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Most of the time, SpongeBob cares deeply about his boss Mr. Krabs, follows his orders as his employee and has a deep respect for him.
However, Mr. Krabs' relationship with SpongeBob can vary. Sometimes, particularly in early episodes, Mr. Krabs acted as a fatherly authority figure toward SpongeBob, and he also states more than once that he's like a son to him. On the other hand, he can be mean to SpongeBob sometimes and can use him for his greed, which causes him to sometimes scold SpongeBob. However in general, they have a relationship like that of father and son.
In some episodes, Mr. Krabs acts like a father figure to SpongeBob and shows that he genuinely cares about him, showing concern for him and they helped each other out a few times.
"Pickles": After SpongeBob loses his memory and doesn't remember how to make Krabby Patties anymore, Mr. Krabs gives him the day off and later helps him remember how to make Krabby Patties again. He places the ingredients on the ground and patiently waits days for SpongeBob to remember the ingredients.
"Squeaky Boots": Mr. Krabs gives SpongeBob boots and tells him that real fry cooks wear them. SpongeBob is happy and starts making a bunch of squeaking noises with the boots. However, the squeaking noises drive Mr. Krabs crazy and make him unable to sleep, so he steals SpongeBob's boots and hides them. When SpongeBob starts crying, Mr. Krabs feels guilty and confesses he hid the boots under the floorboards, and then eats the boots and tells SpongeBob he's a real fry cook with or without them.
"Nature Pants": When SpongeBob comes back home, Mr. Krabs attends his welcome home party.
"F.U.N.": Mr. Krabs is concerned that Plankton was befriending SpongeBob to get a Krabby Patty, and warns his employee of what Plankton was doing. After SpongeBob's attempt to befriend Plankton fails, Mr. Krabs reassures him that it's not his fault, meaning it was actually Plankton's fault.
"Suds": When SpongeBob catches the suds and tries to work, Mr. Krabs immediately sensed something wrong in SpongeBob and sent him home early to get some rest to wait off the suds.
"Hooky": Mr. Krabs tries to warn SpongeBob and Patrick about the Hooks, and even goes to far measures to make sure they understand the danger. When they get on a Hook, a horrified Mr. Krabs tries to save them, and when it seems too late, he's very sad about it.
"Dying for Pie": Mr. Krabs sets up a workday to help improve the relationship between Squidward and SpongeBob. When Squidward seemingly feeds SpongeBob an explosive pie, Mr. Krabs is mad at Squidward because he wants to kill him after his colleague makes him a shirt with his own tears. He then asks him to make SpongeBob's last day a good one, and is genuinely sad at his employee's upcoming death, crying twice: first when he closes the Krusty Krab, and then when SpongeBob thinks about him.
"Christmas Who?": Mr. Krabs joins SpongeBob, Patrick, and the other citizens in singing a Christmas carol.
"Pressure": He joins SpongeBob in telling Sandy that sea creatures are better than land creatures. He also gives SpongeBob a glass of water before he goes on land.
"Welcome to the Chum Bucket": After SpongeBob gets forced to work for Plankton, Mr. Krabs is deeply saddened by his loss and even sings he will give it all away to have him back ("This Grill Is Not a Home"). SpongeBob is also saddened by losing his boss.
"Krusty Love": SpongeBob helps Mr. Krabs impress Mrs. Puff after he falls in love with her. Despite a few issues here and there, thanks to SpongeBob's help, he manages to impress her.
"Sailor Mouth": Mr. Krabs acts like a father to SpongeBob in this episode, teaching not to swear and giving him a fair punishment for disobeying him.
"My Pretty Seahorse": After SpongeBob tells his boss how close he is to Mystery, Mr. Krabs tells him a story of his dollar when he was a child, teaching SpongeBob that sometimes he must let friends go. However, both chase after the seahorse upon discovering she took a bite out of a dollar.
"Nasty Patty": SpongeBob and Mr. Krabs mess up a Krabby Patty to trick a health inspector they thought was an impostor. They later try disposing of the body.
"Mid-Life Crustacean": SpongeBob and Patrick try to help Mr. Krabs regain his youth when he thinks he's old. After they get caught by Krabs' mother after they stole their underwear, he gets punished, but admits to his employee that this made him feel younger.
