SpongeBob SquarePants has introduced a variety of characters living in Bikini Bottom, but few of them are as mysterious as Old Man Jenkins, whose appearance has changed drastically throughout the show – and here’s why. Although Nickelodeon has been home to many fan-favorite cartoon shows, the one that stands as the most successful Nicktoon to date is SpongeBob SquarePants. Created by Stephen Hillenburg, SpongeBob SquarePants made its debut in 1999 and has been unstoppable ever since, with over 10 seasons and making way for a franchise formed by movies, video games, and more.
SpongeBob SquarePants takes viewers to the underwater city of Bikini Bottom, home to the title character and his friends (and a couple of enemies) and which has seen all types of adventures and trouble. SpongeBob is often accompanied in his many underwater adventures by his best friends Patrick Star and Sandy Cheeks, his neighbor and coworker Squidward Tentacles, and his greedy boss Mr. Krabs, with his pet snail Gary joining the fun from time to time. Over the course of more than 10 seasons, SpongeBob has come across different Bikini Bottom residents, of which some have only appeared once, but there’s one who appears quite often, and he doesn’t always have the same look.
That mysterious character is none other than Old Man Jenkins, an elderly fish who often finds himself in the middle of the action in Bikini Bottom. Old Man Jenkins made his first appearance in SpongeBob SquarePants season 2, in the controversial episode “Sailor Mouth” – however, his first “official” appearance is listed to be in season 3’s episode “The Sponge Who Could Fly”, where he was actually “Farmer Jenkins” and served as the antagonist of the story, delivering the line “I told you nothing good would come from city folk and their flying machines!”. Since then, Old Man Jenkins has appeared in a couple of episodes of SpongeBob SquarePants and in different minor roles, such as a friend of a young Mr. Krabs and his mother or when his annoying habits drove customers out of the Krusty Krab, but fans of the show have pointed out that Old Man Jenkins doesn’t always look the same, and that’s because of the origin of the character.
The reason why there are different Old Man Jenkins in SpongeBob SquarePants is that this name was originally used as a generic one for incidental characters, among those Old Man Walker, an elderly fish with glasses who appears quite often in the show, with his first appearance being in season 1’s episode “Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy”, where he was seen as a resident of Shady Shoals Rest Home. As noted in an episode of Bikini Bottom Mysteries on the official SpongeBob SquarePants YouTube channel, there are five different fish who have been referred to as “Old Man Jenkins” throughout the show, and some of them have even crossed paths at some point, such as in the episode “Call the Cops”, where two Old Men Jenkins were at Bikini Bottom Police Department’s evidence room. The same episode of Bikini Bottom Mysteries points out that all Old Men Jenkins appear to be immortal, and even suggests they may be somewhat connected to the Secret Formula of the Krabby Patty, as they have been present in key moments related to it.
Of course, Bikini Bottom Mysteries is made for fun, but there are some fun coincidences when it comes to Old Man Jenkins and his many faces throughout SpongeBob SquarePants. Whether or not there will be an explanation at some point of why there are different Old Man Jenkins and whether or not they have an actual role in the series is unknown, but this character is one of many mysteries in SpongeBob SquarePants.