A practical joke by a St. Louis family results in extending the life of a lobster

ST. LOUIS (KTVI) What started off as an April Fool’s prank turned into something more than what Brea Stenzel, her family and a lobster were expecting.

“It all started when my kids and I wanted to prank my husband for April Fools,” Stenzel explained. “Somebody came up (with the idea) that we should put a live lobster on his nightstand, so when he goes to reach for his phone in the morning, there’s no phone; there’s a lobster.”

Stenzel—a mother of four—and her children took a trip to a nearby Schnucks to purchase a lobster and begin their scheme.

However, Stenzel’s children—who are ten, eight, six, and three— had other plans. First, they named the lobster Larry—a name many can tie back to the show “Spongebob Squarepants.” 

But giving him a name was one of many things Stenzel’s children wanted to give the lobster for what they consider “his last best day.”

“Our intention was to get the lobster and then to have (a) prank on my husband, and then have (the lobster) for dinner,” Stenzel said.

Her children’s vision of Larry’s last best day was extraordinary.

“They wanted to put him in the stroller and push him down the street. And the other neighborhood kids came to see him, and he was on the tree swing, and they watched ‘The Little Mermaid’ with Larry,” Stenzel shared. 

Larry was delighted to have bacon for his “last meal.”

“For his last day, the kids thought, ‘What would we want to eat on our last day?’ And they came up with bacon,” Stenzel said. “We actually ended up having bacon, and they saved a little bit of sausage (too).”

By fostering such a close relationship with Larry the Lobster, Stenzel and her family knew they could not make the most crushing decision: turning him into dinner. 

Therefore, Brea and her husband began searching for ways to provide for the lobster, even having a temporary aquarium for the meantime. 

According to Stenzel, when she spoke to an expert, the likelihood of Larry surviving if he returned to the waters is slim.

Her family, however, is looking to provide Larry a forever home that is accustomed to caring for lobsters. Stenzel has begun her search, contacting aquariums in Missouri and rescue centers for the lobster.

Stenzel, though, at the time, had one request for those who may be interested in giving Larry a new home.

“All that I would ask is that they don’t eat him. I’ve had plenty of offers to give Larry a very hot bath. And, I’ve told people, ‘That’s kind of you to offer, but we’re not in need of spa services at this point,’” she said. “(We’re looking for) somebody that is familiar with cold saltwater tanks.” 

But one day, the Stenzel family received news about Larry’s potential fate, which ended up being good news for the crustacean.

A family in Maine reached out to Brea, expressing interest in freeing Larry. Stenzel then had an announcement with her kids about Larry’s soon-to-be departure from the family.

“We (as a family), talked a lot about our options knowing Larry’s chances in the wild aren’t great, but (they) also aren’t great with a family who has never had a saltwater tank and are up against a significant learning curve,” Brea shared.

Stenzel said she found a fish store in St. Louis that transfers aquatic animals across the country. They offered to get Larry back home in Maine.

With Larry heading back to Maine on April 3, he made an everlasting impact on Brea, her family and those who had an opportunity to interact with him.

“I think that (having Larry) has become something that they will probably remember for their whole lives,” Stenzel said.