Rocko's Modern Life

This show is about a young wallaby named Rocko who moves with his dog Spunky to the United States from the Austrailian Outback. He immediately befriends Heffer Wolf, a steer who was literally raised by a family of wolves. Rocko and Heffer like to hang out around the neighborhood much to the dismay of Ed Bighead, the angry toad who lives next door.

I'm not going to lie, this isn't really a kids show. It contains a lot of adult humor, some wild violence, and a lot of other stuff that most people would label as disgusting.

Rocko's Modern Life is in fact one of the better shows on Nickelodeon and it's actually funny. It's not filled with a lot of stupid sex jokes or worn-out humor that's used on most of the shows that are on Nickelodeon now.

10/10

In October 1993, something magical happened: an unassuming little cartoon called "Rocko's Modern Life" debuted on Nickelodeon. Sure, the premise might have sounded a little bizarre; I mean, how many programs do you know that center around an immigrant Australian wallaby trying to live his modern life with the help of his best friends, the gluttonous steer (NOT a cow, mind you) Heffer and the perpetually nervous turtle, Filburt? Throw in his toad neighbors, the Bigheads, his job as a clerk at Kind-of-a-Lot-O-Comics, and a cast of zany secondary characters, you've got yourself a downright offbeat cartoon. But you can't take "Rocko" at face value. You have to look deeper, watch an episode, and really laugh at the clever-yet-simple jokes that pepper the action.

And don't, under any circumstances, write this off as a kids' show. As you might know, "Rocko" came under fire for its "mature" content; in other words, the series harbors many, many, many inside jokes and innuendoes just below the surface. Just take a look at some episode titles ("Schnit-Heads," "Who Gives a Buck?"), some character/establishment names (Doctor Bendova, the Chokey Chicken fast-food restaurants), and countless other little occurrences throughout every episode.

A stark, unique animation style, one that presents everything at a slight angle, provides a great backdrop for Rocko's adventures, and paints a truly different world that sets the cartoon apart from all others.

And through it all, a surreal sense of humor reigns supreme. On what other cartoon could you find a Museum of Pointy Objects, police activities that include arts-and-crafts, a vacuum with a neutering device, or a family of wolves that adopted a steer?

It certainly didn't deserve to be canceled after only three seasons, but in the fickle world of children's programming (especially on Nickelodeon, a network infamous for canning innovative series and renewing the dreck year after year), it just wasn't prepackaged, marketable, and mainstream enough to work out. But that's what I like best about "Rocko"; it's truly different from anything else you could ever find on television, a little outpost of originality in a TV world full of copycats and clones. Rest assured, you can still enjoy Rocko, Heffer, and the whole gang, provided you have digital cable, on Nickelodeon's all-cartoon outlet Nicktoons TV.

Overall, a ten out of ten, but shave a few points off if you don't automatically crack up when you hear this classic "Rocko" line, courtesy of Heffer: "Hey, Rock, do that funny face you make when you're buying eggs."

Rocko is without a doubt one of the best Nick Toons that ever existed. It had a creativity that few Nick Toons could ever match. This show is violent and sometime a little rude, and that is exactly why it is so funny. It's a funny series and is one of my personal favorites.

Rocko's Modern Life was one of the original 5 nicktoons on Nickelodeon, and it was by far the best of those. It was a hilarious show with some sophisticated humor that was only understood by the older crowd (ie The Chokey Chicken). It was created by Joe Murray, with some writing done by Stephen Hillenburg, who later went on to create the revered 'Spongebob Squarepants." Unfortunately, production was halted around 1996 and continued to air in syndication until 2000. It occasionally appears on Nickelodeon about once a month. Hopefully, Nickelodeon executives will realize that it is a cult classic and should be released onto DVD sometime soon so a whole new generation can enjoy this classic show.

This show had to be one of the best on Nickolodeon I've ever seen. The humor was fresh and always new in what they were doing as they followed the adventures of a wallaby, a rather unique and clever idea for a cartoon character, and his dog Spunky and friends Phil the turtle and Heffer the cow. The kind of jokes used here were usually sick and always hilarious sight gags, but the writers were intelligent enough not to depend on one kind of humor alone to carry the entire show. The dialogue was witty and always hit the mark, the plots delightfully wacko, and the characters surprisingly lovable under the insane exteriors. One of the best shows was when Heffer became a night watchman ("No experience necessary; Carry a stick and hit things") and loses touch with his hu(cow)manity, forcing harsh punishments on even his best friends. What follows is an excellently done parody of "The Shining."

Unfortunately, I did not become aware of the show until after it had been canceled (story of my life) and so I was forced to depend on reruns. Alas, I have missed the show. Rocko, we hardly knew ye. (P.S. Check out the theme song by the B-52s. They were perfect for the job.)