Rocko’s Modern Life

Rocko’s Modern Life is an American animated series created by Joe Murray. The show aired for four seasons between 1993 and 1996 on Nickelodeon. Rocko’s Modern Life is based around the surreal, parodic adventures of an anthropomorphic, Australian-immigrant wallaby named Rocko, and his new life in the city of O-Town. The show explores his American life as well as the lives of his friends: the gluttonous steer Heffer, the neurotic turtle Filburt, and Rocko’s faithful dog, Spunky. The show is laden with adult humor, including double entendres, innuendos, and satirical social commentary.

Joe Murray initially created the title character for an unpublished comic book series in the late 1980s, and later reluctantly pitched the series to Nickelodeon, who were looking for edgier cartoonists for their new Nicktoons block. The network gave the staff a large amount of creative freedom, the writers targeting both children and adults. The show’s animation stylistically features crooked architecture. In addition, Murray picked many newcomer voice actors, such as Tom Kenny and Carlos Alazraqui, who have gone on to become very popular. The show was the fourth Nicktoon to premiere. 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.”