Characters from the Nickelodeon cartoon, Rocko's Modern Life.

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Main Characters

Rocko Rama

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/rocko.png

The title character and series protagonist. A timid and mild-mannered wallaby who freshly immigrated from Australia to live in the USA.

All-Loving Hero: In Static Cling, he was the most resistant to change aside from Ed Bighead (with the plot to save O-Town being him clinging to the past, and wanting the Fatheads back on the air). That said, unlike Ed, when Rachel Bighead was revealed to have transitioned, he was instantly accepting, alongside Heffer and Filbert, being the compassionate wallaby that he is. In fact, when Ed comes around to accept Rachel’s identity, it’s ultimately what convinces Rocko to embrace the present.
All There in the Manual: His last name, from the book "Not Just Cartoons: Nicktoons!" is Rama. (as in, Rock-o Rama. Get it?) This is not mentioned anywhere in the series (due to the staff not reaching a consensus, he was left without one proper during the show), similar to the protagonist of another Nickelodeon show.
- The comics, meanwhile, give his full name as Rockefeller Coinsworth Wallaby.
Animal Gender-Bender: Averted. Being a male wallaby he clearly lacks a pouch.
Audience Surrogate: In the 2019 Static Cling special, he represents the special's target audience (90s kids who are nostalgic about the 90s, or children of The New Millennium and The New '10s who like the 90s).
Badass Adorable: He's a very likeable person and occasionally isn't afraid to stand up for himself.
Beware the Nice Ones: Rocko can be summed up as a milquetoast, calmer personality who has put up with some rough situations with decent enthusiasm and has been kind enough to help insects and others - but he is also temperamental and will run his mouth if sufficiently annoyed. And if you manage to wear him down to his last nerve, you may find that underneath his naive politeness and mild manners is a bit of manic violence, and he may do something very not nice if you don't get off his back. He has completely destroyed a motorcycle because of bagpipe music once. Given the somewhat Crapsack World and bad luck he's had around him, he is not much to blame.
Big "SHUT UP!": A couple of times later on in the series but especially in Zanzibar.
Citizens of O-Town (singing): He doesn't know the wooooooooooords!
Rocko: SHAAADDDUUUUUUUUP!
Blind Without 'Em: One episode features Rocko having trouble with his vision just as an amateur jackhammering competition featuring his sports hero is coming up. A doctor pronounces he needs glasses, but endless ribbing from his friends causes him to try to practice without them, with disastrous results. Ultimately he resolves this by getting contacts just in time for the competition, only to discover his hero also uses contacts, but likes his glasses because Smart People Wear Glasses.
Jackhammer Groupie: Are you an intellectual?
Dave: Yes I am.
Blue Is Heroic: He wears a blue shirt with purple triangles and has been one to offer a few nice gestures.
Born Unlucky: Almost nothing turns out great for him. His luck is almost always irrationally rotten.
Butt-Monkey: He has unreasonably bad luck and is treated as a doormat by particularly everyone.
- Occasionally, an Iron Butt Monkey
Comic Trio: Generally the Leader, although he sometimes becomes the Complainer.
The Comically Serious: At times, particularly when dealing with the antics of his friends Heffer and Filburt.
Compressed Vice: His Height Angst from the episode "Short Story" isn't brought up anywhere else in the series.
Corrupt the Cutie: Happens to him when he has to take over the comic store he works for. He gets better.
Covert Pervert: As seen in "Love Spanked", the generally-innocent Rocko can be pretty eager at times.
Deadpan Snarker: At times he can make sarcastic comments about certain things. Particularly when he's annoyed.
Depending on the Writer: He either grew up in O-Town or emigrated there from Australia as an adult. The latter is said to be the true backstory of Rocko's life, but the former does crop up from time to time, causing a Continuity Snarl.
The Dog Bites Back: In the episode "Wimp on the Barby" when Dingo returned and asked Rocko to punch him in the face for a shot of retribution for bullying him in childhood, Rocko refuses to comply — at least until Dingo asks him a second time, at which point he eagerly socks him. And when he gets fired by his Bad Boss (Mr. Dupette in "Canned" and Mr. Smitty in "Commuted Sentence"), he would find a way to get payback upon getting a new job.
Even the Loving Hero Has Hated Ones: If there's one character Rocko actually openly despises with a burning passion, it's his boss, Mr. Smitty, who he even insulted to his face at one point.
Everyone Has Standards: Rocko was the most resistant to change aside from Ed Bighead in Static Cling. That said, when he finds out Rachel Bighead transitioned, he paid it no mind, silently accepting it despite it being another change to an aspect of his life. Helps that Rachel's a personal friend of his. Heck, it's even to the point where, during his rant at the end about the changes, he consciously calls her Rachel, and focuses primarily on her changing the Fatheads.
Extreme Doormat: Big time, though he does have his moments where he puts his foot down.
Fish out of Temporal Water: Not as extreme as other examples but the Static Cling teaser shows Rocko, Heffer and Filburt diving head first into 2010s-era culture after being in space for 20 years.
Rocko: Uh, fellas? I don't think we're in the 90's anymore...
Funny Foreigner: Downplayed. His only trait that qualifies for this is probably his accent, especially when he says "crikey" or "me" instead of "my", and his occasional use of Austraian slang, such as "bonzer" or "rotter".
Furry Reminder: In "Gutter Balls" and the video game Spunky's Dangerous Day, he is shown kicking while standing on his tail like a real wallaby would. He has also spent inside his mother's pouch as a joey.
Half-Dressed Cartoon Animal: Rocko's standard attire consists of a blue shirt with purple triangles and a pair of orange shoes, but no pants. Played with in that whenever Rocko loses his shirt, he gains a pair of briefs ("Unbalanced Load" being a good example of this), and Rocko will wear pants if it's for a formal occasion.
Height Angst: "Short Story" shows him being insecure about being short.
Hilariously Abusive Childhood: The show's intro sums it up perfectly. Maybe even a little bit too perfectly...
I Am Not Weasel: He's not a beaver or a kangaroo or a dog. He's a wallaby.
Dog Catcher: A wallaby?
Rocko: Yes. It's like a kangaroo. Only smaller.
Dog Catcher: ...you just made that up!
Innocent Blue Eyes: Is revealed to have blue eyes, on the occasion that his irises appear.
Jerkass Ball: In the episode "Power Trip", where he becomes a Bad Boss to Filburt, all because he pushed a button his boss told him not to press. One might find that the button could have channeled a minor touch of evil given his temperamental nature, however... Luckily, he has a My God, What Have I Done? moment after Really Really Big Man gives him a What the Hell, Hero? speech, and apologizes to Filburt.
Kangaroo Pouch Ride:
- The show's opening credits depict an infant version of Rocko riding in his mother's pouch before falling out and being aged up by a sentient clock.
- In the opening of the pilot, one of his baby pictures show him inside his mother's pouch.
Kangaroos Represent Australia: Rocko is a wallaby (which he notes is like a kangaroo, but smaller) who was born in Australia but moved to America. Although the show is subject to Negative Continuity, making when exactly Rocko moved unclear^note, flashbacks from episodes such as "Junk Junkies" and "Wimp on the Barby" show Rocko having grown up in Australia, and the plot of "Kiss Me, I'm Foreign" involves Filburt marrying Rocko to prevent him from being wrongfully deported.
Lovable Coward: While Rocko is far from tough, he's also technically among the nicest characters on the show.
The Kirk: More rational than Heffer, but somewhat less intelligent than Filburt.
Mad Libs Catchphrase: "____ day is a very dangerous day..." This Catchphrase was once borrowed by Ed Bighead as a Non Sequitur, *Thud*.
Nice Guy: This varies a bit, as he has snapped at others, such as Heffer, for irritating him on various levels. Still, it's slightly rare for him to get all that angry. In fact, he doesn't show any hostility towards his neighbor Mr. Bighead even though he clearly doesn't like Rocko and constantly tries to make him miserable, if not worse.
No-Respect Guy: The intro of the show is self-explanatory.
Only Sane Man: He's usually the only character without any extreme quirks or eccentricities.
Papa Wolf: He's very protective of Spunky.
Pint-Sized Powerhouse: When he does something not nice.
Rage Breaking Point: Occasionally, whenever he's at his wits' end. One of best-known examples would be in "Rocko's Happy Sack", an early episode where he completely snaps after going through a Humiliation Conga while participating in a 99%-off bargain sale only to run out of time at the last second and get charged $150 instead of $1.50 as the sale intended, threatening to "do something not nice" to the cashier (Filburt).
Ridiculously Cute Critter: He is one cute wallaby. His voice makes him cuter.
Series Mascot: Of the show, obviously.
Sick Episode: He gets a bad case of the flu in "Flu-In-U-Enza". The Enchanted Upchucks, a trio of half-eaten Anthropomorphic Food who Rocko puked out inside a toilet help him recover with a very hot cure.
Straw Fan: Rocko complaining about the new Fatheads special in “Static Cling” is easily meant to represent hardcore fandoms who hate changes to their favorite shows. Luckily, Ed (who has begun to embrace the present himself), manages to convince Rocko to stop living in the past.
Throw the Dog a Bone: In some occasions, Rocko would have something going his way, mostly when he's around Ed Bighead, who has it much worse than Rocko—not that Bighead doesn't bring it upon himself...
Trash of the Titans: Despite being neat and compassionate, Rocko often neglects his living space and ends up leaving his house such a filthy mess, as shown in episodes such as "Trash-O-Madness" and "A Sucker For the Suck-O-Matic". Both episodes provide reasons for it; in the former, the Garbagemen have been out of business for six months before getting their licenses renewed, and in the latter, Rocko's old vacuum cleaner wasn't working properly, as it spewed dust all over the house before eventually dying.
Unlucky Everydude: Emphasis on "unlucky".
Vocal Evolution: Carlos Alazraqui's voice for Rocko was much lower in the first season.

