I love Rocco when I was a kid it is good that they put gay characters on cartoons. Kids know more about that stuff today then in the 90s I did. I love King of the Hill when Dale's dad is gay I just love King of the Hill.
The satire in the show, that to be an animator (or an actor, as some other shows have done) is rejected or even disowned by family as beyond scandalous, depraved, etc. -- is sometimes not too far removed from real life responses, unfortunately. -- The bit about criticizing fans who do't want change, or who complain there's been too much of one thing or another, is both valid and not valid. At least some fans may really not like a certain set of things a show does, while another fan section thinks it's great. The creators can do what they want, but they may risk alienating some sections of their audience (and fan base) by changing things up in a given direction, character changes, and so on. But there is also a valid point that change is needed to keep the stories and characters from getting stale and retread copies.
The red noes on the butt looks like the old rubber surgical enema's from the 50s and 60s before the more purpose build silicon ones of today. Also what Patch Addams puts on his nose in the movie.
It's also a good term for those that wanna be all serious but act the fool so naturally. "You act the fool so well...you sure you are not a closet clown?"
@@tacocat1921 I'm still a closet clown unfortunately, but don't worry. We all leave the closet eventually, sometimes we just stumble on all the junk before reaching the door.
Baume: This TV show has gay subtext The writers: Yes, definitely gay subtext The producers: Oh, so very much gay subtext The actors: And don't forget the trans subtext! That's there, too Random people of youtube: You're stretching! No gay here! None at all!
I honestly don't even know how you miss the subtext in Clown in the Closet. From the title card to the rainbow ending, it is *so clearly* a gay metaphor.
I never liked this episode because of the ending where everyone forms an angry mob about Rocko & starts chasing him. In fact, I hated it so much as a kid, that I actually drew a picture of Rocko receiving a gold coin from a leprechaun for liking rainbows, while everyone else got nothing & cried about it (I was in 2nd grade, can you blame me?).
I never understood why they did that scene too, until years later I've learned about the Pride, the LGBTQ+, and their symbol being a rainbow. I guess this was back when people despised gay people and I don't blame them for feeling that way. I feel like now that whenever I draw a rainbow in a picture, painting, or even take a photo of one, people would think that I'm gay. (WHICH I ABSOLUTELY AM NOT!) I'm a normal boy who likes normal girls, and proud of it. I use to watch a good kid show back in childhood days called Rainbow Brite and it was about a magical girl who brought color to the world. Now I fear that if they ever make a reboot, they add some LGBTQ+ stuff in it. Plus, I've that Elvira, a famous and sexy ghost storyteller was in a relationship with her own female trainer and assistant, breaking all of her boy fans hearts and destroying their dreams of making out with her. Sometimes I feel and fear that all this Pride and LGBTQ+ is starting to take over the world. P.S. Great job of drawing the picture of Rocko and him getting a gold coin.
@@dreamguardian8320What are you doing on that chanel, if you are homophobic? You think your sympathy towards bigotry and your "fears" of gays taking over the world are useful or helpful? You are not "normal", you are delusional and paranoid if you seriously think that someone else's rights are a threat to you.
@@dreamguardian8320 I think maybe the important questions to ask yourself are... Why do you feel so threatened by other people doing what they gotta do to be themselves? What about them carving out a corner in this world for themselves makes you feel like it's done at the expense of _your_ safe space? Homophobia translates to "fear of homosexuals", and there's nothing wrong with confronting your fears. That's how you realize there was nothing to fear in the first place. They're people just like you 🌈Aloha🤙🏽
I loved Rocko. There was one episode where he went to, I think it was a movie theater, and the ushers there wore uniforms identical to his shirt and everyone kept mistaking him for someone who works there. Lol. That happened to a friend of mine irl. Customers kept mistaking him for a waiter. Lol.
The one thing I hated about Closet Clown those years ago of Rocko's Modern Life was the fact that his own friends and neighbors attacked him for "liking rainbows." I never understood what was wrong with that when I was a kid in the 90s. Now it makes sense these days, so they're gay bashing him for admitting that.
I work with kids entertainment (live entertainment and books) and I'm constantly being asked whether kids will "get it". Kids spend most of their time not getting stuff!
The commenters who are angry at the idea that creators have intentions when they create things are just perfect. Imagine being so mad that someone is more perceptive than you.
