Mid-Life Crustacean

	Best Sound Editing in Television Animation – Music
	Nominees: Stephen Hillenburg, Donna Castricone, Nicholas R. Jennings, Alan Smart, Peter Burns, Doug Lawrence, Derek Drymon, Alex Gordon, Donna Grillo, Jennie Monica, Krandal Crews, Jim Leber, Justin Brinsfield, Tony Ostyn, Nicolas Carr (for "Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy"/"Pickles;" 2000) • Nicolas Carr (for "Fools in April"/"Neptune's Spatula" in 2001; for "Jellyfish Hunter"/"The Fry Cook Games" in 2002; for "Wet Painters"/"Krusty Krab Training Video" in 2003; for "The Great Snail Race"/"Mid-Life Crustacean" in 2004) • Jimmy Lifton, D.J. Lynch, Jeff Hutchins, Tony Ostyn and Paulette Lifton (for "Mid-Life Crustacean;" 2004)
	Best Sound Editing in Television Animation – Sound
	Nominees: Nicolas Carr (for "Karate Choppers;" 2000) • Andrea Anderson, Jimmy Lifton, Monette Holderer, D.J. Lynch, Vincent Gutisetti, Jeff Hutchins and Gabriel Rosas (for "Rock Bottom"/"Arrgh!;" 2001)
	Best Sound Editing in Television – Animation
	Nominees: Timothy J. Borquez, Jeff Hutchins and Daisuke Sawa (for "The Secret Box"/"Band Geeks;" 2002);
	Best Sound Editing in Television Animation
	Nominees: Jimmy Lifton, Jeff Hutchins, Tony Ostyn and Chris Gresham (for "Nasty Patty"/"Idiot Box;" 2012);
	Best Sound Editing in Television: Animated
	Nominees: Jimmy Lifton, Nicolas Carr, D.J. Lynch, Jeff Hutchins, Tony Ostyn, Chris Gresham and Paulette Lifton (for "Pranks a Lot"/"SpongeBob Meets the Strangler;" 2005) • Vincent Gutisetti, Jimmy Lifton, Nicolas Carr, Monique Reymond, D.J. Lynch, Mark Howlett, Jeff Hutchins, Aran Tanchum, Mishelle Smith and Paulette Lifton (for "Have You Seen This Snail?;" 2006) • Nicolas Carr, Mishelle Fordham, Monette Becktold, Jeff Hutchins, Timothy J. Borquez, Tom Syslo, Jason Stiff, Tony Orozco and Kimberlee Vanek (for "SpongeHenge;" 2008)
	Best Sound Editing: Television Animation
	Nominees: : Chiho Oyamada Carr, Nicolas Carr, Mishelle Fordham, Daisuke Sawa, Monette Becktold, Jeff Hutchins, Timothy J. Borquez, Tom Syslo, Eric Freeman, Dan Cubert, Lawrence Reyes, Jason Stiff, Tony Orozco and Kimberlee Vanek (for "Suction Cup Symphony;" 2009) • Chino Oyamada Carr, Nicolas Carr, Mishelle Fordham, Monette Becktold, Jeff Hutchins, Timothy J. Borquez, Eric Freeman, Tom Syslo, Keith Dickens, Jason Stiff, Sergio Silva, Tony Orozco and Kimberlee Vanek (for "SpongeBob SquarePants vs. The Big One;" 2010)
	Best Sound Editing – Sound Effects, Foley, Dialogue and ADR Animation in Television
	Nominees: Devon Bowman, Justin Brinsfield, Nicolas Carr, Andrea Anderson, Mishelle Fordham, Monette Becktold, Jeff Hutchins, Eric Freeman, Tony Orozco and Danny Tchibinda (for "Gary's New Toy;" 2013) • Mishelle Fordham, Monette Becktold, Jeff Hutchins, Timothy J. Borquez, Tom Syslo, Eric Freeman, Bobby Crew, Keith Dickens, Gabriel Rossas and Tony Orozco (for "It's a SpongeBob Christmas!;" 2013)

"Mid-Life Crustacean" is a SpongeBob SquarePants episode from season three. In this episode, Mr. Krabs has a mid-life crisis when he realizes that he is old.