Spunky

Voiced by: Carlos Alazraqui

Rocko's pet bull terrier.

All Dogs Are Purebred: Can trace his lineage all the way back to the Stone Age, and he appears to be a bull terrier.
Artistic License – Biology: Considering dogs usually live up to a maximum of 15 years, Spunky should be dead by the time Static Cling takes place.
Canine Companion: To Rocko. Depending on the Writer, he either grew up with Rocko, or was found by him as an adult.
Cargo Ship: In-Universe, he falls in love with a mop, and when "she" gets stolen by an Expy of Sigmund Freud, Spunky finds love again... with a hydrant.
The Ditz: Let's just say that he averts the "dog is smarter than owner" cliche and leave it at that.
Dogs Are Dumb: Perhaps the Trope Codifier.
Dogs Love Fire Hydrants: One episode even had him actually fall in love with one.
Doorstop Baby: One episode showed Spunky as a young puppy left in a basket on Rocko's doorstep shortly after he started renting his house in O-Town.
Extreme Omnivore: Often shown eating various inedible things, such as Rocko's toenail clippings, hand tools, or car parts.
Suddenly Speaking: For a brief gag in "Dumbbells". ("You're asking me?")

Heffer Wolfe

Voiced by: Tom Kenny

Rocko's best friend. A gluttonous, simple-minded cow..erm, steer literally Raised by Wolves.

Acrofatic: He's pretty nimble for a fat guy, for he can skate surprisingly well, as shown in the episode "Wallaby On Wheels".
Adopt the Food: He was raised by a family of wolves who had intended to fatten him up and eat him (according to Peter, George even used to call him "steak"), but they came to love him as a son and passed off the markings for the various cuts of beef on his body as a "birthmark".
Amazing Technicolor Wildlife: He's a yellow steer with green hair.
Ascended to Carnivorism: He's a normally herbivorous animal who loves to eat meat (and anything else too). Justified by the fact he was raised by carnivores.
Babies Ever After: Heffer seems to have fathered one of Filburt's kids.
Backstory Horror: More so Backstory Tragedy, as shown in the episode Who's For Dinner.
Big Eater: One episode even has him end up in Hell for his gluttony after he chokes to death at the Chokey Chicken, though it was All Just a Dream.
- In another episode he wins a van for eating an entire plate of a certain meal thought impossible to finish. While casually talking with Rocko. The kicker is that he only ordered one plate of the meal instead of his originally intended two plates because there wasn't enough pigs in the North American continent for two plates.
Big Fun: He's overweight and a fun-loving guy.
The Big Guy: He's about a full gut taller than Rocko.
Big, Screwed-Up Family: While his adopted family is already qualified for this trope (see details in The Wolfe Family folder), his biological family is actually worse—Heffer's biological father didn't want him (as with the "millions of children" that have searched for him,) his real mom was made into a car seat in Illinois, and his stepmom is a sweet cow who's married to a Jerkass.
Brilliant, but Lazy: In spite of being such a slacker, he holds down several jobs throughout the series (paperboy, mailman, Christmas tree salesman, security guard^noteeven though he went mad with power, server in the Chameleon Bros.' coffee shop). When he actually gets off his lazy butt and puts some effort into it, Heffer can be responsible and hardworking.
Character Catchphrase: "That was a hoot!" Although outside of the theme song, he only actually says it in "Jet Scream", "Boob Tubed", and "Heff in a Handbasket".
Character Overlap: In Camp Lazlo, an older version of Heffer is revealed to be the real scoutmaster of Camp Kidney. He isn't named, but it's pretty obvious to anyone who's seen this series that it's him, and if you have any doubts, well...
Scoutmaster Lumpus: I'll get you for this, cow!
Heffer: STEER!
Cloudcuckoolander: He isn't all there at times.
Comic Trio: Generally the Fool, but sometimes becomes the Leader.
Curtains Match the Window: On the occasion his eyes are colored in, he is shown to have green hair and green eyes.
The Ditz: He's not very bright.
Extreme Omnivore: One time while living with Rocko, he made a casserole for lunch that contained stuff not usually considered edible, such as coffee grounds.
Eunuchs Are Evil: Steers are a term for male cattle castrated when young (Though the castration part is unconfirmed and may or may not be artistic license) and is close to evil in his more jerkass moments.
Fat Bastard: At his worst, he can act somewhat selfish and cause problems for Rocko and others.
Fat Best Friend: Type A (confident and brash), with some elements of Type C (airheaded)
Fat Idiot: Not too bright to say the least. He's at his worst in "The Big Answer" during Filburt's bachelor party where he becomes what adult viewers would call black-out belligerent drunk all because he ate too much ice cream....
- He later causes what is essentially a race riot between the Turtles and the Cats at the wedding ceremony by riling up the racial tensions between them.
Fat Slob: He rarely cleans up after himself.
Furry Confusion: Applies to all of the characters but it's especially prevalent in a character who eats so much like Heffer... What exactly are all of those burgers and sausages that Heffer scarfs down made out of?
Gasshole: Burps and farts a lot. His talent is belch-talking, and he even fathered one of Filburt's children by farting on the egg while he sat on it.
Half-Dressed Cartoon Animal: Heffer's standard attire consists of a pair of red overalls, but no shirt.
Happily Adopted: As stated above, he's a steer that was adopted into a wolf family. While initially upset by learning that he was adopted, he eventually comes to accept the Wolfes as his real family.
Heroic BSoD:
- Happens to just about every character in the series, but Heffer suffers it especially bad when his dad bans him from going to anymore Weasel Scout functions. He gets better, though.
- When Peaches shows him how his gluttony and mooching has affected his family and friends.
- Also when he learned he was adopted.
Hidden Depths: “Rocko, there’s a lot of things you don’t know about me.”
- He's actually skilled at Roller Skating in "Wallaby on Wheels".
I Am Not Weasel: He doesn't like it when people call him a "cow" (cows are females, after all); he much prefers the term "steer". Although, at one point, in "The Good, the Bad, and the Wallaby," he even confused himself for a cow, before he was corrected by one of the cattle.
Insufferable Imbecile: He lacks just as much kindness as he does a sharp mind.
Jerk with a Heart of Gold: He can be self-centered, socially-challenged and irresponsible, but he does have a good-heart and truly does value Rocko as a friend.
Keet: Very fun-loving.
Lazy Bum: The catalyst for the plot of one episode is Heffer being too lazy to get up off his fat ass and pick up a TV remote lying on the floor not five feet away from him.
Lethal Chef: Subverted. On the one occasion he's shown cooking, the food he makes is actually quite delicious. Just don't ask what's in it.
Like an Old Married Couple: He and Filburt tend to get into childish fights, sometimes driving Rocko crazy.
Manchild: He's a complete moron who still lives with his (adoptive) parents.
The McCoy: Quite the emotional and sweet sort.
The Millstone: Many of Rocko's problems are kick-started by something Heffer does, and even when he tries to help, he sometimes ends up screwing things up even worse.
Momma's Boy: This is actually plot-relevant in one episode (appropriately named "Mama's Boy"), wherein he tries to grow out of this. In another episode, he gets angry at Mr. Bighead for insulting his mother.
Non-Indicative Name: Twofold; a "heifer" is a young female cow while Heffer is male. He's not a wolf either, justified since he was adopted by a family of wolves with a Species Surname.
No Sense of Personal Space: Rocko finds out about this the hard way in "Bedfellows".
Oblivious Adoption: Until Rocko brought it up at a family dinner, Heffer had no idea that his family weren't his birth relatives. This is despite Heffer being a steer and the rest of the family being wolves.
Nutritional Nightmare: His addiction to Pasture Puffies has landed him in a coma as shown in "Put To Pasture".
Raised by Wolves: Literally. The family did intend to eat him (his father even referred to him as "Steak" and passed off marking off the cuts of beef on his body as a "birthmark"), but they grew to love him.
Rough Overalls: Wears a pair of red overalls, but no shirt; he frequently has lower class jobs such as tree farmer, but is overall lazy and lower class.
Seven Deadly Sins: Gluttony, big time. Heffer loves to eat and eats often, much to the detriment of others. Sometimes his overeating causes problems or inconveniences for his friends. Hell, he goes to Heck for his gluttony in "To Heck and Back"!
The Slacker: Of the main trio, he's the one least likely to do any real work.
Straw Loser: Downplayed. He’s a lazy, unintelligent, immature slob though he has been shown to be able be pretty capable.
Took a Level in Dumbass: In seasons 3 and 4, his intelligence seems to have gotten lower and he's even more immature.
Took a Level in Jerkass: Starting in season 3 he gets more obnoxious, causing even more trouble for Rocko and frequently fighting with Filburt. Static Cling brings this down and makes him closer to his personality in the first two seasons, though he still tends to bicker with Filburt.
Vitriolic Best Buds: He and Filburt are friends, but they constantly get on each other’s nerves.
Vocal Evolution: His voice got higher in season 2. In Static Cling, he reverted to having a deeper voice like in season 1.
With Friends Like These...: He can be like this to Rocko in his less sympathetic moments. In "Bedfellows", while he stays at Rocko's house, he trashes it, eventually becoming a nudist and throwing a party where he invites other nudists. In "Speaking Terms", he gives Rocko a truly horrible makeshift birthday present (and Filburt tries to exploit their ensuing feud on daytime television). In the episode named for this trope, he and Filburt put Rocko through hell trying to prove which one of them is his "best" friend so he can take either of them to a wrestling match he has two tickets for. There's also a VHS tape of the show named for this trope, which features episodes such as "No Pain, No Gain" and the aforementioned "Bedfellows" (the Paramount re-issue even adds the episode named for this trope).