Lmao right? It’s a reason why I managed to snap out of my “anti SJW” phase. I happen to greatly enjoy media criticism, so idiots wanting to dilute various art forms made me re-examine the circles I ran in back in the day. Can’t believe I fell for their propaganda as a teen smh
Actually it's not mad. I am not mad at writers that force an agenda and don't create fully breathing characters that make their own choice. I mean it's okay.. it's why we have games like tomb raider where she claims she is not like her father and claims she isn't strong enough before 5 seconds later taking on a team of mercs with lots of guns. LOL. I mean not like trans has always been there *quotes Garth's line from Wayne's World about Bugs Bunny* I am bisexual and I just find all of this weird... I mean cool... I get it that a lot of people lack any identity and so are puddle thin and nothing more than a walking trope. I get it. I get that some people are so vapid that they need their sexuality to be the centre of their existence. I am not angry... I just pity them... To be that sad and pathetic that you make yourself one dimensional... I feel for people coming out now. In a 100 years this will be seen as a bad time and a time not of enlightenment but severe ignorance. If you walk around shouting "I am okay" are you really okay? If you go round telling everyone you are before they even know your hopes and dreams are you anything more than a walking sexuality? And all at what price? So many people telling themselves this makes them happy.. Until they are alone in their room, looking at the mirror and they realise they are empty and truly lonely. It's why I don't consider myself LGBTQ+ ... I refuse to be allied with people just because we share the same sexual proclivities. That in itself is homophobic. We aren't all the same. We think different and can even think for ourselves! Shocking, I know. And to be honest the whole pride thing is getting a bit beyond a joke now... It's not even about inclusivity! You ask anyone gay, trans or bi whom isn't a poster model for pride about the thing and they will say it makes us feel like we don't belong. How ironic is that? Something set up to make gay and bi people feel included actually makes a section feel unwanted! That is because Pride is a popularity thing. Its for the cool kids, the normies, the populars, the bullies and the it people. And that is my point. LGBTQ+ are no different to anyone else. That means they are capable of the same. But that is another point all together though linked because... All this wokeness and yet certain issues aren't addressed. However if the creators and writers wanted to do some good why not shine a light on Russia? Or the 17 African nations that have elected to use the death penalty on gay men? Hmm? Or at the very least somebody cancel Snoop Dogg... How many twitter rants does the guy have to go on? How many F bombs does he need to drop? The guy literally was the person that made it vernacular for a whole culture to use a slur when referring to a woman. That shit angers me. Not a Nick cartoon that was always madball and leftfield when on air originally. And certainly not considering I grew up with Bugs Bunny and his androgynously curious ways. I would like to know how someone having intentions is being more perceptive? I am reallllly struggling here. I mean really struggling. Imagine using formulaic prose as a rebuttal to try and control other peoples opinions to make sure yours is the one that prevails. I mean I admire you for using something that Goebbels and Adolf loved to do! And funny that it's the fundamental core principle of negging! Imagine that... you share the same reasoning and approach as vile chat up artists! And yes, I wrote an essay. It weeds out a lot of the chaff. But go on, I am sure you will whitegirlsplain it all to me.
"The Buffalo Gals" episode of "Cow & Chicken" never officially made it to air. It exists mainly through bootlegs caught during the satellite transmission for broadcast.
You started talking about the clown nose bit and my brain automatically went "oh, like me trying on heels before I even knew I was trans". Like, its such a cool depiction of being closeted and being afraid of people finding out.
It was fucked up, I didn’t understand anything about transphobia, or noticed it. Hell I used to watch Jerry Springer and see it’s transphobic until I got older, and even then I didn’t see what wrong was it for someone to change their gender to another to be happier.
It's a weird episode. On the one hand, as a trans man, I *hate* the ending. On the other, I kind of appreciate the way Marge is depicted. She reminds me of my parents: ostensibly liberal and all for "those people's" rights, but deeply uncomfortable with the idea of being related to someone LGBTQIA+. Bizarrely, that kind of nuance doesn't make it into these stories often.
the simpsons has handled lgbt issues very differently throughout the years... i know the writers change every so often, but it’s still pretty strange. homer’s phobia was overall good despite being built more around homer than john, but then you have later episodes where it’s like they *know* they can be more accepting than they were in the 90s, but at the same time still dance around the fact that characters like smithers are gay even though they keep making episodes trying to address it. and they’ve even made trans ‘jokes’ about him too :/
@@KitKatLMFAO that often was watched by the parents with their kids. My dad told me once he was glad it was my favourite cartoon growing up because it had so many hidden jokes for the adults watching.
