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Rocko’s Modern Life: Static Cling Review

Two years ago, when I first heard about Rocko’s Modern Life: Static Cling, I thought the title made no sense. At all. Still, I rolled with it, got up bright and early to watch the special on Netflix. After watching it at least four times for this review, the meaning of the title hit me as I was driving home. It was referring to the notion of stubbornly clinging to the past in the face of change. Therein lies the message Joe Murray and the Rocko alumni were trying to give.

My first thought was “dang, that’s good! Murray’s still got it!” Here’s my review of Rocko’s Modern Life: Static Cling.

Future Shock in O-Town

After being stranded in space for twenty years, Rocko, Heffer, Filburt, and Spunky are finally able to return home. What they find is a futuristic O-Town they hardly recognize. While Heffer and Filburt whole-heartedly embrace this new O-Town, Rocko’s slow to accept a modern life. Everything hits the fan when the poor wallaby learns that his favorite show, The Fatheads, no longer runs on Tv.

While Rocko’s desperate to get the last link to his old life back, O-town goes through a crisis. An accounting error by Mr. Bighead pushes Conglom-O into bankruptcy, putting most of O-Town out of a job. The only way to save the day is for Rocko to find The Fatheads creator, Ralph Bighead, and get him to make another Fatheads cartoon.

The Need for Nostalgia

Right off the bat, Static Cling tries to establish its central theme about change through this comment from Rocko:

Isn’t it great how some things never change?

Despite spending twenty years in space with his dog and two friends (one of which won’t stop singing), Rocko’s content. He’s like one of those people who gets stranded for a long period of time and comes up enjoy the isolation. So when he gets back to Earth, he finds it hard to rejoin society.

What sends Rocko off the deep end, though, is the loss of The Fatheads. Considering how his only entertainment in space was a VHS tape of the show, I think it’s safe to assume that it was the only thing that kept him sane. It’s his lifeline.

Poking Fun at Fandom and Reboots

From the moment Rocko decides to get his show back, I saw him as channeling a satire of the modern-day super-Fan. From defending his show as a cultural icon to obsessively saying it’s all he has in his life, Rocko channels all the fervor of a fanboy. As a fan of many works of entertainment myself, I found this satirization to be accurate and hilarious.

What was even funnier, though, was how it addresses the unspoken truth behind reboots: making cash. As Mr Bighead points out, fans have actual power these days thanks to the Internet and Social Media. I still remember how Rick and Morty fans got McDonald’s to bring back their Szechuan sauce. When it comes to it, though, it’s about making money. Unless a company thinks there’s a big enough audience out there, they won’t risk bringing back an old property.

A reboot’s a tough balancing act that, when done wrong, will alienate the old fans. So after talking Conglom-O into rebooting The Fatheads, Rocko and friends go to find Ralph Bighead to help. They find him, but keeping with the specials theme on change, they find Ralph’s no longer Ralph. He’s now Rachel Bighead.

It’s Rachel Bighead

When I heard that a major character int even special was going to be transgender, it drove the point home. It would have been crazy to have a kids show with a transgender character in the 90s. Thanks to the growing acceptance of homosexuality and transgender, though, Murray’s free to get away with it.

Mr. Bighead takes some getting used to Rachel’s change, but he decides his daughter is what’s most important in the end. It’s a touching moment that happens just as The Fatheads special is being aired, with everyone reveling in the nostalgia. Rocko’s more stubborn though, as when The Fatheads cartoon isn’t the same as he knew it, he channels the negative fanboy in him.

The Whinds of Change

In the most important part of Static Cling, though, Ed Bighead sums up the moral of the story: if we keep living in the past all the time, we’ll miss out on the amazing stuff going on around us. It’s a touching reminder that I think a lot of fans can relate to.

In my years, I have seen many things I love come to an end, some before I was ready. Having a show end can be a bittersweet thing, but seeing a show you love get cancelled is the worst. So I get what Rocko’s going through! If you’ve read my blog lately, then you know I’m still not entirely over Game of Thrones or Star vs.! Maybe more so for the latter.

My point being, and I know this is gonna sound rich coming from me, is that Bighead’s, and Static Cling, are right. We can always be grateful for the things we experience and see in the past; they can be some of our best memories! That doesn’t mean that we should deride anything that’s new or changes on our lives. We need to stop clinging to the past like static, and embrace the here and now. Ultimately, that’s the lesson that Rocko finally learns.

A Reboot Done Right

So in the end, was Rocko’s Modern Life: Static Cling everything fans had hoped for? I can answer that with a resounding yes. It had all the humor and charm of the show wrapped into a story about modern life. It balances the fans need for nostalgia while understanding the need to move forward into the future. If you’re a fan of Joe Murray, or 90s Nicktoon’s, then you’ll want to watch this special again and again.

Then when you’re done, make sure to thank the one who made it all possible: Really Really Big Man and his power nipples!

I give Rocko’s Modern Life: Static Cling a 5/5. That was a hoot!

