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Rocko's Modern Life
American animated television series (1993–1996) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Rocko's Modern Life is an American animated comedy television series created by Joe Murray for Nickelodeon. The series centers on the surreal life of an anthropomorphic Australian immigrant wallaby named Rocko and his friends: the eccentric steer Heffer Wolfe, the neurotic turtle Filburt, and Rocko's faithful dog Spunky. It is set in the fictional town of O-Town. Throughout its run, the series has been controversial for its adult humor, including double entendres, innuendos, and satirical social commentary, helping pave the way for adult animation and earning a cult following, akin to The Ren & Stimpy Show.
Murray initially created the title character for an unpublished comic book series in the mid-1980s. During work on his short film, My Dog Zero he reluctantly pitched the series to Nickelodeon, looking for edgier cartoonists for its then-new Nicktoons. After it was accepted, he wrote and produced the pilot episode, "Trash-O-Madness". At the start of its production, Murray received significant creative freedom from the network, and its writers targeted both children and adults.
Distinctive from other animated series of the time, Murray sought local performers who had no prior voice acting work, including stand-up comedians Carlos Alazraqui and Tom Kenny, and hired writers who didn't write for animated series. The production was described as "very loose", and Murray would take his team members on "writing trips" to come up with story premises, preferring concepts that "broke new ground". Some of the crew spoke of the series containing various influences, including Looney Tunes, SCTV and underground comics. Its animation process has been described as similar to the output of Warner Bros. Golden Age cartoons, with a focus on humor and high-quality animation, and the animators were given a three-page outline to find gags and dialogue instead of a finished script.
The series premiered on September 18, 1993, and ended on November 24, 1996, totaling four seasons and 52 episodes, and launched the careers of voice actors Carlos Alazraqui, Tom Kenny, and Mr. Lawrence, and animation directors Stephen Hillenburg, creator of SpongeBob SquarePants; Mitch Schauer, creator of The Angry Beavers; Dan Povenmire and Jeff "Swampy" Marsh, co-creators of Phineas and Ferb. Much of the staff would regroup to work on Hillenburg's project, SpongeBob SquarePants, on the same network. A special, Rocko's Modern Life: Static Cling, was digitally released on Netflix on August 9, 2019.
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Premise
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Rocko's Modern Life follows the life of an easily frightened Australian immigrant wallaby named Rocko who encounters various dilemmas and situations regarding otherwise mundane aspects of life. His best friends are Heffer Wolfe, a fat and enthusiastic steer; Filburt, a neurotic turtle who often feels awkward or disturbed, and his faithful dog Spunky. Living next door to Rocko is a middle-aged couple, Ed Bighead, a cynical and cantankerous toad who despises Rocko, and his compassionate and more friendly wife, Bev Bighead.
All of the characters in Rocko's Modern Life are anthropomorphic animals of varying species and sizes. Murray said that he matched the personalities of his characters to the various animals in the series to form a social caricature.[1]
Characters
From left to right: Rocko, Spunky, Heffer, Filburt, Ed Bighead, Bev Bighead
Setting
The show is set in a fictional town called O-Town located near the Great Lakes and most likely based on Chicago, Illinois, as the city is located close to the Illinois–Wisconsin border. Places in the town include Chokey Chicken (later renamed "Chewy Chicken"), a parody of KFC and favorite hang-out for Rocko, Heffer, and Filburt; Conglom-O Corporation, a megacorporation with the slogan "We own you" that owns everything in town; Heck, a parody of Hell dominated by Peaches, also a parody of Satan; Holl-o-Wood, a town that resembles Hollywood; and Kind of a Lot O' Comics, a comic book store owned by a toad named Mr. Smitty, where Rocko works.