I remember having an epiphany about this episode on a color theory class, the teacher made a comment like "this is the chromatic circle (proceeded to explain)..." then had a joke like "it is very similar to that flag San Francisco folks lean on" or something like that and then it hits me, this episode "I like rainbows"
My dad was born and raised in Copenhagen, Denmark so I DEFINITELY caught the "Scandinavia" remark. My head immediately popped up when I heard it. I had a secret girlfriend at the time and it was...incredible to see. It was a rough, rough time to be LGBT+ in the '90's. The world did not hesitate to let us all know how much they wanted us dead and made the point. We lost so many people to murder and vicious hate crimes back then. Matthew Shepard was our peer, only 6 months older than I was when he was murdered in '98. I thank humanity and empathy for change and I'm grateful there has been change. I don't EVER want to go back to the '90's.
@cyotee doge I don't know what to tell you. It's in the history books and the 2000-2010 was even worse as the world rebelled harshly to the efforts of the '90's to make people realize homophobia is stupid. I still have old injuries from back then from simply being PERCIEVED as gay. How old were you in the '90's?
@cyotee doge In the 19990s my school had a kid LITERALLY say he would rather be caught DEAD, than be seen at the Gay Straight Alliance. Back then Gay Marriage was seen as EXTRA bad. Gays didn't truly start to become humanized until shows like Will & Grace and Queer Eye started showing Mainstream America "Hey! These people are really just like you and me! They're not these total monsters. They're no better or worse than heterosexuals!" an such. To say NOTHING of how in the 1980s and even 1990s you could get beaten up for being a "Sissy"
@cyotee doge OK, so you don't read and you have never met me, but that isn't going to stop you from sharing your opinion. You're simple. Cool story bro, have a nice day.
Rocko was a gay show? I never knew. But no wonder I grew up to think "Why are so many people crappy to gay people, don't be crappy to people. " I can't say Rocko is why, but if so, thank you Rocko
OH MY ZOD. FINALLY. Like finally, someone talks about Rocko's queerness. Like as a kid, i may not have understood some of the 'adult' jokes, but i could clearly understand queer vibes, especially from Rocko. i'm queer and it was good to see that, but at the same time, i knew none of my friends could relate cuz they never watched these shows.
It always gave me nerdy vibes. I never thought Rocko and his friends were gay. I just thought they were very nerdy and not uber masculine and they might have been unlucky considering dating/girls. Same with Chandler from Friends. I just thought he was nerdy.
That is the first thing I thought seeing that now. Honestly, it wouldn't surprise me if it was an intentional goatse reference. The show had metric tons of sexual innuendo, more than a bit of which would be difficult to get away with even today. I'm fairly secure in feeling that it only got away with what it did due to the massively high absurdity of the show. It was so absurdist that most of the sex jokes could be read as just part of the insanity.
i love that the movie uses her transition as a reason to convince rocco to accept the change of his fave tv show instead of using the tv show to convince Rachel's dad to accept her transition. In turn, it's not really about her. it's about accepting that art changes with the times.
Just wanted to comment why the heck anyone with no intention of critically analyzing shows and film like this channel does...even watches this channel? That is literally the intent and your videos often provide the research or references to prove what you are showcasing on these videos. That segment at 6:13 just made me irrationally annoyed at people who complain when they can choose to remain ignorant and void of critical thought.
Imaginr watching videos on a channel centered about analyzing LGBT elements in media and then getting upset when you find an analysis about LGBT elements in media.
6:29 ah, yes... when you first met a more experienced ,out of the closed ,"clown" and get creme pied in his office later that day...we have all been there
Yes. I just posted about that myself. The story is about a young being starting their adult life. And I think it captured it better than a lot of others.
This show was always so weird to me as a kid. I was like 9 when it came out. I had forgotten about that Static Cling reunion even though I watched it haha. I'm trans and it was so sweet how accepting they all were towards her. I'm still not totally "out" and it's complicated so to see positive trans things on shows I enjoyed once is so nice.
