Hello All! So the past two weeks or so I've been addicted to a cartoon from my childhood, Rocco's Modern Life. If you remember this cartoon, you may remember a lovable wallabee and his his friends Heffer and Filburt. However, as I began watching this cartoon, I realized that this show is laced with sexual induendos, double meanings, and social commentary on the 90s. What an amazing show!
As I was watching I discovered that many of the jokes and humor of the show stuck with me for years after its cancellation. Cartoons can have a huge impact on what we find humorous. I used to repeat jokes from Rocco and my roommate can remember nearly every Simpsons joke. The Witty comedy has shaped our humor, making us more intelligent. I realized something though as I was watching, there are no cartoons like Rocco anymore. What has happened to Nickelodeon and Cartoon Network. As kids our generation was treated to shows like Rocco, Ren & Stimpy, and Looney Toons, and we didn't even realize their importance in comedy. Modern Life is able to take classic slapstick comedy and pair it with intelligent humor. The creator, Joe Murray, currently has a show on cartoon network called Camp Lazlo. The show has some of the same feel as Rocco's Modern Life in the sense of lovable characters, classic cartoon slapstick, and gross humor. However it seems as if this is directed towards young children and not a larger audience. Rocco had an ability to speak to all ages, making a show that is timeless.
It makes me sad knowing that the next generation has been watching Dora The Explorer, Hanna Montanna, and shitty Animae cartoons. Scooby Doo Where are you!? We need to resurrect the idea of creating a comedy animated television show! A show that can be watched by kids and still have adult humor! IF we fail to do so, the great American cartoon will be lost. Who knows what kind of humor will be around in the future? It doesn't look too bright with the caliber of cartoons on television today. Family Guy can be too offensive for some ages, The Simpsons have been failing for years, and they cancelled their replacement Futurama! I propose a bailout to the writers of Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network, and Fox cartoon department. Why not, right? In tough times like these, Laughter may be the cure!
Nick
Preach it, brotha
ReplyDeleteAye, agreed!
ReplyDeleteIt can be said that Rocko's Modern Life's hidden sexual insinuations aren't necessesarily a good thing. To this day I still recall the Spunky and the Broom incident: Rocko stumbles upon the two post-tryst and there's a little puddle of love juice between them. I don't think that I knew what it was, but that little puddle was seared to my 10 year old eyes. After that, I didn't really want to watch Rocko anymore.
But now that I think really about it, thank you Rocko's Modern Life for your educational sexual innuendos. Thank you for giving me one more piece of the puzzle so that my parents and I wouldn't have to have a painful and awkward conversation about the ways of the world (i.e. semen).
BRING BACK SEX IN CARTOONS! STOP the unpleasant sex talks between parents and children! I learned about menstruation on some show on the Disney Channel and I turned out fine!
Love always,
Lisa