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99-567: Various Nickelodeon characters each receive a letter invitation to compete in a Grand Prix for the top prize, the Krusty Krab Big Bun Award. The host of the competition, also the individual who sent the invitations, is an unknown, unseen driver of a sleek, black car with a tinted dome window simply dubbed as the Mystery Rider, which the participating racers are challenged to beat, as well as each other. Upon arriving and being announced by

198-526: A Chicago native, uses a Midwestern accent for the character. Whenever Karen talks, her voice is mixed over electronic sound effects by the series' audio engineers to create a robotic sound. Her voice, which was more monotonous in earlier episodes, has been described as "deadpan" by the Associated Press. Some of Karen's conversations with Plankton are improvised between Talley and Lawrence. The latter described this improvisation as his "favorite part of

297-567: A "town meanie... but mean is different than evil. There is no evil, not even a sense of menace, in SpongeBob's soggy, safe world." Ann Hagman Cardinal of Blogcritics praised the character, rhetorically asking in a 2007 review, "who isn't tickled by the tight-jawed, Kirk Douglas -voiced Plankton with his silent moviesque evil plans to steal the secret recipe for the Krabby Patty?" Boston.com writer Jamie Loftus had mixed feelings about Plankton in

396-760: A 16-bit bus. The SM83 is a hybrid between two other 8-bit processors: the Intel 8080 and the Zilog Z80 . The SM83 has the seven 8-bit registers of the 8080 (compared to 14 on the Z80), but uses the Z80's programming syntax and extra bit manipulation instructions. Like the Game Boy Color, the SM83 in the Advance could be commanded to operate at either 4.194304 MHz when playing games compatible with

495-605: A 2015 article, asserting that while "almost every episode featuring tiny supervillain Plankton is highly formulaic," he never "gets old". James Poniewozik of Time magazine commented on Plankton in a 2001 article. He noted that "no one thinks it's strange that the town villain, the megalomaniacal Plankton, is a one-celled organism" as part of the "colorful, goofy" atmosphere of the program. In an article for The A.V. Club , Zack Handlen stated that "the humor of Plankton comes from how his operative ambitions are constantly thwarted by

594-624: A Pokémon Center sticker on the back), Celebi edition (olive green with Celebi images on bezel), and Latias/Latios edition (pink/red and purple, with images of Latias and Latios on bezel). With hardware performance comparable to the Super Nintendo Entertainment System , the Game Boy Advance represents progress for sprite -based technology. The system's library includes platformers, SNES-like role-playing video games , and games ported from various 8-bit and 16-bit systems of

693-421: A color Game Boy only when technology addressed the limitations of existing color handhelds. Internally, however, a team led by Satoru Okada , who played a key role in the original Game Boy's design, was already experimenting with color displays. Their early-1990s prototype, codenamed "Project Atlantis," featured a color screen and a powerful 32-bit processor designed by Advanced RISC Machines (ARM). The team

792-543: A float featuring Karen and a talking Plankton. In 2015, a recreation of Plankton's laboratory was constructed for a SpongeBob event at the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall in Zhongzheng District , Taipei . It included a replica of Karen's monitor, functioning as a television, screening episodes of SpongeBob , and a miniature Plankton statue. The Flaming Lips ' song " SpongeBob and Patrick Confront

891-559: A handheld device. Like all processors using the ARM architecture , the ARM7TDMI uses a reduced instruction set computer (RISC) design with sixteen 32-bit registers . Although the console was marketed as a 32-bit system, to reduce costs, Nintendo mixed 16-bit and 32-bit buses between the different modules within the CPU ;AGB. As a result, the majority of the console's memory is only accessible through

990-464: A lot of CPU resources. For sound, the Game Boy Advance features two PCM sample player channels, which work in combination with the Audio Processing Unit (APU), a programmable sound generator first used by the legacy Game Boy. The APU has four channels: a pulse wave generation channel with frequency and volume variation, a second pulse wave generation channel with only volume variation,

1089-478: A lower budget." ROM hacks , fan games, and Homebrew games are developed for the GBA. Nintendo hoped to sell 1.1 million Game Boy Advance units by the end of March with the system's Japanese debut, and anticipated sales of 24 million units before the end of 2001; many marketing analysts believed this to be a realistic goal due to the company's lack of major competition in the handheld video game market. Within

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1188-447: A monochrome handheld, considering competitors like the Lynx and Game Gear boasted color screens. However, Nintendo's gamble paid off. The rivals' color displays, while visually impressive, were criticized for their poor battery life and bulky size. The Game Boy, in contrast, offered superior portability and longevity, propelling it to immense popularity. Publicly, Nintendo pledged to develop

1287-568: A musical number titled "When the Going Gets Tough" (composed by T.I. ). The plot features them attempting to hypnotize the residents of Bikini Bottom into liking the food they serve at the Chum Bucket. Game Boy Advance The Game Boy Advance ( GBA ) is a 32-bit handheld game console developed, manufactured, and marketed by Nintendo as the successor to the Game Boy Color . It