Many of the locations in Rocko's Modern Life have the letter "O" in them; for example, O-Town and Conglom-O Corporation. When asked about the use of "O" in his show, Murray responded:
I always got a big kick out of the businesses that were 'House-O-Paint', or 'Ton-O-Noodles', because their names seemed to homogenize what they sold, and strip the products of true individuality and stress volume... and we all know, the American dream is volume! So what better company to create volume than 'Conglom-O', and since a majority of the town worked at Conglom-O, it should be called 'O' Town. I also wanted the town to be 'anytown' USA, and I used to love sports players with a big ZERO on their back. It was funny to me.[2]
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Production
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Development
The character's debut appearance was in an unpublished comic book titled Zak & Travis in the mid-1980s. Murray tried selling the comic book in between illustrating jobs, but never went into its production stage.[4] Many other characters appeared in various sketchbooks. He described the early 1990s animation atmosphere as "ripe for this kind of project. We took some chances that would be hard to do in these current times (the 1990s)."[5] In the early 1990s, Murray wanted funding for his independent film My Dog Zero, selecting Nickelodeon to pre-buy television rights for the series. He presented a pencil test to Nickelodeon, which afterward became interested in buying and financing the show despite having no television experience.[6] The industry was coming out of a "rough period" and Murray wanted to "shake things up a bit."[7]
Linda Simensky, a creative executive working for Nickelodeon, described the Nicktoons lineup and concept to Murray. He originally felt skeptical about creating a Nicktoon as he disliked television cartoons, but Simensky told him that Nicktoons differed from other cartoons. He then told her he believed My Dog Zero wouldn't work as a cartoon.[8] He then researched Nickelodeon at the library and found that Nickelodeon's "attitude was different than regular TV" and that the cable network providers were "making their own rules."[2] Murray stated that he "didn't write for children," which the executives were fine with.[9]
Murray was unsure at first, but was inspired by independent animation around him, such as Animation Celebration and MTV's Liquid Television, giving the network a shot.[9] During that time, Nickelodeon, despite being a children's entertainment network, appealed to teens and college students with The Ren & Stimpy Show.[10]
Murray developed the Rocko character after visiting to a Bay Area zoo, where he came across a wallaby who seemed to be oblivious to the chaos around him.[7] He later combed through his sketchbooks, developed the Rocko's Modern Life concept, and pitched it to Nickelodeon believing that it would be rejected. Murray felt they would not like the pilot, thinking he would collect his sum and begin funding his next independent film.[9] According to Murray, around three or four months later, he had "forgotten about" the concept and was working on My Dog Zero when Simensky informed him that Nickelodeon wanted a pilot episode. Murray said he was glad he would get funding for My Dog Zero.[2] On his website, he describes My Dog Zero as "that film that Linda Simensky saw which led me to Rocko."[11] With the beginning of pre-production for a Rocko's Modern Life pilot, "Sucker for the Suck-O-Matic" was originally written as the pilot; the executives decided that Heffer Wolfe, one of the characters, would be "a little too weird for test audiences." Murray, instead of removing Heffer from "Sucker for the Suck-O-Matic," decided to write "Trash-O-Madness" as the pilot episode.[2]
When the casting call for Trash-O-Madness began, there were fewer voice actors available in San Francisco, leading Murray to seek out performers who had not done voice acting work prior, including stand-up comedians.[13] He attended a stand-up performance by Carlos Alazraqui and asked him afterward if he wanted to audition for the roles of Rocko and Spunky.[13] Being impressed by Alazraqui’s vocalizations of Spunky, Murray eventually hired him for the role.[13] He would later audition Tom Kenny from a stand-up performance, and Mr. Lawrence, a layout assistant in Games Animation, for the respective roles of Heffer Wolfe and Filburt.[13]
Murray produced the pilot episode, "Trash-O-Madness" at his studio in Saratoga, animating half of the episode. The production occurred entirely in the United States, with animation in Saratoga and processing in San Francisco.[14] While directing during recording sessions, he preferred to be on the stage with the actors instead of "behind glass" in a control room, which he describes as "the norm" while making animated series.[15] He believes that, due to his lack of experience with children, Rocko's Modern Life "skewed kind of older."[1] Murray noted, "There's a lot of big kids out there. People went to see Roger Rabbit and saw all these characters they'd grown up with and said, 'yeah, why don't they have something like that anymore?'"[16]
In the original series pilot, Rocko was colored yellow. During shipping of the first episode of Rocko's Modern Life, executives forced Murray to change it when a toy merchandising company informed Nickelodeon they were interested in marketing toys but did not want to market Rocko because "the color was too close to another major cartoon character that they were making a lot of money off of." Murray eventually changed Rocko's color to beige, but after the pilot aired, the company opted out of producing toys for the series, making the color change pointless.[17] When the series was in development prior to the first episode's release, the series had the production title, The Rocko Show.[18]
In November 1992, two months before the production of season 1 of Rocko's Modern Life, Murray's first wife committed suicide.[19][20] Murray had often blamed his wife's suicide on the show being picked up. He said, "It was always an awful connection because I look at Rocko as such a positive in my life."[21] He felt that he had emotional and physical "unresolved issues" when he moved to Los Angeles, describing the experience as participating in a "marathon with my pants around my ankles." Murray initially believed that he would create one season, move back to the San Francisco Bay Area, and "clean up the loose ends I had left hanging." When Nickelodeon approved of new seasons, he felt surprised by the offer;[2] Nickelodeon renewed the series for its second season in December 1993.[22]
"I think what set the [1990s] apart was the fact that the climate was ripe for people taking chances and doing different things. Both Nick and Cartoon Network were able to invest on people who had nothing to lose. Of course, the result of that was that there was a big explosion in the scene. There were big successes—like that yellow sponge that popped up in a big way—and with that success came another era where people aren't apt to take as many chances because the stakes are too high."
