"Shell of a Man" is a SpongeBob SquarePants episode from season 4. In this episode, Mr. Krabs molts and loses his shell just before meeting up with his Navy buddies, so SpongeBob dresses up in it and takes his place.

Characters

• SpongeBob SquarePants
• Squidward Tentacles
• Eugene H. Krabs
• Navy buddies ^(debut)
  • Iron Eye ^(debut)
  • Mutton Chop ^(debut)
  • Torpedo Belly ^(debut)
  • Lockjaw Jones ^(debut)
• Barnacles ^(mentioned)
• Pearl Krabs ^(mentioned)
• Navy captain ^(debut)
• Incidentals
  • Suzy ^(lavender)
  • Incidental 24
  • "Navy inc" incidentals ^(debut)
    • Navy inc 3
    • Navy inc
    • Muscle extra (tan)
    • Muscle extra (cyan)
    • Incidental 185 ^{("Navy inc" variant)}
    • Reg ^{("Navy inc" variant)}
    • Popeye fish ^{("Navy inc" variant)}
    • Belt buckle thug ^{("Navy inc" variant)}
    • Tough guy fish ^{("Navy inc" variant)}
    • Umpire fish
    • Injured driver 1
    • Navy inc (yellow)
    • Navy inc (pink)
    • Navy inc (lavender)
    • Navy inc (tan)
    • Navy inc (pudgy)
    • Navy inc (green)
• Patrick Star ^{(Deleted storyboard and in end credits)}
• Jellyfish ^(mentioned)

Synopsis

At the Krusty Krab, SpongeBob is in the middle of making a Krabby Patty, and when he is finished, he cries as he gives it to Squidward so that he can give it to customer number 5. The customer is revealed to be SpongeBob, who grabs the order, and eats it. Meanwhile, outside the Krusty Krab, Mr. Krabs calls SpongeBob into his "Hidey Hole" under the dumpster, where he keeps his belongings from when he was in the Navy in a treasure chest.

After taking the chest into his office, Mr. Krabs tells SpongeBob about his days as "Armor Abs Krabs," the nickname he was given due to his tough armor. He explains that night, he is having a Navy reunion and is going to see all his tough and manly Navy buddies. Afterwards, SpongeBob leaves the office, but suddenly Mr. Krabs let out a wail of despair. Walking back into the office, he finds Mr. Krabs' shell, completely empty, and finds Mr. Krabs himself, naked and squishy.

Mr. Krabs explains he grew too big for his shell and molted, and is now in despair because he no longer looks tough or manly, looking "pink and soft." After a little bit of slapstick, SpongeBob accidentally launches into Mr. Krabs' shell, which gives Mr. Krabs an idea: for SpongeBob to impersonate him at the reunion, as SpongeBob can also do a convincing impression of his voice.

Later, at the reunion, SpongeBob initially puts on a convincing performance, but goes onstage to accept his "Trophy of Manly Toughness." He tells a story of him jellyfishing in Jellyfish Fields, and nearly reveals his true identity, before Mr. Krabs tells him to get offstage.

He attempts to leave, but Torpedo Belly insists that he body-slam him to test if he still has "armor abs." When he punches SpongeBob, he flies around the room, cracking the shell and revealing SpongeBob. They get angry, but the real Mr. Krabs emerges from the bush that he had been watching from and reveals himself. He begins to walk away in shame, until Muttonchop gives him back his trophy, saying that revealing his condition was the manliest thing anyone could ever do, and revealing that they have all had unmanly secrets as well: Muttonchop's sideburns are fake, Torpedo Belly had his torpedo removed long ago after his retirement from the Navy, Lockjaw Jones lost his Navy chompers and now has to wear dentures, and Iron Eye's eye is actually made of Formica. They all share a laugh in satisfaction and acceptance.

As the episode closes with Mr. Krabs walking away with SpongeBob who complements how each of the sailors had a secret of their own, he says "Yeah, poor suckers. At least my shell will grow back!" and they both start laughing.

