Pearl Krabs

Pearl Krabs is a supporting character in The SpongeBob Musical. An emotional teenager, she is the tall whale daughter of the short crab Eugene Krabs. Pearl's signature characteristic is her incredible singing.

Act I
As another day at the Krusty Krab begins for SpongeBob and Squidward, Mr. Krabs tells everyone that he’s brought his daughter Pearl with him. Enter Pearl, who causes the entire building to shake. Her attention is towards her phone rather than the Krusty Krab, yelling “Hey girl!” to someone on her phone. She promptly hangs up, saying “Call you back.” In the Television Special, Pearl simply stomps onstage with her phone pressed against her ears. Mr. Krabs informs Pearl that as soon as she graduates, he’ll make her manager of the Krusty Krab. Pearl tells her father that she does not share the same aspirations her father has for her. Mr. Krabs doubts this, as he believes her only aspirations are to listen to The Electric Skates all day.

Once the threat of Mount Humongous is made known and a stay-at-home order is made, Mr. Krabs announces in sorrow that he’ll have to close for the day. Pearl immediately goes to get the cash out of the register. During “No Control”, Mr. Krabs tells Pearl she must stay home with him, and Pearl gets upset over her trip to the mall being cancelled.

During The Mayor’s town hall meeting, Pearl is the one who suggests that a benefit concert be held to raise the funds for the escape pod Plankton proposes. However, no one hears her but Plankton, who tells everyone the idea as if it were his. Fortunately, they do hear her suggestions that The Electric Skates play to raise funds. The townspeople agree, and Pearl jumps up and down in excitement, proclaiming that she’s going to meet them. Mr. Krabs tells her that she will not, and takes her away from the crowd, saying that she’ll be staying inside.

After “(Just a) Simple Sponge”, SpongeBob runs to the Krusty Krab to tell his boss about the plan he has to save Bikini Bottom. Pearl then walks onstage with two pink dresses, telling her dad that she cannot decide which one to wear to The Electric Skate’s concert. Mr. Krabs once again tells her that she will not be in attendance. He continues, saying that Pearl is focused on the wrong things in this crisis. This segways into “Daddy Knows Best”, where Mr. Krabs tells Pearl that the most important thing in the world is money. Pearl attempts to express the fact that he doesn’t understand her, singing with a powerful and beautiful voice. Despite this, Mr. Krabs wholly ignores her, going on about the amount of money he has.

The song ends with Pearl bursting into tears and Mr. Krabs still not noticing her. SpongeBob sees Pearl crying and goes to comfort her. Pearl expresses a desire for her father to love her as much as he loves money and reveals to SpongeBob that she will meet the Electric Skates whether her fathers wants her to or not.

Act II
Pearl shows up to the Electric Skates’ soundcheck at the bandshell (“Bikini Bottom Boogie”) and impresses them with her voice. One of the Skates suggest Pearl become their back-up singer on tour, and Pearl giddily agrees. After the soundcheck, Pearl goes back home.

Later on, Mr. Krabs is with Pearl at the Krusty Krab, preparing to go to the bandshell where the Electric Skates will be performing and lamenting over how he may never see it again. Pearl impatiently cuts him off, ready to go.

When the citizens of Bikini Bottom reach the bandshell, Pearl asks where the band is, and Squidward tells the citizens that The Electric Skates quit. Pearl begins to cry and reveals that she was going to run away with them to go on tour. Mr. Krabs overhears this, and says that she’ll be grounded if they survive. In the Broadway musical, Pearl tells the town that her father may have enough money to get the escape pod. The Mayor seizes Mr. Krab’s briefcase full of money, and while the people count it, Mr. Krabs asks why Pearl would do this, and in return, Pearl asks if money is really more important than everyone’s survival.

Once the boulder squishes Old Man Jenkins, Pearl and the rest of Bikini Bottom begin fighting. In the Broadway musical, once SpongeBob, Sandy, and Patrick arrive back in Bikini Bottom, Pearl is on an elevated platform, looking at the catastrophe going on below her. She comes back down during “Best Day Ever”.

Once Mount Humongous doesn’t erupt, SpongeBob suggests a celebration with a concert. Pearl shows off her amazing voice, and for the first time in the musical, Mr. Krabs hears and is bewildered. In the musical, Larry says he’ll participate because of how amazing Pearl’s voice is.

