Why in the musical Hairspray is she called Miss Baltimore Crabs?

Question

Why in the musical Hairspray is she called Miss Baltimore Crabs?

I was just wondering... why 'Crabs'. I've seen the musical and the new film but i've never seen the old film. Is there something in there that they missed in the newer versions? Or is there another reason? Thanks

Answer 1

SHe's reminiscing about her past Beauty pageant tile, her glory days. Wanting Amber to be more like her (but maybe not surpass her). It's a Beauty Contest and Maryland exports crabs... many places have beauty pageants and name the winner Miss Butternut Squash or whatever their local specialty. That's all. I'm sure he (John Waters) was just being his weird funny self when he named her character's beauty title that ;-)

Marianne

Answer 2

Baltimore Crabs

Answer 3

According to a Baltimore tourism site:

"Culinarily speaking, Baltimore means crabs. Indeed, the Chesapeake Bay Blue Crab is the town's unofficial mascot (although in most incarnations it's steamed a cheery bright red). Each year tens of thousands of tourists flock to Baltimore to feast on the tasty crustaceans, so it's no surprise that there are scores of great seafood houses all over town..."

Deborah Harry as Velma says to Amber in the original 1988 film:

"...don't forget, I was Miss Soft Shell Crab in 1945 and that title wasn't handed to me!"

Its in the scene when Amber first arrives home upset that she just found a blemish on her chin and Velma follows her up to her room. Velma proceeds to make Amber practice some dance moves which she doesn't want to do.

"Pony!"

"Cha-cha!"

"Mashed Potatoes!" -- "Faster! Faster!" (to which Amber starts dancing at a frantic pace), then her father (played by Sonny Bono) walks into the room and interrupts them.

for the 2002 Broadway musical adaption, they changed the beauty contest title to Miss Baltimore Crabs, in order to give the title more of a double-entendre: it implies Maryland's famous Baltimore crabs as well as the sexually transmitted genital lice "crabs".

Hope this helps!

Answer 4

The musical is based upon a film of the same name, directed by John Waters, who is a native of Baltimore.

He customarily gives a "shout out" to Baltimore in all of his films, and most of them are also located there.

Baltimore is famous for their crab, and crabcakes...

Also, John Waters likes to push the envelope, so the pun of crabs (the kind you eat vs. the kind with legs you don't want growing on your body) was most likely a comedic intention of his.

Answer 5

Maybe she likes crabs