Rocko
Encyclopedia
Rocko Wallaby is the eponym
ous fictional character
of the cartoon Rocko's Modern Life
and the comic book series of the same name. Rocko was born in Australia and emigrated to America in High School. He was pitched to Nickelodeon executives as having the personality of a young wallaby Woody Allen. Carlos Alazraqui
provided the voice of Rocko in the television series.
Rocko first appeared in a never-released comic, where he has the name "Travis". Joe Murray, creator of Rocko's Modern Life, believed that the personality of a wallaby suited Rocko after observing a zoo wallaby "minding his own business" while elephant
s and monkey
s "screamed for attention." After the event, Murray said that "[i]t kind of clicked. Rocko would be at the center of the hurricane of everything swirling around him. He'd be like the everyman who's affected by the dramatic personalities around him."
Murray wanted to get his comic into syndication. Afterwards Murray made substantial changes to Rocko. Murray added that the personality of a wallaby mirrored Rocko's humbleness and his tendency to keep his frustrations to himself instead of publicly complaining about them.
In the original pilot for Rocko's Modern Life, the animators colored Rocko yellow. One month before the first episode was submitted to the animation studio in South Korea
, Murray changed the color when a toy company wishing to make Rocko plushes refused to license the character after citing that Rocko looked too similar to a yellow character used in one of the company's existing products. Murray fought the changes with the Nickelodeon executives; in the end the executives insisted on changing the color, so Murray changed the color to beige
and disliked the choice. On his website Murray said, "He was always yellow to me." Murray said that the company later backed out of the commitment and did not create the plush series.
Murray auditioned Alazraqui in San Francisco, and chose him as the voice actor for Rocko. Jeff "Swampy" Marsh, a storyboard writer, describes Alazraqui's voice for Rocko as "not really an accurate Australian accent
" ; according to Marsh the team used the voice as Alazraqui used the voice for the pilot.
Murray said that as the series progressed, he adjusted Rocko's design from episode to episode to be more "volume friendly" and "animator friendly." According to Murray, when he created independent films and the Rocko's Modern Life pilot, he created all of the character layouts in his mind and other animators used the layouts to create works. Murray said that when Rocko became "high volume," Murray taught Americans
and Koreans
how to draw the characters. Murray described Rocko as the most difficult character to draw, and he said that therefore he decided to adjust his character design in order to assist the overseas animators. Murray said that as he and the directors continued to "quickdraw" the character changes to the design "naturally" lessened the "victim, paranoid" aspect and gave the character a "happy personality."
According to George Maestri
, Rocko has no family name
because the writers did not think of a family name that they desired. In a concept sketch Murray named the character "Rocko Rama". The writers considered the family name "Stretchbrain" because the character's brain popped out of his head during "odd moments." The writers scrapped the idea, leaving the character with one given name. Some websites, including Hot Topic
, give him the family name "Wallabee" and the middle name
"James". In "Dental Hyjinks," the first story of the Marvel Comics
Rocko's Modern Life
series Issue #1 , the nurse addresses Rocko as "Mr. Rocko." In "Intestinal Turmoil," the first story of Issue #2, the doctor addresses Rocko as "Mr. Rocko" and Rocko answers the telephone with the words "Rocko residence."
, Rocko later immigrated to the United States
after completing high school
. Murray suggests that Rocko's interest in the United States began with a vacation with his family as a youth; during the trip he met his future sidekick Filburt
. Murray allowed for directors to create inconsistencies, reflecting how friends possess different and varied, nostalgic memories of the past. For instance, in the episode "Put to Pasture" the writers portray Rocko, Filburt, and Heffer Wolfe
as students at O-Town High School. Murray received many pieces of mail regarding the storyline inconsistencies.