Characters

K-OLD DJ ^{(heard only)}
Eugene H. Krabs
"You're Old" Singers ^{(heard only)}
- Martin Olson ^{(main singer)}
Pearl Krabs
Jenny ^(mentioned)
Boy Scout ^(debut)
Harold "Bill" Reginald
Horace
Miss Rechid
Tyler
Mary
Old Man Jenkins ^{(blue; wheelchair; grey)}
Sylvester
Lonnie
Richard
Dennis (citizen)
Edna
Mable
Miss Shell
Lou
Harold (red fish)
Abigail Marge
Monroe Timmy
Patrick Star
SpongeBob SquarePants
Squidward Tentacles
Hot rod fish ^(debut)
Gus
Norma Rechid
Taylor Fishbowl
Medley Fishbowl
Nat Peterson
Joe ^(cameo)
Purple Doctorfish ^(cameo)
Tom ^(cameo)
Dale
Frankie Billy
Ivy (gray)
Susie Rechid
Barnacle ^(mentioned)
Robot rabbit ^(debut)
Betsy Krabs
Victor Krabs ^{(possible photo)}
Old Man Walker

Synopsis

The episode starts off with Mr. Krabs waking up to the K.O.L.D (K-OLD) radio station. A song about being old is playing, and Mr. Krabs struggles to get out of his hammock bed. As he is washing his face, he notices he has multiple chins. He goes into his kitchen to find Pearl has made him breakfast, which is bran molded into various shapes, such as an orange and a fork. Pearl says that it is time for the pill, which Mr. Krabs hates, because he has difficulty swallowing it, and after all this, Mr. Krabs

MidLife Crustacean77 — Patrick's fat belly.

worries he is getting old. He asks Pearl if she thinks he is old, and she says she does, but that 'daddies are supposed to be old'. Mr. Krabs then asks her if he is cool, and she informs him that no one says 'cool' anymore, and that they say 'coral' instead. When Mr. Krabs says coral, Pearl finds that it sound 'so uncoral,' and after he says coral 2 more times and leaves the house, she calls her friend Jenny and says that 'coral is definitely out.'

Mr. Krabs is walking along the street, and denies that he is old, but then discovers a boy-scout fish is helping him across the street. When Mr. Krabs tries to walk off, his arm comes off into the boy-scout's hands, and Mr. Krabs apologizes. As Mr. Krabs continues to walk to the Krusty Krab, a fish walking behind him complains that he is walking slowly. Mr. Krabs tries to walk faster but can't, so the fish overtakes him, and informs him that he's had his blinker on for the past 5 blocks, and as it turns out, he has blinkers on his buttocks. As Mr. Krabs continues walking, a ball that a group of kids were playing with rolls by him. He asks to join their game, but the children are embarrassed, and walk off saying 'why do old people always have to ruin the fun?' Mr. Krabs walks past a line of elderly fish, and one of them thinks Mr. Krabs was trying to cut the line. When he looks up, it appears as though the line is for the Bikini Bottom Cemetery, although Mr. Krabs just didn't notice there was a small ice-cream stand just in front of the cemetery.

At the Krusty Krab, Mr. Krabs is feeling upset, when he overhears a child complaining that his Krabby Patty tastes funny. His mother tells him that it's 'all old and dried out, like that man right there' as she points at Mr. Krabs. This makes Mr. Krabs even more upset, and as the child is going to throw the Patty away, Mr. Krabs extends his arm out and grabs it from the tray. He talks to the Patty, saying that they are two of a kind, and he takes a bite out of the Patty, then pauses and says 'so that's what I taste like?'

Patrick enters the Krusty Krab, and SpongeBob yells at him from the kitchen, asking if he is ready for the big night out, and Patrick yells back saying he is, they continue to yell about it, while Mr. Krabs listens to them, until eventually Squidward yells at them to stop them from yelling. They continue the conversation in the kitchen, and Mr. Krabs eavesdrops on them from the door to his office. Patrick says 'we're young, we've got wheels, the world is our oyster!' meanwhile, Mr. Krabs' eyes move closer and closer, until they are on either side of SpongeBob's face, and Patrick notices him. Mr. Krabs asks them if he could come with them on their night out, but Patrick thinks he might cramp their 'style' and he tests Mr. Krabs to see if he knows the "secret cool guy hand shake." Mr. Krabs simply shakes his hand and says how do you do, and Patrick says he's in. Mr. Krabs tells them to show up at his house at 8:00, and SpongeBob warns him that they are always fashionably late.

There is a time card that reads '8:01 PM' and Mr. Krabs' doorbell rings. He answers it and it is SpongeBob and Patrick. SpongeBob asks Mr. Krabs if he is ready to party, and he says he is and then asks Patrick if he is ready to party. Patrick says he is ready to party, and then asks SpongeBob if he is ready to party. SpongeBob says he is ready to party, and then asks Mr. Krabs if he is ready to party. Mr. Krabs say he is ready to parTAY, and then asks SpongeBob if he is ready to parTAY. SpongeBob says he is ready to parTAY, and asks Patrick if he is ready to parTAY. Patrick says he's ready to party (not parTAY, perhaps because he is dumb), and then he asks Mr. Krabs if he is ready to party, and he says he is ready to party. He is about to ask either SpongeBob or Patrick if they are ready to party, but Pearl runs past telling them to stop and that her dad is embarrassing her.