Filburt Shellbach

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/dvd_illustration_filburt_3.png

Voiced by: Doug Lawrence, Tom Kenny (singing voice)

Rocko's other best friend. A geeky turtle with numerous phobias. Early on, he was more of a generic character. Filburt got married to Dr. Hutchison in the third season, becoming a father in season 4.

Ambiguously Jewish: His last name is Shellbach, apart from being partly an homage to Woody Allen. He also uses the Yiddish word "schmutz" in one issue of the comics.
Ascended Extra: He started off as a Recurring Extra, but before Season 1 was over, he was fleshed out as Rocko's other best friend.
Babies Ever After: He and Dr. Hutchison end up having children.
Beware the Nice Ones: Pushing him too far isn't a good idea.
Blind Without 'Em: He's barely able to function without his glasses. For instance, when the Stork takes his specs, he crashes with a post instead of entering the hospital. We then see him being carried by Rocko and Heffer until Dr. Hutchison gives him back the glasses.
Butt-Monkey: He can be this as Rocko as things tend to give Filburt nausea which is a Running Gag as he always says "I'm nauseous". In "Fortune Cookie", he opens his fortune saying "Bad luck and extreme misfortune will infest your pathetic soul for all eternity.", and it causes many misfortunes for him.
Character Catchphrase: "I'm nauseous", "Oh, boy", "Oh, fishsticks". He also occasionally has "Okay, that's enough of that!" when things annoy him.
Cold Ham: When Filburt goes crazy on a sugar rush in the Halloween Episode, he absolutely devours the scenery without ever raising his voice.
Continuity Drift: His first name was spelled "Filbert" in the earlier episodes, and his last name was at least once spoken out loud as "Turtle".
Comic Trio: Generally the Complainer, although he sometimes becomes the Fool.
Coming of Age: In the episode "Born to Spawn", Filburt is angsting about becoming an adult as he is forced to go to Kerplopitgoes Island (his birthplace) for a Rite of Passage. Which turns out to be a theme party in honor of The '70s, where all the nerdy turtles become temporarily cool.
Early-Installment Weirdness: In the early episodes, Filburt was a generic background character who wasn't established to be Rocko's friend.
- In "Canned", he was Rocko's customer who kept saying, "Turn the page, you wash your hands...".
- In "Rocko's Happy Sack", he was a cashier who almost charged Rocko's $150 for his groceries instead of $1.50 and was very nearly murdered by the wallaby.
Endearingly Dorky: Filburt may be the nerdiest character of the series, but he's also the only one of the main trio to get married.
Flipping Helpless: He was often subject to this, particularly in "Popcorn Pandemonium" and "Yarnbenders".
Geek Physiques: Depending on the case, he can be of the scrawny kind, or be as overweight as Heffer.
Happily Married: He and Dr. Hutchison get married and are clearly happy together. In Static Cling, they are very happy to see each other again after being separated for two decades.
Hypochondria: Another part of his neurosis is that he frequently believes to have contracted some type of illness. He once checked himself into a hospital for some tests over something he was convinced was severe. According to Dr. Hutchison, it was actually just a rash. He was upset when the doctors found nothing wrong.
I Was Quite a Looker: According to his profiles on the old Nickelodeon website, he used to be handsome and athletic, but a case of unrequited love sent him into a downward spiral, which entailed a stay at a mental institution and culminated in his present nerd status.
Interspecies Romance: With Dr. Hutchison, much to the irritation of their families.
Like an Old Married Couple: He and Heffer tend to get into childish fights, sometimes driving Rocko crazy.
Lounge Lizard: Had a dream of becoming a nightclub singer, particularly idolizing Buddy Gecko (a literal example).
Mistaken for Aliens: In "The High-Five of Death", Heffer and Rocko find out that Filburt is an alien bent on taking over the world, but naturally it was just a misunderstanding from his novel called "Filburt's Secret Journal"... or WAS IT?
Neat Freak: At least compared to Rocko and Heffer...
Nerd Glasses: Which get passed onto his sons.
Nervous Wreck: Becomes one whenever he has to face a crowd, or even thinks about that possibility, which often ends up with him having a rash.
New Job as the Plot Demands: His earliest appearances would keep on giving him a different occupation depending on what was appropriate for the episode.
Nice Guy: Like Rocko, he's pretty pleasant most of the time.
No Celebrities Were Harmed: He’s basically Woody Allen with a shell.
Obliquely Obfuscated Occupation: After being fleshed out as a proper character, it's no longer clear what he does for a living. Considering he has a spacious basement full of cans, he probably never has to work anymore.
Removable Shell: Occasionally, his shell is treated like clothing.
Self-Abuse: Show creator Joe Murray says that the reason he wears glasses is because he "touched himself too much" when he was a kid.
Shout-Out: To Woody Allen (just the “neurotic, possibly Jewish nerd who once stayed in a mental institution” angle.)
Shrinking Violet: Usually. When he becomes a lounge singer, he manages to get past this mostly.
Shy Shelled Animal: He's a turtle and is your stereotypical, glasses-wearing, socially awkward comic book nerd, and very timid to boot. He's still a Nice Guy, he just doesn't have many friends aside from Rocko, Heffer, and his wife Dr. Hutchison.
Sickly Neurotic Geek: He tends to get sick easily, and he's shy.
The Smart Guy: He tends to be more intelligent than Rocko and Heffer.
Straw Loser: As a Sickly Neurotic Geek who has terrible luck, he qualifies.
Toothy Bird: While not exactly a bird, he not only has teeth, his mouth is drawn looking like a snout instead of a turtle's beak.
Toxic Friend Influence: Most of his least sympathetic moments (e.g. intentionally videotaping Rocko in the nude) happen when he's with Heffer.
Ugly Guy, Hot Wife: By season 3, he's officially married to the more attractive Dr. Hutchinson.
Vitriolic Best Buds: With Heffer.
Vocal Evolution: His voice is more energetic and less raspy in Static Cling.
With Friends Like These...: Like Heffer, he can be like this to Rocko in his less sympathetic moments. In "Speaking Terms", when Heffer gives Rocko a truly horrible makeshift birthday present, he tries to exploit their ensuing feud on daytime television. In the episode named for this trope, he and Heffer put Rocko through hell trying to prove which one of them is his "best" friend so he can take either of them to a wrestling match he has two tickets for.
Younger Than They Look: He's 38 in "Future Schlock", but looks more like he's in his 80's or 90's. At the end of the episode, he looks like his normal self, suggesting he just hadn't been taking care of himself.