Rocko wears a blue shirt with purple triangles and orange shoes. He is known for being a loyal friend, not venturing outside his comfort zone, and is known to say when a situation is not going well: "_____ day is a very dangerous day." (For example, "Garbage day is a very dangerous day.") In "Trash-O-Madness", a family photograph depicts Rocko with a mother, father, and a younger sibling. "Wimp On the Barby" shows Rocko's family again, revealing that his younger sibling is a sister. Murray created a narcoleptic
older sister character named Magdalane "Maggie" and an episode, "Wake Up Maggie", about her, but chose to never air the episode and never use the character. Magdalane was created as a mother with two children.
Although personally hygienic, Rocko has an almost pathological tendency to neglect his living space; several episodes, such as "Unbalanced Load", involve Rocko attempting to rectify severe messes or lapses in maintenance.
Rocko enjoys collecting comic books and likes rainbows.
Nickelodeon South East Asia
's website describes Rocko as "generally very polite and sometimes shy" and that provocation can lead Rocko to become "determined and forceful." Jean Prescott of The Sun Herald
described Rocko as a "pudgy little wallaby star" who tries to "do what's right" and is devoted to his friend Heffer and dog Spunky
. Prescott has called the character "lovable."
Common Sense Media reviewer Andrea Graham, whose review is posted on Go.com
, describes Rocko as "paranoid
and obsessed with cleanliness" and that he initially perceives his neighbors to be "loud and messy." Graham describes Rocko as accepting of his neighbors' faults and seeing the positive qualities within them.
In an early character profile presented to the networks Murray described Rocko as "a young anthropomorphic Woody Allen
, who has just moved away from his home into a surrealistic
adult world."
boss. In the television show, his other jobs include tattoo artist, plumber's assistant, and specialty phone operator (possibly a phone sex operator, as he says "oh baby, oh baby, oh baby", and the sign behind him says "Be Hot, Be NAUGHTY, Be Courteous."), a product tester at Conglom-O, a tow truck man, an underwear model, and a cartoonist for the program Wacky Delly.
In the official comic book, Rocko works as a comic book dealer in Issue #7's "Conned Again", working for "Humongo Con."
. Bev considers Rocko a very sweet neighbor. He and his dog Spunky, who often eats the neighbors' salmon bushes, are a source of constant annoyance to Ed. In the episode Skid Marks, Rocko's drivers license reveals that Rocko and the Bigheads live on "Boogie Blvd," with Rocko's address being 1172 Boogie Blvd.
Rocko's best friends are Heffer Wolfe
, a steer who eats a lot and was adopted and raised by a family of wolves, and Filburt
, a bespectacled turtle with neurotic Woody Allen
-esque mannerisms, who often feels nauseated.
until he discovers that Melba has a serious boyfriend named Dave in "Love Spanked". Melba has only been mentioned once since.
In subsequent episodes, Rocko bears crushes for other characters. In "S.W.A.K.", Rocko has been vying for the attention from the pretty kangaroo mail-lady that comes to his door every day; he writes her a love note that he is too scared to send so Heffer does it for him instead. Rocko fails to retrieve the letter and gets the impression that the mail-lady would rather go out with Heffer. This turns out to be a joke on the mail-lady's part and she actually returns Rocko's feelings. In "Wallaby on Wheels", Rocko learns to roller skate to impress Sheila, a girl who hangs out at the roller rink, and becomes jealous when it is implied she is attracted to Heffer. In the end, he wins her over after saving Heffer's life. In "I See London, I See France", Rocko tries to win over Claudette, who turned out to be his female wallaby pen pal
from Paris
, but she is more interested in Heffer.
. He also appears in the console version of Nicktoons: Attack of the Toybots
as a playable character, and an actor in Microsoft
's Nickelodeon 3D Movie Maker
.
