“Why did the hermit crab cross the road?”/“To get to the Shell station.”
“Why did the chicken cross the road?”/“To get to the other side” is a classic riddle from the 19th century. A crab version has several answers.
“why did the crab cross the road????!! (...) IT WANTED TO GET TO THE OTHER TIDE!” was posted on the newsgroup freeserve.chat on March 9, 2001. “Why did the crab cross the road? To get to the other tide! ” was printed in the book Greatest Giggles Ever (2003) by Matt Rissinger and Philip Yates.
“Why did the hermit crab cross the road? To get to the Shell station” was printed in the Los Angeles (CA) Times on February 18, 2004. “Why did the hermit crab cross the road? To get to the Shell station!” was posted on Twitter by Comedian MizT on May 26, 2015. “Why did the turtle cross the road? To get to the Shell station” is the usual version of this joke.
“My mom when she saw a crab on the street: ‘why did the crab cross the road?’ My dad: ‘just beclaws’” was posted on Twitter by bailey on June 1, 2014.
Crabs walk sideways. “Why did the crab cross the road? He didn’t…. He took the ‘side-walk’! Zing!!!” was posted on Twitter by Seth_Williams on June 18, 2010. “Why the crab cross the road? It didn’t, it used the sidewalk” was posted on Reddit—Jokes on March 23, 2018. “Why did the crab cross the road? He didn’t. He used the sidewalk” was posted on Reddit—Dadjokes on March 29, 2020.
Google Groups: freeserve.chat
joke!!
Mik Roberts
Mar 9, 2001, 1:38:47 PM
why did the crab cross the road????!!
(...)
IT WANTED TO GET TO THE OTHER TIDE!
Google Books
Greatest Giggles Ever
By Matt Rissinger and Philip Yates
New York, NY: Sterling Publishing Company, Inc.
2003
Pg. 10:
Why did the crab cross the road?
To get to the other tide!
Newspapers.com
18 February 2004, Los Angeles (CA) Times, “The Kids’ Reading Room: Jokes & Riddles,” pg. E19, col. 2:
Why did the hermit crab cross the road? To get to the Shell station.
Paul, 9
Grandview Elementary, Manhattan Beach
Google Groups: alt.humor.puns
Kids & Comics Puns & Riddles of the Weak 02-24-04
Stan Kegel
Feb 24, 2004, 2:37:14 PM
(...)
Why did the hermit crab cross the road?
To get to the Shell station (Paul, 9)
Twitter
Michele Mullen@MicheleMullen·Nov 8, 2008
Replying to @sass
@sass Q. Why did the crab cross the road?
A. To get to the other tide.
Twitter
Bobs & LoLo
@BobsandLoLo
Why did the crab cross the road? To get to the other tide! Of course…
2:17 AM · Mar 29, 2009·Twitter Web Client
Twitter
Seth_Williams
@Details_Details
Why did the crab cross the road? He didn’t…. He took the ‘side-walk’! Zing!!!
2:40 PM · Jun 18, 2010·Echofon
Twitter
Mike Olsen
@MikeOlsen25
“Why did the crab cross the road? To get to the shell station!”-@TaylorDivin #JokesByTay
@Abars12
10:06 PM · May 22, 2014 from San Antonio, TX·Twitter for iPhone
Twitter
bailey
@itsbaileyl
My mom when she saw a crab on the street: “why did the crab cross the road?”
My dad: “just beclaws”
My family makes me laugh
11:39 PM · Jun 1, 2014·Twitter for iPhone
Twitter
kris belisario
@kristen_bel
Why did the crab cross the road???
TO GET TO THE OTHER TIDE
10:25 PM · Aug 21, 2014·Twitter for iPhone
Twitter
Comedian MizT
@MizTcomedy
Why did the hermit crab cross the road? o get to the Shell station! #jokes #jokeoftheday #lol #kids #MizT
8:09 AM · May 26, 2015·Twitter Web Client
Reddit—Jokes
Posted by u/Lecories March 23, 2018
Why the crab cross the road?
It didn’t, it used the sidewalk.
Reddit—Jokes
Posted by u/__Odelay__ May 23, 2018
Why did the crab cross the road?
It didn’t, it used the sidewalk.
Reddit—Jokes
Posted by u/J_Howy January 13, 2019
Why did the crab cross the road?
Actually, it never did. It used the sidewalk.
Reddit—Dadjokes
Posted by u/[deleted] March 29, 2020
Why did the crab cross the road?
He didn’t. He used the sidewalk.
Reddit—Dadjokes
Posted by u/WhatProtomolecule March 24, 2021
Why did the crab cross the road?
He wanted to go on another sidewalk.
Reddit—Jokes
Posted by u/Darkly_Report July 26, 2021
Why did the crab cross the road?
It didn’t. It used the sidewalk.