"Born Again Krabs": After he sold SpongeBob to the Flying Dutchman for 62 cents and Squidward scolds him for it, Mr. Krabs realized his mistake and begs for SpongeBob back, even going as far as throwing the coins on the floor, which is not something he often does due to his greed.
The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie: Mr. Krabs seems very sorry for SpongeBob when he gave Squidward the manager position. Also, at the end after SpongeBob saves Bikini Bottom and his life, he gave SpongeBob the job and mentioned he should have done it long ago.
"Shell of a Man": SpongeBob tries to masquerade as Mr. Krabs after his boss molts his shell.
"Krabs vs. Plankton": SpongeBob impersonates Mr. Krabs' lawyer for the sake of his business.
"Have You Seen This Snail?": After SpongeBob, tired and depressed from searching for Gary, who left without coming back, goes to work 15 minutes late and is crying in the kitchen because of Gary's disappearance, Mr. Krabs gets concerned about him and says to him that he can solve any problem with some hard work. This snaps him off his depression and motivates him to keep searching for Gary.
"Krusty Towers": When Squidward continues making ridiculous requests, he tells SpongeBob to leave with him, afraid that Squidward was going to take advantage of SpongeBob.
"Whale of a Birthday": Mr. Krabs gives SpongeBob his credit card and puts him in charge of buying gifts for Pearl. While he does get angry after finding out the costs of everything that SpongeBob bought, but he lets that slide because Pearl is very happy about what she received.
"Bummer Vacation": Mr. Krabs forces SpongeBob to take a vacation, but SpongeBob couldn't because of his love of the Krusty Krab.
"Best Day Ever": He joins SpongeBob in celebrating his "best day ever" to return the favor after he lured some nematodes away from the Krusty Krab and even uses his own money to cheer him up.
"New Digs": Mr. Krabs lets SpongeBob live at the Krusty Krab since he was giving him money for it.
"Krabs à la Mode": Mr. Krabs appreciated SpongeBob for making him more money than usual with his Patty skates.
"To Love a Patty": Mr. Krabs is concerned about SpongeBob's love for a Krabby Patty and tells him they are meant for eating.
"The Krusty Sponge": After recognizing that SpongeBob is his best employee, Mr. Krabs turns the Krusty Krab into the "Krusty Sponge" and sells SpongeBob merchandise.
"What Ever Happened to SpongeBob?": After SpongeBob thinks his friends hate him after he accidentally committed disasters (including accidentally frying Mr. Krabs and his money) and getting called idiot boy by everyone, which causes him to leave Bikini Bottom, Mr. Krabs is horrified after reading his letter and wants to go look for him and apologize to him alongside Patrick and Sandy. Later, after Squidward destroys a gadget that Sandy made in order to search for SpongeBob more easily, he's furious at him for jeopardizing their chance to find him and forces him to come along. He also apologizes for his part in running him out of town.
"Stanley S. SquarePants": Mr. Krabs calls SpongeBob his little money maker and repeatedly kisses him on the cheek. Later, when he notices that SpongeBob's spatula is broken, he feels bad for him and tells him that he will order a new one for him tomorrow. Also, when he discovers that SpongeBob's cousin Stanley destroys everything he touches (including SpongeBob's spatula), he has an idea and sends him to the Chum Bucket.
"No Nose Knows": Krabs, along with Sandy and Squidward, team up with SpongeBob to get rid of Patrick's nose.
"Plankton's Regular": SpongeBob tries to help Mr. Krabs persuade a customer to visit the Krusty Krab.
"The Slumber Party": SpongeBob tries to help Mr. Krabs infiltrate Pearl's slumber party.
"Grandpappy the Pirate": Mr. Krabs gets SpongeBob, Squidward, and Patrick to help convince his great grandpappy he is a pirate which he later reveals that he lied.
"Overbooked": Mr. Krabs asks SpongeBob to help him build his telescope. Later, after SpongeBob tells him that he was overbooked but didn't want to refuse his request because he didn't want to disappoint anyone, he gets concerned and tells him that he could have told to him that he was busy.
"Shell Shocked": Mr. Krabs helps SpongeBob by lending his shell to Gary after SpongeBob accidentally broke it and the same thing happened with all the shells in a shop. SpongeBob later returns the favor by giving Krabs a towel to keep himself warm while his shell grows back.