Production

The finished master was delivered to Nickelodeon Animation Studio on January 9, 2005 and confirmed by SpongeBuddy Mania on March 17, 2005 as "Molting."^[6] New York Post officially announced the episode on April 8, 2005, along with its sister episode and the release of the fourth season.^[7]

As with the other episodes from "Fear of a Krabby Patty'' to ''Good Neighbors'', writing and storyboard production for this episode was well underway in 2004 but post production did not finish until 2005.

Art

Storyboards

• Written and rough storyboard by Mike Bell and Paul Tibbitt, with additional storyboard by Vincent Waller, supervised by Sherm Cohen, plussed by Zeus Cervas and Brad Vandergrift.

Character design

• Drawing by Clint Bond.^[8]

Music

( ‣ ) Production music

( • ) Original music

( ◦ ) SpongeBob music

 ‣ When Daylight Shines Captain Lenoe's - The Folk Players [Title card]
 • Percussion Suspense - Nicolas Carr [SpongeBob preparing the Krabby Patty]
 ‣ Ta-ra A - Sammy Burdson, John Charles Fiddy ["Perfection!"]
 ‣ Lonely Violin - Dick Stephen Walter [SpongeBob cries]
 • FlexTone Sting - Nicolas Carr ["That's me!"]
 • Steel Licks 46 - Jeremy Wakefield [SpongeBob eats the Krabby Patty]
 • Vibe & Harp Hits - Nicolas Carr ["Hello, what's this?"]
 ‣ Towerstreet 17 [#6] - Gerhard Narholz [Mr. Krabs' hidey-hole]
 ‣ Heavenly Voices (A) - David Farnon [Choir]
 • Mystery Chime - Nicolas Carr [Mr. Krabs' navy stuff is shown]
 ‣ The Tip Top Polka/The Cliff Polka - Chelmsford Folk Band [Mr. Krabs' navy stuff/"Okay, maybe I'm a bit bigger. But I'm still the toughest of the tough."]
 ‣ Captain Lenoe's - The Folk Players ["Now be a good lad and go get your station in ship shape."]
 • Snare Drum Cadence - Nicolas Carr ["Aye aye, sir!"]
 ‣ Astronauts March - Sam Spence ["All right, let's get this place ship-shape!"]
 ‣ Danger Zone - Mike Sunderland ["Mr. Krabs. Mr. Krabs?"/SpongeBob sniffs Mr. Krabs' arm.]
 ‣ Against The Law (B) - Wilfred William Burns [Mr. Krabs hiding behind a barrel]
 ‣ Lonely Heart's Club - David Bell, Otto Sieben ["It's true. I've molted."]
 ‣ Up She Rises - Sam Spence ["You're acting like there never was a man in that shell."]
 ‣ Lonely Heart's Club - David Bell, Otto Sieben [Mr. Krabs kicks his shell]
 ‣ Drama Link (B) - Hubert Clifford [SpongeBob screams]
 • Grass Skirt Chase - Sage Guyton, Jeremy Wakefield [Shell lands on SpongeBob's head]
 • Thats It ! - Nicolas Carr ["SpongeBob, you're a genius!"]
 • Lap Steel - Nicolas Carr ["I get to be a Navy Buddy?"]
 ‣ Brahms Lullaby - Curtis Frederick Schwartz [Wallet in bed]
 ‣ When Daylight Shines/Captain Lenoe's - The Folk Players [At the reunion/"What do you say, Krabs? Just like old times."]
 • PercussionAnouncement - Nicolas Carr [Drum roll]
 ‣ What Shall We Do with the Drunken Sailor? - Okko Bekker [Trophy awarded to Mr. Krabs]
 ‣ Finders Creepers - Paddy Kingsland [SpongeBob's speech]
 • Steel Licks 22 - Jeremy Wakefield ["Huh?"]
 ‣ Towerstreet 17 [#24] - Gerhard Narholz ["Where do you think you're going?!"]
 • Showdown Tension - Nicolas Carr ["Let's have at it."]
 ‣ Towerstreet 17 [#17] - Gerhard Narholz [Body slam]
 • Steel Licks 78 - Jeremy Wakefield [Mr. Krabs' shell breaks apart, revealing SpongeBob]
 ‣ Dramatic Impact (3) - Ivor Slaney [Everyone gasps]
 ‣ Fates [#61] - Gregor F. Narholz ["This is who I am."/"C'mon, lad, let's go home."]
 ‣ The Dreadnought Tea Clipper (B) - Tim Laycock, Robert Alexander White ["I don't understand."]
 ‣ Tales From The Swamp (C) - Ron Goodwin [Fake sideburns]
 ‣ Blow The Man Down - Brian Peters ["I had my torpedo removed long ago."]
 ‣ The Twin Sisters - Chelmsford Folk Band [The ending.]