1386-496: A naïve, trusting kid". In 2015, Entertainment Weekly ' s Hillary Busis named Plankton one of the most devious characters on television, adding in her commentary that he is "voiced to wicked perfection by Doug Lawrence". José Antonio Gómez Marín of El Mundo favorably compared Plankton's plans to the stories of Georges Simenon in a 2013 article. In his 2011 book SpongeBob SquarePants and Philosophy , political scientist Joseph J. Foy argues that "Plankton may actually be

1485-482: A new form-factor for the handheld, known as the Game Boy Advance SP (model AGS-001). The redesigned unit features a clamshell design that resembles a pocket-size laptop computer, including a folding case approximately one-half the size of the original unit. It has a rechargeable lithium-ion battery , a significantly brighter LCD screen, and an internal front-light that can be toggled on and off. The redesign

1584-446: A one-note character". Since then, multiple writers have written for Plankton without Lawrence's involvement, including the teams of writers responsible for Plankton's starring roles in the first two SpongeBob films. Lawrence continues to write Plankton episodes, having said in 2015, "I'm not just his voice. I get to create how the character is written and how he evolves over time." Preliminary design sketches for Plankton depict him in

1683-522: A plush toy based on Plankton. A Lego building set based on the Chum Bucket, including a Plankton minifigure and his laboratory with Karen, was released in 2007. The fourteenth issue of SpongeBob Comics , titled "Plankton Comics," is centered around the Planktons and includes six original stories set at the Chum Bucket. The 2013 video game Plankton's Robotic Revenge is Plankton-themed and features Lawrence and Jill Talley reprising their voice roles from

1782-452: A robotic suit, with Karen's system built into it; that suit has yet to appear in the series. The suit functioned as a way to increase Plankton's presence, as one of Hillenburg's original intentions was for the character to be too small to see without a magnifying glass. As the series progressed, the animators enlarged Plankton's size, feeling that being microscopic was "not conducive to him interacting with other characters". Plankton's voice

1881-556: A second redesign of the Game Boy Advance. This model, dubbed the Game Boy Micro, is similar in style to the original Game Boy Advance's horizontal orientation, but is much smaller and sleeker. The Game Boy Micro allows the user to switch between several colored faceplates to allow customization, a feature which Nintendo advertised heavily around the Game Boy Micro's launch. Nintendo also hoped that this "fashion" feature would help target audiences outside of typical video game players. Unlike

1980-574: A successor to the Game Boy Color, with news of the project emerging at the Space World trade show in late August 1999. The project, codenamed the Advanced Game Boy (AGB), would bring the 32-bit processing power envisioned in Project Atlantis to market. Nintendo officially announced the Game Boy Advance on September 1, 1999, revealing details about the system's specifications and teasing that

2079-507: A third Nicktoons Racing game was put into production, and was released in 2009 as Nicktoons Nitro , exclusively for arcades. In July 2018, Nickelodeon Kart Racers was announced, and was released in October 2018 as the fourth game in the Nicktoons Racing series. On June 10, 2020, Nickelodeon Kart Racers 2: Grand Prix , a sequel to the 2018 game, was leaked by Target , was announced

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2178-404: A villainous scientist; he built Karen, his first invention, when he was friends with Mr. Krabs in grade school. Prominent in his earliest appearances, Plankton's catchphrase is "I went to college!" He also has a pet amoeba named Spot who at first was a guard dog, but later became a retriever. Plankton's roles are not exclusively antagonistic. Outside of business, at least sometimes and mostly in

2277-448: A wave channel that can reproduce any waveform recorded in RAM, and a white noise channel with volume variation. The Game Boy Advance features a D-pad (directional pad) and six action buttons labeled 'A,' 'B,' 'L,' 'R,' 'SELECT,' and 'START.' The top of the console has a link port that allows it to be connected to other Game Boy devices using a Game Link Cable or a Wireless Adapter , or

2376-519: Is 240 pixels wide by 160 pixels high in a 3:2 aspect ratio . Foreground objects are sprites with up to 128 per frame, sized from 8×8 to 64×64 pixels, and with 16 or 256 colors. Backgrounds can be rendered in one of six different modes. The first three are the "character modes," which use traditional tile map graphics: Mode 0 offers four static layers, Mode 1 has three layers with one affine transformation layer (which can be rotated and/or scaled), and Mode 2 has two affine layers. The other three are

2475-623: 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

2574-422: Is a "don't-ask-why" aspect of SpongeBob and that "logic doesn't have a place" in the series' universe. Karen was also created by Stephen Hillenburg, who named the character after his wife, Karen Hillenburg (née Umland). Hillenburg initially designed a laboratory for Plankton to convey the character's technological abilities, leading to Karen's development as his lab's central computer system. Like Plankton, she