—Series creator Joe Murray in 2011, on being a part of the creative animation scene in the early 1990s[7]
The show was jointly produced between Games Animation and Joe Murray Productions. Since Nickelodeon did not have an animation studio, it contracted out to other studios. After incidents with The Ren & Stimpy Show creator John Kricfalusi that led to his firing, Nickelodeon started losing trust in creators as much and began forming its studio, Games Animation.[9] Murray recalls that they were still able to get a lot done independently, likening the independence to that of "Termite Terrace" (Warner Bros. Cartoons) from the 1930s. As Nickelodeon began to have more success with its animation cartoons, Murray said the "Termite Terrace" mentality was not working as much.[9] Producer Mary Harrington made the move from New York City to Los Angeles to set up Games Animation to produce Rocko's Modern Life, beginning production on the show in January 1993.[6] Rocko's Modern Life was Nickelodeon's first in-house animated production.[6]
To set up production, Murray's Joe Murray Productions and Games Animation rented office space on Ventura Boulevard in the Studio City neighborhood of the San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles, California.[19][23] The production moved to a different office building on Vineland Avenue in Studio City, where executives did not share space with the creative team.[24][25] Murray rented a floor in the Writers Guild of America, West building, although the Rocko team was not a part of the union, which the staff found ironic.[9] Throughout production, Sunwoo Entertainment, and later Rough Draft Studios, assembled the animation.[26]
According to Murray, as Rocko's Modern Life was his first television series, he did not have prior experience or knowledge with the atmosphere of typical animation studios. He says that his experience in independent films initially led him to attempt to micromanage many details in the production, as the approach used for the production of television shows was "driving me crazy." This led him to allow other team members to manage aspects of the Rocko's Modern Life production, including director and later creative director Stephen Hillenburg, whom Murray met at an animation film festival where he was showing his three short films.[1] Murray later hired Hillenburg as the director of Rocko's Modern Life, making it his first job in the animation business as director.[27]
Murray said that he opted to operate his studio similarly to the operation of his Saratoga, California studio, which he describes as "very relaxed."[2] His cadre included many veterans who, according to him, described the experience as "the most fun they had ever had!" He, saying that the atmosphere was "not my doing," credited his team members for collectively contributing.[2] Murray described the daily atmosphere at the studio as "very loose," adding that the rules permitted all staff members to use the paging system to make announcements. He stated that one visitor compared the environment of the production studio to "preschool without supervision."[24][25] Throughout production, according to Murray, 70 people in the United States and over 200 people in South Korea and Japan animated the series.[2]
Rick Bentley of the Ventura County Star said that it was unusual for a cartoon creator to select a wallaby as a main character. Bentley also stated that the Rocko universe was influenced by "everything from Looney Tunes to underground comics."[28] The crew of Rocko's Modern Life were fans of surreal humour in both animated and live-action form. Tom Kenny cited Looney Tunes and SCTV as influences for the show, and also stated "I'm sure if you asked Joe Murray or Mr. Lawrence or any of those guys, especially in terms of animation, the weirdest cartoons would, of course, be our favorites—those weird '30s Fleischer brothers Betty Boop cartoons and stuff like that."[29]
After season 3, Murray handed the project to Stephen Hillenburg, performing most of the work for season 4; Murray continued to manage the cartoon.[2] He stated he would completely depart from production after season 4, encouraging the network to continue production, but Nickelodeon eventually canceled the series. The motive was unclear, but it was likely the wholesome image Nickelodeon was beginning to develop and promote at the time. He described all 52 episodes as "top notch," and in his view, the quality of a television show may decline as production continues "when you are dealing with volume."[2] On his website, he said that "in some ways it succeeded and in some ways failed. All I know it developed its own flavor and an equally original legion of fans."[5] In a 1997 interview, Murray said he thought if he could restart the series, but felt it would be difficult.[2]
Writing
