Crabs ruled Wednesday.

The annual Miss Crustacean Hermit Crab Beauty Pageant and Hermit Crab Races took center beach on a hot, humid day just off the boardwalk at 12th Street.

More than 40 youngsters designed comedic versions of hermit crab nirvana for the Miss America knockoff, with decorations ranging from ``Crabs In Black'' to ``Spider Crab.''

More than 144 critters - many also in the beauty pageant - entered the race to identify the speediest crustacean.

The two crabs in ``Space Odyssey 2002'' failed to impress in either contest.

The four youngsters who used a pie tin, inflatable aliens, a boogie board and other accoutrements bought at a dollar store took the failure in stride.

``We still enjoyed participating and we did get a ribbon,'' said Samantha Mermer, 10, of Cherry Hill. Mermer was joined by Kristine Kearney, 10, Edward Kearney, 12, also of Cherry Hill, and Richard Busch, 11, of Pennsauken.

With help from moms Theresa Kearney and Mary Mermer, the quartet dreamed up the vision in a couple of hours Wednesday morning. ``They all sat and planned together what to do,'' said Mary, who is spending the summer in the resort.

Theresa, also a summer resident, said the crabs will join four others back home left over from last year's competition.

Gus Propper, 10, of Mount Laurel, competed last year, too. This year, he and friend, Jake Spear, 11, of Mount Laurel, and 4-year-old sister, Rachel Propper, came up with `` Welcome To Bikini Bottom,'' a SpongeBob SquarePants in an aquarium.

``We went home two days ago after a week vacation. We came back just for this,'' Gus said.

They didn't fare any better than ``Space Odyssey 2002'' for Miss Crustacean. Or the races, in which 10 crabs compete in each heat to the outer of two circles in the middle of a table.

``We're kind of disappointed,'' Jake said.