Appearances
Karen is one of the show's ten main characters, as well as one of the two main villains along with Plankton.
Karen was named after Karen Hillenburg, the wife of the show's creator, Stephen Hillenburg.[1] Stephen called his wife "the funniest person he knows"[2] and her sense of humor inspired the cartoon Karen's personality. Karen's voice is provided by Jill Talley, who is the wife of SpongeBob's voice actor, Tom Kenny.
In early episodes up to the season 4 episode "Best Frenemies," Karen was an immobile computer screen stationed in the Chum Bucket. Starting with The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie and the season 5 episode "Friend or Foe," Karen is given a "mobile form" that allows her to interact with other characters.
Doug Lawrence decided that Plankton and Karen should be an inseparable duo, with Karen as the brains of the operation, always supplying Plankton with evil plans. Lawrence said: "I want more Karen on the show ... The married life of an evil genius is the funniest thing to me, so in that regard [Karen] definitely enhances Plankton’s stories making him more than just your typical bad guy."[3]
Plankton and Karen promoted to the "Main Cast" section.
The credits of the 2004 movie were the first time that the SpongeBob franchise ever billed a "Main Cast" in its credits. Both Plankton and Karen were considered main characters in the film's credits. Since then, their stories have been one of the show's most popular and important elements. Karen has also appeared in numerous tie-in books, comics, and video games.
Episodes[]
SpongeBob SquarePants[]
Note: In the first three seasons, Karen and Plankton were not main cast members yet.
| Image | # | Episode | Role in episode |
|---|---|---|---|
| Season 1 | |||
|
"Plankton!" (tr • ga) | Debut Minor(wall form); she analyzes a piece of seaweed and Plankton. | |
|
"F.U.N." (tr • ga) | Supporting; she gives Plankton the plan to trick SpongeBob. | |
|
"Sleepy Time" (tr • ga) | Cameo; her rarely-seen desktop form is on Plankton's desk. | |
| Season 2 | |||
|
"Imitation Krabs" (tr • ga) | Supporting (Robot Krabs form); her system is built into Robot Krabs, and her voice announces the self-destruct mode. | |
|
"Welcome to the Chum Bucket" (tr • ga) | Supporting; she gives Plankton the plan to show SpongeBob some compassion. | |
| Season 3 | |||
|
"The Algae's Always Greener" (tr • ga) | Supporting; she gives Plankton the plan to use his transmogrifier. | |
|
"Plankton's Army" (tr • ga) | Major; she helps and consoles Plankton after his failures, and later meets Plankton's cousins. She learns Plankton's first name, Sheldon. | |
| Season 4 | |||
|
"Fear of a Krabby Patty" (tr • ga) | Minor; Plankton asks Karen why she isn't laughing with him. Note: This is Karen and Plankton's first appearance as official main cast members, as they were both promoted in the credits of the 2004 movie. | |
|
"Krabs vs. Plankton" (tr • ga) | Minor; she gives a depressed Plankton words of support. | |
|
"Dunces and Dragons" (tr • ga) | Supporting, Karen's medieval ancestor appears as a crystal ball. | |
|
"Enemy In-Law" (tr • ga) | Major; Plankton is bored and annoyed with her and wants to find a new romance. | |
|
"New Leaf" (tr • ga) | Cameo, Robot Krabs form; the Robot Krabs (which has Karen's system built into it) appears. | |
|
"Best Frenemies" (tr • ga) | Supporting; she analyzes the Kelp Shakes and finds out what they are made of. | |
| Season 5 | |||
|
"Friend or Foe" (tr • ga) | Major; she tells the real story of how Plankton and Mr. Krabs became enemies. | |
|
"Spy Buddies" (tr • ga) | Non-speaking cameo; Plankton talks to her from off-screen, and she is later seen in the Chum Bucket. | |
|
"Krabs à la Mode" (tr • ga) | Supporting; Karen gives Plankton the idea to steal a Krabby Patty in the cold confusion. | |
|
"Bucket Sweet Bucket" (tr • ga) | Major; she wants the Chum Bucket to have a makeover. | |
|
"Goo Goo Gas" (tr • ga) | Major; she tells Plankton how to make his plan really work. | |
|
"Mermaid Man vs. SpongeBob" (tr • ga) | Supporting; she brings Plankton a Mermaid Man kids' meal. | |
|
"20,000 Patties Under the Sea" (tr • ga) | Karen's voice is built into the Chum Bucket glove and says "Customer approaching." Her control panel is also seen in the Chum Bucket. | |
|
"Banned in Bikini Bottom" (tr • ga) | Supporting; she explains that the Krusty Krab was closed down. | |
| Season 6 | |||
|
"Krabby Road" (tr • ga) | Supporting; she throws Plankton out of the Chum Bucket for being a jailbird. | |
|
"Spongicus" (tr • ga) | Supporting; she is Plankton's helper at the Chum Coliseum. | |
|
"Patty Caper" (tr • ga) | Minor; she gives Plankton their own version of a Krabby Patty. | |
|
"Plankton's Regular" (tr • ga) | Major; she pays Nat to eat at the Chum Bucket. | |
|
"The Krabby Kronicle" (tr • ga) | Minor; Plankton tries to show Karen a chum stick when the restaurant gets shut down. Later, Karen is seen powered off when Plankton is out of business. | |
|
"Komputer Overload" (tr • ga) | Major; Plankton tries to replace Karen with an army of new robots. | |
|
"Chum Bucket Supreme" (tr • ga) | Supporting; she gives Plankton the idea to advertise his products. | |
 