Act I

 * “No Control”
 * “When the Going Gets Tough”
 * “Daddy Knows Best”
 * “Tomorrow Is”

Act II

 * “Bikini Bottom Boogie”
 * “Bikini-Tevka”
 * “Best Day Ever”
 * “Bikini Bottom Day” (reprise III)
 * “SpongeBob SquarePants Theme Song”

Appearance
To symbolize Pearl’s large height, Pearl’s costume includes a pompadour hairstyle as well as pink-and-white platform sneakers. For her outfit, Pearl wears a skirt of varying shades of pink with a white P imprinted on the chest. Over this is a jacket with pink-and-black stripes. In terms of accessories, Pearl wears triangle earrings and a pearl necklace.

Personality
On a surface level, Pearl seems like just the stereotype of a teenage girl. She’s moody, prone to crying, loves the color pink, obsessed with her phone, and in love with a boy band. However, the show immediately tells the audience that Pearl has her own dreams, separate from what her father wants from her, though these aspirations are never explained.

Pearl resents the fact that her father seems to love money more than her and the fact he doesn’t understand her. This is the driving force of her character in the play, leading her to disobey her father’s orders and go see the Electric Skates play.

Pearl is driven by her emotions, which can lead her to make reckless and imprudent decisions. Without a second thought, she accepts the Electric Skates’ invitation to go on tour with them. She later reveals this out loud within her father’s earshot because she was overcome with grief over the Electric Skates leaving without her.

Pearl seems to have inherited her father’s skewed priorities and materialism, albeit to a lesser extent. She immediately goes to get money out of the cash register upon learning that the Krusty Krab is closing. During “No Control”, she’s more concerned with her cancelled mall trip than the potential eruption of Mount Humongous.

Mannerisms
At various points in Act I, Pearl takes large steps that are accompanied with low rumble sound effects. This is done to remind the audience of the fact Pearl is one of the tallest citizens in Bikini Bottom.

Paraphernalia

 * Bags: Pearl carries two pink handbags of luggage when leaving Bikini Bottom.
 * Shellphone: For a majority of Pearl’s introductory scene, she is using her shellphone. In the Broadway musical, her first line is “Hey girl!”, directed toward someone on her phone. While SpongeBob talks with Mr. Krabs about his dream of becoming manager, she is looking at her phone.
 * Tear Simulator: In the stage musical, the actress playing Pearl uses this device to make it seem as though Pearl is producing massive streams of tears. This gag is done twice and the device is kept in the pocket of Pearl’s jacket.

Themes
Despite Pearl’s enormous height and spectacular voice, she is largely ignored by the people of Bikini Bottom, including her father. Pearl desires attention, so much so that she was willing to run away with the Electric Skates, the only people in the musical (at that point) who acknowledged her talent. Pearl’s character cautions adults to pay attention to younger people (especially young girls, who are often demeaned by society) because they can have just as brilliant of skills as adults, if not more.

Pearl is heavily associated with the color pink, just like in the television series. Pink is often used to represent innocence, youth, and naivety, some of Pearl’s central characteristics.

SpongeBob SquarePants
SpongeBob and Pearl seem to be on good terms. During SpongeBob’s verse in “No Control”, he says that he does not want to leave Bikini Bottom and instead stay to find a solution to the situation. He asks who agrees with him, and Pearl is shown raising her hand in the Television Special. After “Daddy Knows Best”, SpongeBob sees Pearl crying and goes to comfort her. During this scene in the Broadway production, Pearl confides in SpongeBob that she doesn’t feel her father loves her as much as he loves money and that she’ll be going to see the Electric Skates no matter what.

Eugene Krabs
Pearl has a tumultuous relationship with her father. The two both love each other, but have different interests and ideals, which often clash with one another. Pearl does not feel her father loves her more than money and resents the fact he does not listen to or understand her. Pearl feels like Mr. Krabs is smothering her, especially when he doesn’t allow her to see the Electric Skates.

The Electric Skates
The Electric Skates are Pearl’s favorite band, and she’s ecstatic at the opportunity to see them perform. At the bandshell, she meets the Electric Skates and is so flustered when they speak to her that she can’t remember her name. Upon being offered to go on tour with them, she doesn’t think twice and agrees. When she returns to the bandshell with the rest of Bikini Bottom for the concert and escape pod, she is absolutely distraught upon learning the Electric Skates quit. Her final line in the musical implies that she’s moved on from her obsession over them, referring to them as “some boy band”.