The Krusty Krab employee hat is the Krusty Krab uniform that is worn by the Krusty Krew. This hat is mandatory for all workers of the Krusty Krab. It first appears in the episode "Help Wanted."
Description[]
This hat is given to anyone who is part of the Krusty Krew, most notably SpongeBob and Squidward. The hat is fully white except for a blue anchor in the center, a black ring at the bottom, and a blue curved brim. The outline of the white portion is usually in red.
The manager-employee hat that appears in The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie almost has no difference from the regular employee hat, except it is slightly taller and has the word "manager" written on it in black, instead of having the blue anchor on it, written vertically. In the credits of The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie, a similar hat is worn by SpongeBob after becoming the manager of the Krusty Krab 2. The video game version of the hat in the movie is red with yellow letters, but it's otherwise identical to the one in the film.
A poorly drawn version of the Krusty Krab employee hat appears in the online game Hero's Choice and the episode "Doodle Dimension."
Role in series[]
The Krusty Krab employee hat is seen in many SpongeBob SquarePants episodes that primarily take place at the Krusty Krab, as well as the three films.
SpongeBob cherishes his hat and sees it as a symbol of his beloved job. He has trouble letting go of it in "Squid on Strike," as it is sticking to his palm after he takes it off per Squidward's order. SpongeBob believes a good employee should always keep a block of lead in their hat, as revealed in "Employee of the Month." In "Upturn Girls," Nobby is seen washing multiple employee hats and hanging them on a clothesline in the kitchen.
In some episodes, SpongeBob takes off his Krusty Krab employee hat at work and leaves it there when he is done with his last shift of the day. In other episodes, SpongeBob takes off his Krusty Krab employee hat when he comes home from work. In some episodes, SpongeBob puts on his Krusty Krab employee hat when he is leaving his house.[1] In other episodes, SpongeBob doesn't put on his Krusty Krab employee hat until he arrives at work. Sometimes, the hat will appear to change places overnight (ex. One night it may be at the Krusty Krab, the next day it will be at SpongeBob's house.)[2]
In the comic "The Hole at the Bottom of the Sea," Mr. Krabs says employees cannot take the hats home with them; however, both SpongeBob and Squidward were seen wearing the hats outside the Krusty Krab several times in the series without trouble, even in their houses.
Most of the time, the Krusty Krab hats stay on top of employees' heads even when they should not logically be able to. However, forces such as the wind and water are sometimes capable of pushing the hat off.
Wearers[]
Each of the ten main characters has worn a Krusty Krab hat at least once in the series.
- SpongeBob - Most episodes featuring the Krusty Krab
- Patrick - "Arrgh!," "Fools in April," "Big Pink Loser," "Bummer Vacation," "No Hat for Pat," "Restraining SpongeBob," "Two Thumbs Down," a picture in "The Patrick Show Sells Out," and "5 Star Restaurant"
- Squidward - Most episodes featuring the Krusty Krab.
- Mr. Krabs - "What if SpongeBob Was Gone? (Mr. Krabs)," "SpongeBob You're Fired," and "SpongeBob's Place"
- Plankton - "Chum Caverns" and "Free Samples"
- Karen - "Karen 2.0" and Krusty Karen
- Sandy - "Karate Choppers" and "Hot Crossed Nuts"
- Mrs. Puff - "Summer Job"
- Pearl - "Welcome to the Bikini Bottom Triangle," "Upturn Girls," and For the Love of Bubbles
- Gary - "Banned in Bikini Bottom," "A Pal for Gary," "Shellback Shenanigans," "Chum Fricassee," "SpongeBob's Place," and "Gary's Playhouse"
A few other characters have also worn it. This includes Jim, Not SpongeBob, Stanley, Incidental 105, Nobby, SquidUrchin, Squidina, Cecil, GrandPat, and Bunny. Many characters based on SpongeBob have also worn it, such as SpongeBot SteelPants, the SpongeTrons, and the SpongeBob SquarePants clones.
Variants[]
In SpongeBoy Ahoy!, the original series concept by Stephen Hillenburg, the hat had a "C" on it instead of an anchor. This is because the name of the restaurant was the "Crusty Crab."
In the GBA version of Battle for Bikini Bottom, the robot SpongeBot SteelPants wears a metal employee hat. It has three bolts on it, a metallic shine, and a bright blue anchor.
In the credits of The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie, a similar looking hat is worn by SpongeBob after becoming the manager of the Krusty Krab 2. This hat is larger than the standard employee hat, and in place of the anchor is the word "manager" in capital letters, going vertically.
The video game of the movie's version of the hat is red with yellow letters, but it is otherwise identical to the one in the movie.
There is a similar hat for Weenie Hut employees, which uses a hot dog as the main part of the hat. It has the same shape as the Krusty Krab hat, including the curved peak at the bottom.
In "Doodle Dimension," SpongeBob draws a doodle version of the hat. It looks like a black-and-white, two-dimensional version of the usual hat.
In "Bubbletown," SpongeBob wears a bubble employee hat for the Bubbly Krab. It is transparent with purple and green hues on it. There is no anchor symbol or ring on it. It comes with a bubble spatula.
In "Welcome to Binary Bottom," SpongeBot can be seen wearing a sentient Krabby Battery employee hat.
Trivia[]
- In the episode "Squid's Day Off," Squidward gives SpongeBob two employee hats since he was giving SpongeBob the duty of operating the cash register and making Krabby Patties.
- In the episode "Help Wanted," Squidward is the first character seen wearing the hat.
- In the episode "Planet of the Jellyfish," Jellien Patrick grows a Krusty Krab employee hat on his head.
- It plays a major role in the episode "No Hat for Pat," in which Patrick wants to wear a Krusty Krab hat.
- SpongeBob is seen eating numerous Krusty Krab employee hats in "The Two Faces of Squidward" while anxiously waiting for the results of Squidward's surgery.
- SpongeBob is revealed to keep his Krusty Krab hat inside of his head's holes in "A Pal for Gary," as the hat pops out of his head whenever he presses his nose.
- In one scene in "Pizza Delivery," during "The Krusty Krab Pizza Song," SpongeBob wears the hat backwards, akin to a rapper's cap.
- In one scene in "Not Normal," Squidward's hat is dimmed.
- There is an error in "SpongeBob You're Fired" where the Krusty Krab hat briefly appears on SpongeBob's head in a close-up of him, when he was previously wearing the Weenie Hut employee hat, which returns when the scene changes.
- In several episodes, the hat has a slightly different appearance, such as having a white brim instead of a blue one.
- The Krusty Krab hat has a tendency to disappear and reappear on characters' heads over a few scene shots.
References[]
- ^ "A Pal for Gary." SpongeBob SquarePants. Nickelodeon. January 2, 2010. Television.
- ^ "Big Pink Loser." SpongeBob SquarePants. Nickelodeon. February 3, 2001. Television.