 | ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. |
 | OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
Rocko's Modern Life
- Nicktoons
- Genre: Kids' Animation
Common Sense Media says
Modern and funny, but edgy content isn't for young kids.
Parents say
QUALITY
Kids say
QUALITY
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that although this is a cartoon, it's got a fair amount of hidden raciness that makes it iffy for tweens. Sexual innuendo is hard to miss in coy references to sensitive body parts and euphemisms like the "Chokey Chicken" restaurant, most of which will be recognizable to tweens' keen eyes and ears. Slapstick-style violence matches the show's surrealism (electrocution, death by vacuum). On the upside, though, Rocko's interactions with his motley crew of friends illustrate the meaning of friendship and promote tolerance. Teens and adults will grasp the humor in the show's satirical view of many aspects of American society as well as pick up on multiple pop-cultural references embedded in the dialogue.
What's the story?
ROCKO'S MODERN LIFE is a satirical cartoon about an Australian wallaby named Rocko (voiced by Carlos Alazraqui), who's trying to adapt to American life with the help of his buddies, Heffer (Tom Kenny) and Filburt (Mr. Lawrence). Between his grumpy neighbors and his obnoxious boss at the Kind of a Lot O' Comics shop, Rocko finds his new American peers to be a little unruly, but he manages to let their positive qualities overshadow their crazy ways. Each episode usually involves Rocko's efforts to undo the effects of some wacky predicament caused by Heffer's naivety or Filburt's neurosis...unless it's actually Rocko who's to blame for the day's crisis.
Is it any good?
Rocko's Modern Life isn't your run-of-the-mill kids' cartoon, thanks to a fair amount of edgy content. True, most of the sexual innuendoes and euphemisms will sail over very young kids' heads, and the worst of them actually were censored during the show's original run, but the same isn't true for more worldly tweens, who will pick up on the grown-up humor. This certainly isn't the first cartoon to push the envelope on content, and its content isn't as ribald as, say, South Park, but the iffy stuff has enough of a presence to warrant some thought on your part. There is some merit to how the stories promote tolerance among its vastly different characters, but even that is often lost in the overall quirkiness.
That said, this is a very funny show that's bound to be appreciated by anyone who notices its pop-culture references and satirical commentary on American society mixed in with Rocko's absurd struggles that make for plenty of laugh-out-loud moments. Allusions to TV shows like Star Trek, movies like Citizen Kane, and eateries like Kentucky Fried Chicken; poking fun at gross consumerism and the technological revolution; and, yes, those same hints at sexuality make for funny times when viewed through the eyes of a teen or adult.
What families can talk about
Families can talk about friendship. What does this show have to say about friendship? What examples if positive relationships exist among characters? Why is it good to have friends who aren't exactly like you?
Tweens: Who do you think is this show's target audience? Did you find any of the content to be confusing or offensive? What is the purpose of creating an adult-oriented show that looks like it's meant for kids? Have you ever seen another show that referenced things you didn't understand?
What, if anything, are the show's creators attempting to say about American life? Do they portray any aspect of it as particularly bad, or are they just looking for laughs? Does seeing the world through Rocko's eyes change your impression of it? What can be gained by looking at things through another's perspective?
- Show:
- All members
- Parents
- Teens & kids
Kid, 12 years old
April 10, 2011
AGE
Awesome for all ages!
BEST SHOW I HAVE EVER SEEN!!!!!!!!!
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AGE
Retro and funny, but political content isn't for young kids
This is probably one of the greatest Nicktoons of all time. The main thing about the show that is disturbing this site and often disturbs parents is the use of sexual innuendo. Taping reruns of the show on Nicktoons out of nostalgia and boredom after having not seen the show in years and having not been sure if it was any good or not, I have certainly noticed a fair amount of this sort of humor, but most of it can float past kids and they would not understand it at all. However, I will admit that there some episodes when actually does get a little too much out of hand. "Kiss Me, I'm Foreign" is the show at its absolute worst, and I would have to say that episode, not Leap Frogs, is the one that deserves to be banned from reruns. Still, the show is not so much sexual in nature as it is political. Probably the best example of this is the one where Ed Bighead and Rocko run for dogcatcher.
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Kid, 12 years old
December 9, 2010
AGE
perfect for ages 4 and up, i love this show!
i recommend that this show is fun to watch and its for 4 years and older, except that i haven't heard about anybody complaining about innuendos they show in some nickelodeon cartoon shows i guess
messages (4/5): POSITIVE: rocko is always sees the good mood to hang out with his friends.
language (2/5): "stupid", "idiot", "you stink!", "i hate you!", "i will kill you!", "shut up!", "easy with the bladder", "how dare you!", "imbescles", "what the!", "loser" and one use of "hell" and some name calling as it gets.
sexy stuff (3/5): lots of sexual innuendos which including vague references to genitalia and sexual acts.
violence (4/5): lots of comic cartoonish violence such as arguing/yelling as it gets, pushing/shoving/punching/hitting, dangerous acts, characters gets injured, bodies ripped off, some blood shown in season one as, a body rips apart since a tough guy is working out, throwing stuff around as harder as it gets. several funny pratfalls included also.
drink, smoke & drugs (3/5): several characters smoke cigarettes.
and im not allowed to understand anything innuendos and it has some ren and stimpy creative veins as it gets though, and i still love this show since i was about 9 or 10 years old but now, i can keep on watching this if i ever get bored or not.
