In the 1990s, Nickelodeon was able to carve out a niche for itself in the cable landscape by creating original animated series that have been dubbed “Nicktoons.’ With the likes of Ren & Stimpy, Rugrats, Aaahh!!! Real Monsters, and SpongeBob SquarePants, being only a few examples, many of the series have long since ended. Luckily, the legacy that the animated characters have left on the cable network means that the Nickelodeon figures will re-emerge in surprising ways. For years, Mondo has created various new takes on classic characters across the entertainment world, and it’s time for Nickelodeon’s biggest wallaby to make his return.
Rocko’s Modern Life first debuted on Nickelodeon in 1993, telling the story of its titular character working at a comic book store and wading through his “modern life.” The cast included Rock’s best friends, Heffer and Filbert, while also seeing a colorful cast of surreal supporting characters by his side. The figure-makers at Mondo shared a first look at the new line of figurines that will recreate the Nicktoons, including Rocko, Heffer, Filbert, Spunky, and a crow. While a precise release date has yet to be revealed for this new line of figures, you can check out a first look below, and we are sure to learn more in the coming days.
Rocko’s Modern Life ended on Nickelodeon in 1996 following a successful fifty-two episode run, but this wasn’t the end for the wallaby. In a surprising move, Netflix briefly brought back the series via a new movie that released in 2019 titled Rocko’s Modern Life: Static Cling. Hilariously, the film told the story of what happened to Rocko and his friends between the time of the original series finale and the Netflix film, as the Nicktoon found himself jettisoned to outer space as he searched for a way to return. The film itself focused on supporting character Ralph Bighead revealed as Rachel Bighead, making for a drastic change to the offspring of Ed and Bev’s offspring. Since the release of the film, there hasn’t been another project set in this universe, though Rocko has found different ways to stay a part of the public eye.
Routinely, many of the Nicktoons will be “brought back from the dead” thanks to a steady stream of video games featuring the characters. In fact, later this year, Nickelodeon is planning to release the game, Nickelodeon Extreme Tennis: Next! on PCs and consoles. So far, the roster brings in characters from SpongeBob SquarePants, Rugrats, Avatar: The Last Airbender, CatDog, The Wild Thornberries, Invader Zim, Danny Phantom, and Hey Arnold. Luckily, Rocko will be returning to this game, and the animated wallaby has been confirmed to be one of the fifteen characters that will make up its initial roster. In the past, many of the Nickelodeon games have featured “downloadable content” released later on, so its entirely possible that the roster could grow over time.
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