2673-542: Is a fully new character created specifically for the game. IGN gave the Game Boy Color version a 3 out of 10, and the Game Boy Advance version an 8 out of 10. After several years of re-releasing Nicktoons Racing for different consoles and platforms, with the last being the arcade version released in 2003, a sequel was put into production. Nicktoons Winners Cup Racing was released for PC in February 2006. In 2008,

2772-625: Is also intelligent and interested in science. Karen is more competent than Plankton in formulating plots to steal the Krabby Patty recipe. Most of his effective plans have come from Karen, including "Plan Z"—the only scheme to result in Plankton successfully stealing the formula and using it to his advantage—in The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie . Nonetheless, he tends to take credit for them, much to her dismay. Karen has effortlessly stolen Krabs' formula without Plankton's help on many occasions, but her husband always inadvertently gets in

2871-565: Is considered mostly inedible by the other characters. As a result, his restaurant is a commercial failure. Plankton's primary goal in the series is to steal the Krabby Patty Secret Formula so he can sell Krabby Patties at the Chum Bucket. His villainous efforts to do this are widely known within the show; fellow character Squidward Tentacles refers to Plankton as "the most hated thing in Bikini Bottom". A running gag throughout

2970-521: Is essentially a basic GPU that renders visuals using 96  kilobyte  (KB) of Video RAM located inside the CPU CGB. Inside the PPU itself is 1 KB of object attribute memory and 1 KB of palette RAM, which are optimized for fast rendering. The display itself is a 2.9-inch (diagonal) thin-film transistor (TFT) color liquid-crystal display (LCD), measuring 61.2 millimeters (2.41 in) wide by 40.8 millimeters (1.61 in) high. The screen

3069-403: Is generally the same as Race for Fun, but for two players instead. This mode does not feature collectibles. A mode that allows the player(s) to pick three characters and race them in a 3-lap relay where each character performs one lap before tagging in the next racer. If the player hits their next racer directly, they get an initial speed boost for their next lap. Besides the main racing tracks,

Nicktoons Racing - Misplaced Pages Continue

3168-408: Is praised as noble for trying to hold Plankton back." Plankton is married to a waterproof computer named Karen, who is also his sidekick and best friend. She is often referred to as Plankton's wife, but according to Plankton, WIFE is an acronym which stands for, "Wired Integrated Female Electroencephalograph." Karen is Plankton's own invention, assembled from a calculator and a mass of wires. She

3267-440: Is provided by show writer and actor Doug Lawrence, normally credited as "Mr. Lawrence". The voice originated as an imitation of one of his deep-voiced high school friends. On television, Lawrence first used this voice for incidental characters on Rocko's Modern Life . Fellow voice actor Tom Kenny found it amusing, leading to Lawrence's decision to use it when auditioning for roles on SpongeBob . Lawrence initially tried out for

3366-503: Is really looking for a friend in a way, but can't let that happen because of his evil front. He carries deep hurt underneath and doesn't want to let anybody know that. Plankton is the nemesis and former best friend of Mr. Krabs. He is the owner of the Chum Bucket, a fast food restaurant located directly across the street from Krabs' restaurant, the Krusty Krab . The Chum Bucket primarily sells chum (bait consisting of fish parts), which

3465-735: Is the final first-party-developed game for the system, released on August 3, 2006. An add-on for the GameCube , known as the Game Boy Player , was released in 2003 as the successor to the Super Game Boy peripheral for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System . This add-on allows Game Boy Advance, Game Boy, and Game Boy Color games to be played on the GameCube. However, some games may have compatibility issues due to certain features requiring extra hardware; for instance, WarioWare: Twisted! would require

3564-408: Is used during a scene highlighting Plankton's cooperation with hero SpongeBob. Plankton and Karen are the main antagonists in the show's Broadway adaptation . They were portrayed by Wesley Taylor and Stephanie Hsu . In addition to wearing costumes inspired by the characters, Taylor and Hsu are accompanied by a Plankton puppet and a replica of Karen's mobile form, respectively. The two also sing

3663-659: The ARM7TDMI running at a clock rate of 16.78 megahertz  (MHz) for Game Boy Advance games and the Sharp SM83 running at either 4.194304 MHz or 8.388608 MHz for backward compatibility with Game Boy and Game Boy Color games. As such, the console has two operating modes: GBA mode using the ARM7TDMI and the backward-compatible CGB mode using the SM83. The ARM7TDMI is a 32-bit processor developed by Advanced RISC Machines (ARM) that maximizes performance under power and storage constraints, making it more suitable for use in

3762-554: The Expansion Pack tier. For the first time, players are able to play multiplayer games in their emulated form, online. This application emulates the Game Boy Player , meaning that games that support GameCube controller rumble work with the vibration of the Switch controllers. Nintendo released various addons for the Game Boy Advance, which include: Other accessories for the Game Boy Advance include: In early 2003, Nintendo introduced