Eponym
An eponym is the name of a person or thing, whether real or fictitious, after which a particular place, tribe, era, discovery, or other item is named or thought to be named...
ous fictional character
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
of the cartoon Rocko's Modern Life
Rocko's Modern Life
Rocko's Modern Life is an 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 wallaby named Rocko, and his life in the city of O-Town...
and the comic book series of the same name. Rocko was born in Australia and emigrated to America in High School. He was pitched to Nickelodeon executives as having the personality of a young wallaby Woody Allen. Carlos Alazraqui
Carlos Alazraqui
Carlos Jaime Alazraqui is an American actor, comedian, impressionist and voice actor. He is best known for his role as Deputy James Garcia on the Comedy Central series Reno 911!. His voice-over work includes the role of Bobbi Fabulous on Phineas and Ferb, the Taco Bell chihuahua, Denzel Q...
provided the voice of Rocko in the television series.
Conception and development
Elephant
Elephants are large land mammals in two extant genera of the family Elephantidae: Elephas and Loxodonta, with the third genus Mammuthus extinct...
s and monkey
Monkey
A monkey is a primate, either an Old World monkey or a New World monkey. There are about 260 known living species of monkey. Many are arboreal, although there are species that live primarily on the ground, such as baboons. Monkeys are generally considered to be intelligent. Unlike apes, monkeys...
s "screamed for attention." After the event, Murray said that "[i]t kind of clicked. Rocko would be at the center of the hurricane of everything swirling around him. He'd be like the everyman who's affected by the dramatic personalities around him."
Murray wanted to get his comic into syndication. Afterwards Murray made substantial changes to Rocko. Murray added that the personality of a wallaby mirrored Rocko's humbleness and his tendency to keep his frustrations to himself instead of publicly complaining about them.
In the original pilot for Rocko's Modern Life, the animators colored Rocko yellow. One month before the first episode was submitted to the animation studio in South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
, Murray changed the color when a toy company wishing to make Rocko plushes refused to license the character after citing that Rocko looked too similar to a yellow character used in one of the company's existing products. Murray fought the changes with the Nickelodeon executives; in the end the executives insisted on changing the color, so Murray changed the color to beige
Beige
Beige may be described as an off tan color or an extremely pale brown color.The term originates from beige cloth, a cotton fabric left undyed in its natural color...
and disliked the choice. On his website Murray said, "He was always yellow to me." Murray said that the company later backed out of the commitment and did not create the plush series.
Murray auditioned Alazraqui in San Francisco, and chose him as the voice actor for Rocko. Jeff "Swampy" Marsh, a storyboard writer, describes Alazraqui's voice for Rocko as "not really an accurate Australian accent
Australian English
Australian English is the name given to the group of dialects spoken in Australia that form a major variety of the English language....
" ; according to Marsh the team used the voice as Alazraqui used the voice for the pilot.
Murray said that as the series progressed, he adjusted Rocko's design from episode to episode to be more "volume friendly" and "animator friendly." According to Murray, when he created independent films and the Rocko's Modern Life pilot, he created all of the character layouts in his mind and other animators used the layouts to create works. Murray said that when Rocko became "high volume," Murray taught Americans
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Koreans
Korean people
The Korean people are an ethnic group originating in the Korean peninsula and Manchuria. Koreans are one of the most ethnically and linguistically homogeneous groups in the world.-Names:...
how to draw the characters. Murray described Rocko as the most difficult character to draw, and he said that therefore he decided to adjust his character design in order to assist the overseas animators. Murray said that as he and the directors continued to "quickdraw" the character changes to the design "naturally" lessened the "victim, paranoid" aspect and gave the character a "happy personality."
According to George Maestri
George Maestri
George Maestri is the President and Creative Director of the Los Angeles animation studio Rubber Bug, a writer, an animation producer for South Park, and a story writer for the animated television series Rocko's Modern Life....
, Rocko has no family name
Family name
A family name is a type of surname and part of a person's name indicating the family to which the person belongs. The use of family names is widespread in cultures around the world...
because the writers did not think of a family name that they desired. In a concept sketch Murray named the character "Rocko Rama". The writers considered the family name "Stretchbrain" because the character's brain popped out of his head during "odd moments." The writers scrapped the idea, leaving the character with one given name. Some websites, including Hot Topic
Hot Topic
Hot Topic is an American retail chain specializing in music and pop culture-related clothing and accessories, as well as licensed music on CD. The majority of the stores are located in regional shopping malls. The first Hot Topic store was opened in 1988 by Orv Madden, who retired as CEO in 2000...
