Years ago, before Season 3 came along, I had a dream revolving around the Wild Kratts on an adventure with hermit crabs. The dream in question also featured the Kratt brothers trying to avoid an octopus and a Mako shark, although because of everything happening while I was asleep, things got crazy in an off-the-wall kind of way. I also had a dream involving Gourmand serving something to Donita Donata, but not much ever happened beyond that.
As I thought about the dreams I had, though, it occurred to me that hermit crabs would be a perfect creature for the Kratt brothers to make an episode about, and that Gourmand was the perfect antagonist to use for such a venture. So, I created my own summary proposing the idea and later mailed it off to the Kratt brothers, although I also wrote to them that they were free to improvise & create a concept that was entirely their own too, and that they didn’t need to worry about crediting me for it.
Years later, when Season 3 was coming, I was surprised to find that there was gonna be a Wild Kratts episode about hermit crabs, which was under the title “The Hermit Crab Shell Exchange”! And not only that, Gourmand was gonna be the main antagonist too!
Once I saw it, I noted that the episode obviously wasn’t anything like the idea I came up with based on my dreams, but I was perfectly okay with that. From the very time I first saw it, “The Hermit Crab Shell Exchange” became one of my favorite episodes. I was amazed by everything that it provided, and I somehow got the sense that the Kratt brothers may have been inspired purely by the basis of making an episode focusing on hermit crabs and having Gourmand be the villain.
I realize that everything I just stated could largely be coincidental, of course. But, with all these memories I’ve had regarding the matter, “The Hermit Crab Shell Exchange” is what I’d like to call an episode I’m most fond of.
What do you guys think?
