'Static Cling' Brings 'Rocko's Modern Life' to the 21st Century

Rocko’s Modern Life: Static Cling is a 45-minute web TV special continuing where the 90’s Nickelodeon animated TV series left off.  It follows Rocko, his pals Heffer and Filburt, and his dog Sparky returning home to O-town two decades (around the same time the show has been off air) after a rocket launched Rocko’s house into outer space and left them stranded there (in the episode “Future Schlock”, which is considered by the creator as the finale).

Awed by all the new stuff the 21^st century has to offer – which they’re only witnessing and experiencing for the first time ever – the three best friends eagerly and speedily immersed themselves into them.  But while Heffer and Filburt’s excitement for consuming the latest products and culture doesn’t wane, Rocko soon becomes overwhelmed by all the changes, and begins missing the good old days he’s familiar with.  His distress is only further aggravated when he learns that his favorite show, The Fatheads, has long been cancelled.

Meanwhile, the re-entry of Rocko’s house causes Ed Bighead to make a clerical error that leads to Conglom-O’s bankruptcy, and in turn, O-Town’s economic crash.  Rocko convinces Ed that a revival of The Fatheads is the answer to making Conglom-O and O-Town solvent again as it will rake in tons of money.  But in order for such a revival to work, they must find The Fathead’s creator – Ed’s son, Ralph Bighead – who had set out on a journey of self-discovery years ago and has been off the grid ever since.

There was a time during my childhood (particularly, when Nickelodeon was my favorite channel in cable) wherein Rocko’s Modern Life was one of my most favorite shows on TV.  It was weird, bonkers, violent, and coarse – like Ren & Stimpy in a lot of ways, but tamer – and it mightily appealed to my undeveloped, juvenile brain.  It was probably because its surreal humor and rough slapstick stood out from among all those 90’s cartoons.  When I got older, I learned that underneath them were some clever satirical commentary and double meanings.  As a kid, they mostly went over my head, but I probably somewhat recognized and appreciated how they made the show “different” from others, although I was unable to understand truly and fully in what way it was so.

Rocko’s Modern Life: Static Cling is a worthy sequel to the animated series.  That means it turns one’s brain into mush with its in-your-face cartoon insanity.  To the uninitiated, this may come off as obnoxious – I get it.  But to those who watched the original show in the 90’s, they will know what to expect from it, and be prepared for it, and recognize what its appeal is.  There will surely be some rejection coming from the sophisticated taste that one has developed as an adult, but one will also have no trouble tapping into the inner child that used to find this type of cartoon hysterical and immersive.

Moreover, someone who watched the show as a kid in the 90’s, is now an adult who’s fond of nostalgia, has experienced engaging in fandom and commercialism, and is versed on the state of geek culture will pick up on how creatively meta and poetic Static Cling gets.

As an adult, I was also able to immediately realize what deeper message it wants to convey this time around, which is this: people can look back fondly to the things they used to love, but it must not come at the cost of stubbornly refusing to accept change, which is inevitable, and thus, though it might bring initial inconvenience, its rejection will yield worse outcomes – misery for himself and/or the people around him.  And I thought it was worthwhile theme... half of the time.  I say half of the time, because it unfortunately includes transgenderism as part of the argument.  Embracing change means embracing reality and growth for the better.  Transgenderism is the opposite of that (but this is a topic for another day).

In the end, Rocko’s Modern Life: Static Cling is still pretty good.  It has some great gags; it made me laugh and chuckle a couple of times.  It’s enjoyable and endearing enough, but primarily because it hits the nostalgia buttons.  However, if an intention of this special was to be a pilot for a revival series, I don’t think it has made a compelling case.  Thus, even if Rocko’s Modern Life gets revived for 21^st century TV, my fondness for it – as what it used to be during my childhood – likely won’t.