The writers aimed to create stories that they describe as "strong" and "funny." Writers George Maestri and Martin Olson often presented ideas to Murray while eating hamburgers at Rocky's, a restaurant formerly located on Lankershim in the North Hollywood section of the San Fernando Valley.[30] He took his team members on "writing trips" to places such as Rocky's, the La Brea Tar Pits, and the wilderness, and if he liked the story premises, the writers produced full outlines from the premises, becoming Rocko's Modern Life episodes when both approved by Murray and Nickelodeon.[30] Maestri describes some stories as originating from "real life" and some originating from "thin air."[30][31]
Murray stated that each episode of Rocko's Modern Life stemmed from the personal experiences of himself and/or one or more of the directors or writers, including the season-two episode "I Have No Son," based on Murray's frustrations with Nickelodeon and his father's past disapproval of his aspiration to become an artist.[2][13] He said that he did not intend to use formulaic writing seen in other cartoons, desiring content that "broke new ground" and "did things that rode the edge," and that could be described as "unexpected." Murray did not hire writers with previous experience with writing cartoons; instead, he hired writers who worked outside of animation, including improv actors and comic artists. He said that if a story concept "ever smacked close to some formula idea that we had all seen before," it received immediate rejection.[33]
Jeff "Swampy" Marsh, a storyboard writer who went on to create Phineas and Ferb, says that writers of Rocko's Modern Life targeted children and adults. He cites Rocky and Bullwinkle as an example of another series that contains references indecipherable by children and understood by adults. Aiming for a similar goal, Marsh described the process as "a hard job." According to him, when censors questioned proposed material, sometimes the team disagreed with the opinions, but agreed with the rationale of the censors. He says that "many people" told him that the team "succeeded in this endeavor" and that "many parents I know really enjoyed watching the show with their kids for just this reason."[34]
John Pacenti said the series "seems very much aimed at adults" "for a children's cartoon."[35] Marsh believes that the material written by Doug Lawrence stands as an example of a "unique sense of humor." For instance, Marsh credits Lawrence with the "pineapple references," adding that Lawrence believed that pineapples seemed humorous.[34] The staff drew upon Looney Tunes and the Fleischer cartoons to appeal to a wide demographic: having a certain adult sensibility but also enjoyed by kids.[29]
Animation
Rocko's Modern Life has been described as similar to that of the output of Warner Bros. cartoons in the Golden Age, with a visually driven show heavy on humor, sight gags, and good animation. Instead of a finished script, the animators usually received a three-page outline, requiring them to come up with a majority of the gags and dialogue. The animation team appreciated this approach, with storyboard artist Jeff Myers, formerly of The Simpsons, quoted as saying, "The script [at The Simpsons] was carved in stone. Here it's ... more of a challenge and a lot more fun when we're given a rough outline."[36] Murray's animation lacked parallel lines and featured crooked architecture similar to various Chuck Jones cartoons. In an interview, he stated that his design style contributed to the show's "wonky bent feel."[2]
Jean Prescott of the Sun Herald described the series as "squash-and-stretch."[37] A 1993 Houston Chronicle article described the series' setting as having a "reality that is 'squashed and stretched' into a twisted version of real life."[38] The background staff hand-painted backgrounds with Dr. Martin Dyes,[15] while each episode title card consisted of an original painting.[15] Linda Simensky said that she asked the creators of Rocko's Modern Life about why the women in the series were drawn to be "top-heavy," the creators told her that they believed that drawing women "the traditional way" was easier. Simensky described the creators as "talented guys" who formed "a boy's club" and added that "we pushed them to be funny, but a lot of their women are stereotypical."[39]
Music
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Multiple versions of the Rocko's Modern Life theme song were made throughout the series. The original version plays throughout every episode in the first season, excluding episode 8, which is a slightly remixed version of the first, involving high-pitched, distorted voices in the chorus. The second season replaced it with a theme song performed by Kate Pierson and Fred Schneider from the B-52s, which remained intact for the rest of the series.