3861-1321: The GameCube home console with a special GameCube – Game Boy Advance link cable . The Game Boy Advance was available in numerous colors and limited editions throughout its production. It was initially available in Arctic, Black, Orange (Japan Only), Fuchsia (translucent pink), Glacier (translucent blue), and Indigo. Later in the system's lifespan, additional colors and special editions were released, including: Red, Clear Orange/Black, Platinum, White, Gold (Japan Only), Hello Kitty edition (pink with Hello Kitty and logo on bezel ), The King of Fighters edition (black with images on bezel and buttons), Chobits edition (translucent light blue, with images on bezel and buttons), Battle Network Rockman EXE 2 (light blue with images on bezel), Mario Bros. edition (Glacier with Mario and Luigi on bezel), and Yomiuri Giants edition (Glacier with images on bezel). Several Pokémon -themed limited-edition systems were made available in Pokémon Center stores in Japan. These editions include: Gold Pokémon edition (Gold with Pikachu and Pichu on bezel), Suicune edition (blue/grey with greyscale Pikachu and Pichu on bezel, and

3960-569: The PlayStation 2 's previous record of 20,000 units. In 2004, the system's sales in the United Kingdom surpassed one million units. On December 1, 2006, Nintendo of America released launch-to-date information indicating that the company had sold 33.6 million units of the Game Boy Advance series in the United States. In a Kotaku article published on January 18, 2008, Nintendo revealed that

4059-545: The Wii U 's Virtual Console in April 2014. The first set of GBA games, including Advance Wars , Metroid Fusion , and Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga , were released on April 3, 2014. All Virtual Console releases are single-player only, as they do not emulate multiplayer features enabled by Game Link cables. In February 2023, Nintendo added Game Boy Advance games to its Nintendo Switch Online service, exclusively to those with

Nicktoons Racing - Misplaced Pages Continue

4158-481: The "bitmap modes" which allow for rendering 3D geometry : Mode 3 has a single full-sized, fully-colored (32,768 colors) frame, Mode 4 provides two full-sized frames with 256 colors each, and Mode 5 provides two half-sized (160×128 pixels), fully-colored frames. Having two bitmaps allows "page-flipping" to avoid the artifacts that can sometimes appear when re-drawing a bitmap. While the bitmap modes were considered cutting-edge, most games avoided using them because they cost

4257-553: The "portrait" form factor (designed by Gunpei Yokoi ), the Game Boy Advance has a "landscape" form factor, putting the buttons to the sides of the device instead of below the screen. It was designed by the French designer Gwénaël Nicolas and his Tokyo-based design studio Curiosity Inc. Nintendo revealed the Game Boy Advance to the public on August 24, 2000, along with the Japanese and North American launch dates and 10 launch games . The GBA

4356-434: The Chum Bucket" one of the sixteen greatest SpongeBob episodes. Gizmodo 's Ryan Lufkin wrote in 2016 that SpongeBob ' s "90s-level weirdness" is proven by characters like Plankton and Karen. The About Group 's Nancy Basile commended Jill Talley's portrayal of the character, saying that it is "no surprise she plays [the role] so well" due to her earlier work with Second City and Mr. Show . In an analysis of how

4455-488: The Game Boy Advance, with options to play such games on either their standard aspect ratios or a stretched fullscreen. Game Boy Advance cartridges are compatible with Nintendo DS models that support them with a dedicated GBA cartridge slot beneath the touch screen (specifically the original model and the Nintendo DS Lite ), although they do not support multiplayer or features involving the use of GBA accessories due to

4554-503: The Psychic Wall of Energy ," recorded for The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie , closes with several lines about Plankton and Karen. The song characterizes Plankton as a confused faultfinder who would be much happier if he stopped focusing on his failures and complaining to Karen. Plankton sings a track on the novelty album The Best Day Ever titled "You Will Obey," on which Elvis Presley 's former guitarist James Burton played guitar. Of

4653-536: The Race Announcer, the Mystery Rider and other Nicktoons speed off to begin their first race. Once the player ultimately completes the game and wins the final Cup to obtain the Krusty Krab Big Bun Award, their playable Nicktoon receives a year supply of Krabby Patties as it is hitched to their go-kart. The Mystery Rider arrives in his cart and is revealed to be Plankton . It stated by the Announcer that Plankton created

4752-734: The SP with a backlit screen was released in 2005. A miniaturized redesign, the Game Boy Micro , was released in September 2005. As of June 2010 , 81.51 million units of the Game Boy Advance series have been sold worldwide. Its successor, the Nintendo DS , was released in November 2004 and is backward compatible with Game Boy Advance software. When the original Game Boy was first introduced in 1989, many people questioned why Nintendo had chosen to develop

