Rocko's Modern Life, "Who Gives a Buck?"
In an attempt to randomly revisit my childhood by watching '90s Nickelodeon cartoons (Angry Beavers, Ahh Real Monsters, CatDog...) on Youtube, I came across my favorite show, Rocko's Modern Life. To be honest, Nickelodeon has really gone downhill since the 90's. The content was more adult and inappropriate at times (an episode called "Who Gives a Buck" wouldn't fly nowadays, with Dora the Explorer playing with Mr. Map and Backpack or whatever), but I learned some good morals. Looking back, Rocko is pretty freaking trippy.
In this episode, Rocko and Heffer (hah--he's a STEER) are sitting on Rocko's decrepit couch watching the Bagpiping channel. Realizing Rocko's place is pretty rundown (his couch has sentimental value with its springs and stains), the two decide to go to the mall to buy some new stuff for the house.
The episode makes fun of everyone's mall/Walmart experience: finding parking spaces (they find out they're following a crazy person to a non-existent space), going up all the levels of a parking garage, getting lost in an eerily modern mall (more relevant today, what with TV screens in malls and such and such), and losing control by using a credit card.
With the recession, obviously everyone's thinking about how not to splurge, but this episode reminds us of the boom in the 90's. You can't resist loving the old-school credit card contraptions they use at the register. Those'll never get old.
We see the two characters justifying their purchases by rarity, necessity, longing, and ease. Heffer (with those uneven eyes...am I the only one who notices that dimple in his eye?!?!)stupidly convinces Rocko to buy stuff with his credit card. Once he sees a painting of a clown crying in an iron lung (WTF??!) Rocko says in his meek, Australian voice (he's a wallaby, remember) "I've always wanted one." If he buys such a ridiculous picture, you can see he's ona downward spending spiral. It only gets worse.
Watch the episode if you want some laughs. Here's the moral of the story: beware of credit cards! It's fake money! Get cash from...organ donations???
Best advice ever. Thanks, Nickelodeon!
No comments:
Post a Comment