Originally, Murray wanted Paul Sumares to perform the theme song since Sumares created most of the music from My Dog Zero, and wanted the same style in My Dog Zero exhibited in Rocko's Modern Life. However, Nickelodeon preferred a person with more experience.[18] According to Sumares, Murray asked for Danny Elfman and felt stunned when Nickelodeon decided to honor his request by asking Elfman to perform.[18] However, Elfman was booked for another project. Therefore, he decided to choose the B-52s, his second choice, instead of Elfman, stating that the difference between the stories "could just be a recollection conflict because Paul is a brilliant amazing guy."[18] Murray also sought Alan Silvestri, but Viacom did not want to use Silvestri as the organization preferred a band "slightly older kids could identify with[18]
Pat Irwin, a veteran of many bands including the Raybeats and B-52s, spent five years as a music director on the series. Leading a six-piece combo on keyboard and guitar, Irwin brought together musicians such as trombonist Art Baron, drummer Kevin Norton,[40] wind player Rob DeBellis, and bassist David Hofstra.[41] Similar to SpongeBob SquarePants and The Ren & Stimpy Show, Irwin uses selections from the APM Music library into his score.[citation needed]
On April 7, 2023, a soundtrack album featuring tracks from the first and second seasons was released on streaming and digital download. A deluxe edition released on September 18, 2023, to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Rocko's Modern Life with eleven additional tracks.[41][42]
Censorship
![Thumb](#/media/File:Rocko's_Modern_Life_"Bedfellows"_example.jpg)
Rocko's Modern Life has been noted for its racy humor.[44] Despite having been on a network that appealed to children, adults made up more than one-fifth of the audience for the show during its run; this was similar to the approach The Ren & Stimpy Show had for adult audiences.[45] The series contained numerous adult innuendos, including Rocko's brief stint as a telephone operator implied to be a sex hotline in the season one episode "Canned," where an instruction sheet notes employees to "Be Hot, Be Naughty, and Be Courteous," while he flatly repeats "Oh baby" into the receiver, turning out to be Mrs. Bighead.[46] The restaurant named "Chokey Chicken," a term for masturbation, was renamed "Chewy Chicken" for the series' fourth season.[47]
During the production of the first season, the production team was encouraged to push the boundaries of Nickelodeon much to the approach of The Ren & Stimpy Show had. An example of censorship was in the episode "To Heck and Back," there was a warning in the production team that they couldn't say "hell," which instead used "heck" as a joke, along with jokes and references of Satanism, an issue that concerned Nickelodeon. Another controversial issue at the time of the first season's airing was when The L.A. Times reported a story on the episode "Who's for Dinner?," which was based on Heffer finding out he was adopted, and stood out when it came to children's television.[48]
Joe Murray noted that the season one episode "Leap Frogs" received "some complaints from some parents" due to its sexual humor, in which Bev attempts to seduce Rocko, leading to Nickelodeon removing the episode from air for the remainder of the show's run, despite later airing on the cable channel Nicktoons and was made available on DVD and video streaming sites such as Netflix and Paramount+.[43][49] In a deleted scene from the season one episode "The Good, the Bad and the Wallaby," Heffer encounters a milking machine and finds pleasure in receiving; his reactions are shown onscreen. Due to the strong sexual innuendos behind it, it was removed before the episode was set to air.[50]
According to Jeff "Swampy" Marsh, writer and director of the series, the scene initially had hearts appear in Heffer's eyes during its climax. Despite being cut, the crew explained the scene to Nickelodeon censors. "We described the scene, and then waited for the axe to fall, but all they said was 'can you change the hearts to stars?', we said sure, and it went in." The scene, along with the following scene of Heffer saying goodbye to the milking machine, was removed before its premiere.[43]
There were at least two occurrences of immediate censorship of the series. The original broadcast of the season two episode "Road Rash" featured a scene in which Rocko and Heffer arrive at a love hotel (the "No-Tell Motel") advertising "hourly rates," where he asks the horse desk clerk for a room, who infers the two will be engaging in intercourse: "All night? [whistles] Wheeeooo! Okay."[50] The scene was never shown again after its debut airing, but a low-quality copy of the scene was made available online as early as late December 1997,[43] and two higher quality clips have been available as late as 2021 through transmission from the original broadcast taped on VHS.[51][52] The first airing of the season two episode "Hut Sut Raw" included a scene in which Rocko is picking berries; upon picking one lower on the bush, a bear rushes out whimpering and grasping his crotch.[46]
When Shout! Factory and Paramount announced a DVD retail release for the series, there was uncertainty whether Nickelodeon would allow them to release the series complete, containing sexual innuendos that were cut out for reruns.[53] In the end, Shout! Factory and Paramount only received materials from sources edited for broadcast, meaning the episodes remained censored on the DVDs.[44][54] The only uncut release of the show on DVD so far was published in Germany in October 2013, although it is missing the uncut version of "Road Rash."[55]
Broadcast
Rocko's Modern Life first ran on Nickelodeon from 1993 to 1996, and was briefly syndicated to local stations by Nick during 1995 and 1996.[56] Internationally, it premiered on Nickelodeon UK on November 6, 1993,[57] and from 2002 to 2017, it also aired on Nicktoons in the United Kingdom.[58] In the early 2000s, Nickelodeon Japan marketed the show along with The Ren & Stimpy Show.[59]
Rocko's Modern Life aired again on the former TeenNick block, "The 90's Are All That," in the US from September 5 to September 23, 2011, and from February 11 to March 1, 2013.[60] The series returned to the block when it was rebranded as The Splat (later known as NickSplat and NickRewind) from 2015 to 2021.
