Whether you grew up loving the show or have only caught a few episodes, you can’t deny SpongeBob SquarePants is a cultural phenomenon. Ever since the cartoon first aired on Nickelodeon back in 1999, viewers across the world have enjoyed watching the antics of their favorite sponge who lives in a pineapple under the sea.

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A typical SpongeBob episode will follow the titular sponge as he hangs out with his friends, annoys his neighbor Squidward, or works a shift at the local burger joint, The Krusty Krab. Sure, SpongeBob gets into some shenanigans but it’s standard cartoon stuff, like creating an evil doodle or keeping the Krabby Patty formula a secret. So you can imagine fans’ surprise when rumors emerged that Mr. Krabs had died on the show.

Mr. Krabs, the owner of The Krusty Krab, isn’t the nicest crustacean in the ocean, but could someone really want to kill him? Is SpongeBob SquarePants murdering beloved characters now? Let’s get to the (Bikini) bottom of this.

What episode does Mr. Krabs die in?

If you’re thinking you missed an episode of SpongeBob, don’t worry. If you can’t recall Mr. Krabs dying onscreen then you’re right; the money-hungry crab does not die in any episodes of the show.

So why all the fuss in the first place? The rumor started after part of an 11-page document titled “The Trial of SpongeBob SquarePants” went viral in 2022. The story cooked up in the document states that Mr. Krabs had been found dead in The Krusty Krab and, after no evidence could be found to implicate his infamous rival, Plankton, the chief suspect became none other than his loyal fry cook, SpongeBob.

“SpongeBob insists that he’s innocent,” reads the “Trial” document. “The authorities don’t buy Mr. SquarePants’s claims, but he has found a team of defense lawyers who do. Some of the evidence does, in fact, seem to indicate that SpongeBob’s story might actually be true. Whatever really happened, this is shaping up to the trial of the underwater century!”

(I hope you just read that in the voice of the fish news anchor.)

So if this isn’t a breakdown of an actual episode then what is it? “The Trial of SpongeBob SquarePants” is really a part of a classroom activity to teach students how to craft persuasive arguments using evidence to support their case. The document outlines the crime scene evidence, suspect evidence, and witness testimonies to supply students with everything they need to make a case either to defend or prosecute SpongeBob.

Although it’s wonderfully entertaining and creative, “The Trial” is not an official SpongeBob material so fortunately, Mr. Krabs is indeed still alive in the show.

How does Mr. Krabs ‘die?’

OK, so it’s not official, but I bet you’re still dying to know what happened to Mr. Krabs in the imagined storyline of “The Trial.” Here’s how the shocking crime went down.

Squidward discovered Mr. Krabs’ body after he heard a scream in The Krusty Krab. The restaurant owner was found with a cut throat and a bloody metal spatula next to the body. The coroner confirmed that the cause of death was blood loss, but there was also evidence of blunt-force trauma on the back of his head. There were no signs of a break-in and both the cash register and the safe with the Krabby Patty secret formula were empty when police arrived.

Since students are intended to use the document to argue a case for SpongeBob’s innocence or guilt in the trial for Krabs’ murder, there is no clear culprit. The evidence listed in the document could point to an accident as there was cooking grease near the crime scene so Krabs could have slipped. One could make a strong argument, however, that either SpongeBob or Plankton (or even the two together) killed the greedy Krusty Krab boss.

You see, SpongeBob was denied a raise shortly before Krabs’ death and Plankton obviously wanted the Krabby Patty secret formula so the two have motivation. The two have become even more suspicious since the murder as Plankton has begun selling new burgers at his restaurant, The Chum Bucket, and has even paid off SpongeBob’s house loan.

Unfortunately for SpongeBob, a glance at real-life recreations of “The Trial” point to the once squeaky-clean sponge being found guilty over and over.

Cowboys proving their case with The Trial of SpongeBob SquarePants and the prosecution wins! Excellent job during Intersession Cowboys! @WEClarke_MS #TeamSISD

— ClarkeLibrarian, MLS (@WClarkeLibrary) March 9, 2022

Who killed Mr. Krabs? Both classes found Spongebob guilty!!

— Mrs. Custard (@BHSCustard) May 14, 2021

Although some prefer the accident interpretation.

Is Spongebob guilty? DE Anatomy got to participate as the jury in Ms. Howard's DE English Trial of Spongebob in the Death of Mr. Krab's. @EMHSMustangs @emhsHoward

— Melanie Kirby (@bcvball7) October 31, 2018

Do you believe you could argue SpongeBob’s innocence? Or maybe you’ve always had a hankering to bring the shrill-voiced sea-dweller down? Why not hold your own version of the trial and decide for yourself what happened to Mr. Krabs.