Howie The Crab's Mom Shares Details About Her Upcoming Molt And More!

As TikTok famous Howie the Crab is gearing up for another molt, her mom Laura Porter has also been dealing with the frustration of counterfeit merchandise being sold. But one thing Porter can certainly count on is the support for her many social media fans who stand behind her and Howie all the way.

Porter recently sat down with The Blast to share her story about how and when she got Howie, what's going on with Howie's current molt, and how she found out about the counterfeit merchandise.

Porter was first introduced to Howie back in 2016 when instead of a replacement betta fish, her daughter, then in kindergarten, wanted a crab.

"I could never imagine the death of a betta fish would be the canon event in my life that led me down this path," Porter exclusively told The Blast. "My daughter's previous betta fish, named Moon, had passed away and we had promised to take her to Fish Freaks, our local aquatic pet store, to look for another one. My daughter's favorite color at the time was blue and she spotted Howie and immediately fell in love with her. When Howie was little, she was blue with red and had bright yellow eyes. She was holding a small shrimp in both claws and happily munching away. My daughter begged us to get her."

Howie was not the family's first crustacean, and they were experienced with aquarium keeping, and with her daughter really wanting Howie, it just had to happen!

"When we got her, Howie's species was new to the pet trade. We were told she would only live for a couple years and that she needed a diet of mostly fruits and vegetables with a protein once a week," she said. "The only crab food available was for hermit crabs. So we raised her on the food we eat. She's done amazingly well all these years."

When Howie molted in December, it was a tough few months. Fans were glued to her TikTok and Instagram pages hoping for a good update, but for weeks, it was touch-and-go.

When she finally began molting, Porter grabbed her phone and went live on TikTok so her fans could experience the happy moment with her. But now that it's that time again, fans are getting concerned that the outcome won't be the happy one they got to experience last time around.

"Howie's molt is still on track. As of August 12, she hasn't eaten food in 16 days. Her last molt, she went a whole month without eating and she had previously never done that before," Porter shared. "But what really worried me about her last molt was the amount of times she stopped eating. It was a three-month battle."

Porter waited a little bit before announcing Howie's pre-molt in the hopes of not worrying her many fans. Porter shared that Howie has not been eating too well all summer, and while she knows some of that is because of her older age, it's still nerve wracking.

Sharing the last molt with the world really brought people together rooting for the rainbow crab's victory. The love and support through that tough time meant everything.

"When I was lucky enough to capture her molt last year and live stream it, it really brought the world together. When people have something to root for, none of the things that divide us matter. There are videos online of how crabs molt, but I think the experience of seeing it in real time gave people a new understanding for how difficult it can be for crustaceans," Porter told The Blast.

"My biggest take away from that whole experience was seeing the reactions of people. All the duets and videos of people watching along. It brought me to tears seeing how many people are attached to Howie and truly love her."

When a fan asked Porter for a direct link to Howie's merchandise on Amazon, she discovered that someone had made their own design with Howie's name on it. They also paid to have it sponsored so it would pop up before her own authentic merchandise.

"It's not as if I own the name Howie, but specifically they were using Howie the Crab and making designs and some were even stealing my own designs. It was quite a shock," she explained exclusively to The Blast. "It never even entered my mind that people would steal Howie's name, likeness, and our own designs."

Porter was easily able to work with Amazon to take down the counterfeit merchandise, but then when fans dug deeper, they found that wasn't the only one. She quickly had hundreds of messages about other shirts being sold online. After a few days, she was able to get most of the fakes taken down.

"However, one company was a big issue. One of the largest companies in the world was selling t-shirts with my design and using Howie's name," she said. "I worked very hard and spent countless hours trying to get them to take it down. Unfortunately, I had exhausted all my options. I had to, at the very least, notify my fans that I was not affiliated with them. Fast forward less than 24 hours later, the listing was taken down. I would have preferred to have handled it without making it public, but the squeaky wheel gets the oil so to speak."

And while she was able to get most of the counterfeit products taken down, there are still a few smaller companies that refuse to take down the stolen designs. Porter said copycat social media accounts are now becoming an issue too, and TikTok isn't helping to take them down, and keep denying her request to be verified.

"I've noticed that pet accounts don't get the same protections and privileges as other accounts. I've also been denied verification by Meta," she explained. "I'm hoping to solidify my identity online once and for all and let the world know that I, Laura Porter, am Howie the Crab's mom and all of the videos outside of my social media and legitimate news sources are my stolen intellectual property."

And while legal action is something Porter has considered, she doesn't want to jump to that first.

"All of this is not about making money or selling merchandise. I've spent years online building Howie's fanbase and one day, legacy.  When you put work into something every single day and thieves come to steal your work, it's about integrity and principle.  I don't take days off. I work on social media every single day and I want to protect my work," she explained.

"I understand that Howie is the loved star of the show, but without my work, there'd be a lot less smiles in the world. When I look at my like count on TikTok, I don't see 20.5 million likes, I see 20.5 million smiles. My content is changing and shaping how people view crabs and it's worth protecting."

Porter is in the process of trademarking Howie the Crab, but it's a long process. She wants her followers and fans to be sure to check her website and use direct links when purchasing Howie the Crab items.

"I use Amazon and SpringTee for merchandise fulfillment but it's still best to follow the links on my website just in case," she said. "If anyone purchased counterfeit t-shirts, I'm not upset. I want you to wear them proudly because it's not your fault."

Porter knows that Howie is the most loved crab in the world and that she has stolen plenty of hearts along the way.

"I'm really hoping she makes it through her molt," she continued. "So we can have more time together and keep sharing our adventures with the world."

Find Howie the Crab on TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube, and check out her website for merchandise links.