4851-524: The absence of the GBA's external peripheral port on the DS. They can also be used to unlock original content found in Nintendo DS games. The Nintendo DSi and Nintendo DSi XL lack a GBA cartridge slot, and therefore do not support backward compatibility with the GBA. Since the Game Boy Advance was discontinued, many of its games have been re-released via digital distribution on later Nintendo consoles, mainly in

4950-464: The album, Tom Kenny said "one of our hidden Easter eggs that hopefully more than three people in the world will get is during the guitar solo when Plankton says 'Take it, James', which was what Elvis said in every one of those concert movies". Film composer John Debney produced Plankton's theme music for the second SpongeBob movie, using trombones. The film's score includes several tracks named after Plankton, including "Plankton Rescues Karen," which

5049-400: The character and passed them to Hillenburg. From then on, Plankton began to appear more often. Lawrence considers the third season the first in which Plankton is a main character. During production on SpongeBob ' s early seasons, Lawrence was the only staff member writing premises and outlines involving Plankton. At the time, he felt he "had to prove Plankton could survive as more than

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5148-453: The console to be rotated manually due to its nature as a tilt sensor game. The GBA is the last Nintendo handheld system to bear the Game Boy name. Games developed for it are incompatible with older Game Boy systems, and each game's box carries a label indicating that the game is "not compatible with other Game Boy systems." Conversely, games designed for older Game Boy systems are compatible with

5247-575: The entire series of races as a plan to obtain the Krabby Patty secret formula. The winning racer then rides off into the sunset with their Krabby Patties and the credits begin to play. Nicktoons Racing focuses on engaging players in go-kart racing through various Nicktoons -themed circuit tracks in a variety of different modes, similar to the Mario Kart series . The game features a wide selection of playable characters from various 1990's Nicktoons. The game offers an Easy, Medium, and Hard difficulty for

5346-478: The first three seasons, Karen was usually depicted as a large, blue monitor in the Chum Bucket's laboratory; at other times, only her voice is heard from within Plankton's robotic creations. When Karen was promoted to a main character in The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie , a mobile unit was introduced to allow her to interact more easily with other characters. Showrunner Vincent Waller stated that

5445-475: The first time. Aspects of their marriage, like their anniversary and their honeymoon, have become the frequent focus of episodes since then. In early episodes, Karen is always supportive and friendly toward her husband. As the series progresses, she becomes more cynical and sarcastic because of Plankton's relentless obsession with the Krabby Patty formula. However, she remains loving and affectionate toward him. Many episodes written by Lawrence develop and explore

5544-519: The first week of its North American launch in June, the Game Boy Advance sold 500,000 units, making it the fastest-selling video game console in the United States at the time. In response to strong sales, Nintendo ordered 100,000 units to ship to retail stores, hoping to ship another half million of them by the end of June. The Game Boy Advance also became the fastest-selling system in the United Kingdom, selling 81,000 units in its first week of release and beating

5643-661: The form of emulation . As part of an Ambassador Program for early adopters of the Nintendo 3DS system, ten GBA games, along with ten Nintendo Entertainment System games, were made available free for players who bought a 3DS system before the price drop on August 12, 2011. Unlike other Virtual Console games for the system, features such as the Home menu or save states are missing, since the games are running natively instead of via emulation. In January 2014, Nintendo President Satoru Iwata announced that Game Boy Advance games would be released on

5742-474: The form of various weapons and obstructions, as well as small orbs that a racer can collect and utilize to get a short-term speed boost. Each track also contains a variety of alternate routes and shortcuts that allow the various racers to shorten their laps (the harder the difficulty selected by the player, the more likely the NPCs are to utilize the shortcuts). The primary mode for the racing gameplay. This mode allows

5841-469: The game (usually for the Pokémon series; Pokémon Emerald , for example, being a clear emerald green). Others have special built-in features, including rumble features ( Drill Dozer ), tilt sensors ( WarioWare: Twisted! , Yoshi's Universal Gravitation ), and solar sensors ( Boktai ). In Japan, the final game to be released on the system was Final Fantasy VI Advance on November 30, 2006, which

5940-455: The game also has a single-player and multiplayer specific bonus minigame that you unlock as you play-through and beat all the cups in Medium and Hard Mode. The game has 13 playable characters, each with their own distinctive go-karts. The Game Boy Color version features a reduced roster of only seven characters. Outside of the playable cast, other non-player characters make cameo appearances in

6039-417: The game's cutscenes and stages, such as Ren (from The Ren & Stimpy Show ), Oblina (from Aaahh!!! Real Monsters ), Squidward (from SpongeBob SquarePants ), and Rancid Rabbit (from CatDog ). Stump (from The Angry Beavers ) appears as an in-game item. All playable characters retain their original voice actors via reused audio samples from their respective shows. The Race Announcer (voiced by Chris Jojo)