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Home media
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The first home video release of the series in the United States was in 1995, when selected episodes were released on VHS by Sony Wonder.[61] Sony Wonder used Rocko's Modern Life, alongside other television programs as "leading brands" in order for the company to break into the market.[62] The "How to Tell if Your Dog is Brainless" short can only be found on the Sony Wonder version of the VHS "Rocko's Modern Life: Machine Madness." Paramount Home Media Distribution re-released the tapes in 1997 and one tape in 1998.[63][64]
In July 2008, Rocko's Modern Life was added to the iTunes Store as a part of the "Nick Rewind" collection, in four best-of volumes.[65] In August 2008, Nickelodeon collaborated with CreateSpace, an Amazon-owned company, to release its older shows on DVD for the first time, being sold exclusively online. Rocko's Modern Life was available in two best-of collections, released in 2008 and a third best-of collection in 2009.[66][67]
Fans had requested that Nickelodeon produce a DVD collection of the series for years. Murray often got e-mails from fans, and his top question was "when will Rocko be on DVD?"[9] Before the official DVD releases, he said that he had not heard of any plans for a DVD release and that there are several bootleg DVD releases of the series sold on eBay. He commented, "[That rips] me off every time one is bought. But at least someone is trying to give Rocko fans what they want. Because Nickelodeon sure isn't doing it."[68] Murray worked with his legal team to regain the rights, and an official DVD was released.[69]
In March 2011, Shout! Factory announced that they would release Season 1 in an official box set in June 2011. The two-disc set received relatively positive reviews, only receiving criticism for video quality and the lack of bonus features.[54] According to Joe Murray's website, he struck a deal with Shout! Factory to create the artwork for the Season 2 set. The special features were yet to be announced when he wrote the entry.[70] Season 2 was released in February 2012,[71] with Season 3 following in July 2012.[72]
In December 2012, creator Joe Murray announced that due to strong DVD sales of the first three seasons, Shout! Factory would release Rocko's Modern Life: The Complete Series on DVD in February 2013, along with bonus material from the Rocko's Live event from October 2012. Murray also mentioned that Season 4 would be released individually on DVD soon after the complete series set was released.[73] In February 2013, Rocko's Modern Life: The Complete Series was released by Shout! Factory.[74] The fourth and final season was released in October 2013.[75] In November 2018, Rocko's Modern Life: The Complete Series was re-released by Paramount Home Media Distribution.[76]
All four seasons were available in streaming format on Netflix until May 31, 2013.[77] Since 2021, Rocko's Modern Life is available for streaming on Paramount+.[78]
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Reception
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Ratings
Murray said that the cartoon "resonated" with people because the scenarios depicted in the cartoon involving "the neurosis, the daily chores of everyday life" were based on Murray's own experiences, "breaking out into the world" after leaving school.[79] The show debuted in a preview on September 18, 1993, then premiered as a series on September 26,[3] to join Nickelodeon's Sunday morning animation block.[80] On September 18, the series' first night of airing, Rocko's Modern Life received a 3.0 in ratings. By January 31, 1994, the series' audience grew by 65% and was the second-highest rated cable program behind World Championship Wrestling on TBS.[22][13]
Rocko's Modern Life was at the time the network's highest-rated cartoon launch ever.[81] There was a brief period in 1993 when the network received numerous complaints from members of a religious group that Ren & Stimpy and Rocko's Modern Life were too adult-oriented to be shown to kids on Sunday mornings. They wanted Nickelodeon to move the shows to a different time slot, but the programming change was not made.[82] However, Rocko's Modern Life was later moved to a different time slot when new advertisers of Nickelodeon disapproved of the show, contributing to its decrease in ratings and cancelation.[13]
Critical reception