Really? I didn't realise us LGBTQ+ were like Ripley's believe it or not. Don't forget to leave a penny, miss, whilst you gawk at us through the bars... I liked the show because of the animation being like Ren and Stimpy, the voice acting of Tom Kenny, the stories that were leftfield and odd. I mean ... That's weird. That means you probably wouldn't like Ren and Stimpy, Invader Zim or any oddball comedy that isn't exclusively about LGBTQ+ because that is the part you think made you fascinated. A lot of people on here are shockingly homophobic without even realising it. So far Ive seen people compare us to kids that need protecting, disabled people that need help with life, compared to a lifestyle choice and now compared to a circus act to be fascinated by.... Like we are some Cirque Du Sole act. HA! Man I am screening all this for Discord. This is all gold. As a proud member of the community you find fascinating I salute you for showing exactly what I said to someone earlier about the left being just as phobic but from a different angle. Right want us gone and left think we are special and fragile and need big strong straight people to protect us. LOLOLOLOL. Both the same. Will we ever be treated normal?
I've tried to reply multiple times but they disappear. My comment was literally about me being an LGBTQ+ youth living in the middle of nowhere midwest starving for LGBTQ+ representation.
I was braced for a much more risqué story about the clown nose on the butt, now I feel naughty for where my mind went. The meme video usage on this video was top tier, I lol'd multiple times
@@tuschman168 Everyone I know who's seen Duckman is a fan. Maybe Matt just dislikes it because Duckman occasionally makes vaguely homophobic comments like "Where's Barney the Dinosaur? Check the local bathhouse" but that's just Duckman being an asshole which is the main part of his character
@@dorothyallspice1862 late reply oops, but i just rewatched the episode and goodness i can definitely see why you'd love it its actually cute how filbert gets super into the role. if only rocko hadnt treated him like that. i was actually pleasantly surprised on a rewatch rocko wasnt weirded out by the whole concept of being married to a man or anything (then again rocko has always been the type to go with the flow which is why hes my favorite of the show) just filbert's behavior. maybe me headcanoning both of them as bi wasnt too of the mark! sorry for the silly ramble haha
A super fun episode about one of my favorite shows as a kid too! Also a surprising amount of furry stuff going on here, but then again the venn diagram of kids from the 90's who had media speak to them as gay or realize they were furries has a fair amount of crossover in the middle.
You are so right. I was a 90s kid and I'm not even a furry, but before I even knew what gay was, I had crushes on quite a few male anthropomorphic characters. Hell, I had a crush on Lumiere from Beauty and the Beast at one point.
One of my favorite shows ever. I just assumed it was a general metaphor for hobbies or maybe racism (I _did_ think it was a metaphor though). Upon reflection there were certain gags that were more suggestive than others. "I'm a wiiiild piiiiiiig.🐖" But perhaps I'm just reaching.
The writers on Rocko knew exactly what they were doing and how to dance around the 90's censors at Viacom. That's why we loved Rocko's Modern Life. It worked well on multiple levels for different audiences. Even as a teenager in the 90's, I understood exactly what they were digging at.
Wait ... People say you're seeing things that aren't there? Please. You always show your work. I watch a lot of fandom content and I've seen plenty of LGBTQ-content-starved fans seeing LGBTQ themes where there's not even queerbaiting. This is not one of those channels.
I feel like the Venn Diagram of conservative Star Trek fans and those that go "tHeRe'S nO sUbtExT!11!" for shows with obviously queer subtext is a perfect circle
@@tompadfoot3065 that might be true 😂 though, having heard a few interviews with Gene Roddenberry, while there's some "this is very suggestive today but probably not at the time" I'm sure there's also some entirely intentional subtext. ^^
@@jg9444 so was your "great grandfather" Larry DiTillio or Michael J. Straczynski? Keep in mind, of course, that both writers publicly defended the new show against the He-Manbabies that railed against the new character designs and queer content, and their statements are easily found with a quick google search.
