Original air date: 12/12/1993 (The pilot was originally produced in 1992)
The tenth episode of the first season of Rocko's Modern Life.
The Good, The Bad, and the Wallaby
Rocko and Heffer visit Uncle Gib's cattle ranch, where Heffer meets some steer who think he's a sell-out to his species.
Trash-O-Madness
In the series' pilot episode, Rocko frantically cleans his house in time for trash day.
"The Good, The Bad, and The Wallaby" provides examples of:
- Accidental Misnaming: Uncle Gib keeps misnaming Rocko. He calls him "Ratso" and "Rippo".
- Bowdlerize: In the original airing of this episode, there was a scene in which Heffer receives pleasure from a milking machine, though only his reactions are shown onscreen, and another scene where Heffer says goodbye to the Milk-O-Matic, both of which were cut from modern reruns and home video releases. However, the uncut version can still be seen on the "With Friends Like These..." VHS tape as well as international airings of this episode.
- Cactus Cushion: Played with; after being thrown off a truck, Rocko flies over and past a cactus field, a large group of snakes, a barbed wire surrounded toxic waste dump, a utensil graveyard (with a sign that reads "Please bury your utensil pointy end up") and finally lands on an arm chair in a comfy chair dump, only for a spring to pop and toss him seat first on a nearby cactus.
- Comically Missing the Point: When Heffer hears that Uncle Gib's herd of cattle are going to market, he thinks they're going there to buy snacks. One of the steers tells him that they're going to be sold as ground meat.
- Cowboy Episode: Rocko visits his Uncle Gib's cattle ranch in this episode, and when Heffer tags along, he gets sold to market with the rest of the herd. It's up to Rocko and his childhood horse, Jezebel (who's been dead for six years) to rescue him.
- Curse Cut Short: On their way to the Lazy "I" Ranch, Rocko and Heffer sing "Mary Had a Steamboat". They arrive just before they can finish the song.Rocko and Heffer: (singing) Mary had a steamboat, the steamboat had a bell, Mary went to Heaven, the Steamboat went to...
Heffer: Hey, Rocko! Cattle! Look at all the cattle! - The Door Slams You: Happens to Rocko when Uncle Gib opens the door.
- Epic Fail: When Rocko tries to lasso Heffer, he ends up lassoing a cactus, a trash can, and a cruise liner.
- Joke of the Butt: Heffer wants to be branded on his butt to fit in with the cattle, so he begs Rocko throughout the day to brand him, even waking him up in the middle of the night and pressing his ass against the window.Heffer: If you were a true friend, you'd brand my butt.
- Pop-Culture Pun Episode Title: This episode's title is a reference to the 1966 film, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly.
- Toilet Humor: One of the lyrics describing Rocko in the "The Wallaby of the West" song is "And he wouldn't know a cow pie if it slapped him on the rear", which Gib sings as he tosses a cow pie at Rocko's butt.
- Wingding Pupils: Heffer gets stars in his eyes after being "pleasured" by the milking machine.
"Trash-O-Madness" provides examples of:
- Animation Bump: The footage from the original pilot is more fluidly animated than the rest of the show.
- Anything but That!: This line at the end of the episode:Rocko: What's that in your mouth? It's not that slime from the refrigerator, is it? YOU BROUGHT THAT SMOOT IN THE BATHTUB, SPUNK?! GET RID OF IT! No...wait...Spunky...I didn't mean to...not in the water...NOT IN THE- SPUNKY! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!
- Art Shift: An unintentional example; this episode repetitively shifts between the original, domestically-animated footage and the footage animated overseas that was implemented to extend the pilot to fill the eleven-minute runtime.
- Attack the Tail: After taking a brutal beatdown from Earl, Rocko emerges back inside his house with a chunk of his tail bitten off.
- Beware the Nice Ones: When Earl eats Spunky and refuses to spit him out, Rocko punches him in the nose. Unfortunately, this angers Earl and causes him to beat Rocko up.
- Bully Bulldog: Earl is a mean bulldog who escaped from a science lab. He's trying to eat Rocko and Spunky.
- Bullying a Dragon: Rocko falls onto both sides of this trope after Earl eats Spunky and refuses to spit him out. Rocko is so angry at Earl, he punches him, and in turn, this causes Earl to beat him up.
- Catchphrase: Rocko says, "Garbage Day is a very dangerous day." Variants of this catchphrase would be used in later episodes, with whatever the episode's subject is in place of Garbage.
- Failed a Spot Check: Due to not looking properly at the cube of compacted garbage, Rocko fails to realize that Spunky had been compacted with it until he nearly feeds the cube to the garbage truck.
- It Came from the Fridge: When he cleans out his refrigerator, Rocko finds a green, slimy blob in it, which Spunky tries unsuccessfully to eat.
- Inflating Body Gag: After Rocko finds out that Spunky has been compacted along with the garbage, he uses a bicycle pump to inflate Spunky.
- Instant Mass: Just Add Water!: The green blob from the refrigerator becomes bigger when it gets wet. It shrinks back to its normal size when it squirts ink.
- Rod And Reel Repurposed: When Rocko finds Earl in his front yard, he stands on the roof of his house and uses a fishing pole to drop the compacted trash into the garbage truck. His plan is compromised when he finds out that Spunky got compacted along with the trash.
- Sausage String Silliness: One of the foods Rocko tosses out in his fridge is a long trail of spoiled linked sausages.
- Trash of the Titans: Due to the garbagemen being out of business for six months, Rocko's house is filled with piles of trash. When Rocko finds out the garbagemen got their license renewed, he rushes to get as much of his trash disposed of.
- Way Past the Expiration Date: The tupperware Rocko finds in his refrigerator when he cleans it out is so old, it's covered in dust and reads "Buy War Bonds". All it contains is a green moldy blob that Spunky finds a good chew toy.
- Weapons That Suck: Rocko accidentally sucks Spunky up in his vacuum cleaner when he turns it on to vacuum.
- Wild Take: Rocko does one where his brain pops out of his head when he sees Earl at his front door. He also does one where his eyes pop out of his head when he finds out that Spunky has been compacted along with the trash.