"Growth Spout": SpongeBob helps Mr. Krabs feed Pearl during her growth spurt by cooking a Krabby Patty, which successfully stops the process.
"A Pal for Gary": Mr. Krabs understands SpongeBob's needs to attain to Gary and stop neglecting him every day, and he is happy to let Gary work with him after lifting the no pet policy.
"Yours, Mine and Mine": Mr. Krabs is shocked when he sees SpongeBob and Patrick fighting over Patty Pal and calls them out for letting a single toy get in the way of their friendship, and quickly resolves their argument by giving each of them another toy to call it even.
"Kracked Krabs": Mr. Krabs invites SpongeBob to attend an award ceremony when he could have asked someone else like Squidward. When he gets disqualified, SpongeBob cheers him up by "exaggerating", and the two end up stealing an entire hotel room.
"Patrick's Staycation": Mr. Krabs agrees to let SpongeBob sleep in his bed and stay overnight at his house after Patrick was sleeping in his bed.
"Mr. Krabs Takes a Vacation": SpongeBob is invited to the Krabs' family vacation, with Mr. Krabs stating that SpongeBob is like a son to him.
"Fiasco!": Mr. Krabs bails SpongeBob and Patrick out of jail and explains to the police they had no involvement with Plankton after he stole a rare piece of art.
"Free Samples": SpongeBob and Krabs team up to sell Krabby Patties for free after Plankton makes everyone hate them, and SpongeBob saves the day when he makes new Krabby Patties which wins them back, and they make money angels together.
"Hello Bikini Bottom!": Mr. Krabs was the manager of a band with SpongeBob and Squidward.
"Little Yellow Book": After Squidward reads SpongeBob's diary, Mr. Krabs doesn't laugh at all and is very angry at him, saying "That's low Squidward, even for you."
"Two Thumbs Down": After SpongeBob breaks his thumbs, Mr. Krabs sends him home to recover, and when he wins the thumb war against Patrick, he comes out of his office to congratulate him and welcome him back.
"Mimic Madness": Mr. Krabs was trying to help SpongeBob with his addiction to mimicry and help him remember who he is again.
"SpongeBob's Place": He recognizes that SpongeBob is the best fry cook ever, and tells him he deserves his restaurant.
"Cave Dwelling Sponge": When SpongeBob was framed by a cave sponge for vandalism, Mr. Krabs was the only one who believes that SpongeBob is innocent and goes to help him clear his name.
"Call the Cops": Mr. Krabs and SpongeBob impersonate police officers to get back the secret formula from Plankton. Also, after he says to SpongeBob that cops don't hold hands, saddening him, he cheers him up and they hug.
"Bubbletown": When he gets SpongeBob's message from the bubble telephone that he is in Bubbletown Prison, he heads to Bubbletown to rescue him.
"SpongeBob's Big Birthday Blowout": Mr. Krabs helps Sandy and the others decorate SpongeBob's house for his birthday party. After he returns, SpongeBob finds the house destroyed and everyone asleep from the party planning. Nevertheless, SpongeBob is excited that his family and friends would do so much for him. SpongeBob lists Mr. Krabs and the other wonderful friends and how he's grateful to have them. When Patchy the Pirate arrives and sings the birthday song, Mr. Krabs along with everyone else wakes up and properly celebrates a happy birthday to SpongeBob.
The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run: After SpongeBob and Patrick left for Atlantic City to save Gary, a depressed Mr. Krabs gives up the secret formula and gives it to Plankton in tears, stating that without SpongeBob, nothing is the same and that not even having the secret formula makes sense anymore. He then departs to save SpongeBob and Patrick with Sandy, Squidward and Plankton, and a flashback from back when SpongeBob was a child shows that SpongeBob himself inspired him to open the Krusty Krab.
"Salty Sponge": When SpongeBob is scared to work at the Salty Spitoon, Mr. Krabs gives him some advice on how to look tough and fit in.
"Friendiversary": To remember the combination to the Krusty Krab safe, Mr. Krabs had SpongeBob attach the memory of the combination to one of his memories with Squidward; when that memory was erased from his brain by Squidward, the combination was erased as well and Mr. Krabs chews out Squidward for erasing it and forces him to help SpongeBob remember by spending time with him.