Besides, if there’s one thing I’ve learned from years of watching TV, it’s that nothing’s gone for good. There’s that petition to bring Star back. Come to think of it, I think another classic Nicktoon’s coming back next we-

-Attention, puny Earth creatures. This website is being repurposed for a very special announcement. Tune in tomorrow at 4 PM on your EST to learn more.

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A Look Back on Rocko’s Modern Life and it’s importance

My fellow 90s kids and lovers of classic Nickelodeon, tomorrow is a momentous day. Joe Murray’s classic Nicktoon, Rocko’s Modern Life, shall make it’s return on Netflix. If the trailers are anything to go by, it’s going to have all the slapstick, satire, and adult jokes fans will remember. As a 90s kid, I feel I should be more excited about this, but I have a confession to make. I didn’t like Rocko as much as I could have as a kid.

I was born in the middle of the 1990s, so I was too young to watch the show when it was actually airing. By the time I graduated from Nick Jr. to Nickelodeon proper, all that they had were reruns. When I watched them, though, most of the jokes flew over my head, and by the time I was old enough to understand them, Rocko’s Modern Life had gone off the air.

Despite this, the years have given me a greater appreciation for the show for its satirization of our culture. The show’s setting of O-Town is basically a jab at the commercialization of everything in the 90s. Again, I don’t remember much, so I have to take others word for it. Or do I?

Camp Lazlo

Despite my limited childhood connection to Rocko, much of my appreciation for it comes from another show Murray did, Camp Lazlo.

Premiering on Cartoon Network in summer of 2005, it was a show about three best friends, Lazlo, Raj, and Clam, who spend their summer as Bean Scouts in Camp Kidney. I fell in love with this show as a kid, and, for a time, it was one of my favorite cartoons. I also noticed that it used a lot of the jokes and music from another show I liked, Spongebob Squarepants.

In hindsight, this observation makes sense. After Rocko’s Modern Life got cancelled, a good chunk of its actors and staff moved to work on Spongebob. According to Murray, they kept in touch, and when Lazlo got green lit, they jumped on board.

As a result, Camp Lazlo had a lot of its predecessor in its DNA. The actors, the writing style, the comedy of Rocko’s were all there. In many ways, it was like the second coming of Rocko’s Modern Life. Albeit, it’s one that toned down the adult jokes. It was a fun show, but then Cartoon Network pulled the plug on it in 2008. According to Murray, he ticked the executives off by refusing to appear in a commercial for McDonald’s or something.

Murray’s Uphill Battle

That wasn’t the first time Joe Murray faced issues. According to Vanity Fair, his dad didn’t approve of his desire to be an artist. I’m convinced that this led to him creating Ralph Bighead, the cartoonist and estranged son of Mr. and Mrs. Bighead on the show. He even voiced Ralph himself.

It gets worse. Around the time production of Rocko’s Modern Life got his wife Diane committed suicide. For a time, Murray blamed Rocko for what happened. He eventually got therapy, though, and working on his show helped. Then, when he started Camp Lazlo, he got a divorce from his second wife. Ouch.

Yet despite all the hardship, Murray never let it truly break him. He did everything he could to make sure that his team could have the freedom to do what they wanted. They worked at their own separate studio , and Murray’s contract ensured that none of the executives from Nickelodeon could show up unannounced. As a result, the team behind the show worked in an environment that was essentially controlled, light-hearted anarchy.

After reading all of this, I can’t help but respect Joe Murray, both as a person and a creator. He created the kind of work environment that I would have loved being in. I think because of this, many of the people who worked on Rocko’s Modern Life went on to make a big splash in pop culture.

Impact of Rocko’s Modern Life

As crazy as it may sounds, cartoons as we know them today may not be the same without Rocko’s Modern Life. Many of the team members have gone on to work on several highly successful cartoons, from the adult animation on Fox, to Cartoon Network, and of course, for Nickelodeon. Dan Povenmire and Jeff “Swampy” Marsh, who got their starts on Rocko, have gone on to create Phineas and Ferb and Milo Murphy’s Law. Phineas and Ferb was one of my favorite cartoons on Disney Channel for years, you know!

In terms of cultural impact, Rocko started the careers of two highly successful comedians, Carlos Alazraqui and Tom Kenny. Carlos’ got some pretty high-profile roles and a steady number of minor ones. As for Tom Kenny, there’s not enough time in the day. The guys practically voice acting royalty. He may be best known for playing Spongebob, but he’s got a lot of other big roles under his belt.

Speaking of Spongebob, we wouldn’t have Spongebob without Rocko. Stephen Hillenberg was the creative director of the show, and took most of the reins when Murray wanted to step back. After Rocko got the axe, Stephen went on to pitch Spongebob Squarepants. A lot of Rocko’s team joined him, and the rest is animation history.

That Was a Hoot!

So, while I may not get the level of nostalgia as some fans, that doesn’t mean I don’t see the value of this show. It left a big impact on the animation industry and helped make it what it is today. I’m looking forward to seeing Rocko’s Modern Life: Static Cling first thing in the morning. You can bet that I’ll be doing a review of it, too! It’s gonna be a hoot!

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