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On September 18, 1993, after a pilot was shown on MTV (the real MTV) a year earlier, a cartoon would make its way to Nickelodeon. That cartoon: Rocko’s Modern Life.
Created by Joe Murray this series starred Rocko, a wallaby living in the fictional town O-Town with his beloved dog Spunky. He has a best friend named Heffer Wolfe (a cow) and another named Filburt (a turtle). Rocko has a neighbor: the grumpy toad Ed Bighead and his wife Bev who is much nicer than her husband.
Because Nickelodeon was different than most cable networks, Murray wasn’t writing Rocko for children; the executive had no problems with that. Since Nickelodeon wanted to be as edgy as MTV’s Liquid Television and Animation Celebration, Murray was given free rein despite the famous arguments between Nickelodeon and John K of The Ren & Stimpy Show. This meant that the jokes and content were more for adults than children, which led to some episodes getting censored.
Despite the lack of faith in his show, Murray was surprised that Rocko was approved for a second season. By the third season, Murray handed the workload to his creative director Stephen Hillenburg (the future creator of Spongebob Squarepants). This cartoon established the careers of noted voice actors Carlos Alazraqui, Mr. Lawrence, and Tom Kenny.
After the Netflix special film Rocko’s Modern Life: Static Cling, Rocko and the gang were once again in the spotlight. As of now, you can watch this classic series (regardless of censorship) on Paramount +.
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