Mr. Krabs asks them what kind of hot rod they will be cruising in, and SpongeBob says they will be riding a powerful chick magnet called 'the underwater heartbreaker.' This turns out to be a two-seated undersea bicycle, and Mr. Krabs calls it a chick repellent. He notices there are only two seats, but SpongeBob says he has modified it himself. He actually just attached a small red cart to the end of it for Mr. Krabs to sit in. As they are riding, two young adult fish drive by in a sports boat, and one of them comments on their bike by saying they must be lost, and that 'Doofus Drive is around the corner.' SpongeBob does not recognize this as trash talk, and says that he has his compass. The fish then replies 'So long, dorks!' and SpongeBob, still oblivious replies 'Goodbye, pals!' Mr. Krabs comments that they used to beat people up for saying things like that.

They arrive at The Wash!, and Mr. Krabs thinks it is a club with a strange name. He tells SpongeBob and Patrick he is nervous, as he hasn't been 'on the scene' for a while, and SpongeBob tells him to follow their lead and keep it cool. They then make gibberish noises and cheers and dance into 'The Wash', and Mr. Krabs copies them. SpongeBob runs in saying 'Hello gang, SpongeBob's back' and Patrick says 'let's party!' Mr. Krabs runs in saying 'any port in the sto-' and then realizes it is a laundromat. They watch clothes in a washing machine, and SpongeBob and Patrick are excited, but Mr. Krabs is confused. SpongeBob asks if they want another rinse cycle, but Mr. Krabs says he wants to see more of the night life. SpongeBob says it is only stop number one on their night of 'debauchery.'

The scene changes and they are picking up trash under the highway. Mr. Krabs is still confused, but SpongeBob and Patrick are enjoying it. SpongeBob asks Mr. Krabs if he is feeling it, but he isn't. Next, they are in a small

Mid-life crustacion — "Art thou feeling it now, Mr. Krabs?"

inflatable pool, and SpongeBob asks him if he is feeling it now, but all he can feel is a warm spot, which is Patrick peeing. Next they are riding kiddie horses outside the Barg'N-Mart, and SpongeBob asks Mr. Krabs again, and Patrick says he is feeling it, but he is riding a shopper. They then visit a dentist, fix a roof, play 'P and P' a reference to 'D and D' (Dungeons and Dragons), and go to a library. Each time SpongeBob asks 'are you feeling it now Mr. Krabs?'

Finally, they are at a children's club called 'Bunny Buns', and SpongeBob once again asks if Mr. Krabs is feeling it. The children ask him this over and over, and then Mr. Krabs gets angry, and says he is feeling 'like a total barnacle head' and yells at them, saying they don't know what a good time is. He then storms out, and calls SpongeBob and Patrick lame, nerds, geeks, creeps and babies. He says that even he knows they haven't suggested one cool thing all night. Patrick then says Mr. Krabs is going to miss the panty raid, and suddenly Mr. Krabs is interested. He says to count him in, and they go off.

They arrive at a house, and SpongeBob and Patrick say they score here all the time. Mr. Krabs opens a dresser and pulls out a pair of bloomers, saying they've hit the jackpot. They make a bit too much noise, and wake the home owner, who turns out to be Mr. Krabs' mother. Mr. Krabs gets angry at SpongeBob and Patrick for not telling him this was his mother's house, and they run off. Mr. Krabs is grounded for the rest of the night, and is escorted to his room by the boy scout fish from earlier. SpongeBob apologizes to Mr. Krabs through the window, Mr. Krabs forgives him and says he certainly feels younger, as the camera pans to show Mr. Krabs' room as a child. The episode ends when Betsy tells him to turn off the lights and Mr. Krabs says, "Yes, Mommy." He does so as the episode ends.