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6138-536: The gameplay (with the game allowing you to unlock subsequently harder modes by accomplishing the last difficulty fully in Cups). The game also has a multiplayer option and can be played with a second player via split-screen utilization (multiplayer is available to all versions of the game except the Game Boy Color). Each track features power-up presents that allow the player to gain advantages against their fellow racers in

6237-574: The handheld would first be released in Japan in August 2000, with the North American and European launch dates slated for the end of the same year. On August 21, 2000, IGN showed images of a GBA development kit running a demonstrational port of Yoshi's Story , and on August 22, pre-production images of the GBA were revealed in Famitsu magazine in Japan. Unlike the Game Boy and Game Boy Color, which have

6336-495: The late 1990s, creator Stephen Hillenburg was unsure if he would continue to use the character. After recording it, Hillenburg was noncommittal, telling Lawrence: "We'll probably do another [Plankton episode] next year," Lawrence summarized Plankton's origins in 2015, saying that he "was only supposed to be in one or two episodes, but I was a writer on the show and I really liked this character". Following his first voice recording as Plankton, Lawrence drafted some of his own ideas for

6435-445: The mobile unit was introduced because having Karen able to move was more convenient for storytelling purposes. Karen alternates between her multiple forms in most episodes produced after the film. As of the tenth season , her wall monitor is no longer used and her mobile form is always equipped with a pair of robotic arms. Karen is voiced by American actress Jill Talley , who is married to SpongeBob's voice actor, Tom Kenny . Talley,

6534-443: The more recent episodes, he seems to have a somewhat friendly relationship with SpongeBob, despite being technically archenemies but with SpongeBob trying in the meantime to help Plankton find his goodness or good side, usually failing for obvious reasons. In The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water , Plankton allies himself with SpongeBob, initially to protect himself from an angry mob, but gradually warms up to SpongeBob throughout

6633-441: The movie. The movie has been described by The Guardian as a "buddy film" between Plankton and SpongeBob. Series creator Stephen Hillenburg considered Plankton over the years to be "more of a caricature of a villain" than a truly evil character. When SpongeBob SquarePants premiered, Plankton was not part of the series' main cast. Plankton's voice actor, Mr. Lawrence, has stated that after producing Plankton's debut episode in

6732-559: The next day, and was released in October 2020. Then two years later, in 2022, the fifth installment was introduced Nickelodeon Kart Racers 3: Slime Speedway featuring a cast of over 40 characters. Plankton and Karen Sheldon J. Plankton and Karen Plankton are a pair of fictional characters and the main antagonists of SpongeBob SquarePants , the Nickelodeon animated television series . They are voiced by Mr. Lawrence and Jill Talley , respectively. Their first appearance

6831-454: The original Game Boy or at 8.388608 MHz when playing games designed for the Game Boy Color. The SoC also contains a 2 KB "bootstrap" ROM which is used to start up the device in CGB mode. The CPU CGB incorporates an updated version of Nintendo's venerable Picture Processing Unit (PPU), which was used in the Game Boy, Game Boy Color, and Super Nintendo Entertainment System . The PPU

6930-408: The player to test their speed ability on each unlocked track. After finishing your first lap, a ghost racer will appear and perform the lap as the player did it on previous lap. A mode that allows the player(s) to race a single track without competing in a Cup. The player progressively earns random collectible rewards for a trophy shelf the more races they participate at in a row and win. A mode that

7029-468: The player(s) to take control of one of the Nicktoon racers and compete in a series of 4 races in the form of a Cup. There are 3 Cups and the second and third have to be unlocked by beating the previous Cup series. This is the mode required to beat the game's main story, unlock all the tracks for other modes of play, unlock The Mystery Rider as a playable kart, and the bonus minigames. A mode that can be used by

7128-440: The previous Game Boy Advance models, the Game Boy Micro is unable to support Game Boy and Game Boy Color titles. The Game Boy Micro did not make much of an impact in the video game market, as it was overshadowed by the Nintendo DS , which also played Game Boy Advance games through the GBA cartridge slot. Upon its North American release, IGN praised the Game Boy Advance's graphical capabilities and battery life, but criticized

7227-551: The previous generations. This includes the Super Mario Advance series, and the system's backward compatibility with all earlier Game Boy titles. Though most GBA games primarily employ 2D graphics, developers have ambitiously designed some 3D GBA games that push the limits of the hardware, including first-person shooters like a port of Doom , racing games like V-Rally 3 , and even platformers , like Asterix & Obelix XXL . Some cartridges are colored to resemble

7326-548: The program, writing that "the motif of the nagging wife is certainly an issue worthy of dissection in dealing with a young audience, along with the spoiled teen daughter [ Pearl ] and the stupid best friend [ Patrick ]". Lampooning a controversy surrounding SpongeBob's sexuality , essayist Dennis Hans wrote a 2005 satirical piece for the National Catholic Reporter focusing on the marriage of Plankton and Karen. He remarked, in jest, that SpongeBob's sexual orientation

