Bonus Round: Rocko's Modern Life vs. Dexter's Laboratory
I
know what some of you are thinking. 'How is a show about a super-genius
boy with a top-secret lab similar to a show that featured
anthropomorphic animals?' Well, I have three good reasons.
1. While only appearing appearing in a few episodes, the show within the show in Dexter/Rocko is quite funny.
The
'show within the show' in Dexter's Laboratory was simply called TV
Puppet Pals. It featured two puppet characters that looked a lot like
Bert and Ernie from Sesame Street. However, the humor is based off of
Punch & Judy, a British puppet act that dates back to the 17th
Century. The Puppet Pals also appeared on The PowerPuff Girls. Below is a photo of Punch and Judy.
The
'show within the show' in Rocko's Modern Life was called The Fatheads.
It was created by Ralph Bighead, long-lost son of Ed Bighead (the
Squidward of the show). Anyway, the Fatheads was about a married couple
of toads who were constantly fighting. It was meant to be a parody of
the characters Ed and Bev Bighead, but if you ask me, they remind me of
Itchy and Scratchy from The Simpsons.
2. Both have an episode that uses almost no dialogue, and they're executed perfectly.
The
Rocko episode that doesn't use any dialogue is called 'Fatal
Contraption', in which Rocko buys a defective walking blender machine
and then banishes it to the desert. It's safe to call this episode a
predecessor to the SpongeBob episode 'Reef Blower', which had a similar
sense of humor.
The Dexter's Lab episode that didn't use
almost any dialogue was simply called 'DiM'. In this episode, Dexter
notices a shorted-out light bulb on the ceiling of his lab, so he heads
with his mom to the department store to purchase a new bulb. However, by
the end of the episode, Dee-Dee tells him that they'll all eventually burn out, and the episode fades to black.
3. Both have a banned episode that may be questionable to single-digit viewers.
The banned Rocko episode was called 'Leap Frogs', in which Bev wanted to win Rocko's affection after being neglected by Ed. This episode is banned from airing on Nickelodeon for its adult content.
There were actually two banned episodes of Dexter's Laboratory, but one episode I find too dirty to put on this website, which was called 'Rude Removal'. The episode I am thinking of is 'Barbequor', in which Dexter's pet superhero monkey must save the planets of the Solar System from being skewered by Barbequor, a parody of Galactus. This episode was believed to be banned for having a homosexual character named the Silver Spooner, a parody of the Silver Surfer.
In reality, however, the episode was banned because people at Marvel felt like it was a misuse of the character.
Boy. Once again, I chose two tough combatants. I honestly have to choose Rocko because I find the characters Rocko, Heffer, and Filburt to be relatable and funny. However, Dexter's Laboratory is a stroke of genius, and it would be a disgrace not to include something from Genndy Tartakovsky in this countdown.
Tomorrow will finally be the day: The Breakdown Showdown!
In reality, however, the episode was banned because people at Marvel felt like it was a misuse of the character.
Boy. Once again, I chose two tough combatants. I honestly have to choose Rocko because I find the characters Rocko, Heffer, and Filburt to be relatable and funny. However, Dexter's Laboratory is a stroke of genius, and it would be a disgrace not to include something from Genndy Tartakovsky in this countdown.
Tomorrow will finally be the day: The Breakdown Showdown!
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