|
"Single Cell Anniversary" (tr • ga) | Major; it is Karen and Plankton's anniversary, and Plankton gets SpongeBob to help him find a gift for Karen. | |
|
"Truth or Square" (tr • ga) | Supporting; she gives Plankton the courage to go out and steal the formula. All three of her main forms are seen in this episode: wall, desktop, and mobile. | |
 
|
"Chum Caverns" (tr • ga) | Major; Karen gives Plankton the directions to the cavern, and later gives him the plan to use the scenery to attract customers. | |
| Season 7 | |||
|
"Tentacle-Vision" (tr • ga) | Cameo; Plankton watches the show on Karen's screen. | |
 
|
"Someone's in the Kitchen with Sandy" (tr • ga) | Supporting; Karen thinks Plankton's plan is repulsive. | |
|
"The Inside Job" (tr • ga) | Major; Karen gives Plankton her mind connector to get inside other people's brains. | |
|
"Greasy Buffoons" (tr • ga) | Supporting; Karen helps serve the greasy food. | |
|
"SpongeBob's Last Stand" (tr • ga) | Minor; Karen gives Plankton a back massage. | |
|
"One Coarse Meal" (tr • ga) | Supporting; Karen doesn't believe that Pearl is actually following Plankton. | |
| Dialogue mention | "Gramma's Secret Recipe" (tr • ga) | Indirectly mentioned as "family" | |
|
"The Great Patty Caper" (tr • ga) | Non-speaking cameo; Plankton says goodbye to her. | |
|
"Buried in Time" (tr • ga) | Cameo; she watches Plankton in his restroom. | |
|
"Shellback Shenanigans" (tr • ga) | Supporting; she uses her telescope to spy on SpongeBob and Mr. Krabs. | |
|
"Perfect Chemistry" (tr • ga) | Supporting; Sandy compliments Karen when she visits. | |
| Season 8 | |||
|
"Frozen Face-Off" (tr • ga) | Major; after Plankton leaves Karen in the snow, she teams up with SpongeBob to stop Plankton. | |
|
"Sweet and Sour Squid" (tr • ga) | Minor; Plankton shows Karen his idea. | |
|
"Walking the Plankton" (tr • ga) | Major; Karen and Plankton go on their second honeymoon. | |
|
"Plankton's Good Eye" (tr • ga) | Major; Karen gives Plankton the eye surgery. | |
|
"Fiasco!" (tr • ga) | Deleted scene, credited in voice cast | |
|
"Free Samples" (tr • ga) | Supporting; Karen is confused by Plankton's free sample idea. | |
|
"Karen 2.0" (tr • ga) | Major; Plankton builds a new version of Karen, making her feel devastated. | |
|
"For Here or to Go" (tr • ga) | Supporting; Karen cuts the patty out of Plankton and analyzes it. | |
|
"It's a SpongeBob Christmas!" (tr • ga) | Supporting; Karen tells Plankton that he would get a real present if he wasn't a jerk. | |
|
"Chum Fricassee" (tr • ga) | Supporting; Karen is the cashier for the restaurant. | |
|
"Move It or Lose It" (tr • ga) | Supporting; Karen helps Plankton sell things to earn money. | |
| Season 9 | |||
|
"Eek, an Urchin!" (tr • ga) | Distorted voice only; Karen calls Plankton on his cell phone. | |
|
"Jailbreak!" (tr • ga) | Minor; she visits Plankton in jail. | |
|
"Evil Spatula" (tr • ga) | Supporting; she mixes the ingredients that Mr. Krabs says. | |
|
"It Came from Goo Lagoon" (tr • ga) | Minor; she has a mini form built into the submarine. | |
 