Initial reviews of Rocko's Modern Life were positive. The Miami Herald ran an article about series that were "rais[ing] the standards for children's programming," singling out Rocko's Modern Life as "definitely worth a look."[83] Jennifer Mangan of the Chicago Tribune likened the series to The Simpsons, noting the show as another example of adult animation that is "not for kids."[84] Newsday highlighted the show's twisted sight gags.[80] Ted Drozdowski of The Boston Phoenix stated in the "Eye pleasers" article that he enjoyed Rocko's Modern Life because of "jovial excitement," "good-hearted outrage," "humanity," and "pushy animated characterizations."[85] Not all reviews were positive. Ken Tucker of Entertainment Weekly described the series as "a witless rip-off of Ren & Stimpy: mucus jokes without the redeeming surrealism or contempt for authority."[86] Charles Solomon of the Los Angeles Times called the series "rock bottom" and a "tasteless attempt to capture the Ren & Stimpy audience," mostly expressing displeasure at the crass humor.[87]
Common Sense Media reviewer Emily Ashby gave Rocko's Modern Life four stars, stating that Rocko's Modern Life is "modern and funny, but edgy content isn't suitable for young kids."[88]
The show has seen renewed acclaim. Brahna Siegelberg of Slate said that the most compelling aspect was that the show had "a really poignant critique of the materialist demands of American life." She added that she "realized that Rocko was really a show about how to navigate the adult world; one that could be appreciated by kids for its slapstick humor and absurdity, but had even more to say to young adults—like me."[89] IGN called the show a prime example of the "sophisticated, intelligent brand of children's programming" during Nickelodeon's golden age.[90] The A.V. Club called the show "one of the best series" from that era, praising the show's "impressive commitment to expressive character acting, well-drawn sight gags, and cartoony jokes that play with the form's slapstick strengths."[10] New York compared the series' humor, in retrospect, to that of Office Space (1999) and praised the subversive, anti-corporate stories.[91]
Awards and nominations
Timothy J. Borquez, Patrick Foley, Michael Giesler, Michael A. Gollorn, William B. Griggs, Tom Jeager, Gregory LaPlante, Timothy Mertens, and Kenneth Young of Rocko's Modern Life received a 1994 Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Film Sound Editing.[92]
George Maestri was nominated for a CableACE Award for his Rocko's Modern Life writing.[93][94]
The series won an Environmental Media Award in 1996 for the episode "Zanzibar!," a musical episode focusing on environmentalism, pollution, and deforestation.[95] The award was accepted by the episode's writers, Dan Povenmire and Jeff "Swampy" Marsh, future creators of the hit Disney animated series Phineas and Ferb.[96]
Legacy and impact
The fourth Nicktoon to debut, Rocko's Modern Life boasts a sizable cult fanbase.[10] Tom Kenny cited the show as vital in learning how to do voiceovers for animation. He recalled seeing Charlie Adler have a self two-way conversation as the Bigheads without any edits as "dazzling."[29] Kenny described the show's impact in an interview, saying, "Rocko's Modern Life was just one of those shows that were the first break for a lot of people who went on to do other stuff in the business."[97]
Some members of the Rocko's Modern Life staff created other successful ventures. Mitch Schauer, the show's assistant storyboard artist, would later create The Angry Beavers, which premiered on Nickelodeon in 1997 and ended in 2003. Stephen Hillenburg pitched SpongeBob SquarePants to Nickelodeon in 1997. Murray said of the pitch, "If it goes well, it'll be a blessing to us all."[2] The network bought the show, which premiered in 1999, and it became a popular, critical, and financial success, and one of the biggest shows on Nick. Hillenburg stated that he "learned a great deal about writing and producing animation for TV" from his time on Rocko's Modern Life.[98] Povenmire and Marsh went on to create Phineas and Ferb for Disney Channel. The show became a ratings success and received numerous award nominations.[99]
When Murray returned with a new animated series, Camp Lazlo on Cartoon Network, in 2005, much of the former staff of Rocko's Modern Life joined him.[1] He stated that "We always kept in touch and they told me to look them up if I ever did another project," adding that the crew already knew his sensibilities and an extra decade worth of experience. Carlos Alazraqui, who played Rocko, also ended up playing the main character of Lazlo.[1] Derek Drymon and Nick Jennings, both crew members, drew on its influence for future animated series they worked on.[29]
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TV special
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In September 2015, Nickelodeon stated that some of its old properties were being considered for revivals, involving Rocko's Modern Life in the process.[100]
