Top 10 Times Plankton Almost Got the Krabby Patty Formula
#10: Equipping a Patty With Maximum Overdrive “Krusty Krab Training Video”
This training video is chock-full of memorable and quotable moments, and one of them is when Plankton sabotages the shoot. When SpongeBob guards a Krabby Patty, it suddenly grows robotic spider legs and begins walking away with Plankton riding on top. Only one problem - he doesn’t even have it running at walking speed. So, in hindsight, what difference could a “maximum overdrive” mode really make? He’s easily captured and flicked out of the Krusty Krab. The only way a turbo button could have given him a clean getaway is if it had rockets on it, but something tells us that would have been a pointless investment, too.
#9: Controlling SpongeBob’s Brain “Plankton!”
In his debut episode, Plankton got remarkably close to getting the formula through a simple scheme. As SpongeBob sleeps, the dastardly microscopic organism crawls inside his head and takes over his brain. After barging through several walls, Plankton manages to get a Krabby Patty over a machine that would dissect the burger, thus revealing the ingredients. However, SpongeBob’s final words to the patty entice Plankton to jump out of his yellow cranium, bouncing off the patty and into oblivion. Hey, turns out Plankton isn’t completely evil - just a bunch of gas!
#8: Recruiting Criminals “Jailbreak!”
One would think an extra pair of eyes would be enough to watch our single-eyed cell in his cell, but Plankton got pretty far with his own posse of crooks. One of his more recent hijinks, Plankton learns that his creation of chum has helped a group of criminals carry out their mischievous deeds. Enlightened, he puts together a jailbreak and has his new lackeys storm the Krusty Krab. Just when he’s about to steal the formula, it turns out that the formula was just a fake wall, and Krabs had stuffed the Bikini Bottom Police in his safe. So close!
#7: Karen’s Gift “Single Cell Anniversary”
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You know, we’re starting to believe that Karen is too good for Plankton. With their anniversary on the horizon, Plankton enlists the help of SpongeBob to find Karen a gift. We learn later that she got her husband the best gift he could ever receive - the Krabby Patty formula. It was easy to accomplish, too - all she did was order a Patty. However, just as she finishes uploading the formula, Karen starts crying and ends up short-circuiting herself. And so, Plankton is left to deal with Karen’s Emergency Mother In-Law Program.
#6: Pretending to be SpongeBob’s Friend “F.U.N.”
“F.U.N.” is fondly remembered for a certain tune, but it was also one of Plankton’s easiest attempts at stealing a Krabby Patty. Throughout this episode, we see Plankton slowly adopting SpongeBob’s friendly and outgoing attitude, but it’s after a brief confrontation with Mr. Krabs when we finally see it has all been a ruse. While the newfound friends watch a movie, Krabs outs his competitor in front of the whole theater. He appears guilty of deceiving SpongeBob first, but of course, Plankton shakes off his remorse and tries to escape with the Krabby Patty through the movie screen...and fails miserably. Guess Plankton doesn’t know how movie theaters are built.
#5: Recruiting His Family “Plankton’s Army”
Sure, family will always have your back, but anything can happen when it comes to stealing the secret formula. Surprisingly, Plankton and his cousins successfully invade the Krusty Krab and crack open Krabs’s safe. Just when it seems like our evil mastermind is about to reveal all the ingredients that make up a Krabby Patty, we are presented with a shocking revelation. Yeah, we’d be screaming and running, too. Thing is, though, the formula was a fake. Perhaps Plankton should try looking around Krabs’ home first before breaking into the Krusty Krab next time.
#4: Switching Places with Mr. Krabs “The Algae’s Always Greener”
Ever wondered what life would have been like if Plankton and Krabs had switched places? Well, we got a glimpse of it here, but it wasn’t as pretty of a picture as we were inclined to believe. Even though Plankton finally owned the formula and ran a successful business, life had gotten more hectic for him. He’s forced to endure Squidward’s constant complaining, Pearl’s teenager habits, angry customers, and of course, SpongeBob. It all becomes too much for him to handle, resulting in him reversing his entire decision. Holographic meatloaf over a naked Mr Krabs naked anyday!
#3: Faking a Change in Behavior “New Leaf”
One could say this was just a repeat of “F.U.N.”, but this went on longer than anyone expected. Our evil genius adapts a kinder, more mild-mannered attitude and begins living a normal life exempt of sinister schemes. Mr Krabs tries to catch him in the act several times, but fails and ends up looking like the bad guy. Believing Plankton has finally changed, Krabs decides to share the secret formula with his once good friend. To no one’s surprise, Plankton quickly diverts back to his regular self only to find out that he’s once again been outsmarted. “Gotcha!”
#2: Robo-Krabs “Imitation Krabs”
It’s a fantastic evil plot in a fantastic episode! “Imitation Krabs” features Plankton’s funniest (and most desperate) attempt at nabbing the Krusty Krab’s most prized possession. Having distracted Krabs with a runaway penny, Plankton operates a robot version of his rival in order to try and get SpongeBob to tell him what makes a Krabby Patty. To his dismay, our porous pal puts him through all sorts of rigorous tasks and STILL doesn’t reveal the recipe. When SpongeBob believes the real Mr. Krabs to be the imposter, he hands the formula to Plankton...only to accidentally activate the coin-slot self-destruct sequence. Why’d you even install this, man? Before we get to our number one pick, here are a few Honorable Mentions… Reporting Krabs for Illegal Sales of Krabby Patties, “Banned in Bikini Bottom” Impersonating Gary, “Shellback Shenanigans” Winning SpongeBob in a Card Game, “Welcome to the Chum Bucket”
#1: Plan Z “The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie” (2004)
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This will forever be known as the moment where Plankton succeeded in not only nabbing the formula, but conquering all of Bikini Bottom. “The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie” sees Plankton carry out a mission known as “Plan Z”, which involves stealing King Neptune’s crown and pinning the crime on Mr. Krabs. With SpongeBob out of the way and Krabs frozen, Plankton nabs the formula, sells patties at the Chum Bucket, and soon dupes everyone in town with bucket helmets, allowing him to take over the town. He IS foiled in the end, but hey - at least he was defeated by a tasty jam!