|
"Plankton's Pet" (tr • ga) | Major; she gives Plankton the idea to get a pet. | |
|
"Company Picnic" (tr • ga) | Deleted scene, credited in voice cast | |
|
"Mall Girl Pearl" (tr • ga) | Cameo (non-speaking); she is at the mall on the top floor. | |
|
"CopyBob DittoPants" (tr • ga) | Supporting; she has a party with SpongeBob and Plankton, then tries to help teach the SpongeCopies. | |
|
"Lame and Fortune" (tr • ga) | Major; she makes the fortune cookies and calms down the crowd. | |
|
"Pineapple Invasion" (tr • ga) | Minor; she gives Plankton a push. | |
|
"Salsa Imbecilicus" (tr • ga) | Major; She and Sandy team up to help make the town smart again. | |
| Season 10 | |||
|
"Mimic Madness" (tr • ga) | Deleted scene;[4] in the original storyboard, when Sandy and Plankton are playing chess and SpongeBob mimics them, Karen comes out of the Chum Bucket and laughs at SpongeBob's impression of Plankton. | |
|
"Plankton Gets the Boot" (tr • ga) | Major; she kicks Plankton out of the Chum Bucket and he tries to make her jealous. | |
|
"Plankton Retires" (tr • ga) | Supporting; she consoles Plankton after his failure. | |
|
"The Incredible Shrinking Sponge" (tr • ga) | Minor; she scans SpongeBob and flicks him away. | |
|
"Feral Friends" (tr • ga) | Deleted scene;[5] in the rough storyboard, she gave Plankton his food when he got turned into a feral copepod. | |
|
"Don't Wake Patrick" (tr • ga) | Cameo (wall form); Karen's wall form is seen in the corner of the Chum Bucket. | |
| Season 11 | |||
|
"Spot Returns" (tr • ga) | Major; she has a "cute overload" from all the puppies. | |
|
"Spin the Bottle" (tr • ga) | Supporting; she asks Plankton about his genie scheme. | |
|
"The Legend of Boo-Kini Bottom" (tr • ga) | Supporting; she puts on a show about the horrors of the Krusty Krab. | |
|
"Krabby Patty Creature Feature" (tr • ga) | Minor; she gets infected by the patties. | |
|
"Grandmum's the Word" (tr • ga) | Supporting; she and Plankton try to have a date when Plankton's grandma interrupts it. | |
|
"Bottle Burglars" (tr • ga) | Supporting; Karen is proud of Plankton, and later, she sleepwalks and scares SpongeBob. | |
|
"Shopping List" (tr • ga) | Minor; Karen is a chef and tells Plankton not to add the last ingredient. | |
|
"Patnocchio" (tr • ga) | Narrates episode; she plays a computer fairy who tells the story of Patnocchio. | |
|
"Karen's Virus" (tr • ga) | Major; she gets a virus, and SpongeBob has to journey into her hard drive to get it out. | |
|
"Girls' Night Out" (tr • ga) | Major; she is one of the Gal Pals. | |
| Season 12 | |||
|
"Gary & Spot" (tr • ga) | Minor; she sleeps while Spot escapes. | |
|
"King Plankton" (tr • ga) | Supporting; she offers to watch SpongeBob's sea chimps for the day. | |
|
"Plankton's Old Chum" (tr • ga) | Supporting; she tells Plankton to throw out his old chum. | |
|
"The Krusty Bucket" (tr • ga) | Minor; she watches the creation of PlanKrab. | |
|
"Karen's Baby" (tr • ga) | Major; she orders a baby computer for her and Plankton. | |
|
"SpongeBob's Big Birthday Blowout" (tr • ga) | Minor; she and Plankton dance at the party. | |
|
"The Ghost of Plankton" (tr • ga) | Supporting; Karen puts on a funeral for Plankton when he is thought to be dead. | |
|
"My Two Krabses" (tr • ga) | Minor; she brings out some chum to make Chum Krabs. | |
|
"Hiccup Plague" (tr • ga) | Minor; she catches a hiccup bubble, but shortly after gets rid of it. | |
|
"A Cabin in the Kelp" (tr • ga) | Major; she is one of the Gal Pals. | |
|
"The Hankering" (tr • ga) | Supporting; she analyzes Mr. Krabs to find Plankton inside. | |
|
"Who R Zoo?" (tr • ga) | Minor; she and Plankton are scared by bubble penguins. | |
|
"Plankton's Intern" (tr • ga) | Minor; she leaves for vacation and later returns. | |
| Season 13 | |||
|
"Lockdown for Love" (tr • ga) | Major; She puts the Chum Bucket on lockdown to get Plankton to prove his affection for her. | |
|
"There Will Be Grease" (tr • ga) | Supporting; Karen sets up Mr. Krabs and Plankton's scheme by telling them that the grease's flavoring can be used for a profit. | |
|
"The Big Bad Bubble Bass" (tr • ga) | Narrates episode; she plays a fairy who tells the story of the Big Bad Bubble Bass. | |
 
