Bev Bighead

This is a list of all the major and minor characters from the animated television series ''Rocko's Modern Life'' and the comic book of the same name.

Joe Murray, creator of the series, said that he matched personalities of his characters to various animals, forming a "social caricature."Q & A with Joe Murray
, ''Cartoon Network Pressroom''

Overview

Main

Rocko

:Voiced by: Carlos Alazraqui
Rocko Rama is a wallaby who emigrated from Australia to the United States. He is the protagonist of the show. He is a sensible, moral, and somewhat timid character who enjoys the simple pleasures in life. He is neat, compassionate, and self-conscious. Rocko wears a blue shirt with purple triangles, shoes, and no pants. Rocko works at "Kind of a Lot O' Comics" and his hobbies include recreational jackhammering and pining for the love of his life, Melba Toast. Due to Rocko's benevolence and non-confrontational personality, his kindness is often taken for weakness. He is often taken advantage of by the other characters. Rocko would prefer to live a quiet life, but his reckless friends often throw him into turbulent situations. His catchphrase is "Day is a very dangerous day." and even once saying "Open mic night is a very dangerous night." He is often mistaken for a weasel, a platypus, a beaver, or even a dog. The name "Rocko" is mononymous because the writers could not think of a surname that they liked.Lisa Trainor interviews George Maestri, the story writer for Rocko's Modern Life
" ''The Rocko's Modern Life FAQ'' He is around 20 years old.
, ''The Rocko's Modern Life FAQ''

Spunky

:Voiced by: Carlos Alazraqui
Spunky is Rocko's pet dog. He has a very high-pitched bark and wags his tail a lot. He's not too bright and will eat anything on sight including Ed Bighead's salmon bushes and a moldy slime found in Rocko's refrigerator. He often drools into his water bowl and drinks it, only to drool into it again. He is Rocko's only regular pet and Rocko loves him dearly. Rocko will go to great lengths to protect Spunky if he is in danger or about to do something that is bad. Spunky is best remembered for falling in love with a mop in the episode "Clean Lovin'", much to Rocko's dismay; Spunky was noted to have used his front paws as hands as he tries to protect the mop. Spunky is also the home of two parasites, Bloaty and Squirmy. Spunky also can do a cool trick, but it was not shown.

Heffer Wolfe

:Voiced by: Tom Kenny
Heffer Wolfe is Rocko's best friend, a happy-go-lucky and not-too-bright steer whom he met in high school. His appearance is basically just a big, round, yellow bull who wears red dungarees. He has two horns and a green tuft of hair on the top of his head. Heffer is an absolute glutton who loves to eat and party. His favorite food is Pasture Puffies. Though he is normally portrayed as being jobless, he has worked as a waiter at a coffee shop, a salesman at a tree farm, a greenskeeper at a golf course, a mail carrier, a manager at a Chokey Chicken restaurant, a paper boy, and a security guard at Conglom-O-Corp. As his family name suggests, he was raised by a family of wolves who decided not to eat him as a child and adopted him as one of their own; his "birthmark" is actually their plotting lines of how to best divide him up into choice dishes. In the story, "The Superb Ones" he dates a widowed. She moves in with Heffer, He is the only one who can calm her nerves, comfort her when she is saddened, and get her out of her comfort zone. He sometimes challenges her a bit and gets her into certain situations she's never tried. He loves her dearly and takes care of her. He is often called a "Big fat cow," a term he objects to by saying "steer." His catchphrase, which can be heard in the series' opening theme, is "That was a hoot!"

Filburt

:Voiced by: Mr. Lawrence (speaking voice) and Tom Kenny (singing voice)
Filburt Shellbach"Born to Spawn," ''Rocko's Modern Life'' is Rocko's best friend, a neurotic, hypochondriac turtle. He started out as a different character, usually seen having many jobs, such as a supermarket cashier and a clerk at the Department of Motor Vehicles before being written in the storyline as Rocko and Heffer's friend in the second season. He lives in a trailer and earns his money by collecting cans "here and there" and has a penchant for "sauce". Filburt has an extremely weak stomach and even the slightest wrong movements can give him nausea. He tried to be a dentist, but he failed in his final exam when he turned one of Rocko's teeth into a Giant Mutant Tooth. He turned 21 in the episode "Born to Spawn" where he is called to his home island of Kerplopitgoes in order to become an adult. At one point, he also had a Frank Sinatra style singing voice that he nearly became a star with. He eventually started a family with Dr. Hutchison, a bubbly cat with a hook for a hand. One of their children turned out to bear a strong resemblance to Heffer, thanks to his having sat on their egg during the incubation period. Among Filburt's catchphrases are "Oh, fish sticks!", "Oh, boy.", "I'm nauseous... I'm nauseous." and "Turn the page, wash your hands. Turn the page, wash your hands. And then you turn the page, and then you wash your hands...".

