper[1] is an ad executive and the secondary antagonist of the episode "Goodbye, Krabby Patty?" and the book Factory Fresh!
Description[]
He is a light purple fish with a dark purple dorsal fin. He wears a dark blue suit and a dark green tie. He is the charismatic head ad executive of the ad agency Grouper, Goby & Koi.
His "sharp mind and devastating charm make him an irresistible force. When Don's in the room, everyone laps up his words like overpriced organic honey."[1]
Role in episode[]
Mr. Krabs goes to Don for help as he tries to launch his line of Frozen Krabby Patties.
Don first appears when Mr. Krabs shows him a "commercial" of Frozen Krabby Patties he made by himself. Don is not impressed by it. However, he tells Mr. Krabs that if he wants to be rich, he should keep his mouth shut and listen to him and the company.
Afterwards, he introduces the staff of executives to Mr. Krabs and SpongeBob. Don shows Mr. Krabs various slogans on what the Frozen Krabby Patty should say on the box. SpongeBob later comes up with a slogan and says "Krabby Patties: Tastes so nice that they taste nice." Don rejects it at first, but, he decides to have his star, Patrick, use it for his commercial.
After the rehearsal, Don manipulates Mr. Krabs into changing the Krabby Patty formula so he can become rich faster, to which a gullible Mr. Krabs agrees to.
Don then gives SpongeBob and Mr. Krabs a tour to his factory. However, during the tour, SpongeBob discovers that his workers are suspiciously filling a filler with sand, but Mr. Krabs tells SpongeBob there is nothing to worry about, for it was part of the process of making Frozen Krabby Patties.
After Mr. Krabs gets a check that holds a large amount of money, Mr. Krabs turns the old Krusty Krab into a museum and his office is now a gift shop. Sooner or later, Don, Mr. Krabs, and Patrick become so popular that everyone in Bikini Bottom keeps buying more Frozen Krabby Patties, which completely disheartens SpongeBob.
Eventually, SpongeBob learns that the Frozen Krabby Patties that Don has been manufacturing are made out of sand and he decides to expose him for the fraud that he is.
SpongeBob gives Patrick a freshly made Krabby Patty and their friendship is restored.
Later, at the shareholder's meeting, Don and Mr. Krabs allow Patrick to speak to the audience before airing the 400th commercial. Patrick begins his speech, and with SpongeBob's guidance, reveals to the audience that the Frozen Krabby Patties are made out of sand.
The audience, along with Mr. Krabs, are shocked at this sudden realization and learn that Don and his executives are frauds. With his secret exposed, Don surrenders and walks off the stage with his hands up in defeat while the audience vomits out sand. Though his fate remains unknown, it's highly likely that he and his executives were arrested for the scandal.
Trivia[]
- His name is a parody of the Mad Men character "Don Draper," whom Jon Hamm also played.
- He refers to SpongeBob as a "yellow box."