Filburt Shellbach is a character in
Nickelodeon
Nickelodeon (nicknamed Nick) is an American pay television channel and the flagship property of the Nickelodeon Group, a sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on April 1, 1979, as the first ca ...
's animated series ''
Rocko's Modern Life'', the
Netflix
Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...
animated special ''
Rocko's Modern Life: Static Cling'' and the comic book series of the same name. He is an
anthropomorphic
Anthropomorphism is the attribution of human traits, emotions, or intentions to non-human entities. It is considered to be an innate tendency of human psychology. Personification is the related attribution of human form and characteristics to ...
turtle
Turtles are reptiles of the order (biology), order Testudines, characterized by a special turtle shell, shell developed mainly from their ribs. Modern turtles are divided into two major groups, the Pleurodira (side necked turtles) and Crypt ...
who is often pessimistic. In the Australian website of the television show, his name is sometimes spelled as Filbert
[Characters]
of ''Rocko's Modern Life'' Page 1, ''Nickelodeon Australia
Nick or Nickelodeon is an Australian and New Zealand children's pay television channel owned by Paramount Networks UK & Australia. It is based on the Nickelodeon, namesake American television channel.
Since 1 December 2010 the Australian and N ...
'' and sometimes as ''Filburt''.
[Characters]
" of ''Rocko's Modern Life'' Page 2, ''Nickelodeon Australia
Nick or Nickelodeon is an Australian and New Zealand children's pay television channel owned by Paramount Networks UK & Australia. It is based on the Nickelodeon, namesake American television channel.
Since 1 December 2010 the Australian and N ...
'' In the comic book, his name is spelled ''Filbert''.
["Conned Again." '' Rocko's Modern Life''. Volume 1, Issue 7. '']Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics is a New York City–based comic book publishing, publisher, a property of the Walt Disney Company since December 31, 2009, and a subsidiary of Disney Publishing Worldwide since March 2023. Marvel was founded in 1939 by Martin G ...
''. On the show's creator
Joe Murray's website
[Character Museum]
" '' Joe Murray Studio'' and in the episodes "Born to Spawn"
["Born to Spawn," '' Rocko's Modern Life''] and "Uniform Behavior",
["Uniform Behavior," '' Rocko's Modern Life''] his name is spelled as ''Filburt''. In the episodes "Born to Spawn" and "Fortune Cookie", he is referred to as Mr. Filburt Turtle. However, in the episode "High Five of Doom"
["High Five of Doom," '' Rocko's Modern Life'' The text "The Earth Log of Filburt Shellbach Page 1" appears] Rocko and Heffer read in Filburt's diary that his full name is Filburt Shellbach, which was officially considered his real name.
Mr. Lawrence provided Filburt's voice.
Whenever Filburt feels uncomfortable or disturbed, he is known to say, "I'm nauseous! I'm nauseous!". He also occasionally says, "Oh boy" and "Oh fishsticks." He also popularized the phrase "Turn the page, wash your hands," in reference to clammy hands being stained by poor quality comic book inks.
Filburt becomes age 21 in the episode "
Born to Spawn".
Development
Joe Murray, the creator of the show intended for Filburt to be a secondary character used to "add texture" to
Rocko and
Heffer Wolfe. Mr. Lawrence, functioning as a director on the show sculpted Filburt into a main character befriending Rocko and Heffer.
Joe auditioned Mr. Lawrence in a large casting call in
Los Angeles
Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
and chose him as the voice actor for Filburt. Joe stated that he did not expect for Mr. Lawrence's "
east coast nasal to be perfect for Filburt."
[Lisa Trainor interviews Murray, the creator of Rocko's Modern Life]
" ''The Rocko's Modern Life FAQ''
Martin Olson, a writer described the decision when Nickelodeon gave the "ok" for the marriage of Filburt and Paula Hutchison as one of the most memorable moments of the production. Martin said that the executives at first did not like the idea: linear character development did not exist in
Nicktoons
Nicktoons is the brand name used by Nickelodeon for their original animated series. All Nicktoons are produced partly at the Nickelodeon Animation Studio and list Nickelodeon's parent company (Paramount Global) in their copyright bylines.
