by Ashley Penrod, Assistant Media Editor
For almost every 90’s kid, NickToons were a staple in after-school and weekend TV. Shows like Aaaah! Real Monsters, Hey Arnold!, The Angry Beavers, and Ren and Stimpy were a huge part of middle school entertainment, and Rocko‘s Modern Life is certainly no exception. As a matter of fact, Rocko‘s Modern Life was one of the more mature and amusing of the diverse NickToons lineup, and now it is available for you to own!
With titles such as “To Heck and Back” and “Who Gives a Buck?” starting each episode, it’s obvious from the get-go that a lot of the humor in the cartoon will be geared every bit as much towards adults as it is towards children. Though the audience was mainly comprised of 8 – 14 year olds, I fondly remember being pretty confused on occasion, wondering what some of the jokes meant. Seeing Rocko from an adult viewpoint makes me appreciate the humor that eluded me at 12, which makes the cartoon all the more enjoyable, whether you’re grown or still in grade school. Which led me to write this review entirely from My Grown-Up POV!
Rocko is a mild-mannered wallaby, fresh from the outback, trying to make his way in the adult American world, accompanied only by his faithful Terrier, Spunky. But life in the Adult World isn’t so easy, and the American Adult World proves to be a lot more than Rocko bargained for. Watching Rocko sort through his mail in frustration, muttering phrases such as: “I’m completely broke – This is unbelievable. How do people keep up with this?” will have most adult viewers relating immediately. Rocko keeps his optimistic composure throughout; whether he is jammed in the middle of a dramafest with his obnoxious friends, negotiating living-arrangements with his crabby neighbor, or cutting up an overused credit card. His cheery, compassionate demeanor and middle-man status among his friends provides a great message about social interaction for kids, paired with the hilarious antics that make NickToons stand out immensely among brethren cartoons. However, Rocko‘s Modern Life isn’t another preachy, message-heavy cartoon (they got so popular in the late 90’s!), it is pure entertainment, with a few learning experiences along the way. Now and then, Rocko‘s crazy friends steal the show; particularly his best friend, gluttonous steer Heffer, whose careless antics drive a good majority of the episodic plotlines. Heffer’s odd-man counterpart, Filbert, is a hypochondriatic turtle who helps to create the stress in Rocko‘s life, only to slide comfortably into his shell when things get too hectic. His neighbors, the amphibious Bigheads, provide quite a bit of the issues that lead to the offbeat humor and quirky antics that define the show. While corporate fatcat, Mr. Bighead, wants nothing more than to see Rocko and his beloved companion pup evicted from the neighborhood, Mrs. Bighead provides the compassionate and caring counterpart, often helping Rocko out of his many messes.
I was excited see that Shout! Factory was releasing Rocko‘s Modern Life in DVD format, along with several other NickToon favorites. In typical cartoon-form, the two discs contain halved portions of Season One, without special features. It would have been neat to see the voice talents of Tom Kenny (Spongebob Squarepants) and Charles Adler (Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen) bring Rocko to life, but cartoons rarely take the time to add special features, so it is what it is. Nearly all of the voice talent is recognizable to any animation fan, and the switch to the B-52’s version of the Rocko‘s Modern Life theme song adds a lot of character to the opening credits.
Rocko‘s Modern Life has become a beloved classic among NickToons fans, and is gaining new fans every day while running in syndication on several Nickelodeon networks. The long-awaited release of Season One leaves fans anxiously awaiting the release of the full series, and gives us older kids a chance to reminisce at will. It doesn’t get a whole lot better than that.
ComicsOnline gives Rocko’s Modern Life: Season One- 4 out of 5 classic cartoons from the 90’s.
Get your copy of Rocko’s Modern Life: Season One on DVD at Amazon.
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