Plankton and Karen
| Plankton and Karen | |
|---|---|
| SpongeBob SquarePants characters | |
Karen (silver mobile form from The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie; left) and Plankton (right) | |
| First appearance |
|
| Created by | Stephen Hillenburg |
| Designed by | Stephen Hillenburg |
| Voiced by | Plankton: Mr. Lawrence Karen: Jill Talley |
| Portrayed by | Plankton: Wesley Taylor (Broadway) Karen: Stephanie Hsu (Broadway) |
| In-universe information | |
| Species | Plankton: Cyclops copepod Karen: artificially intelligent supercomputer |
| Gender | Male (Plankton) Female (Karen) |
| Occupation | Owners and founders of the Chum Bucket |
| Family | Plankton: Unnamed father Unnamed mother Karen: E.M.I.L.P. (mother) |
| Children | Chip Plankton (son) |
| Relatives | Plankton: Grand Dad Plankton (grandfather) Granny Plankton (grandmother) Clem (cousin) Unnamed other cousins ("Plankton's Army") |
| Pets | Spot (pet amoeba) |
Sheldon J. Plankton and Karen Plankton are a pair of fictional characters and the main antagonists of Nickelodeon's SpongeBob SquarePants franchise. They are voiced by Mr. Lawrence and Jill Talley, respectively. Their first appearance was in the episode "Plankton!", which premiered on July 31, 1999. They were created and designed by the marine biologist and animator Stephen Hillenburg, the creator of the series. Hillenburg named Karen after his wife, Karen Hillenburg (née Umland).
Plankton and Karen are the married owners of the unsuccessful Chum Bucket restaurant. Plankton is an intellectual planktonic Cyclops copepod and Karen is a waterproof supercomputer. Plankton shares a rivalry with Mr. Krabs, who owns the far more profitable Krusty Krab restaurant and sells a fictional burger called the Krabby Patty. Plankton and Karen often devise schemes to steal the secret Krabby Patty recipe from the Krusty Krab, but their efforts are always thwarted by Krabs and his employees.
Critics have praised the characters’ voices and dialogue together. They began as minor characters, but Lawrence developed their personalities throughout the show's early seasons and they eventually became the franchise's main antagonists. The Planktons play central roles in The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie, which promoted them both to main cast members in its credits, and in the 2015 film. Plankton and Karen are the lead characters in the Netflix feature film Plankton: The Movie, which was released on March 7, 2025.