Edward "Ed" Bighead

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/dvd_illustration_ed_1.png

Voiced by: Charlie Adler

Rocko's cantankerous toad neighbor who hates Rocko (and everything else). Works as a corporate drone for Conglom-O Corporation.

Angrish: He often mutters incoherently under his breath whenever he's greatly annoyed.
Asshole Victim: Whenever he Takes a Level In Jerkass, he will get his just desserts for it. The episodes "Canned" and "Zanzibar" are blatant examples.
Aw, Look! They Really Do Love Each Other: Despite all of the dysfunction between him and Bev, several of their character centric-episodes end with an enforcement of this trope.
Bad Boss:
- In "Canned". How many people hire someone just to kill them, anyway?
- In "Gutter Balls", he's shown to be an abusive bowling team manager. After shouting at Virginia Wolfe for being a terrible bowler ("YOU BOWL LIKE A WIMP!!"), Virginia leaves in mid-tournament and goes home, and teammates Tammy and Bev follow suit. Leaving Ed with no bowlers left and an attempt to cheat by disguising himself as Bev (the tournament disallows substituting players in, including the non-bowling team captain), which doesn't work.
Big Bad: On a few occasions, he acts as the main antagonist. Helps that he's the only main character with barely a moral compass.
Born Unlucky: Although it's not like he never brings most of it on himself.
Broken Bird: "Old Fogey Froggy" showed he was actually a happy go-getter, but being stuck in the same job and routine for 30 years without a promotion sapped his will to live.
Butt-Monkey: Takes it even worse than Rocko.
Can't Get Away with Nuthin': Every misdeed he does comes back to bite him in the ass.
Character Catchphrase: "I hate my life."
The Chew Toy: Any injury he suffers is satisfying since he brings most of them upon himself.
Cranky Neighbor: He despises Rocko with a passion and constantly chastises Spunky for getting into his salmon bushes.
Cut Lex Luthor a Check: In "Wacky Delly", he reveals that beneath his house he has assembled a NASA-esque organization run by dozens of Conglom-O employees and includes a giant heat ray all for the sole purpose of eliminating Rocko, Spunky, Heffer and Filburt because he hates them that much.
Deuteragonist: of Static Cling, being the other most adverse to change cast member, and, with him accepting his transgender daughter, having the most Character Development aside from Rocko.
Facial Horror: If "Put to Pasture" is to be believed then Bighead had a weird, photo-realistic human face during the time when Heffer was his paperboy. An unfortunate head first fall into Bev's recently-repaired giant blender resulted in the face he has today.
Fantastic Racism: Mr. Bighead has a full-blown disdain for elves, which is why he spreads rumors about the ones who moved in across the street from Rocko.
Fat Bastard: Less fat than Heffer, but still a jerk.
Foil: To Rocko. Rocko is a nice person who doesn't mean anyone harm, while Ed is a jerk who does everything he can to make Rocko miserable.
Fun-Hating Confiscating Adult: At the beginning of "Spitballs", Rocko and Heffer play catch with Rocko's prized foul ball. When Heffer accidentally tosses the ball into Mr. Bighead's front yard, not only does Mr. Bighead refuse to give it back to him and Rocko, he destroys it with his wood chipper.
Green and Mean: A grumpy toad with an ill-tempered attitude.
Green-Eyed Monster: When Bev adopted Earl in the episode "Frog's Best Friend", Ed was hellbent on getting rid of him because Bev was giving him more attention and feeding him steaks (Ed happened to be on a diet at the time).
The Grinch: Ed hates Christmas, and Bev wishes that he could try and enjoy it for once instead of complaining about it. He hates elves even more than Christmas, and ruins Rocko's party by spreading rumors about the elves who moved in across the street from him. His dislike of Christmas is because he never got invited to a Christmas party (being the Nice Guy that he is, Rocko invites him to his, but the invitation got lost in the mail).
Hair-Trigger Temper: Almost anything sets him off, to Spunky eating in his salmon bushes to living next door to Rocko in general.
Heel–Face Turn: In Static Cling, Ed finally sees the error of his ways and in the end he is eventually on better terms with Rocko and accepts Rachel as a woman. He also becomes a better person as he gives Rocko a heartfelt speech about change is a part of life and should be embraced and Rocko accepts and the two of them have finally become true friends and no longer frenemies.
Henpecked Husband: Bev is the only person on the show he fears.
I Have No Son!:
- He severed ties with his daughter Rachel after she became a cartoonist and created Meet the Fatheads, a cartoon starring unflattering caricatures of the creator's parents. He eventually reconciles with Rachel after realizing that she does care about him after all, and is proud of Rachel after finding out how well-paid she is.
- He does this again when he sees Rachel for the first time in years, after she's transitioned to her new identity and screams "I have no daughter!" Again, he reconciles after watching the new "Fatheads" special and realizing Rachel incorporated happy memories the Bigheads shared when Rachel was a baby.
Irrational Hatred: His ridiculously intense and disproportionate hatred of Rocko for what turn out to be incredibly petty reasons.
I Want My Beloved to Be Happy: In the greatest instance of self-sacrifice he's ever shown, following Bev accidentally getting a nose due to a surgical mix-up, they're both shocked to discover Ed stinks really badly and Bev is having difficulty being around him. Realizing how much Bev's new nose meant to her, Ed tearfully told her she deserved better than to be tied down with a stinky old toad like him. Thankfully, Bev's nose later got infected and she had it removed, meaning Ed's stench was no longer an issue. But considering how much of a cranky bastard Ed usually is, this moment showcased how far he'd go to make Bev happy.
I Was Quite a Looker: As seen in a Flashback from when he and Bev were first married some 30 years back as well from the time Heffer was a paperboy.
Jerkass to One: His defining character trait is that he's really unpleasant, especially due to his irrational enmity towards Rocko and constantly going out of his way to make the wallaby's life a living hell.
Jerk with a Heart of Gold: His reconciliation with his daughter Rachel earns him this, but only towards her (and his wife). In Closet Clown, his heart of gold is amplified.
Jerk with a Heart of Jerk: For example, think he was being generous when he offered Rocko a job? Two seconds later, he blows that sky-high when it's revealed he only did so because the job was "Test Subject" and it would have involved Rocko being mutilated or even killed. Subverted in Static Cling, as Ed gets is on better terms with Rocko and becomes much more friendly and finally sees the error of his ways as he learns how to be a better person.
Karmic Butt-Monkey: He suffers much worse than Rocko, because he often has it coming to him for being a colossal Jerkass towards his neighbor and even going as far to trying to sabotage him in egregious ways.
Large Ham: He shouts a lot of his dialogue. It helps that his voice actor is Charlie Adler.
Laser-Guided Karma: What he gets struck with when his jerkassness crosses the line, usually resulting in him uttering his catchphrase.
No Indoor Voice: His loud voice once caused an avalanche in the episode "Cabin Fever" for starters.
No-Neck Chump: While none of the Bigheads have necks, Ed's the only one that could be considered a chump.
Parents as People: He does love Rachel, but he didn’t let her have a say in careers until after they reconciled.
Perpetual Frowner: He rarely smiles.
Pet the Dog: He may be a tactless grouch with little in the way of a moral compass, but his interactions with his wife and reconciliation with his daughter - both times - show that he's certainly a family man.
So Proud of You: At first Ed believed Rachel's desire to become a cartoonist was an insult to everything he stood for and viewed it as an undignified career. After the two mend fences when Ed realizes how much Rachel loves him, and then learning Rachel's actually done well for herself financially, Ed couldn't be prouder.
Straw Loser: If there's one character who's got it much worse than Rocko, it's Ed Bighead, who usually deserves it.
Trademark Favorite Food: He'll happily eat anything with flies.
Ungrateful Bastard: In "Cabin Fever," he finds out he actually booked his cabin retreat with Bev in July, not January. When Rocko happily offers to share the cabin with the Bigheads, Ed does nothing but gripe about having to share it with Rocko and Heffer and goes out of his way to try and ruin their good time.
Unknown Rival: Rocko and friends are aware of what a jerk Ed can be, but they have no idea that Ed hates them so much that he has an entire team of scientists dedicated to disposing of them.
Villain Song: in "Zanzibar": "Mr. Bighead (Or: How He Learned to Stop Worrying and Hate the Earth)".
We Want Our Jerk Back!: In "Old Fogey Froggy", he begins to feel the stress of age when he is turned down for a promotion in favor of somebody younger than him, so he tries to feel young again by hanging out with Rocko, Heffer, and Filburt, whom he normally despises. It isn't long before he gets on their nerves, to the point where the three actually prefer him the way he was before.