, give him the family name "Wallabee" and the middle name
Middle name
People's names in several cultures include one or more additional names placed between the first given name and the surname. In Canada and the United States all such names are specifically referred to as middle name; in most European countries they would simply be regarded as second, third, etc....
"James". In "Dental Hyjinks," the first story of the Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
Rocko's Modern Life
Rocko's Modern Life
Rocko's Modern Life is an 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 wallaby named Rocko, and his life in the city of O-Town...
series Issue #1 , the nurse addresses Rocko as "Mr. Rocko." In "Intestinal Turmoil," the first story of Issue #2, the doctor addresses Rocko as "Mr. Rocko" and Rocko answers the telephone with the words "Rocko residence."
Change in model sheets
Rocko's design changed as his character evolved. The first version of the character was Travis. Murray said "I liked him, but changed him considerably for Rocko." Murray said that the version placed in the Rocko's Modern Life proposal was "much looser, and closer to my independent film style." Murray did not consider how the character would be animated, as Murray did not believe that the character would be animated. When the pilot for Rocko's Modern Life was approved, Murray began streamlining the character so that others could easily draw him. Murray said that one could perceive a difference between the character as he appears in the original model sheet used in the original animation versus the character as he appears in the animation produced abroad. Murray continued to streamline Rocko so that overseas studios could easily draw him. Murray and the directors had become so accustomed to quickdrawing Rocko that the changes in the character, in his words, "naturally occurred, lending more to the happy personality Rocko had developed into ( less the victim, paranoid one from the beginning)."Character
Rocko lives in O-Town, California. Raised in AustraliaAustralia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, Rocko later immigrated to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
after completing high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
. Murray suggests that Rocko's interest in the United States began with a vacation with his family as a youth; during the trip he met his future sidekick Filburt
Filburt
Filburt is a main and supporting character of the cartoon Rocko's Modern Life and the comic book series of the same name. In the Australian website of the television show, his name is sometimes spelled as Filbert and sometimes as Filburt. In the comic book, his name is spelled Filbert...
. Murray allowed for directors to create inconsistencies, reflecting how friends possess different and varied, nostalgic memories of the past. For instance, in the episode "Put to Pasture" the writers portray Rocko, Filburt, and Heffer Wolfe
Heffer Wolfe
Heffer Wolfe is a fictional character on the cartoon Rocko's Modern Life and the comic book series of the same name. Tom Kenny provided the voice of the anthropomorphic steer...
as students at O-Town High School. Murray received many pieces of mail regarding the storyline inconsistencies.
Rocko wears a blue shirt with purple triangles and orange shoes. He is known for being a loyal friend, not venturing outside his comfort zone, and is known to say when a situation is not going well: "_____ day is a very dangerous day." (For example, "Garbage day is a very dangerous day.") In "Trash-O-Madness", a family photograph depicts Rocko with a mother, father, and a younger sibling. "Wimp On the Barby" shows Rocko's family again, revealing that his younger sibling is a sister. Murray created a narcoleptic
Narcolepsy
Narcolepsy is a chronic sleep disorder, or dyssomnia, characterized by excessive sleepiness and sleep attacks at inappropriate times, such as while at work. People with narcolepsy often experience disturbed nocturnal sleep and an abnormal daytime sleep pattern, which often is confused with insomnia...
older sister character named Magdalane "Maggie" and an episode, "Wake Up Maggie", about her, but chose to never air the episode and never use the character. Magdalane was created as a mother with two children.
Although personally hygienic, Rocko has an almost pathological tendency to neglect his living space; several episodes, such as "Unbalanced Load", involve Rocko attempting to rectify severe messes or lapses in maintenance.