7425-480: The relationship between Karen and her husband. Lawrence has stated that he feels Karen makes Plankton-focused episodes more humorous and that her presence helps portray him as a multidimensional character. In a 2009 interview with Andy Goodman, he said, "I want more Karen on the show ... The married life of an evil genius is the funniest thing to me, so in that regard [Karen] definitely enhances Plankton's stories, making him more than just your typical bad guy." For

7524-424: The restaurant's unpopularity. She also tends to stay more focused than Plankton on the core mission of stealing Krabs' formula. Karen often reminds him to stay on task and encourages him to keep going when he loses confidence. Since she lacks a heart, Karen is usually unable to feel empathy for the people around her. Her interactions are not limited to helping Plankton, however; she is a friend of Sandy Cheeks , who

7623-468: The role of SpongeBob during the series' pre-production, but Stephen Hillenburg wanted a more innocent voice for the character and turned him down. Lawrence continued to work on the show, voicing minor characters, eventually leading to him being offered the role of Plankton in his debut episode, "Plankton!". He describes Plankton's voice as a "combination of Gregory Peck and Tony the Tiger ." When "Plankton!"

7722-499: The series is the fact that Plankton is smaller than the other regular characters. He is easily stepped on and sent flying back to the Chum Bucket with a mere flick of the finger. His small size has led him to develop a Napoleon complex , which is occasionally manifested as a desire for global domination. He is a skillful inventor and regularly builds machines, both to help him in his plots, and for his own personal gain. Although he uses his intellect for evil, Plankton did not start out as

7821-691: The show as Plankton and Karen. Plankton and Karen appear in several Nickelodeon crossover works, including 2005's Nicktoons Unite! game its sequel Nicktoons: Globs of Doom , and the 2023 fighting game Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2 . All three games feature the Chum Bucket as an in-game stage and in the latter two, Plankton is a player character . Additionally, Plankton and Karen are both mentioned by Eric Lange (as his character Sikowitz ) in " Tori Goes Platinum ," an episode of Nickelodeon's sitcom Victorious . Sea World Australia 's "SpongeBob ParadePants" event, which opened in December 2011, included

7920-518: The show has changed throughout its run, Channel Frederator argued that the main characters of SpongeBob –specifically Sandy, Patrick, Mr. Krabs, Squidward and Karen–have been reduced from multidimensional to reliant on single traits. According to this view, "Karen is now a full-blown nag" in newer episodes. This aspect of Karen's character has also been criticized by author Joseph J. Foy, in his book SpongeBob SquarePants and Philosophy . He considers this trope one of several harmful stereotypes present on

8019-416: 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 will also be the lead characters in the feature film Plankton: The Movie , set for a 2025 release. [Plankton is a] complex, wounded character who

8118-567: The suggested price of $ 99.99 and the 15 launch games . Nintendo estimated that around 60 new games would be released by the end of 2001. The Game Boy Advance uses a custom system on a chip (SoC), integrating the CPU and other major components into a single package, named the CPU ;AGB by Nintendo and manufactured by the Sharp Corporation . The CPU AGB contains two completely different CPUs:

8217-425: The system with a 7.0 out of 10, praising its graphical performance and backward compatibility, but being considerably critical of the system's lack of a backlit screen, noting that it makes it "nearly impossible" to play in normal lighting conditions. Gladstone ultimately recommended the sleeker and backlit Game Boy Advance SP instead, despite noting that the cheaper price of the original model may "appeal to gamers on

8316-474: The system's shoulder button placement and noted the system's high price tag which "may be a tad bit too high to swallow", ultimately scoring the system with an "8.0" out of 10. They also pointed out the system's lack of a backlight which occasionally got in the way of playing games. ABC News praised the Game Boy Advance's graphics, grip, and larger screen, stating that "You've never had as much fun playing old games." Reviewing for CNET , Darren Gladstone scored

8415-472: The unsung hero of the series, and SpongeBob the true villain." He compares the character to the Nietzschean Übermensch , taking note of his mental superiority compared to the other characters in the show, and questions how Plankton is only "judged as bad because, no matter how many great things he accomplishes, his intentions are deemed ignoble". Foy concludes his analysis by criticizing the fact that "SpongeBob

8514-442: The voice over" in 2009. He elaborated in a 2012 interview, saying, "I always enjoy the back-and-forth. [Talley and I] start to actually overlap so much talking to each other that [the voice directors] have to tell us, 'hey, stop doing that, separate what you're saying!'" Lawrence also feels that voicing the characters for so long has built a close relationship between the two actors. On the topic, he said, "This on-TV marriage we have,

8613-478: The way. Because of their contrasting behaviors, Plankton and Karen have a tendency to argue. Tom Kenny, SpongeBob's voice actor, has called their marriage " Honeymooners -like". As a computer on the ocean floor, Karen's ability to operate underwater has not been explained in any of the series' episodes. Tom Kenny addressed this in a 2004 interview with the Associated Press , stating that Karen's functionality