Beverly "Bev" Bighead

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/bev_bighead.png

Voiced by: Charlie Adler

Ed Bighead's wife. Much nicer than her husband is, though she can still be a grouch on occasion.

Alliterative Name: Her first and last names both begin with B.
Aw, Look! They Really Do Love Each Other: She has this moment with Ed a lot of times.
Characterization Marches On: In the first season, there were frequent jokes surrounding her status as a Dirty Old Woman, to the point of attempting to cheat on her husband with a much younger man (Rocko) when she thinks he doesn't love her anymore. This got heavily toned down later on and she became more of an affable housewife character.
Cool Old Lady: She's much more of a party animal than her husband and knows how to have fun with Rocko and his friends. She's also incredibly smarter than she lets on and had a fulfilling career as a Conglomo executive for a while.
Cranky Neighbor: Though less so than her husband.
Depending on the Artist: Sometimes she's drawn with eyelashes, other times she's not.
Dirty Old Woman: Has some shades of this in the first season. She's notably quite perverted for a married and middle aged woman, is shown to call sex phone lines in the very first episode, and at one point attempts to seduce Rocko. In another episode she openly joins in with an impromptu nudist colony in Rocko's backyard, then invites them to her yard after Rocko kicks them out.
Fan Disservice: In season one, she is occasionally seen in a tiny bikini and in one episode, is seen in several skimpy, revealing suits. In Static Cling, she’s drawn with a cleavage and later she mentions she got butt surgery.
Fiery Redhead: She has red hair and can sometimes get quite furious.
Fluffy Tamer: She ends up being Earl's one and only Morality Chain. It's telling that in "Frog's Best Friend", while Earl loves Bev and is nice to her, he's still mean and vicious to everyone else.
Guile Heroine: In a couple of episodes.
Hidden Depths: Despite being a housewife, she very quickly rose up in Conglom-O's ranks in Ed's place when he had a nervous breakdown.
Housewife: She usually looks after the house while her husband is off at work.
I Have No Son!: Averted. Unlike her husband, she did not willingly cut off ties with Rachel and wanted her to come back to the family again. The only reason she asked Rocko to bring Rachel back was because Rachel refused to have anything to do with both her parents.
I Was Quite a Looker: As seen in a Flashback from when she and Ed were first married some 30 years back ("Old Fogey Froggy")
Mama Bear: Towards Earl the vicious dog, after learning he was used for animal testing. She's also rather protective of Rocko when Ed is being a douchebag towards him.
Morality Pet: Bev is one of the only people besides Rachel whom Ed can ever treat nicely on a regular basis, even if he does act grumpy with her.
Mrs. Robinson: She tried to seduce Rocko on the infamous episode "Leap Frogs".
Nice Girl: She's usually much nicer than her husband, but can still be pretty grouchy.
No Celebrities Were Harmed: Her voice is a dead ringer to Harvey Fierstein.
Open-Minded Parent: She's much quicker to accept her daughter's transition than Ed is. Indeed, she buys some shoes for her and it's implied that this was her immediate reaction to finding out.
Sick Episode: She comes down with an amphibian throat illness from eating an infected mosquito...and winds up getting a nose intended for someone else.
Sugar-and-Ice Personality: Her icy side seems reserved almost exclusively for Ed, but usually when he's being an asshole. Towards Rocko and the rest of the characters, she's very friendly, but there are rare moments when she's mean to them (though usually for more justified reasons than Ed has shown).

Supporting Characters

Rachel Bighead

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/rachel_before_after.png

Left: Original series design. Right: Static Cling design.

Voiced by: Joe Murray

The daughter of Ed and Bev, who was born as Ralph Bighead, having created the Show Within a Show Meet the Fatheads based on Ed and Bev and later made Wacky Delly as part of a plan to leave the contract. She eventually comes out as transgender in Static Cling after years of soul-searching.