Times of conflict[]
Mostly due to Mr. Krabs' extremely greedy attitude, he and SpongeBob are sometimes driven into conflict.
"Help Wanted": Mr. Krabs and Squidward attempted to get rid of SpongeBob by telling him to buy a legendary spatula.
"Pickles": SpongeBob got mad at Mr. Krabs and called him a crustaceous cheapskate because he couldn't remember how to make a Krabby Patty, accidentally remembering how to in the process.
"Squeaky Boots": Mr. Krabs stole SpongeBob's boots that he gave him and lied to him after stealing them. SpongeBob starts crying, making him feel guilty, and the squeaking noises drive Mr. Krabs crazy to the point he eats the boots.
"Karate Choppers": Mr. Krabs forced SpongeBob to give up doing karate completely and threatened to fire him if he didn't. Even after SpongeBob said he will quit doing karate, Sandy started doing her Karate moves on SpongeBob. Mr. Krabs sees this and misunderstands everything, thus firing SpongeBob even though it wasn't his fault and SpongeBob breaks down. However, after Sandy explains everything, he gave him a second chance.
"Sleepy Time": Mr. Krabs was one of the few who were mad at SpongeBob and demanded him to stay out of their dreams after he accidentally ruined them.
"Arrgh!": Mr. Krabs made SpongeBob and Patrick travel all day to find the treasure, not letting them rest. He gets mad at SpongeBob and Patrick for looking at his map and cheating, and when they finally find the treasure, Mr. Krabs selfishly takes all of the treasure for himself refusing to give them a share. SpongeBob angrily demands Krabs to give him and Patrick a share, which made them fought over the treasure chest.
"Bubble Buddy": Mr. Krabs was one of the many who were angry at SpongeBob and Bubble Buddy.
"The Smoking Peanut": SpongeBob was mad at Mr. Krabs for stealing the clam's pearl and making it cry.
"Krusty Love": SpongeBob rebuked Mr. Krabs for ordering him to buy Mrs. Puff stuff she didn't need and then getting mad at him for spending all his money. SpongeBob got angry at Mr. Krabs and even cursed at him, shocking the latter.
"Jellyfish Hunter": Mr. Krabs tricked SpongeBob into catching all the jellyfish so he could squeeze their jelly into the patties to get more customers. But little did SpongeBob know, Mr. Krabs was running a secret factory where the jellyfish seemed to get squeezed of every drop and then disposed of. SpongeBob gets disgusted by this and criticizes Mr. Krabs' actions. He frees the jellyfish and they stung Mr. Krabs, much to SpongeBob's delight.
"Squid on Strike": Although dismayed at first from being fired from the Krusty Krab, SpongeBob eventually discovers what a cheapskate Mr. Krabs is and tells him off in support of Squidward and the strike. Later on, he destroys the Krusty Krab.
"The Algae's Always Greener": After Plankton switches lives with Mr. Krabs, SpongeBob stopped Mr. Krabs (who switched roles with Plankton) from stealing a Krabby Patty.
"Nasty Patty": After believing they killed the health inspector, Mr. Krabs accused SpongeBob of doing it, and they blamed each other for "killing" the health inspector to the cops until they find out the health inspector was alive.
"One Krabs Trash": After selling him a soda drinking hat, Mr. Krabs tricked SpongeBob into giving it back after he found out how valuable it was. Mr. Krabs first tried insulting SpongeBob and trading him other hats for it, which SpongeBob turned down. Mr. Krabs then came up with a scheme to scare SpongeBob with a paper ghost to return it to its dead owner. After Mr. Krabs retrieved the million-dollar hat, he found it there was a whole warehouse full of them and that they were worthless. SpongeBob started laughing at Mr. Krabs when he started crying.
SpongeBob attacks and strangles his boss in a fit of rage in Can You Spare a Dime?, which eventually causes Mr. Krabs' first dime to appear.
"Can You Spare a Dime?": After several months of being bossed around and mooched off by Squidward, SpongeBob angrily confronts Mr. Krabs to give him back his job. SpongeBob even scares Mr. Krabs for the first time by strangling him, yelling at him and shaking him violently due to the ridiculousness of the situation and calling him a "crustaceous cheapskate" obsessed with a stupid dime. Ironically, shaking Mr. Krabs is what causes the dime to appear, as it was in Mr. Krabs' pocket the whole time.