Production

Art

Music

( ‣ ) Associated production music
( • ) Original music
( ◦ ) SpongeBob music

‣ Drunken Sailor (b) - Robin Jeffrey, Tim Laycock [title card]
• You're Old - Eban Schletter, Stephen Hillenburg [plays on the radio]
‣ Hawaiian Party - Peter Dennis [breakfast]
‣ The Tip Top Polka/The Cliff Polka - Chelmsford Folk Band [Krabs going to work]
‣ Hawaiian Link (b) - Richard Myhill [Krabs sighs]
‣ Dramatic Cue (e) - Ronald Hanmer [cemetery]
‣ Steel Licks - Jeremy Wakefield [exterior of Krusty Krab]
‣ Botany Bay (b) - Robert Alexander White [old Krabby Patty]
‣ Hilo Rag - Guy Fletcher ["Good morning, Krusty Krew!"]
‣ Police Car - Sam Spence ["Style!"]
‣ Unease - Dick Stephen Walter [secret cool guy handshake]
‣ Steel Sting - Jeremy Wakefield [8:01 PM]
‣ Steel Licks (a) - Jeremy Wakefield ["You're embarrassing me, Dad!"]
‣ Tympup A - Sammy Burdson, John Charles Fiddy [SpongeBob's bike]
‣ Steel Sting (b) - Jeremy Wakefield [Krabs in a wagon]
‣ Gruesome - The Surfdusters ["Hey, you guys must be lost."]
‣ Konfetti - Claude Carrasu, Krys Moram, Jan Tyski [in the laundromat]
‣ Psychedelic Guitar - Ian Henry Marsh, Phil Pickett ["Oh, yeah!"]
‣ Konfetti - Claude Carrasu, Krys Moram, Jan Tyski ["You guys want another rinse cycle?"]
‣ Ulk-Fox Nr. 2 - Gerhard Trede [picking up trash]
‣ Dombummel - Gerhard Trede [Bunny Buns]
‣ Kamakani (b) - Kapono Beamer ["Lame?"]
‣ Vibe Sting - Nicolas Carr ["The what?"]
‣ Police Car - Sam Spence ["Not lame!"]
‣ Tomfoolery - David Snell [panty raid]
‣ The Plot Thickens - Dick Stephen Walter [Mama Krabs appears]
‣ Drunken Sailor (b) - Robin Jeffrey, Tim Laycock [Krabs grounded]
‣ Emotion Blues - Francois Fournet, Eric Gemsa [ending]

Release

This episode is available on the Sponge for Hire, Complete 3rd Season, First 100 Episodes, and Complete Third Season DVDs.

Reception

As of June 10 2019, The Internet Movie Database (IMDB) gives this episode a rating of 8.7/10 based on 421 ratings by users.^[1] TV.com users give this episode a rating of 8.6/10 based on 148 votes.^[2]

Trivia

General

Although this episode premiered in 2003, it was made in 2002 according to the credits.
The title card is similar to one of the opening shots in the The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water where the title appears on the book.
At the beginning of the episode, a song plays on the radio called "You're Old." It is sung by writer Martin Olson, who appeared as the live-action chief in "Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy V."
The song on the radio is by Martin Olson, who does the voice of Marceline's father in Adventure Time and whose daughter Olivia Olson did the voice of Marceline in the same show and Vanessa Doofenshmirtz in Phineas and Ferb.
This episode came off very controversial among the fans and parents when they used and demonstrated a panty raid in a children's show.
This episode premiered in Canada on June 27, 2003.^[3]
The line "Are you feeling it now, Mr. Krabs?" has become an internet meme.
This episode premiered on Ernest Borgnine's 86th birthday.
The panty raid scene has become very popular in YouTube Poops.
A picture of Victor Krabs can be seen when Mr. Krabs tries to explain why he was going through his mother's drawer.
In the Hebrew version, after Mr. Krabs is being yelled at by the elderly fish, the fish who asks "What's his problem?" says it in Yiddish, a common language between old folks in Israel, rather than in Hebrew.
This is the first episode where the Bikini Bottom Library appears.
- It reappears in "Pest of the West."
Mr. Krabs is the only character in the entire series to be grounded by a parent Betsy Krabs. it happens in this episode.
- However, Princess Mindy got grounded in The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie video game.

Cultural references

This episode's title is a parody of the phrase "mid-life crisis."
One of the locations SpongeBob and Patrick bring Mr. Krabs to is Bunny Buns which is a parody of Chuck E. Cheese's.
"P and P" (seen on book), the game that SpongeBob, Mr. Krabs, and Patrick were playing, is a parody of Dungeons and Dragons.
KOLD-TV is the name of an actual television network.

Errors

When Betsy says, “Go to your room, mister," her hair is missing, but when it zooms in, her hair is back when she grounds Mr. Krabs.
When Mrs. Krabs' bloomers are first seen during the panty raid, they are shaped like normal panties, but when Mr. Krabs pulls one out, it is instantly rather shaped like boxers.
During the scene transition from the ice cream stand to the Krusty Krab, bubble sounds can be heard, but no bubbles actually appear.

Running gags

Whenever Mr. Krabs is walking, a boy scout helps him and says, "Don't worry Pops, we're almost [to Mr. Krabs' destination]." Mr. Krabs also gets annoyed when the boy scout is helping him.