Adaptational Jerkass: In Issue 6 of the comics, she took Spunky away from Rocko once she saw that Spunky, not Rocko, was the one getting all the social media attention, and refused to give him back no matter how hard Rocko tried. Furthermore, in that comic, she was uncharacteristically callous about Rocko falling from the top of her penthouse, and was more concerned about Spunky, her social media "asset", jumping off after him.
Affectionate Nickname: Prior to transitioning in Static Cling, Bev called her "Ralphie".
Amusing Injuries: in "Wacky Delly" she is mobbed by fans and one tears out a piece of her scalp.
Author Avatar: Joe Murray described the character as a "less stable" version of himself. She also has her own in her revival of The Fatheads in the form of the Fatheads' violent baby.
Breakout Character: Despite only appearing in three episodes, Ralph was well remembered by fans (especially when it came to his shows) and she came out as female in the movie her popularity increased tenfold.
Character Tic: She tucks her hair under her hat whenever she's doing work of any kind.
Chewing the Scenery: Does a fair amount herself. It seems to run in the family.
- She lets out a few Big "NEVER!" exclamations in a row when she refuses to see her parents again. This includes doing a few aggressive Head Desks, baking a giant cake with dynamite in it, and pointing at a giant stone carving of the word "NEVER" in a mountain.
- In Wacky Delly, when her studio shut down, she stood up on her car and yelled, "YOU CRETINS! YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT ART IS! I'LL SHOOOOOW YOUUUUUU!"
Everyone Has Standards: In "Wacky Delly", she hires Rocko, Heffer, and Filburt to create the titular cartoon in the hopes that it will fail so she can get out of her contract with her animation studio and focus on making real art. Despite the final product being a poorly-animated and poorly-edited mess (thanks in part to Heffer and Filburt's creative differences), Wacky Delly manages to become a huge success, leaving Rachel still stuck in her contract. When her initial attempts to sabotage the show only make it more popular, she comes to Ed for advice on how to get it cancelled. When Ed shows her the heat ray he built specifically to destroy Rocko and his friends with, Rachel clarifies to him that she doesn't want to hurt Rocko, Heffer, and Filburt because they're her friends, and she only wants to destroy Wacky Delly. Fortunately for her, Ed easily shifts gears to change the plan as he wants.
Five-Second Foreshadowing: In retrospect, "Ralph's" noticeable eyelashes and bust when she makes her first re-appearance in Static Cling were a dead giveaway of her now being a transgender girl.
Gone Horribly Right: Rachel assigned Rocko and his friends to create Wacky Delly, believing that their incompetence and lack of training will cancel the show outright. Instead, it becomes a major hit and she's stuck in her contract.
Informed Species: Rachel is a cane toad, just like her mom and pop. Unlike her parents, whose massive heads and butts give them at least a passing resemblance to toads, Rachel's skinny face and body makes her look like a green humanoid instead.
In-Series Nickname: Rocko and his friends call her "RB".
Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Shes's a bit abrasive and somewhat understandably frustrated with her career, but she's a good person deep down. Must be a family trait. Granted, when she becomes Rachel, her abrasiveness vanishes a good bit.
Magnum Opus: She initially wanted to be canned in order to complete what she considers her Magnum Opus, a giant Still-Life carved into a mountain.
Morality Pet: After reconciling with Ed, Rachel became one for her father alongside Bev.
My Beloved Smother: Possibly. Despite Rachel's insistence on never seeing either of her parents again in her debut, it's telling that her thinly veiled caricature of her mother is much nicer than that of her father. For Bev's part, she did not disown her like Ed did, desperately wanted the two to reconcile and while Ed seems to view The Fatheads as a direct act of mockery against them, Bev is simply saddened at the fact that her own child sees her parents as such cruel people. Bev also deeply misses Rachel in the movie, begs Rocko to track her down, and is more than eager to accept her gender and even buys her shoes.
Never My Fault: In Wacky Delly, she blames most of her sabotage attempts on Rocko and his friends, except for the moment where she and Ed sent a flood to Holl-o-wood, only for Heffer to accidentally save Bighead Studios by levying it with a car jack.
No Indoor Voice: "NEVER!" She screams this repeatedly at Rocko, Heffer, and Filburt when she outright refuses to see her parents again.
Old Friend, New Gender: When Rocko meets her again twenty years later, she's transitioned into a woman. Rocko adapts to her transition quite quickly; her father, not so much.
Once Done, Never Forgotten: She can never live down Wacky Delly, even after she sculpted the world's largest still-life with nothing but a few hundred spoons.
Sobriquet Sex Switch: Her deadname Ralph and her new name Rachel begin with the same letters.
Springtime for Hitler: When Rachel tries to sabotage Wacky Delly, it grows in popularity. But when she's inspired to finally try hard in making it great, it's immediately canned. Just like she wanted.
Took a Level in Kindness: After years of soul-searching, Rachel has come to terms with her identity and found inner peace and happiness. As such, she's a lot more relaxed and less edged when Rocko and friends finally find her.
Trans Tribulations: Static Cling reveals that she's a trans woman, and her subplot deals in part with her father's refusal to accept her new identity. However, Rocko and the other characters accept her quite quickly, and even Mr. Bighead's issue with her transition is less the fact that she's trans and more the fact that she's different at all.
Truth in Television: Ralph/Rachel’s coming out in the film might reference how reed frogs in real life are able to change their sex from male to female. Of course, sex isn't always synonymous with gender — and the Bigheads are cane toads... although it was a pretty common myth in the 90s that cane toads were also capable of changing their sex, until science proved otherwise.
Write Who You Know: In-Universe example: As well as writing thinly veiled versions of her parents for a cartoon, she also made a caricature of Rocko for a Fatheads cartoon. In Static Cling, the baby Fathead she created is a caricature of herself as a baby.
Yes-Man: Is surrounded by them when at the studio, being quite annoyed by this. Everyone tells her what she wants to hear, including Rocko and his friends.

Dr. Paula "Hutch" Hutchison

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/hutchinson.png

Voiced by: Linda Wallem

A cat dentist with a hook hand and a big smile on her face. Became Filburt's wife in season three.

Affirmative Action Girl: Was put into the show because the higher-ups wanted more female characters.
Babies Ever After: She ends up having children with Filburt.
Breakout Character: Despite Joe Murray’s reluctance to add a decent female character and only appearing in one episode in season one, Hutch proved to be quite a hit with the staff, the fanbase, and Murray himself. Come season two, she became Filburt’s love interest and later, his wife.
Character Catchphrase: "Kay?" (often with the sound of her neck straining)
Cat Girl: She's a humanoid female feline.
Character Tic: Tilts her head when saying her Catchphrase.
Daddy's Girl: From what little interactions we see between her and her father, she clearly adores him and he adores her in kind.
Dating What Daddy Hates: Or rather, what her mother hates. The Widow Hutchinson loathes Filburt and does nothing to hide her resentment that Paula is in love with a turtle, to the point of making her daughter cry. As for her father, well, he's a turtle himself so he doesn't mind.
Happily Married: She is married to Filburt and they're clearly happy to be together.
He Is Not My Boyfriend: Filburt worries about a guy he sees her with, but it turns out they are only friends.
Hook Hand: The executives wanted a character with a hook. They got one.
Hospital Hottie: Even though she doesn't always work in the hospital.
Interspecies Romance: With Filburt, much to the irritation of her family. She apparently got it from her mother, who was married to a turtle named Frank Hutchison, who she still loves.
Last-Name Basis: Almost always referred to as either "Dr. Hutchinson" or "Hutch" by everyone except for her mother.
New Job as the Plot Demands:
- Lampshaded in "Tickled Pinky," the first time she switches jobs.
  Rocko: Dr. Hutchison? I thought you were a dentist.
  Hutch: I was, but I got tired of always looking down in the mouth. (laughs) Dental humor.
- In "Kiss Me, I'm Foreign", Filburt finds Hutch working at the drugstore.
  Filburt: Hey, I thought you were a surgeon.
  Dr. Hutchison: I was, but I just couldn't cut it. (laughs)
- Then, in "The Fatlands", Rocko finds out she has become a vet.
  Rocko: Didn't you used to be a dentist, and then a surgeon, and then a pharmacist?
  Dr. Hutchison: Yes, it's been quite a year. (laughs)
Nice Girl: She's usually very friendly and jovial.
Parental Hypocrisy: Her mother is against her marrying a turtle even though she was married to a turtle herself and still had feelings for him.
Perpetual Smiler: She is generally seen with a big grin on her face.
What Does She See in Him?: Constantly questioned (mostly by her family) about her relationship with Filburt.

Chuck and Leon Chameleon

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/chuck_and_leon_stock_artpng.png

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

A pair of snooty chameleons with exaggerated Swedish accents. Usually seen running random businesses.

A Day in the Limelight: "The Emperor's New Joe"
Always Camp: They're always in a career field associated with fashion or art.
Character Catchphrase: "I love this job!" And also referring to their business as "exclusive", and also, "Tsk, tsk."
Cloudcuckoolander: Even more so than Heffer.
Disembodied Eyebrows: Both of the twins have eyebrows that are not connected to their eyes in any way.
Ambiguously Gay: There is a lot of evidence to prove it in: "Camera Shy" they call rocko "Baby" and "Honey", in "The Big Question" at one point they are seen dancing together at the high school dance and in "Dumbells" they reveals that they live together in the same house.
Fauxreigner: The accent is fake.
Hipster: Snobby, and always chasing after "The Next Big Thing."
Informed Species: To be honest, they both look more like some kind of dinosaur than chameleons.
Know-Nothing Know-It-All: In Static Cling the two are hired to create the new "Fatheads" special, and proceed to do so using computer programs to produce it cheaply thinking they're updating the concept for the 21st Century. The end result is badly dated CGI with the two of them providing the voices from a script that's nothing but a cliche, and they don't even read it right.
Half-Dressed Cartoon Animal: They are always naked and nobody comments on it, the only time they wore clothes were in: "Hair Licked" where they only used purple shirts and in "Tooth and Nail" they only used pink shirts.
New Job as the Plot Demands: They tend to have a different job based on what is needed for the episode.
Single-Minded Twins: They're rarely seen apart.
Species Surname: Bonus points for Leon having (part of) his species' name as his first name.
Hollywood Chameleons: Don't actually change colour...but they do change jobs a lot, based on what's trendy.
Those Two Guys: Again, they're rarely seen apart.
Unreliable Narrator: They tell a story of when they used to live in the country of Ballzack, and how the made the (rancid) coffee they use now in their new cafe. They tell it to try and incite pity from Rocko, and then tell another story to another customer about their equally bad cheesecake.

Really Really Big Man

Voiced by: Tom Kenny, Tom Smith (movie version in "Static Cling")

O-Town's local superhero. His power is the, ahem..."Nipples of the Future" which he stretches out into people's eyes and shows them the future.