"Krab Borg": SpongeBob and Squidward torture Mr. Krabs thinking he was a robot imposter.
"Wet Painters": Mr. Krabs threatened to cut off SpongeBob and Patrick's butts if they got paint on anything but the wall. After accidentally getting paint on Mr. Krabs' first dollar, Mr. Krabs reveals it comes off with saliva and it was all a prank, causing SpongeBob and Patrick to leave in disgust.
"Clams": Mr. Krabs goes insane from losing his millionth dollar and being stranded on a boat. SpongeBob and Squidward try to leave on a lifeboat, but Mr. Krabs captures them and uses them as bait to attract Old Bluelip.
"Mid-Life Crustacean": Mr. Krabs got angry and insulted SpongeBob and Patrick after doing many activities.
"Born Again Krabs": Mr. Krabs sells SpongeBob to the Flying Dutchman for about 62 cents. Though, after Squidward talks sense into him, and Mr. Krabs regrets doing it, begs for his employee back and gets his wish.
"Krabby Land": SpongeBob calls Mr. Krabs a cheapskate after realizing his plot of scamming the kids for their money.
"Pranks a Lot": SpongeBob and Patrick scare Mr. Krabs by pretending to be ghosts with their invisible spray. SpongeBob was even going to burn Mr. Krabs' dollar until Mr. Krabs splashed them with water revealing it came off with water. Mr. Krabs supposedly forgives them, until he humiliated them by putting on a public nudity show with everyone they scared watching and cheering.
The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie: Mr. Krabs gives Squidward the role of manager and called SpongeBob a kid unworthy of the title, thinking that he wasn't mature enough. The next day, when Neptune accuses Mr. Krabs of stealing his crown as he looks to SpongeBob for help but the latter yells at Mr. Krabs by calling him a jerk for overlooking him and only snaps out of it when Neptune nearly executes his boss. Later on, before reaching Shell City, SpongeBob almost abandons the quest because of the danger and nearly lets Mr. Krabs die after he saw the latter was right about his immaturity. SpongeBob only snaps out of it once Princess Mindy helps him overcome his self-doubt and shows him why he should continue.
"Fear of a Krabby Patty": Mr. Krabs opened the Krusty Krab to 24 hours a day and forced SpongeBob to worked nonstop 24 hours for 43 days with no breaks, causing SpongeBob to hallucinate.
"Wishing You Well": Mr. Krabs fails to believe SpongeBob that magic is real, so he ends up wishing he was boiled with a side of melted butter.
"New Leaf": Mr. Krabs insulted SpongeBob by calling him a little halfwit.
"Bummer Vacation": Mr. Krabs tries hard to keep SpongeBob away from the Krusty Krab during his vacation.
"Rule of Dumb": Mr. Krabs promptly kicked out SpongeBob, along with Patrick when he found out he never intended to pay even though Patrick was royalty.
"New Digs": Mr. Krabs kicked SpongeBob out of the Krusty Krab for wanting to live there.
"The Krusty Plate": Mr. Krabs angrily chases SpongeBob for destroying his restaurant.
"What Ever Happened to SpongeBob?": Mr. Krabs angrily kicked SpongeBob out of his restaurant and called him "idiot boy" after he accidentally fried his money, which makes him decide to leave Bikini Bottom, thinking that his friend don't love him anymore.
"Penny Foolish": Mr. Krabs tries several plans to get an apparent penny that SpongeBob found earlier, even resorting to breaking into his home.
"Patty Caper": Mr. Krabs tries to frame SpongeBob for stealing the Krabby Patty's secret ingredient.
"The Krabby Kronicle": Mr. Krabs forced SpongeBob to ruin peoples' lives by making lies about them on a tabloid newspaper. To teach him a lesson, SpongeBob betrays Mr. Krabs and writes about how he forced him to write lies.
"The Slumber Party": Mr. Krabs destroyed SpongeBob's living room and forced him to ruin Pearl's slumber party.
