Rocko's Modern Life

Rocko's Modern Life was a kids TV show on Nickelodeon. It was on from September 18, 1993-November 24, 1996. It was about a talking wallaby named Rocko and Heffer the Cow who have wacky adventures in O-Town.

"Rocko's_Modern_Life"_Theme_Song_(HQ)_-_Episode_Opening_Credits_-_Nick_Animation — "Rocko's Modern Life" Theme Song (HQ) - Episode Opening Credits - Nick Animation

Rocko's Modern Life Second Theme Song Seasons 2-4 (1994-1996)

Description[]

The show Rocko's Modern Life was about a wallaby named Rocko and his best friend named Heffer (a fat cow who eats a lot) and Filburt (a turtle). They live next door to Mr. Bighead (a bad-tempered frog who is their neighbor) and Mrs. Bighead (a gentle frog who likes Rocko and Heffer).

History[]

Origin of Rocko's Modern Life (1980's-1993)[]

The origin of Rocko's Modern Life dates back to the 1980's when it was originally the name of a comic book series. In the mid 1980's a cartoonist named Joe Murray began working on Rocko's Modern Life and met a marine biologist named Stephen Hillenburg who also helped work on the cartoon. Hillenburg was also working on another cartoon called The Intertidal Zone which would eventually become known as SpongeBob SquarePants later on. In 1990, Murray and Hillenburg worked together on the new show and were eventually hired by Nickelodeon in 1991. At the time, Nickelodeon launched the first 3 Nicktoons which were Doug, The Ren & Stimpy Show, and Rugrats. Back then, Nicktoons were known for their clever adult humor that was appealing to both kids and adults and because they were funny. In the early 1990's, Nickelodeon hired a few writers, directors, producers, and cartoonists to create their Nicktoons shows. Joe Murray and Stephen Hillenburg worked on what would become Rocko's Modern Life and SpongeBob SquarePants, respectively. In 1992, Murray pitched Rocko's Modern Life to Nickelodeon and wrote the first episodes for the show, while Hillenburg directed the episodes and helped work on the show. The show premiered on Nickelodeon on the Nicktoons block on September 18, 1993 and became a success.

Rocko's Modern Life on Nickelodeon (1993-1996)[]

On September 18th, 1993, Rocko's Modern Life premiered on Nickelodeon and Nicktoons. It became a success for Nickelodeon in the early 1990's and became popular with both kids and adults alike. It had some subtle adult jokes and humor, some innuendos, and a more mature plot and tone to it than other kids cartoons such as Rugrats and SpongeBob SquarePants. The first episode was "No Pain, No Gain" on September 18, 1993. It was about Rocko the Wallaby and Heffer the Cow trying to lose weight and they go on a diet and work out to exercise. The second episode was "Who Gives a Buck". It was about Rocko and Heffer getting a credit card and using it to buy everything they desire.

Cancellation and reruns on Nicktoons (1996-2011)[]

On November 24, 1996, Rocko's Modern Life was cancelled from Nickelodeon but remained one of the best and most iconic Nicktoons of the 90's. Even after cancellation, Rocko's Modern Life was still popular and eventually became a cult classic in the 2000's. After Rocko's Modern Life ended in 1996, Stephen Hillenburg moved on to create his own show SpongeBob SquarePants, which at the time was originally called SpongeBoy Ahoy! when the character was originally named SpongeBoy. However, the name of the show was changed to "SpongeBob SquarePants" in 1997 because the name was already taken for a mop product. Hillenburg chose the last name "SquarePants" because it had a nice ring to it and also because it was a good family name. Hillenburg originally pitched the idea to Nickelodeon in 1996 and met Tom Kenny who was also a voice actor for the show Rocko's Modern Life. Kenny decided to be the voice for the main character SpongeBob and helped Hillenburg work on the show. The crew filmed the pilot episode "Help Wanted" in 1997 and the second episode "Reef Blower" in 1998, a SpongeBob episode with no dialogue except for the word "You!" in the captions when SpongeBob told Squidward Tentacles to stay put while he was cleaning up the mess with his reef blower. The third episode was "Tea at the Treedome" in early 1999 where SpongeBob meets Sandy Cheeks for the first time. SpongeBob SquarePants first premiered on Nickelodeon with these first 3 episodes on May 1st, 1999 and became a legacy for Nickelodeon for years to come.

During the early 2000's, Rocko's Modern Life became a cult classic for Nickelodeon as well as a figure of the 90's like Rugrats with its clever humor and appeal to both kids and adults unlike the modern Nickelodeon show SpongeBob SquarePants.

Rocko's Modern Life on DVD and Blu-ray (2011-2016)[]

In 2011, Rocko's Modern Life Season 1 was released on DVD for the first time. In 2012, Season 2 was released on DVD followed by Season 3 in 2012 and Season 4: The Final Season in 2013. The Complete Series was released on DVD in 2015.

Rocko's Modern Life legacy (2016-2019)[]

On August 11, 2016, Nickelodeon announced a new TV special for the classic show Rocko's Modern Life called Rocko's Modern Life: Static Cling. Also announced was another new TV special for the cult classic Nicktoon Invader Zim called Invader Zim: Enter the Florpus. On November 24, 2017, Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon Movies released Hey Arnold: The Jungle Movie which became a huge success to Nickelodeon. It was also announced that Nickelodeon may well be considering a revival of the classic Nicktoons show Rugrats.

Rocko's Modern Life: Static Cling special and revival (2019-present)[]

Main article: Rocko's Modern Life: Static Cling

On August 9, 2019, Rocko's Modern Life: Static Cling premiered on Netflix from Nickelodeon and became a decent success for the 90's kids and 00's kids as well as a modest success for 10's kids and kids of today. On August 16, 2019, Invader Zim: Enter the Florpus premiered on Netflix from Nickelodeon and also became a huge success for most 90's and 00's kids as well as a modest success for 10's kids and kids of today.

Future of Rocko's Modern Life (Coming 2025)[]

Coming January 2025

Legends[]

Main Legends[]

Rocko's Modern Life is .

Original Legends[]

Rocko's Modern Life was originally .

Trivia[]

The show was originally rated TV-Y in the early 1990's.