Ed Bighead

:Voiced by: Charlie Adler
Ed Bighead is a middle-aged cane toad and the husband of Bev Bighead. He is also the main antagonist of the show. He lives next door to Rocko, who he despises and sees him and his friends as the bane of his existence. In the television show, Ed is grouchy and crass towards most people. He works at the large corporation Conglom-O. His position with the company is usually in middle management, but it can be almost every position from assembly-line worker to an executive role depending on the needs of the episode. According to his nameplate at Conglom-O, his job title is "Toad". As seen in the episode "Sailing the Seven Zzz's", he is a sleepwalker and has the habit of turning into a pirate while sleepwalking and views people and things as their pirate equivalents; he believed Rocko was an enemy pirate and proceeded to launch various household objects such as toasters and bowling balls at Rocko's house from a dryer. In the comic book, Ed works for a similar company headed by Donald Frump, an elephant that serves as a parody of Donald Trump. Ed seems to have bad luck wherever he goes and thus is very cynical. His catchphrase is "I hate my life."

Bev Bighead

:Voiced by: Charlie Adler
Bev Bighead is a female character of the series. She is a Harvey Fierstein-esque raspy-voiced cane toad and Ed's wife. Bev assumes authority in the Bighead household. Unlike her husband, she enjoys the company of Rocko, Heffer and Filburt. She is a party animal who enjoys cooking and sunbathing nude. There is evidence that she sees Rocko as more than a neighbor and wants to have an affair with him and she has tried to seduce Rocko on more than one occasion, resulting in Rocko seeing her naked numerous times. She also is a possible masochist—she sleeps on sharp objects and has been impaled in the back with a lawn dart by Rocko, but was unaffected by it. At one point, she took over Ed's job at Conglom-O for a week when Ed took a leave of absence due to a nervous breakdown and ran the company very well. Her favorite bedroom pastime with Ed is to make him crack plates in mid-air with his tongue like clay pigeons.

Bev is also an incredibly compassionate toad, having taken Earl the vicious dog in when she forces him into a submissive posture for digging out their yard, she falls in love with him and likewise, which is strange for Earl. Earl and Ed then vie against one another for Bev's attention and approval, which Ed ultimately loses due to his underhandedness. Fortunately, Earl is gone in subsequent episodes and his adoption is for the most part retconned through the rest of the series.

Recurring

Dr. Paula Hutchison Shellbach

:Voiced by: Linda Wallem
Dr. Paula Hutchison Shellbach, or Hutch for short, is a feline character on ''Rocko's Modern Life''. Originally a dentist, Hutch has also been a cashier, surgeon, veterinarian, obstetrician, and pharmacist. She jokingly admits she left her job as a dentist because she was "Getting tired of looking down in the mouth!" and as a surgeon when she admits she "Just couldn't cut it!" She has very big teeth when she grins and very upbeat outlook on life. She has a hook for her right hand which does not hinder her normal activity in any way. Her hook was also used to defeat the Giant Mutant Tooth. Hutch took a liking to Filburt and has encouraged him to do various things he's afraid of and eventually married him. Hutch's mother, the widow Hutchison, disallows the wedding between the two because of her belief that "cats and turtles don't mix" citing their status as natural enemies. While both Filburt and Hutch's families fight each other, it turns out that Hutch's father Colonel Frank Hutchison, who was thought to be dead, is actually a turtle, meaning that Widow Hutchison did not want her daughter to marry Filburt because she was trying to protect her.

