What’s the Story?

ROCKO'S MODERN LIFE is a somewhat edgy cartoon about a young Australian wallaby and his transition to life in the United States. Since he's rather paranoid and obsessed with cleanliness (his favorite pastime is vacuuming), Rocko (voiced by Carlos Alazraqui) at first finds his new American neighbors loud and messy. But despite their crazy antics, Rocko always embraces the fact that his pals' friendship outshines their personality flaws and learns to accept them for who they are. Each episode usually involves Rocko reluctantly agreeing to help steer his friend Heffer (Tom Kenny) out of trouble, learning a lot about himself and friendship along the way.

Is It Any Good?

Plenty of cartoons that look like kids' programming definitely aren't -- The Simpsons and South Park, for example. While Rocko's Modern Life certainly isn't as mature as either of those two, it is a bit edgy for the grade school set. Coming from the same creative vein as Ren & Stimpy and SpongeBob SquarePants, Rocko is full of wacky, off-the-wall humor and includes some sexual innuendos (vague references to genitals and sexual acts). That said, the does promote tolerance and acceptance in its own way.

Tweens and young teens will enjoy watching Rocko figure out life in America. The absurd struggles he faces and his band of colorful, zany neighbors set up many laugh-out-loud situations. SpongeBob fans are particularly likely to appreciate the show's offbeat humor, since SpongeBob producer Stephen Hillenburg was a creative contributor to Rocko's Modern Life; the two shows have many parallels in style and writing.