The Big Guy: Um, duh...
The Cape: He's a superhero who fights for what is right.
Cartoon Creature: He mostly looks like a green-skinned human, but with antennae. Seeing as he's a Superman expy, he's probably an alien.
Darker and Edgier: In Static Cling we see him starring in an excessively dark and violent movie about himself. Although he's shown to be the same Nice Guy we know and love outside of said movie.
Daytime Drama Queen: Likes to watch telenovelas.
Does Not Know His Own Strength: One notable example of this is in "Power Trip", where he gets fired from his civilian identity's workplace for wrecking up the place just by moving and later rips several people's arms off by mistake.
Expy: Of Superman.
Eye Scream: His trademark Nipples of the Future can fly off and latch to someone's eyes, showing them, well, the future.
Informed Species: He's a bug, but the only clue of that is his antennae.
Lantern Jaw of Justice: He's a superhero with a huge chin.
Nice Guy: Despite the aforementioned "Does Not Know His Own Strength" problem and the running gag of his ineptitude as a superhero, Really Really Big Man is a genuinely kindhearted guy who always tries to do the right thing.
Phrase Catcher: "Where are you, Really Really Big Man?"

"Where are you, Really Really Big Man?"

Top-Heavy Guy: He's a big muscular guy with disproportionately tiny legs.
Wholesome Crossdresser: Works as a secretary by the name of "Lois" (furthering the Expy connection) when he isn't out being a superhero.

Mr. Dupette

Voiced by: Charlie Adler

The head of Conglom-O Corporation and Ed Bighead's boss, although he started out as the owner of a comic book shop. Appears to be a reptile of some kind.

Cartoon Creature: What is he exactly? An iguana? A crocodile? A dragon? A dinosaur?
Character Tic: He's always picking his nose.
Corrupt Corporate Executive: He's the head of Conglom-O and is often a very unpleasant person. Though this gets downplayed later on.
- Subverted in "Zanzibar!" where after Rocko and the mob invades his conference room. Unlike most depictions of a corporate executive in Green Aesop episodes, he's ultimately more negligent than genuinely malevolent.
Evil Redhead: His pointy hair is a rather unusual shade of orange.
Graceful Loser: In "Teed Off", he plays a game of golf against Ed. Mr. Dupette is undefeated, since his underlings always conspire without his knowledge to make sure he wins, but when Heffer catches wind of this, he foils their plans and makes Ed win. Mr. Dupette takes it all surprisingly well, although Ed misses out on the promotion he would have gotten had he lost.
Hidden Depths: Has a side job as a clown, and persuades Ed to accept and act on his desires to be a clown.
Honest Corporate Executive: In later episodes he's far less corrupt than he first appeared.
- In "Zanzibar!" he immediately agrees to clean up Conglom-O's waste distribution after Rocko and the townspeople meet with him, and then orders Ed Bighead to start doing just that. Which actually makes sense since it seems Ed was in charge of handling the company's waste, yet was doing so by carelessly dumping it wherever he pleased.
- After hearing "Ed's" business proposal, he declares him to be a genius, and when he finds out Bev was the real brains behind the proposal, he immediately offers Bev a lucrative job offer and does nothing but praise her decisions.
Nose Nuggets: He is almost always seen picking his nose. In the Static Cling special, he has a jar filled with a collection of his boogers.
Pet the Dog: He is completely unfazed of Rachel’s transition in Static Cling and complements her shoes. Granted, he never met Rachel before, but it’s still a pretty nice moment for him.
Pointy-Haired Boss: Literally and figuratively.
Reptiles Are Abhorrent: His job title? "Slimy Boss."
Took a Level in Kindness: As hard as it is to believe, he's honestly a lot nicer in some of his later appearances.

Mr. Smitty

Voiced by: Tom Kenny

Rocko's cruel boss at the Kind of a Lot o' Comics who often gives Rocko a hard time at work. He is the only character that Rocko openly dislikes.

Bad Boss: It takes a special kind of jackass to leave his only employee in the comic store to fix a minor mistake on every last comic cover all night! How Smitty hasn't gotten charged for this is an enigma.
Bait-and-Switch Comment: He often says something genuinely complimentary to Rocko right before either switching back to chastising him for whatever mistake he makes or demands him to work on whatever he's ordered to do.
Cigar Chomper: He is almost always seen smoking on a cigar.
Fat Bastard: A fat, grumpy toad who even makes Ed Bighead look far more sympathetic in comparison.
Hair-Trigger Temper: Any minor mistake Rocko makes, Smitty will vociferously chastise him for it in a rather angry tone of voice.
Hate Sink: His aggression and tyrannical demeanor towards Rocko make it easy for the latter and the audience to despise the former with a fiery passion.
Jerk with a Heart of Jerk: Just when you think he's genuinely a fair boss deep down, it's only a ploy to revert back to his cruel self, such as when Rocko barely made it to work on time, only to be reminded by Smitty that he IS on time...to be fired!
Karma Houdini: Smitty gets away with overworking Rocko in "Day of the Flecko."
Laser-Guided Karma: Smitty does pay for the consequences in certain occasions, such as making Rocko late for work at the beginning of "Commuted Sentence" and fires him the minute Rocko actually arrives to work on time. This gets Rocko a chance to take a job at the tow truck company and have Smitty's car impounded for parking it close to a red line.
Mean Boss: He has absolutely no respect for Rocko and treats him and his customers like trash in general.
Suddenly Shouting: He speaks this way to Rocko a lot.
Ungrateful Bastard: He doesn't thank Rocko and Filburt in "Power Trip" when then raised a lot of money to repair the comic book store, and Rocko gets fired along with Filburt when the former refuses to fire the latter under Smitty's demands.

Gladys, the Hippo Lady

Voiced by: Charlie Adler

A large hippopotamus woman in stretch pants. Don't invade her personal space. That won't end well

Actually Pretty Funny: She completely goes from being mad, to laughing hysterically, when Rocko explains the concept of ding-dong-ditch.
Angry, Angry Hippos: She has a Hair-Trigger Temper and often beats up Rocko for accidentally invading her personal space.
Big Fun: Once Rocko gets to know her better, she enjoys having fun with him.
Character Catchphrase: "How DAAAAARE you?!"
The Ditz: See "Fat Idiot".
Fat Idiot: Most notably in her last appearance, where she has difficulty grasping the concept of the "ding dong ditch" prank.
Hair-Trigger Temper: It doesn't take much to set her off. You know, kinda like real hippos.
Huggy, Huggy Hippos: As "Dumbbells" shows, she can be friendly and amicable to those who don't set her off.
Only Known by Their Nickname: Her name is Gladys but even by the end of their misadventure Rocko still refers to her as "Hippo Lady."
Shown Their Work: Hippopotamuses are known to be very violent, territorial, ill-tempered animals. This fact is reflected by her beatings on Rocko when he unintentionally ticks her off by accidentally invading her personal space.
Tiny Guy, Huge Girl: Gladys has a well-hidden crush on Rocko, figuratively and dangerously literally. When a judge mistakenly pronounced them husband and wife, instead of reading the jury's verdict, she could only blush at him.
Took a Level in Kindness: Somewhat. She's a lot nicer and grateful to Rocko in her last appearance, and doesn't even pummel him once.
Tsundere: Type A.
Vocal Dissonance: Whenever she shouts "How dare you!", her voice suddenly becomes masculine and drops several octaves whenever angered (which is often).
When She Smiles: Part of what made her look so threatening, apart from her size, were her sunglasses. When she takes them off, Gladys is normally sweet-natured.
Who Dares?: She shouts "HOW DARE YOU?!" whenever some unfortunate person ends up in her cleavage.
Your Size May Vary: She was a LOT taller and fatter in the earlier seasons, to the point that Rocko would look like a dwarf to her. But when she appears in Season 3, she's about Heffer's height now.

Melba Toast

A mysterious girl who lives next door to Rocko. The only thing we really know about her is that Rocko has a crush on her.

All Love Is Unrequited: Doesn't seem to notice that Rocko exists, and is in a relationship with a man named David.
The Faceless: The only part of Melba that we get to see is her legs.
Girl Next Door: Literally.
Leg Focus: Her gorgeous legs are often all we see of her.
Love Interest: Rocko has a huge crush on her.
Loving a Shadow: Rocko doesn't really know her very well, but to him, she's absolutely perfect.
Punny Name: Her name is a play on melba toast.
The Voiceless: She never has any dialogue.