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AGE
perfect for ages 4 and up, i love this show!
i recommend that this show is fun to watch and its for 4 years and older, except that i haven't heard about anybody complaining about innuendos they show in some nickelodeon cartoon shows i guess
messages (4/5): POSITIVE: rocko is always sees the good mood to hang out with his friends.
language (2/5): "stupid", "idiot", "you stink!", "i hate you!", "i will kill you!", "shut up!", "easy with the bladder", "how dare you!", "imbescles", "what the!", "loser" and one use of "hell" and some name calling as it gets.
sexy stuff (3/5): lots of sexual innuendos which including vague references to genitalia and sexual acts.
violence (4/5): lots of comic cartoonish violence such as arguing/yelling as it gets, pushing/shoving/punching/hitting, dangerous acts, characters gets injured, bodies ripped off, some blood shown in season one as, a body rips apart since a tough guy is working out, throwing stuff around as harder as it gets. several funny pratfalls included also.
drink, smoke & drugs (3/5): several characters smoke cigarettes.
and im not allowed to understand anything innuendos and it has some ren and stimpy creative veins as it gets though, and i still love this show since i was about 9 or 10 years old but now, i can keep on watching this if i ever get bored or not.
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Kid, 11 years old
December 9, 2010
AGE
perfect for ages 4 and up, i love this show!
i recommend that this show is fun to watch and its for 4 years and older, except that i haven't heard about anybody complaining about innuendos they show in some nickelodeon cartoon shows i guess
messages (4/5): POSITIVE: rocko is always sees the good mood to hang out with his friends.
language (2/5): "stupid", "idiot", "you stink!", "i hate you!", "i will kill you!", "shut up!", "easy with the bladder", "how dare you!", "imbescles", "what the!", "loser" and one use of "hell" and some name calling as it gets.
sexy stuff (3/5): lots of sexual innuendos which including vague references to genitalia and sexual acts.
violence (4/5): lots of comic cartoonish violence such as arguing/yelling as it gets, pushing/shoving/punching/hitting, dangerous acts, characters gets injured, bodies ripped off, some blood shown in season one as, a body rips apart since a tough guy is working out, throwing stuff around as harder as it gets. several funny pratfalls included also.
drink, smoke & drugs (3/5): several characters smoke cigarettes.
and im not allowed to understand anything innuendos and it has some ren and stimpy creative veins as it gets though, and i still love this show since i was about 9 or 10 years old but now, i can keep on watching this if i ever get bored or not.
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AGE
Great!
I notice that a lot of parents complain about innuendos. Big deal. As if the children watching this show even understand innuendos. I didn't even notice them until I was watching this show at an older age. I really loved this show as a kid. I have it on DVD now. Recommended for kids age 5 and up.
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AGE
Sexual Jokes Run Rampant
I recently bought season one of this show and having seen it, I can't believe that Nickelodeon got away with so much stuff we can't show in kid's cartoons today without at least (I think) a TV-PG rating.
If any of you did your research, the recently released DVD is not "intact" as far as content goes. One scene in "The Good, the Bad, and the Wallaby" is completely removed as it showed, when it first aired and since has had this correction, Heffer experiencing pleasure with a milking machine.
In "Skid Marks", the driving school that Rocko goes to has a watered-down video of a simulated car crash using tomatoes. The students cheer before the clip is shown and cry after the wreckage.
In "Bedfellows", there is a short clip of a nudist colony formed in Rocko's backyard. What has been done is that every time the offending body parts might come into view, an object quickly blocks those parts. The censoring for nudity is a bit inconsistent. Rocko can be seen fully nude in a shower scene in one episode but then is censored in another after an animated censor spots the problem and puts a black box in front of the offending areas; at one point the box falls done when we see Rocko face-first.
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AGE
Love it!
I love this show! Probably my favorite show of the 90's. Ren and Stimpy is not as good as Rocko's modern life but It is good, This show is Awesome! It's more appropriate for kids. I love Rocko's Modern Life! It never said Cr-p. I love the theme song! It's a nickelodeon classic you know. I Love it!
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AGE
Great show for everyone
Oh, geez, I can't say enough about this show. I used to watch it all the time when I was 2 and I still wake up early on wednesdays to see it. It's my all-time favorite by one of my favorite artists. Just about every single cartoon in the 90s had innuendos, you can't really get away from them, but that's kinda what made them so great, eh? X3 They all fly over little kids' heads, though.
I'll argue that there was some educational values in it. One can't forget the "Recycle" song from the musical episode... tee hee
A few of the voice actors and writers actually went on to create Spongebob, so, if you like Spongebob, you might enjoy Rocko as well.
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| Topics: | friendship, wild animals |
| TV rating: | TV-Y |
| Network: | Nicktoons |
| Cast: | Carlos Alazraqui, Tom Kenny |
| Genre: | Kids' Animation |
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