|
"Sea-Man Sponge Haters Club" (tr • ga) | Minor; in Plankton's story, she and Plankton try to shoo SpongeBob out of the Chum Bucket. Her wall form appears when SpongeBob enters it. | |
|
"Say Awww!" (tr • ga) | Minor; Plankton complains to Karen about everyone finding him adorable, which gives him the idea to build a robot, Q.T.-π, that will eat anyone who says "aww!" | |
|
"Captain Pipsqueak" (tr • ga) | Minor; she prepares a bath for Plankton and judges his supervillian costumes. | |
|
"Welcome to Binary Bottom" (tr • ga) | Minor; in Binary Bottom, Karen is a fish instead of a computer while everyone else is a robot. | |
|
"Karen for Spot" (tr • ga) | Major; she takes care of Spot while Plankton is away, and she struggles to keep him under control. | |
|
"The Flower Plot" (tr • ga) | Supporting; She supports Plankton's flower shop formula stealing plot and disguises as a sunflower. | |
|
"Plankton and the Beanstalk" (tr • ga) | Supporting; a storybook version of Karen named Clockwork Karen feeds Jack Plankton a magic bean. | |
| Season 14 | |||
|
"Single-Celled Defense" (tr • ga) | Minor; she takes Plankton dancing to cheer him up. | |
|
"Blood is Thicker Than Grease" (tr • ga) | Supporting; she talks to Plankton about his plan and becomes a waiter at the Spud Bucket. | |
|
"Tango Tangle" (tr • ga) | Major; she and Plankton take tango lessons. | |
 
|
"PL-1413" (tr • ga) | Supporting; she ignores Plankton when the time capsule descends, and her future self guides him around. | |
|
"Kreepaway Kamp" (tr • ga) | Minor; she comes with Plankton as he dumps rotten chum, and gets captured while out in the woods. | |
Kamp Koral: SpongeBob's Under Years[]
| Image | # | Episode | Role in episode |
|---|---|---|---|
|
"Kitchen Sponge" (tr • ga) | Minor; she is Plankton's assistant. | |
|
"Midnight Snack Attack" (tr • ga) | Supporting; she helps SpongeBob and Patrick get snacks out of the vending machine, turning them into monsters. | |
|
"Wise Kraken" (tr • ga) | Minor; she is seen with Plankton in their hideout and is seen outside when Plankton participates in stand-up comedy night. | |
|
"The Switch Glitch" (tr • ga) | Major; she swaps bodies with Patrick. | |
|
"The Taste of Defeat" (tr • ga) | Minor; she cleans Plankton after he is sprayed by skunks, and suggests that he take a cooking class. | |
|
"In a Nut's Shell" (tr • ga) | Minor; she plays a prank on Plankton, and later takes him to Narlene and Nobby. | |
|
"Mad Science Squirrel" (tr • ga) | Minor; she befriends Sandy. | |
|
"Nut Madness" (tr • ga) | Cameo; she reads a romance novel. | |
 
|
"Calling Some Monsters" (tr • ga) | Supporting; she gives SpongeBob and Patrick cupcakes that turn them into monsters, and later provides them with the antidote to shrink the monsters. | |
|
"End of Summer Daze" (tr • ga) | Minor; she celebrates the end of summer with the other camp staff. | |
The Patrick Star Show[]
| Image | # | Episode | Role in episode |
|---|---|---|---|
 
|
"Terror at 20,000 Leagues" (tr • ga) | Cameo; she is pictured on a box of Logic Loops. Plankenstein's ex-wife, a black-and-white counterpart to Karen, also appears. | |
|
"Chum Bucket List" (tr • ga) | Cameo (non-speaking); Plankton asks her to move her mannequin collection out of the kitchen. | |
|
"The Fun Bucket" (tr • ga) | Supporting; she advises Plankton to throw a party for Patrick. | |
Movies[]
Main[]
| Image | # | Movie | Role in movie |
|---|---|---|---|
 