Peaches

Voiced by: Tom Kenny

He may have a silly name, but he's probably the closest thing the show has to a Big Bad. Lives in You-Know-Where.

Affably Evil: He's in charge of sentencing souls to Heck, but can take time to amuse others with some jokes.
Big "NO!": Belts one out as being given "the Ultimate Punishment."
The Cameo: He would regularly appear in the backgroud, whenever the characters appear in a hell-like background... or sing-along with the rest of O-Town about the benefits of spring cleaning.
Deal with the Devil: Nets Heffer into one in "Heff in a Handbasket." Too bad Heffer's Grandma has other ideas.
Deadpan Snarker: Especially around Heffer.
Heffer: Peaches?
Peaches: Okay, Heffer. Oh, that's a good name!
Drowning My Sorrows: Does this after getting yelled at by his boss for failing to bring one soul to Hell for the last 600+ years.
Evil Sounds Deep: He uses this, but in "To Heck and Back", he often uses a "normal-sounding voice" when he "breaks character" whenever Heffer interrupts him.
Fate Worse than Death: Suffers the "Ultimate Punishment" by the end of "Heff in a Handbasket". It's having a cartoon show that the main characters dismiss as boring appropriately named "Peaches' Modern Life".
Fluffy the Terrible: His name is Peaches.
Grim Reaper: He's basically supposed to bring people to their eternal Darnation, but he apparently hasn't done that for more than 600 years, much to the rage of his Master.
Humiliation Conga: Has one in "Heff in a Handbasket" where he tries to get Heffer score one game show question correctly to complete the contractual obligation of Heffer suffering in Hell for the rest of eternity.
Tom the Dark Lord: Peaches isn't really a name that instills fear into people. Heffer even finds the name funny, much to Peaches' ire.

Bloaty the Tick and Squirmy the Ringworm

Voiced by: Tom Kenny and Carlos Alazraqui respectively

Two parasites that live on Spunky.

Artistic License – Biology: Despite the name, ringworm infection is not caused by a parasitic worm, let alone one with a hoop-like anatomical structure. It's actually caused by a fungus. Additionally, Squirmy is claimed to be an intestinal parasite. Real ringworm is actually a skin condition.
Expy: When initially introduced, they were parodies of Kramden and Norton from The Honeymooners.
Fat and Skinny: Bloaty is the fat guy, Squirmy is the skinny guy.
Show Within a Show: Whenever an episode focuses on them, a catchy theme-song pops up (or in the case of "Down the Hatch", a serious set of subtitles appears instead).
Sole Survivor: They're the only remaining parasites that survive the toxic Fathead vitamin. Whether it was the vitamin or themselves that were cursed, they shrug it off and frolic away.
Those Two Guys: They're always together and seem very close.

The Wolfe Family

Voiced by: Charlie Adler (George and Hiram Wolfe)
Doug Lawrence (Peter Wolfe)
Linda Wallem (Virginia and Cindy Wolfe)

Heffer's adopted Dysfunctional family.

Ambiguously Gay: Peter hasn't been outright stated to be gay, but it's very heavily implied. Either that or he is a Wholesome Crossdresser.
Berserk Button: While Heffer only gets mildly annoyed at worst when called a cow instead of a steer, George will usually yell whenever Heffer is called a cow.
Big, Screwed-Up Family: They are...interesting, to say the least—George is kind of a jerk, Virginia is a Stepford Smiler, Cindy is the typical melodramatic teenage daughter, Peter is a high school dropout who may or may not be gay, and Grandpa Wolfe is prejudiced against wallabies and beavers.
Carnivore Confusion: They're wolves in a World of Funny Animals, and in "An Elk for Heffer" it's revealed that it's a Wolfe family tradition to kill and eat an elk when you come of age. When Heffer brings back a live, sapient elk, they didn't care in the slightest that she was sapient.
Deadpan Snarker: Peter is one of the snarkiest characters on the entire show.
Foil: George acts as one to Heffer's biological father. While both characters are jerks, George cares a lot about Heffer, proven when he tries to calm Heffer down after he finds out he's adopted, and searching everywhere for him when he runs away to find his real father. Heffer's biological father, on the other hand, disowned him and his biological brothers and sisters for being ugly.
Grumpy Old Man: Hiram Wolfe is Heffer's grandfather who never seems happy and is always shown complaining or insulting "the beaver" (Rocko).
Hair-Trigger Temper: George is very easily pissed off, especially regarding Heffer and Peter.
Hartman Hips: Virginia's body shape is the same as Heffer's, mostly the bottom half.
Jerk with a Heart of Gold:
- George may be a very angry person, but he does care about his family.
- Hiram, too. In "Cruisin", Rocko falls overboard the boat amidst the chaos. Since Hiram had been de-aged into young adulthood, he immediately tried to save him, nevermind that he usually seems to despise Rocko.
Neet: Peter is a high-school dropout who doesn't seem to have a job.
No Indoor Voice: George gets very loud when he's riled up.
Papa Wolf: George is a literal example. While he tends to be vocally annoyed at how weird and annoying his kids can be, he gets legitimately outraged when Heffer's date Elkie immediately dumps him when she finds out he's a steer.
George: What's the matter, he's not good enough for you?! So what if he's not an elk?! He's not a wolf either but we love him anyway.
Posthumous Character: Somewhere in-between the series proper and the Static Cling special, Hiram died and is seen as a ghost in his appearance.
Racist Grandpa: Hiram. Before Rocko meets the Wolfes, Heffer tells him that Hiram hates wallabies, but he shouldn't worry because he's nearsighted. Heffer then claims Rocko to be a coyote, and Hiram scoffs that he's obviously a beaver and bullies him for that.
Species Surname: A family of wolves called the Wolfes. Heffer the steer being the exception.
Stepford Smiler: Virginia seems cheerful enough, but she frequently twitches when her family acts dysfunctional.
The Stoic: Peter is extremely deadpan.
Talking with Signs: In "An Elk for Heffer", Cindy is stated to have taken a "vow of silence" and communicates this way.

Gordon the Foot

Voiced by: Carlos Alazraqui

An anthropomorphic human foot.

Character Catchphrase: "See ya later, nits!"
No Celebrities Were Harmed: His voice is an imitation of Johnny Carson.
Running Gag: Some of the ends of his sentences are often punctuated by an offscreen voice (imitating Ed McMahon, later revealed to be the Hopping Hessian) shouting, "Yyyyyes!!!"
Those Two Guys: Very often seen alone, but in two episodes, he is this with either the Hopping Hessian or Judge Sockner.

Gilbert, Shellbert, Norbert, and Missy

Voiced by: Doug Lawrence (Gilbert and Shellbert)
Tom Kenny (Norbert)
Linda Wallem (Missy)

Filburt and Dr. Hutchison's four children, introduced at the end of "From Here to Maternity".

A Day in the Limelight: "Future Shlock", the series' Distant Finale, is an episode that focuses primarily on them, as Gilbert and Norbert find a seventeen-year-old banana in Rocko's refrigerator, and when they show it to Filburt, Filburt tells them, Shellbert, and Missy the story of the last time he saw Rocko and Heffer before they were blasted into space.
Family Theme Naming: Gilbert, Shellbert, and Norbert all have names that end in "Bert".
Gender Equals Breed: Gilbert and Shellbert are turtles like their father, while Missy is a cat like her mother. Norbert, on the other hand, is a steer, since Heffer incubated their egg.
Odd Name Out: Missy does not have a name that ends in "Bert" like her brothers.
Out of Focus: Despite being responsible for sending Rocko, Heffer, and Filburt into space, they do not appear until the end of Static Cling due to being separated from them at some point.
Random Species Offspring: Norbert is a steer due to Heffer incubating Filburt's egg.
Whale Egg: Perhaps justified in that their father and maternal grandfather are turtles and their mother and maternal grandmother are cats; Norbert and Missy were hatched from the same egg as their brothers, who are turtles.

Characters / Rocko's Modern Life

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Alternative Title(s): Rockos Modern Life Static Cling

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Characters / Rocko's Modern Life

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Alternative Title(s): Rockos Modern Life Static Cling

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