Release

Distribution

• This episode is available on the Fear of a Krabby Patty DVD and VHS, Bob Esponja Vol. 1, Season 4 Volume 1, Absorbingly SpongeBob, First 100 Episodes, Bob Esponja Cumple 10 Años, Really Big Box Set, The Ultimate SpongeBob Box Set, SpongeBob SquarePants Vol. 5, Complete Fourth Season, Nautical Nonsense, From the Beginning, Part 2, SpongeBob SquarePants: Volume 1, The SpongeBob SquarePants Collection, The SpongeBob SquarePants 8 Season DVD Collection, Favorite Episodes Volume 2, The Best 300 Episodes Ever, 2-Season TV Pack, The Third & Fourth Seasons, and The Best 200 Episodes Ever DVDs.

Reception

• This episode and "Fear of a Krabby Patty" were nominated for an Emmy at the 2005 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program (for Programming Less Than One Hour).^[9]
• "Shell of a Man" was ranked #85 during the Best Day Ever event from November 9–10, 2006.

Trivia

General

• During production, this episode was originally titled "Molting." The case for the screener version of the Fear of a Krabby Patty VHS uses this title. American television broadcasts from 2019 onward also list the title as "Molting" in the on-screen credits.^[6]
• This is the first episode for four things:
  • The first episode where Mr. Krabs molts his shell.
  • The first episode to be written and storyboard directed by Mike Bell.
  • This is Vincent Waller's first episode as a storyboard director as opposed to a storyboard artist.
  • The first episode in the series to play "FlexTone Sting," "Mystery Chime," and "PercussionAnouncement."
• At the beginning, when SpongeBob and Squidward talk in their usual work positions, the Krusty Krab through the window alternates from the outer walls and windows seen through the window to simple yellow, orange, and black paint.
• It is revealed that Mr. Krabs has a hiding hole under the dumpster behind the Krusty Krab.
• Mr. Krabs was known as Armor Abs Krabs in the navy.
• Lockjaw Jones offers SpongeBob grog, a watered-down form of rum. This is one of very few direct references to alcohol in the series.
• A yellow version of Reg from "No Weenies Allowed" can be seen at the Navy reunion. A purple version of the fish who says, "I ain't calling you for dinner" from the same episode can also be seen.
• The phrase "Barnacles" seems to be treated like a profanity phrase.
• This along with its sister episode both end with SpongeBob and Mr. Krabs laughing.
• This is the second episode to have crabs on the title card. The first was "Krusty Love."
• When SpongeBob goes to the reunion, Torpedo Belly does not have the torpedo in his stomach like in the photo, foreshadowing the navy buddies have secrets of their own which they reveal near the end.
• There are a few brief hints leading up to Mr. Krabs' molting:
  • The tattoo Mr. Krabs shows SpongeBob is on a piece of broken shell.
  • When Mr. Krabs tries on his navy jacket, it is too small for him.
• Along with its sister, remastered reprints of this episode do not credit storyboard artists, likely to be consistent with the normal opening credits for the rest of the season.
  • This was the last episode to credit storyboard artists (similar to the first 3 seasons; until "A Cabin in the Kelp") in the opening credits in the United States. As a result, this the only episode in which Brad Vandergrift's name is seen in the opening credits. However the Canadian airing of the episode and "Krabs vs. Plankton" still credited storyboard artists in the opening credits.
  • In subsequent episodes (and remastered prints of this episode and "Fear of a Krabby Patty"), the storyboard artists for sister episodes are listed together in the end credits.
    • "Have You Seen This Snail?" and this episode have similar looking character designs to the movie, which Aaron Springer worked heavily on, so he might have storyboarded(and written) part of the episode. He is not credited for this episode though.