Rocko enjoys collecting comic books and likes rainbows.
Nickelodeon South East Asia
Nickelodeon South East Asia
Nickelodeon Southeast Asia is a satellite and cable TV channel for children and teenagers. Operated by MTV Networks Asia Pacific and owned by Viacom International....
's website describes Rocko as "generally very polite and sometimes shy" and that provocation can lead Rocko to become "determined and forceful." Jean Prescott of The Sun Herald
The Sun Herald
The Sun Herald is a U.S. newspaper based in Biloxi, Mississippi, that serves readers along the Mississippi Gulf Coast. It is owned by The McClatchy Company, one of the largest newspaper publishers in the United States....
described Rocko as a "pudgy little wallaby star" who tries to "do what's right" and is devoted to his friend Heffer and dog Spunky
Spunky
Spunky is a fictional character in the cartoon series Rocko's Modern Life and the comic book series of the same name.Spunky is Rocko's dog. Though not explicitly stated on the show, Spunky resembles a Bull Terrier. Spunky emits foul odors, eats trash, drinks his saliva, and rolls in and eats Ed...
. Prescott has called the character "lovable."
Common Sense Media reviewer Andrea Graham, whose review is posted on Go.com
Go.com
Go.com is a web portal first launched by Jeff Gold, and now operated by the Walt Disney Internet Group, which is a part of The Walt Disney Company. The portal includes content from ABC News, ESPN, and FamilyFun.com, all of which are associated with Disney and are hosted under a .go.com name...
, describes Rocko as "paranoid
Paranoia
Paranoia [] is a thought process believed to be heavily influenced by anxiety or fear, often to the point of irrationality and delusion. Paranoid thinking typically includes persecutory beliefs, or beliefs of conspiracy concerning a perceived threat towards oneself...
and obsessed with cleanliness" and that he initially perceives his neighbors to be "loud and messy." Graham describes Rocko as accepting of his neighbors' faults and seeing the positive qualities within them.
In an early character profile presented to the networks Murray described Rocko as "a young anthropomorphic Woody Allen
Woody Allen
Woody Allen is an American screenwriter, director, actor, comedian, jazz musician, author, and playwright. Allen's films draw heavily on literature, sexuality, philosophy, psychology, Jewish identity, and the history of cinema...
, who has just moved away from his home into a surrealistic
Surrealism
Surrealism is a cultural movement that began in the early 1920s, and is best known for the visual artworks and writings of the group members....
adult world."
Careers
In the television show, in his day-to-day life, Rocko works as a cashier at (and briefly as the boss of) a local comic book shop called Kind of a Lot o' Comics which is owned by Mr. Smitty and sells mostly Really Really Big Man comics. Rocko originally worked at Mega Lot-O Comics, owned by chairman of Conglom-O, Mr. Dupette, Ed Bighead'sEd Bighead
Edward "Ed" Bighead is a fictional character in the cartoon series Rocko's Modern Life and the comic book series of the same name. Mr. Bighead, an anthropomorphic cane toad, lives next door to the main character of the show, Rocko, whom he vehemently dislikes...
boss. In the television show, his other jobs include tattoo artist, plumber's assistant, and specialty phone operator (possibly a phone sex operator, as he says "oh baby, oh baby, oh baby", and the sign behind him says "Be Hot, Be NAUGHTY, Be Courteous."), a product tester at Conglom-O, a tow truck man, an underwear model, and a cartoonist for the program Wacky Delly.
In the official comic book, Rocko works as a comic book dealer in Issue #7's "Conned Again", working for "Humongo Con."
Neighbors
Rocko's neighbors are Ed, with whom he has a semi-rivalry, and Bev BigheadBev Bighead
Beverly "Bev" Bighead is a fictional character on the television show Rocko's Modern Life and the comic of the same name.-Development:Joe Murray, the creator of Rocko's Modern Life, said that he based the Bigheads on a group of neighbors who lived next door to Murray during his childhood...