In August 2016, Nickelodeon announced that they had greenlit a one-hour TV special, with Joe Murray as executive producer.[101] He revealed to Motherboard that in the special, Rocko would come back to O-Town after being in space for 20 years, and that it would focus on people's reliance on modern technology.[102] In June 2017, it was announced that the title of the special would be Rocko's Modern Life: Static Cling and that it would air in 2018. They reconfirmed that the entire main cast and recurring cast would be reprising their roles, alongside new voice actors Steve Little and co-director Cosmo Segurson.[103] A special sneak peek was released to coincide with the Rocko panel at San Diego Comic-Con 2017.[104]
In May 2019, it was announced that Netflix had acquired the distribution rights to both Rocko's Modern Life: Static Cling and Invader Zim: Enter the Florpus, and the streaming service confirmed a day later that they would premiere in the summer of 2019. Two months later, it was confirmed alongside an exclusive clip by the Rocko's Modern Life official Instagram page[105] and various news sources that the show would premiere on Netflix on August 9, 2019.[106][107]
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Merchandise
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In January 1994, Nickelodeon received ten "licensing partners" for merchandise for the series,[22] including Nintendo, Marvel Comics, and Hardee's for distributing Rocko toys along with other Nickelodeon characters in kids' menus.[108] Viacom New Media released one game based on the show, Rocko's Modern Life: Spunky's Dangerous Day, in the United States in April 1994, for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. Microsoft's Nickelodeon 3-D Movie Maker features various characters from the show.[109]
Rocko appeared as a playable character in the game Nicktoons: Attack of the Toybots. Rocko and Heffer make cameo appearances in Nicktoons MLB, and are both playable in Nickelodeon Kart Racers 2: Grand Prix, also featuring two racetracks based on the show. Rocko appears as a playable character in Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl via downloadable content[110] and Nickelodeon Kart Racers 3: Slime Speedway. Nick.com created two free online games featuring Rocko, using Shockwave, which requires the Shockwave Player plugin, website also requires Flash Player plugin.[111][112] In 2022, Rocko is included alongside other Nickelodeon characters in a Nickelodeon-exclusive edition of the video game Smite, released in July 2022. The Nickelodeon exclusive edition was released a week later.[113]
Currently, Hot Topic sells Rocko's Modern Life merchandise such as T-shirts, wristbands, keychains, and other items as part of their Retro Nickelodeon line.[114]
Comics
During Tom DeFalco's Editor-in-Chief career, Marvel Comics produced a seven-issue Rocko's Modern Life comic book series.[115] Marvel published the series from June 1994 to December 1994 with monthly releases. Nickelodeon approached Marvel, asking the company to produce comic book series for Rocko's Modern Life and Ren and Stimpy. Marvel purchased the license for Rocko from Nickelodeon. The staff created the comics, and Susan Luposniak, a Nickelodeon employee,[116] examined the comics before they were released.[117] Joe Murray said in a December 2008 blog entry that he drew some pages in the comic book series.[118]
The comics contain stories not seen in the television show. The comic book series omits some television show characters and places, while some original places and characters appear in the comics. John "Lewie" Lewandowski wrote all of the stories except for one; Joey Cavalieri wrote "Beaten by a Club," the second story of Issue #4.[119]
Troy Little, a resident of Monroe, Oregon, wrote to Marvel requesting that the title for the comic's letters column should be "That's Life." In Issue 3, published in August 1994, the editors decided to use the title for the comic's "Letters to the Editor" section.[116][117] In Issue 5, published in October 1994, the editors stated that they were still receiving suggestions for the title of the comic even though they had decided on using "That's Life" by Issue 3.[120]
In December 2017, Boom! Studios published a comic book series based on Rocko's Modern Life.[121] In the spring of 2019, it returned with Rocko's Modern Life: Afterlife, being based on Rocko, Heffer, and Filbert living in an apocalypse.[122]
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See also
References
External links
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