Errors

• Number 5's Krabby Patty looks different in both shots.

• When Mr. Krabs shows SpongeBob his navy treasures, the left flag with the white and blue triangles keeps rotating.
• When SpongeBob points to the picture of Mr. Krabs' navy friends, the picture appears to be in black and white. However, in the close-up of the picture, it is shown to have color.
• When SpongeBob goes to see Mr. Krabs after the latter molts, his top-right hole is outlined, the flags are smaller, and one of the flags is missing.

• When SpongeBob says "You alright?" His side is colored yellow instead of green.
• When SpongeBob is inside Mr. Krabs' shell, his head is outlined black for a split second and the part that Mr. Krabs' nose goes on his shell is missing.

• When SpongeBob goes inside Mr. Krabs' office after Mr. Krabs lets out a wail of despair, Mr. Krabs' photo, navy cadet uniform, and treasure chest all disappear.
• Mr. Krabs does not have his nose after he molts, and his shell does not have it either.
  • Also, before Mr. Krabs molts, his eyelids are red. But after he molts, they are pink.
• SpongeBob is nearly as tall as Mr. Krabs' shell, but when Iron Eye punches him in the gut, he bounces around inside, making him appear very small in comparison to the shell.

• SpongeBob pulls his nose to look like Mr. Krabs', but when he gets punched by Iron Eye, his nose reverts back to normal then it changes back to Mr. Krabs'. This also happens when he and Torpedo Belly belly butt each other and his nose reverts back to normal again.
• When SpongeBob is punched the first time, he spits out his skull, although his buck teeth are still intact.

• In the end credits of this episode, Lockjaw Jones' name is misspelled as "Lock Jaw" instead of "Lockjaw."
  • Also, in the end credits, Patrick is listed, even though he is neither seen nor heard in this episode, although he was seen in the deleted storyboards.

• When SpongeBob goes to the convention, before he goes inside, his nose is miscolored.
• Mr. Krabs is a bit more than 2x times the size of SpongeBob at the ending. Which is incorrect since SpongeBob is almost as tall as Mr. Krabs.

Video

Names in other languages

Language	Name	Meaning
Dutch	Kruip in de Huid Van...
French	Les Gars de la Marine	The Navy Guys
German	Harte Schale, weicher Kern	Hard Shell, Soft Core
Greek	Το Καβούκι ενός Άνδρα To Kavoúki enós Ándra	The Shell of a Man
Hungarian	Micsoda férfi!	What a Man!
Italian	Marinaio Senza Guscio	Sailor Without a Shell
Japanese	カーニさん 脱皮する!? Kāni-san dappi suru!?	Mr. Krabs, You're Molting!?
Portuguese (Brazil)	Másculo, Mesmo Sem Casca	Manly, Even Without a Shell
Portuguese (Portugal)	Saído da Casca
Russian	Панцирь для мужчины Pantsir' dlya muzhchiny	Shell for a Man
Spanish (Latin America)	El Caparazón de un Hombre	The Shell of a Man
Spanish (Spain)	La Concha de un Hombre	The Shell of a Man

References

1. ^ https://www.sbmania.net/forums/threads/spongebob-movie-and-best-day-ever-premiere-on-nick-uk-next-monday.21800/#post-331371
2. ^ The Return of the Yellow Sponge
3. ^ Season 4 endSpetember in Holland. - SpongeBuddy Mania Forums
4. ^ Second Part of Season 4 In Israel!!! - SpongeBuddy Mania Forums
5. ^ Season 4 - SpongeBuddy Mania Forums
6. ^ ^{a b} Fear of a Krabby Patty Info - SpongeBuddy Mania Forums
7. ^ Bob Squad released by the New York Post. Archived by April 11, 2005.
8. ^ Clint Bond - Squid Noir
9. ^ Outstanding Animated Program (for Programming Less Than One Hour) 2005 - Nominees and Winners | Television Academy