. Bev considers Rocko a very sweet neighbor. He and his dog Spunky, who often eats the neighbors' salmon bushes, are a source of constant annoyance to Ed. In the episode Skid Marks, Rocko's drivers license reveals that Rocko and the Bigheads live on "Boogie Blvd," with Rocko's address being 1172 Boogie Blvd.
Friends
Heffer Wolfe
Heffer Wolfe is a fictional character on the cartoon Rocko's Modern Life and the comic book series of the same name. Tom Kenny provided the voice of the anthropomorphic steer...
, a steer who eats a lot and was adopted and raised by a family of wolves, and Filburt
Filburt
Filburt is a main and supporting character of the cartoon Rocko's Modern Life and the comic book series of the same name. In the Australian website of the television show, his name is sometimes spelled as Filbert and sometimes as Filburt. In the comic book, his name is spelled Filbert...
, a bespectacled turtle with neurotic Woody Allen
Woody Allen
Woody Allen is an American screenwriter, director, actor, comedian, jazz musician, author, and playwright. Allen's films draw heavily on literature, sexuality, philosophy, psychology, Jewish identity, and the history of cinema...
-esque mannerisms, who often feels nauseated.
Love Life
In early concept sketches Murray indicated that Rocko bears a strong crush on a character named "Melba Toast". Rocko expresses this trait in Season One, bearing a crush on the unseen characterUnseen character
In fiction, an unseen character is a character that is never directly observed by the audience but is only described by other characters. They are a common device in drama and have been called "triumphs of theatrical invention". They are continuing characters — characters who are currently in...
until he discovers that Melba has a serious boyfriend named Dave in "Love Spanked". Melba has only been mentioned once since.
In subsequent episodes, Rocko bears crushes for other characters. In "S.W.A.K.", Rocko has been vying for the attention from the pretty kangaroo mail-lady that comes to his door every day; he writes her a love note that he is too scared to send so Heffer does it for him instead. Rocko fails to retrieve the letter and gets the impression that the mail-lady would rather go out with Heffer. This turns out to be a joke on the mail-lady's part and she actually returns Rocko's feelings. In "Wallaby on Wheels", Rocko learns to roller skate to impress Sheila, a girl who hangs out at the roller rink, and becomes jealous when it is implied she is attracted to Heffer. In the end, he wins her over after saving Heffer's life. In "I See London, I See France", Rocko tries to win over Claudette, who turned out to be his female wallaby pen pal
Pen pal
Pen pals are people who regularly write to each other, particularly via postal mail.-Purposes:A penpal relationship is often used to practice reading and writing in a foreign language, to improve literacy, to learn more about other countries and life-styles, and to make friendships...
from Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, but she is more interested in Heffer.
Video game appearances
Rocko is the playable character of Rocko's Modern Life: Spunky's Dangerous DayRocko's Modern Life: Spunky's Dangerous Day
Rocko's Modern Life: Spunky's Dangerous Day is a Super Nintendo Entertainment System video game released in the United States in 1994 and in 1997 in Canada, and is based on Joe Murray's Rocko's Modern Life television series on Nickelodeon...
. He also appears in the console version of Nicktoons: Attack of the Toybots
Nicktoons: Attack of the Toybots
Nicktoons: Attack of the Toybots is the 2007 sequel to the 2005 game Nicktoons Unite! and 2006 game Nicktoons: Battle for Volcano Island. It is also the prequel to the game Nicktoons: Globs of Doom, which was released in 2008...
as a playable character, and an actor in Microsoft
Microsoft
Microsoft Corporation is an American public multinational corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of products and services predominantly related to computing through its various product divisions...
's Nickelodeon 3D Movie Maker
3D Movie Maker
3D Movie Maker is a program created by Microsoft's "Microsoft Kids" subsidiary in 1995. Using this program, directors are able to place 3D characters in pre-made or custom-made environments, add actions, sound effects, music, text, and speech, and then show these movies off to friends, family,...
.