Hutch's catchphrase is " 'kay?", said while tilting her head. In "Sailing the Seven Zzz's", Rocko did this in the same fashion. She was the prom queen of O-Town High School. Hutch also seems to have a number of odd quirks, including the fact that she claimed to keep a baboon heart under her pillow. The team created Dr. Hutchison after Murray attended a press conference for networks to market new seasons of television shows to the press. A reporter asked Murray why the show did not have any "positive female role models." Murray responded by stating that he had no positive role models, that people do not use cartoon characters as role models, and that television shows should not teach lessons. After the conference some Nickelodeon executives told the reporter that they had plans to place female role models in the television show and asked Murray to place an unused character, Magdalane, as a female role model. Murray refused to use Magdalane. A female executive from Nickelodeon later requested "a professional woman, someone with a good hook." The executive intended for the "good hook" to be a personality trait that attracts viewers; Murray instead gave the doctor a literal hook. Murray and the directors "grew to love her."Character Museum
." '' Joe Murray Studio''. Retrieved on August 25, 2009. Martin Olson, a writer, described the decision when Nickelodeon gave the "okay" for the marriage of Filburt and Paula Hutchison as one of the most memorable moments of the production. Olson said that the executives at first did not like the marriage idea which he came up with in his outline of "The Big Question"; linear character development did not exist in Nicktoons. Murray convinced the executives to allow for the marriage to occur.Lisa (Kiczuk) Trainor interviews Martin Olson, writer for Rocko's Modern Life
, ''The Rocko's Modern Life FAQ''

Rachel Bighead (known as Ralph Bighead during the original series)

:Voiced by: Joe Murray

Ed and Bev's only child. During the original series, their child was represented as a male character named Ralph Bighead. Later on the canon, the character comes out as a trans woman and goes by the name Rachel. Disowned by Ed for not wanting to work for Conglom-O, the young Bighead went to Holl-o-Wood, a parody of Hollywood to become a cartoonist. She created a cartoon called ''The Fatheads'' (who are both voiced by Charlie Adler), a married couple with obese heads that constantly fight and hit each other with parking meters. ''The Fatheads'' were based loosely on Ed and Bev as a sort of retaliation for her awful childhood. Rocko and his friends are fans of the show. Eventually, she became tired of being a cartoonist and wanted to quit to work on her true dream of building the world's largest still-life fruit sculpture, but was contractually obligated to keep producing cartoons for the company. In an attempt to get around this, Rachel allowed Rocko and his friends to create the show "Wacky Delly" assuming that it would immediately be cancelled and she could quit. Instead, the show became a runaway hit, much to Rachel's dismay. She then attempted to sabotage the show, but these attempts only made the show more popular. Eventually, Rocko convinced Rachel that she should take pride in her work, which she did. Ironically, Rachel's attempts to actually make the show good ended up getting it cancelled.

Years later, in a flash-forward, a wild-haired, long-bearded Rachel finally created her masterpiece, the world's largest still life created out of rock; however, it only ended up reminding people about Wacky Delly, much to her horror. By the time of ''Static Cling'', the character has come out as transgender; still living in the desert, she comes out as Rachel Bighead and begins her transition. At first Ed was resistant to the change, but he finally accepted it when she made a television special based on her childhood memories.

Creator Joe Murray provides the voice of the character in both the Ralph and Rachel incarnations. Writer Martin Olson created Rachel and based the character's personality on Joe Murray's personality; Olson also used the character to satirize Murray's experiences with Nickelodeon.Lisa (Kiczuk) Trainor interviews Martin Olson, writer for Rocko's Modern Life
, ''The Rocko's Modern Life FAQ'' When Murray created the first episode with Ralph, the directors and artists, enamored with the story, became involved in the production. Olson asked Murray to voice Ralph. On his website Murray wrote, "I don't consider myself a voice actor, but this one I did."

According to Olson, Doug Lawrence persuaded Murray into yelling "Never never never never never!" as the voice of Ralph. Olson found this humorous as, according to him, Murray "Never ever screamed." Olson describes Murray's voice as "a quiet, thoughtful murmur" and therefore found "Joe as his alter-ego screaming like a nut" to be humorous.

Rachel, still presenting as Ralph, appears in Issues 5 and 6 of the 2017 comics as Rocko's "image guru" when she goes viral. She gives him a makeover and acts as his manager whenever he made public appearances. Once she sees that Spunky is getting more attention than Rocko, she goes mad with power and takes him to his penthouse, leaving Rocko behind. When Rocko asks her why she can't come along, she explains that Radvertising just cancelled her contract. Rachel enjoys her life in the penthouse with Spunky, and gives her luxurious treatment. Rocko calls Rachel to ask for Spunky back, but she refuses and snaps his phone in half. Although she treats Spunky luxuriously, she denies him personal affection and refuses to let him sleep in her bed with him. Rocko is forced to start a demonstration to take Spunky back. Again, Rachel refuses, but when Rocko climbs the penthouse to get her back, she falls off. Spunky saves her, getting more social media attention. Rachel is enraged that Rocko has poached Spunky from his "exploitative grasp". Although she's prepared to renegotiate Rocko's contract with Radvertising, Spunky urinates on her bathrobe as a gesture of protest and Rocko respectfully declines Ralph's offer. Despite Rocko's selfless acts, he and his friends are arrested for trespassing on Rachel's property.

