Kruff

Kruff is the het ship between Mr. Krabs and Mrs. Puff from the SpongeBob SquarePants fandom.

Canon
The exact nature of their relationship may depend on any given story featuring the two. More often than not, Mrs. Puff and Mr. Krabs are depicted as an official couple. But the relationship was largely unexplored in the main series and not confirmed to be a steady relationship until as recently as season 10. Despite this the relationship had still been featured often in side-materials prior to the two becoming an official couple in the series, such as in social media posts, comics, books, and more.

SpongeBob SquarePants
First introduced to each other in the episode Krusty Love, as early as season 2, Mr. Krabs was immediately infatuated with Mrs. Puff upon seeing her in the Krusty Krab for the first time. Though having difficulties speaking to her at first, SpongeBob helps Mr. Krabs ask her out on a date. The two enjoy a fancy dinner at a high-end restaurant, which is then revealed to be more expensive than he is usually willing to spend. Though he attempts to hold himself back from spending so much money, he finds himself betraying his miserly philosophy. Throughout the episode Mr. Krabs then proceeds to spend a lavish amount of money on Mrs. Puff, and buying expensive gifts for her repeatedly. But in the end of the episode she confesses that she doesn't feel comfortable accepting so many expensive gifts, and calls him sweet. Though the two continued to appear as a couple in material outside of the series, such as comics and books, and would have minor interactions in the background of two episodes, the two did not become an official couple until later into the series.

Until then the two would not be depicted as a couple in the original series again for quite some time, and their relationship could be portrayed as more antagonistic in several episodes. For example, in The Krabby Kronicle, Mr. Krabs writes an untruthful article about Mrs. Puff that lands her in legal trouble without concern for how it effected her. In Growth Spurt, after Mr. Krabs attempts to steal from her garden he is attacked by Mrs. Puff with a crowbar. Then later in Summer Job, the two are not together and Mr. Krabs is not shown to be interested in her when she offers a date as payment for destroying the front of the Krusty Krab. Instead, he blackmails her into working at the Krusty Krab to pay off the damages.

The two would continue to be portrayed as uninvolved with each other until Whirly Brain aired in season 10, confirming that the two had been dating for sixteen years. In the episode, it's shown that the two had been taking their relationship slow due to Mr. Krabs' own shyness. Finally working up the courage to take such a huge step in their relationship while on a date with her, Mr. Krabs asks to kiss Mrs. Puff for the first time in sixteen years they'd been together. After this point, the two have been consistently portrayed as a couple whenever either of them appear in an episode. Their relationship is generally shown to be relatively low-key, stable, and domestic.

However, the relationship is not completely free of conflict. The two come into conflict in Kooky Cooks and There Will Be Grease while together. In the former episode, Mrs. Puff becomes frustrated with his cheapness and greed to the point that she storms out of the restaurant they were eating at. This is similar to one of the three SpongeFunnies strips featuring them in the SpongeBob comics, where they seem to have been in an argument regarding his cheapness. In the latter episode, Mr. Krabs offends Mrs. Puff with his comments about her appearance in an effort to sell his snake oil to her and she retaliates with violence. She again retaliates with violence when his snail oil gives her pink-eye.

Kamp Koral: SpongeBob's Under Years
Mr. Krabs is technically her boss in the spin-off, as Mrs. Puff is a camp counselor while Mr. Krabs is the proprietor of the camp. However a year prior as seen in the flashbacks on Sponge on the Run, which is canon to the spin-off series, Mr. Krabs was the camp chef before taking control of the camp. This would have made them co-workers for at least a year before he became the proprietor of the camp. The two have been depicted with an exclusively platonic relationship in the spin-off thus far. Despite the fact that the two are not romantically together, the two are still shown to be close. Apparently being good friends, the two of them (and Plankton) often spend time together playing board games after the campers have all gone to sleep.

Though the relationship has remained exclusively platonic so far, this could possibly change in the future. This is especially as the current show-runner has been trying to streamline the franchise to have more internal consistency. So even though Kamp Koral takes place in an alternate timeline to the original series, it provides a possible explanation for how Mr. Krabs and Mrs. Puff could have been dating for so long as of Whirly Brains. As such, this may or may not be a retcon that is part of the canon of the original series, despite their original meeting in Krusty Love. Since the spin-off takes place roughly sixteen years prior to the main series and the couple are said to have been together for sixteen years, it is possible they may become a couple sometime around when the spin-off takes place. It is not clear whether it would be during the spin-off series, or sometime after it's end.

Moments
Seasons 1-3=

Krusty Love

 * The episode where Mr. Krabs and Mrs. Puff meet for the first time in the original series, he becomes immediately infatuated with her.

Party Pooper Pants

 * The two are shown dancing near each other in the background at SpongeBob's house party, after SpongeBob had been locked out of his house.

SpongeBob meets the Strangler
Seasons 7-9=
 * Once again the two are shown dancing in proxity to each other in the background at SpongeBob's party.

Summer Job

 * Mrs. Puff initially wonders if Mr. Krabs is suggesting they should go on a date as payment for damages to the Krusty Krab.

Tutor Sauce

 * When Mr. Krabs is forced to renew his license by attending boating school, Mrs. Puff is happy to see him as a student in her class.

Married to Money

 * At Mr. Krabs' wedding with Cashina - Plankton in disguise - Mrs. Puff can be seen in attendance. This indicates that the two are likely still friends, even though they are not together in this episode.

Seasons 10-13=

Whirly Brains

 * The two are shown on a romantic candle-lit dinner together.
 * Mr. Krabs finally has the courage to ask to kiss her, where it is revealed that they had been dating for sixteen years.
 * When Mrs. Puff inflates as a result of SpongeBob and Patrick's prank, she blushes as she notices how close she is to Mr. Krabs.

Feral Friends

 * The two are sitting next to each other as they receive pieces of Sandy's cake.
 * Shortly afterwards they are attempting to initiate a kiss as Neptune's moon rises.
 * Later, when they are restored to their regular forms they both become embarrassed upon realizing the other is naked.

Teacher's Pests

 * Mrs. Puff is initially pleasantly surprised to see Mr. Krabs in her class.
 * Later, Mr. Krabs calls her a cutie.

Ride Patrick Ride

 * The two can be seen riding a tandem bike together on a date as SpongeBob and Patrick run into them.

Comics=

Nickelodeon Magazine

 * A comic story published in the Nick Magazine, Dollars and Scents written and illustrated by C.H. Greenblatt, focuses on Mr. Krabs as he is getting ready for another date with Mrs. Puff.
 * At the end of the story the two share a kiss.

Spongebob Comics Issue #18

 * The SpongeFunnies strips written and illustrated by James Kochalka featured in this issue focus on Mrs. Puff's relationship with Mr. Krabs.
 * In Moon Swoon, the first SpongeFunnies strip featured, Mr. Krabs calls her beautiful and says he would do anything for a kiss. This is until he realizes the moon would be expensive, and asks her to pick out one of three small rocks instead.

Fanon
On AO3, there are currently 15 written works.

Fandom

 * FAN FICTION


 * TUMBLR

Trivia

 * The statement that the two had been dating for 16 years in Whirly Brains is a reference to the fact that Krusty Love had aired 16 years prior.