Since ...
. Joe convinced the executives to allow for the marriage to occur.
[Lisa Trainor interviews Martin Olson, the writer for Rocko's Modern Life]
" ''The Rocko's Modern Life FAQ''
Character
Filburt, described on the Nickelodeon Australia website as "nerdy" and "
neurotic"
bears many
phobia
A phobia is an anxiety disorder, defined by an irrational, unrealistic, persistent and excessive fear of an object or situation. Phobias typically result in a rapid onset of fear and are usually present for more than six months. Those affected ...
s.
Filburt, a former "genius," "babe magnet," and "star athlete," became ruined by a case of "unrequited love."
The
Nickelodeon South East Asia website states "think of
Woody Allen
Heywood Allen (born Allan Stewart Konigsberg; November 30, 1935) is an American filmmaker, actor, and comedian whose career spans more than six decades. Allen has received many List of awards and nominations received by Woody Allen, accolade ...
when you think of Filburt."
[Filburt]
" '' Nickelodeon South East Asia''
His birthplace is Kerplopitgoes Island (named after the
Galápagos Islands
The Galápagos Islands () are an archipelago of volcanic islands in the Eastern Pacific, located around the equator, west of the mainland of South America. They form the Galápagos Province of the Republic of Ecuador, with a population of sli ...
). On his 21st birthday, he is required to go back to the island for a period of time.
Filburt and Paula Hutchison have four children: Gilbert, Shellbert, Norbert and Missy, whom all came from the same egg. Gilbert and Shellbert look Filburt while Missy looks Paula Hutchison. Norbert, on the other hand, has Filburt's eyes, but has a resemblance to Heffer, whom took on the job of "egg-sitting" for Filburt when they realized his rear was too hard for the task. Norbert also often thinks that
Rocko is his father. Filburt holds the record number of jobs in the series: nine. These include a cashier at a grocery store, cashier at Kind-of-A-Lot-O'-Comics, license checker at the Department o' Motor Vehicles, film runner at the Googleplex Cinemas, lounge singer, Christmas tree salesman, photographer, cook at Stuff on a Stick and a food sample carrier. In one episode, it is shown that when between the jobs, Filburt apparently supports himself by
recycling
Recycling is the process of converting waste materials into new materials and objects. This concept often includes the recovery of energy from waste materials. The recyclability of a material depends on its ability to reacquire the propert ...
an enormous collection of empty cans in his trailer at the Patch o' Heaven Trailer Park. This prompted Rocko to comment, "So ''this'' is why he never works." According to geneal records of him, he is 44% percent
Dutch, 43%
French and 13% percent
German.
In the comic book, Filburt does not meet Paula Hutchison. Instead, in the first story in issue #7, he meets a female turtle named Cindy at a comic book convention.
A running gag in the series is how multiple, mundane things give Filburt
nausea
Nausea is a diffuse sensation of unease and discomfort, sometimes perceived as an urge to vomit. It can be a debilitating symptom if prolonged and has been described as placing discomfort on the chest, abdomen, or back of the throat.
Over 30 d ...
. This is always followed with him saying "I'm nauseous, I'm nauseous, I'm nauseous.". In the end of the episode "Sailing the Seven Zzz's" while in a submarine, Filburt is about to say it, but Rocko and Heffer consoled and say "You're nauseous" at which point he says "right" and
vomits. The other running gag is Filburt's constant and improbable run-ins with bad luck and calamity, which explains his neurosis and permanent state of great fear.
References
{{Rocko's Modern Life
Rocko's Modern Life characters
Television characters introduced in 1993
Fictional turtles
Anthropomorphic turtles
Fictional singers
Male characters in animated television series
Animated characters introduced in 1993