|
The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie (tr • ga) | Supporting, debut of mobile Karen; she gives Plankton the idea to use "Plan Z" and works beside him when he becomes a dictator. Note: This is Karen and Plankton's first appearance as main cast members. | |
 
|
The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water (tr • ga) | Supporting; she helps Plankton and later powers the time machine. | |
|
The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run (tr • ga) | Supporting; After yet another Plankton failure, Karen says that SpongeBob, not Mr. Krabs the reason for Plankton's failed attempts at stealing the secret formula. In the end of the movie, she and Plankton are walking their snail with Otto. |
Spin-off[]
| Image | # | Movie | Role in movie |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Saving Bikini Bottom: The Sandy Cheeks Movie (tr • ga) | Minor; she appears on top of the Chum Bucket with Plankton. |
Video games[]
| Game | Role in game | |
|---|---|---|
| PC and console games | ||
| SuperSponge | PS1 version: Appears in the Chum Bucket background | |
| Revenge of the Flying Dutchman | GBA version, level 3 boss fight: Appears on Plankton's robot | |
| Battle for Bikini Bottom | Appears in opening cutscene and Kah-Rah-Tae! | |
| SpongeBob SquarePants Typing | Mentioned | |
| Nickelodeon Toon Twister 3-D | Appears in the Chum Bucket in the opening and menu | |
| The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie (video game) | PC version, Evil Under the Sea level: Player interacts with Karen GBA and console versions: Appears in cutscenes | |
| Lights, Camera, Pants! | Console version: Host of Chum Bucket levels PC version: Appears as an unlockable actor | |
| The Yellow Avenger | Interacts with the player in the Chum Bucket | |
| Creature from the Krusty Krab | Guide for the player in Plankton's levels | |
| SpongeBob's Atlantis SquarePantis | Mentioned many times by Plankton | |
| SpongeBob's Atlantis SquarePantis SquareOff | Wall form appears | |
| Drawn to Life: SpongeBob SquarePants Edition | Mobile Karen is one of the preset playable character designs | |
| SpongeBob SquarePants featuring Nicktoons: Globs of Doom | Appears in the Chum Bucket | |
| SpongeBob's Truth or Square | Appears and talks in the Chum Bucket throughout the game | |
| SpongeBob SquigglePants | Appears in various minigames | |
| SpongeBob SquarePants Tooncast Studio | Appears in the Chum Bucket background | |
| Plankton's Robotic Revenge | Voice only; she is heard speaking on the main menu screen and in the game's intro cutscene | |
| SpongeBob HeroPants | Karen's time machine form appears throughout the game | |
| Battle for Bikini Bottom: Rehydrated | Appears in opening cutscene and Kah-Rah-Tae! | |
| The Cosmic Shake | ||
| Mobile apps | ||
| SpongeBob Moves In! | Appears in multiple quests | |
| SpongeBob's Game Frenzy | Scan the Patty minigame: Playable | |
| The SpongeBob Movie Game: Sponge on the Run | Karen's time machine form appears throughout the game | |
| SpongeBob Game Station | Appears in Sponge Run minigame and promo art | |
| SpongeBob Town | Appears with Plankton | |
| SpongeBob: Patty Pursuit | Appears as the final boss | |
Books[]
| Book | Role in book |
|---|---|
| Krusty Krab Adventures | Appears in "The Algae's Always Greener" segment |
| Tales from Bikini Bottom | Appears in "F.U.N." segment |
| SpongeBob Saves the Day (Cine-Manga book) | Appears in "Plankton!" segment |
| The SpongeBob SquarePants Oracle | Quotes from Karen are featured |
| SpongeBob Exposed! The Insider's Guide to SpongeBob SquarePants | Appears on Chum Bucket and Plankton bio pages |
| The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie (book) | Same role as the movie |
| The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie (Cine-Manga book) | Same role as the movie |
| Who's Hungry? | Appears in "Welcome to the Chum Bucket" segment |
| Stop the Presses! | Supporting |
| Comic Number 8 | Appears in "Imitation Krabs" segment |
| SpongeBob DetectivePants: The Case of the Missing Spatula | Supporting |
| Comic Crazy! | Appears in Best Fiend |
| The Great Escape | Same role as "Truth or Square" |
| Pirates of Bikini Bottom | Karen's screen appears on Plankton's robots |
| SpongeBob's Runaway Roadtrip (book) | Appears in "Walking the Plankton" segment |
| Dancing With The Star | Minor |
| The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water - The Junior Novelization | Same role as the movie |
| Krabby Patty Caper | Same role as the movie |