8712-623: The whole world knows us being married ... We start becoming a married couple [when recording]." Karen has received generally positive reactions from critics. In a 2010 review of SpongeBob's Last Stand , DVD Talk's Paul Mavis wrote highly of Karen and Plankton's dialogue, stating that the two "could have their own sitcom". Sandie Angulo Chen of Common Sense Media praised the amount of screen time given to Karen in Sponge Out of Water , calling her "hilarious". In 2015, Boston.com's Jamie Loftus cited Karen as her reason for naming 2002's "Welcome to

8811-472: Was Plankton's first invention when he was in grade school, and they dated before he became evil. Her system is built into most of Plankton's machines (including the Chum Bucket itself) so that she and Plankton can communicate while the latter is on a mission. She is a Mark II Surplus UNIVAC with 256 gigabytes of random-access memory . Karen takes on various jobs at the Chum Bucket, including busser , chef and cashier; she rarely has to fulfill them because of

8910-526: Was a lesser issue compared to the positive representation of Plankton's "technosexuality". Hans identified instances where both Planktons were portrayed as a loving couple and joked: "the subliminal message from SpongeBob's insidious creators ... [is that] the technosexual lifestyle means bonding forever with your one true love". Plankton and Karen have been featured in various forms of SpongeBob SquarePants merchandise, including video games and action figures. In 2006, Ty Inc. 's Beanie Babies introduced

9009-490: Was also the final game published by Nintendo on the system. In North America, the last game for the system was Samurai Deeper Kyo , released on February 12, 2008. In Europe, the last game for the system is The Legend of Spyro: The Eternal Night , released on November 2, 2007. The Japan-only Rhythm Tengoku , the first game in what would eventually become known outside Japan as the Rhythm Heaven / Rhythm Paradise series,

9108-412: 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

9207-432: Was intended to address some common complaints about the original Game Boy Advance, which had been criticized for being somewhat uncomfortable to use, especially due to a dark screen. On September 19, 2005, Nintendo released a new version of the SP, model AGS-101, that features a brighter backlit display. The switch that controls the backlight now toggles between two brightness levels. In September 2005, Nintendo released

9306-661: Was just like, 'it's Doug, don't you hear it? This is the character! '" The Plankton character has received a generally positive reception. In his review of the fourth season , Paul Mavis of DVD Talk stated that adult viewers would likely find Plankton more amusing than others, praising his "hilariously stentorian" voice. In his review of the season six episode " Clash of Triton ," Mavis called Plankton "the only secondary SpongeBob character who can [successfully] anchor his own short". Bettijane Levine of The Los Angeles Times wrote positively of Plankton's portrayal, calling it poignant rather than genuinely immoral, describing him as

9405-459: Was not initially intended to be a main character; her role in the series grew as Lawrence wrote ideas to give the Planktons more personality. Throughout the series' first and second seasons, Karen is not defined as Plankton's wife; Plankton's official biography from 2000 simply states that he works "with the help of his computer, Karen". In the series' third season opener, 2002's " The Algae's Always Greener ," Plankton refers to Karen as his wife for

9504-649: Was not satisfied with the outcome and shelved further development by 1997. However, Nintendo was under pressure from other companies who were introducing next-generation handhelds, including the Neo Geo Pocket and WonderSwan . To maintain consumer interest in the Game Boy, the company decided to pair the color screen they had been testing for Project Atlantis with a faster version of the existing Game Boy's 8-bit processor. The Game Boy Color launched in 1998. Still under pressure from its competitors more technically advanced handhelds, Nintendo quickly started developing

9603-448: Was pitched to Nickelodeon , Hillenburg had already decided that he wanted Lawrence to play Plankton. However, network executives wanted a guest star to provide his voice since he was set to appear in only one episode. Lawrence mentioned in an interview with fellow SpongeBob actor Thomas F. Wilson that the studio said, in his words, "'we could stunt-cast this. You know, we could have Bruce Willis do this voice.' And Steve [Hillenburg]

9702-513: Was released in Japan on March 21, 2001, in North America on June 11, 2001, in the PAL region on June 22, 2001, and in mainland China as iQue Game Boy Advance on June 8, 2004. The GBA is part of the sixth generation of video game consoles . The original model was followed in 2003 by the Game Boy Advance SP , a redesigned model with a frontlit screen and clamshell form factor. A newer revision of

9801-464: Was then featured at Space World 2000 from August 24 to 26 alongside several peripherals for the system, including the GBA Link cable , the GameCube – Game Boy Advance link cable , a rechargeable battery pack for the system, and an infrared communications adaptor which would allow systems to exchange data. In March 2001, Nintendo revealed details about the system's North American launch, including

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