"Krusty Krushers": Mr. Krabs forced SpongeBob and Patrick to wrestle against two giant wrestlers for the million-dollar prize and didn't care that they were about to get killed by the wrestlers. After the wrestlers lost, SpongeBob and Patrick chose the "wrestle camp" prize, much to Mr. Krabs' dismay.
"No Hat for Pat": SpongeBob did not like Mr. Krabs' idea for Patrick to get hurt.
"Greasy Buffoons": SpongeBob calls the health inspector to consult Mr. Krabs and Plankton after feeding the customers grease.
"One Coarse Meal": SpongeBob was so disgusted that Mr. Krabs disguised himself as Pearl to torture Plankton to the point where he was about to commit suicide. SpongeBob tells Plankton Mr. Krabs' secret fear of mimes which Plankton used as a revenge to get back at Mr. Krabs.
"The Cent of Money": SpongeBob gets enraged at Mr. Krabs for his abuse of Gary.
"The Abrasive Side": When SpongeBob gets a new "abrasive side", he said the word "overtime" to Mr. Krabs, causing him to get horrified and kicking SpongeBob out.
"The Wreck of the Mauna Loa": Mr. Krabs followed SpongeBob and Patrick to their secret hideout and attempted to steal the treasure for himself. He also endangered them and many others by turning The Wreck of the Mauna Loa into a deadly machine.
"The Other Patty": Mr. Krabs and Plankton join forces at the end of the episode to get back at SpongeBob for tricking them.
"InSPONGEiac": Mr. Krabs convinces SpongeBob he's an insomniac for using a bit too much mustard, which causes SpongeBob to have insomnia. Later, he forces SpongeBob to cry to produce the perfect amount of mustard.
"Face Freeze!": Mr. Krabs was furious at SpongeBob and Patrick for not listening to his warnings about the face freeze.
"Squid Baby": SpongeBob is upset when Mr. Krabs doesn't care about Squidward's Head-Go-Boom-Boom-Itis, and when he tells him to get Squidward out, SpongeBob is reduced to tears and says if Squidward can't stay, then he doesn't want to stay either.
"SpongeBob You're Fired": After Mr. Krabs fired SpongeBob just to save a nickel, he tries to make things better by taking his place as the royal fry cook. But when things went downhill at the Krusty Krab, Squidward brings SpongeBob back after rescuing him from the four restaurant managers. As Squidward begs to him return, Mr. Krabs apologizes to SpongeBob for firing him in the first place and hires him back.
The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water: After the apocalypse hits, he is among the crowd who think SpongeBob is a traitor once he helps Plankton escape. Mr. Krabs also went through with executing SpongeBob even making fun of his supposed tears before realizing he was smelling Krabby Patties.
"SpongeBob's Place": As a result of his pettyone-sided jealousy, Mr. Krabs sends SpongeBob home while he serves the customers only to end up running himself out of business. Also, he revealed that he finds SpongeBob's laughter annoying by calling it hideous.
"Plankton Paranoia": Due to his mentally insane behavior, Mr. Krabs concluded that SpongeBob and Squidward were secretly working for Plankton and bans them from the restaurant. In the end, it turns out that SpongeBob, Squidward, and the rest of the gang were planning a surprise party for him. Mr. Krabs felt remorseful for his actions and apologized to his friends for banning them in the first place.
"Appointment TV": Mr. Krabs forces SpongeBob to organize his coins, despite his objections. Later in the evening, he, along with Patrick, Squidward, Sandy, Larry, Plankton, Gary and Mrs. Puff, saw how completely sad SpongeBob was when he missed the lost episode of Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy and realized that he took advantage of his kindness. To make it up to him, he and the others put on a play in a recitation of the lost episode.
"Broken Alarm": Mr. Krabs scolds SpongeBob for constantly being late. When Mr. Krabs finds SpongeBob still asleep in the destroyed kitchen, Mr. Krabs states he'd have to open and close the Krusty Krab an hour later if SpongeBob's late again.
"My Two Krabses": When Mr. Krabs (without a shell) interrupts Mrs. Puff's date with the fake Mr. Krabs brought to life by SpongeBob, he gets thrown out by SpongeBob and Patrick. SpongeBob apologizes and explains the situation to Mr. Krabs after Squidward points out he's the real Mr. Krabs, but Mr. Krabs is still annoyed due to SpongeBob ruining his date.
