July 29, 2006

Know Your Edible Ocean Bugs

This is what a lobster looks like:

This is what a crab looks like:

The observant observer will notice that a lobster has a long body, a tail, and antennae, while a crab has a round body, no tail, and no antennae.

Now, bearing those distinctions in mind, this is what Sebastian from The Little Mermaid looks like:

Note that Sebstian has a round body, no tail, and no antennae. He does have pincers with which to hold maracas, but since pincers are common to crabs and lobsters, that is irrelevant. The point is, Sebastian is clearly, unequivocally, undeniably, inarguably, a crab. He's a crab. Sebastian is a crab. Not a lobster. A crab.

Nonetheless, at a party this evening I found it necessary to defend, albeit unsuccessfully, the crabhood of Sebastian in the face of completely unsupportable allegations of lobsterhood. The primary evidence I offered in support of Sebastian's crab status was:

(1) No tail.
(2) Round body.
(3) He runs sideways at at least one point in the movie.
(4) He gets stuffed by the chef (a weak point since, as one of my adversaries pointed out, you can stuff lobster).
(5) "Come on! He's a crab! Are you crazy?" (perhaps a poor choice of words since I was one of the only people at this party who wasn't a psychologist).

I couldn't convince the lobsterites that Sebastian was a crab. Fortunately there are so many people who don't know the difference between a lobster and a crab that the Internet has answered the question for us. From Disney Online Guest Services:

Q: Is Sebastian from "The Little Mermaid" a crab or a lobster?

A: Sebastian is a crab.

That settles it.

Posted by hb at July 29, 2006 12:52 AM

Comments

also in the movie the chef trying to cook him sings "what a sweet little succulent crab." come on, people.

Posted by: didofoot on July 29, 2006 11:30 AM

I was going to say the same thing. It's in the song.

Posted by: kenny on July 29, 2006 12:28 PM

I think this blog warrants an introduction. Matt, my name is Robyn. I loiter around the CH periphery, and I think your blog - this one particularly - is ridiculously funny. Thank you.

Posted by: robyn on July 30, 2006 01:47 AM

How could people who grew up in the "Little Mermaid" era not know that Sebastian is a crab!? Maybe they had him confused with another famous cartoon crustacean, who is in fact, a lobster - Dr. Zoidberg from the greatest show Futurama?

Posted by: Jess on July 31, 2006 08:18 AM

There couldn't have been any confusion as to identity. The conversation was sparked by a Sebastian sticker that a four-year-old party attendee was playing with.

Posted by: matt on July 31, 2006 12:16 PM

triton also tells sebastian he is just the crab for the job, and sebastian later moans that triton is going to "kill himself a crab," which could just be an under-the-sea turn of phrase but I personally believe sebastian is worried he himself will be killed. who is the person who has never seen the movie?

Posted by: didofoot on July 31, 2006 12:48 PM

p.s. what really needs to get cleared up is whether zorack is a mantis or a locust. now that is something well worth discussing at a party. a party of nerds, i.e. the only kind I ever attend.

Posted by: didofoot on July 31, 2006 12:50 PM

If you look at his color he is red. As a Mainer I know that lobsters are only red when they are cooked. Are these people saying that he's some type of undead cooked lobster? If so that might be the first time I would want to eat the zombie and not the other way around.

Posted by: Chun on July 31, 2006 04:31 PM

under the ground
under the ground
no fuddy-duddies, under the muddies
we get around
out of the grave they drink champagne
me, I prefer to sip dee brain
I'm kind of jamaican
my accent I'm fakin'
under the ground

Posted by: didofoot on July 31, 2006 05:13 PM

i love sebastinan he is hot and italian lol

Posted by: anna on August 22, 2007 12:49 PM

sebastian is a lobster. end of discusion

Posted by: Suzi on August 22, 2007 12:50 PM

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