She appeared, presenting as Ralph, on the cover of Issue 2 of the comic 'Rocko's Modern Afterlife' as one of the victims of O-Town's social media zombie epidemic, but did not make a proper appearance in the comic itself.

Rachel appears rarely in the original series but is the main character in each of the episodes in which she appears.

Bloaty the Tick and Squirmy the Ringworm

:Voiced by: Tom Kenny (Bloaty), Carlos Alazraqui (Squirmy)

Bloaty the Tick and Squirmy the Ringworm are two parasites who live on and in Spunky. Certain episodes and both stories in Issue 6 of the comic book, "Special Disgusting Parasite Issue!", revolve around their Odd Couple-like relationship. They are introduced in the first season episode "Dirty Dog", in which their boss, Mr. Ick, comes over for dinner while Rocko tries to give Spunky a bath. This episode suggests that more than one parasite is living on Spunky, proven in future episodes by huge crowds of insects and even an old-west style town on Spunky's body. One of Bloaty and Squirmy's more well known sayings is "Up, work, home, TV, bed!". In the first story of Issue 6 of the comic, "Bug Out!", the two hop between various pets, trying to find the perfect host. In the second story, "Lice on the Loose", the two again find Spunky, prompting Rocko to take Spunky to a pet store; Bloaty and Squirmy interact with local parasites at the store.

Writer Martin Olson created Bloaty and Squirmy. Olson loved Murray's character designs of Bloaty and Squirmy, and said that he and the crew "had tons of fun recording and singing my nutty "Bloaty and Squirmy Theme Song" (a parody of the theme song from The Patty Duke Show).

Chuck and Leon Chameleon

:Voiced by: Tom Kenny (Chuck), Carlos Alazraqui (Leon)

Chuck and Leon Chameleon are identical twin chameleons who speak in a Scandinavian accent and have snooty attitudes. They became a running gag, having several odd jobs such as being gym owners, running a client agency for clients who need help to break bad habits, running a hair salon and owning a café. Most if not all of these establishments are by their own admissions very exclusive. They say that they once worked for a tsar in the fictional country Balzak before immigrating to America with their socks on their feet.

Both brothers appear in the second story of Issue #1 once. They never speak and are never identified by their names.

Conglomo Lizards

:Voiced by: Tom Kenny, Carlos Alazraqui, Doug Lawrence, and Charlie Adler
These are lizards that work where Ed Bighead works, Conglom-O. They appear quite often.

Mr. Dupette

:Voiced by: Charlie Adler
Mr. Dupette is the lizard CEO of Conglom-O, the megacorporation whose motto is "We Own You". Prior to this, he is the manager at Super Lot-O Comics in the episode "Canned", where he fires Rocko. It is unknown precisely when or how he became the CEO of Conglom-O. Some episodes showing flashbacks to Conglom-O's early years, such as when Rachel Bighead turned down her father's offer of a job at the company, remain consistent with Dupette's original appearance in "Canned", while others depict him as being with Conglom-O during events set well before the events of Canned. He also served as the main antagonist of Rocko’s Modern Life: Static Cling.

Dupette is almost always shown picking his nose, although sometimes he has a personal assistant pick his nose for him (most of the time, his right-hand man, Mr. Noway). Despite his official job title of "Slimy Boss" and propensity for firing executives on a whim for the most insane reasons, Dupette is a staunch environmentalist thanks to Rocko's efforts (in the episode "Zanzibar") and he also secretly enjoys performing as a clown at children's birthday parties (in the episode "Closet Clown"). He is also a golf pro and, as his original job suggests, a big comic book fan.

In the comic book, Dupette appears in the second story of Volume #1 and is never identified by name. In the comic, an elephant named Donald Frump (a parody of Donald Trump) serves as Mr. Bighead's boss."Who Invited You?", ''Rocko's Modern Life'' Volume 1, Issue 2. ''Marvel Comics''

Earl

:Voiced by: Carlos Alazraqui
Earl is a large, mean looking purple bulldog