Pearl Krabs is one of the ten main characters in the SpongeBob SquarePants franchise.[1] She is a young whale who lives in a hollow anchor with her father Mr. Krabs. When Pearl grows up, Mr. Krabs wants her to continue the family business by inheriting the Krusty Krab and becoming its owner.[2] She is voiced by Lori Alan.
Pearl was the second main character that Stephen Hillenburg created for the show. He was inspired to design her while working as a supervisor for whale watches at the Ocean Institute. Hillenburg often received letters that asked why Pearl is a whale while her father is a crab.[3] The answer is simple: Hillenburg wanted each member of the main cast to be a different animal.
The in-universe difference in species between Pearl and Mr. Krabs has never been addressed in an episode, but the official trivia book states that Pearl takes after her unseen mother, who was also a whale. Stephen Hillenburg was strongly against revealing the identity of Pearl's mom and kept it a secret throughout the show.[4][5]