@@jg9444 i dont think the original she ra was gay.. i havent heard anyone mention or think that way either ..but the new she ra remake has a lot of gay representation aswell as a lot of in general diversity which honestly means a lot cause before that we rarely saw it in children s tv shows at least being obvious about it. It s telling kids hey its okay to love who u love and especially since the main character is gay and it also has a non -binary character . i also think it has brought a lot of people in the fandom to rewatch the old she ra
it has a lot of body positivity and has wayy more black characters and asian characters too . and i think people are happy to see that representation .. Also no one is saying the original source material is bad at all i think a lot of people still like it despite how long ago it was made. I think the old she ra and new she ra are honestly way different in character design and in writing the only same thing in my opinion is the character s names and the story line
Rocko was so great. I was in my late teens and early twenties during its original run. And more so than some live action shows; it captured that aspect of life; and really spoke to me. I had just moved to a new town; I was trying to get my first "adult" job; and ended taking a minimum wage job. I also had friends very much like Phil and Heifer.
@@mrnobody2018 never said that. But, Rocko is fresh outa school; he's trying to start his life; his best friend still mooches off his parents; his other friend has a friends a "real" job he hates; and they grow together. Phil gets married and has kids. Story wise there's a lot here for a young adult.
Mate, I love it so much that I finally get to understand all of these cartoons as an adult. As a kid, I was constantly itching by this nagging feeling that there was just so much that was RIGHT THERE that I didnt understand. I couldn’t ask my parents as they didnt understand all of it either (none of us are native Eng speakers, so I’ve always watches cartoons in my native tongue). It was always this “translation” and “getting over people’s heads” kinda-deal. Bloody mental. Anyhow. Love the content as always. Keep it up! Cheers.
I remember Rocko's Modern Life was one of my favorite shows when I was a kid in 1996, and I saw the clown episode I knew for sure it was a gay innuendo. It was so evident
I found my son a Rocco shirt and I was so heart broken when he refused to wear it and it got to small for him. He likes the show but doesn’t like shirts with collars unless dadums wears a collar shirt too. Nope just got them too in weird tshirt(ie Godzilla playing the guitar) and cargo shirts. I am lucky that my best friend from high schools little girl, who is also my son’s bestie, loves the shirt.
Nickelodeon didn't care in the 90s. Just all the crap Ren and Stimpy and Rocko got away with would not happen today. Also Cartoon Network didn't care either.
oh man, it isnt that noone cared but that a few people had a lot of fun fighting the censory board. there was a habit with a lot of shows(notably cartoons) of throwing in lots of super terrible decoy stuff so that the censors could cut it and be less critical of other things that were just on the edge. it was brilliant
14:35 Oh, there's a theory that Power Puff Girls' villain is actually the girls' gay uncle that Professor Utonium is a complete homophobe and disassociates from.
I still say they had Heffer and Filburt act too supportive when Rachel revealed her gender, not that they should've been bigoted, only that these characters are known to be so self centered that they'd just brush it off, or freaked out because of some body snatcher/doppelganger comic book they read, Rocko is the only one who would actually show an interest.
I always loved Rocco's modern life as a kid in the 90's! What a wonderful happy and positive message! That we're all human beings ,and it's ok to be different ,no matter gay,straight, bi,lesbian or transgender, whatever!
I love that you brought up Greg Weisman and Gargoyles not to mention the comic! What dork cred! Hey he also helped create Young Justice’s version of Aqualad I love Kaldur and he’s in a relationship with a man. Also that shirt how perfect for Rocko!
@John Elway gen z started in 1997, some people from the generation are like 24 now? I'm 16 though. Edit: Wait I just looked at your other comments, you just seem like a negative Nancy anyway.
@John Elway :) Hey, I'm confident in the fact I'm gay, and it's fine if you dont agree with me on certain things, or see the world like I do. I genuinely hope you have a good day, as I know everybody could use one.
No matter how much we try to grow and change as a society, theres always gonna be a group of blockheads stuck in the past who will step on others to feel better about themselves. Its a sad reality but its reality. I will forever love Rocko's Modern Life, and Static Cling was an amazing film 💙💙💙
Omg, the timing of this video is impeccable! I bought the complete set of Rocko's Modern Life awhile ago and have finally started watching it. I'm about halfway through season three. I had seen bits and pieces of the show as a child, but I was more into Hey Arnold and Rugrats because I was a little older by then. I'm really enjoying it as an adult. So many innuendos! I'm looking forward to the Closet Clown episode now and Static Cling!
So my girlfriend suggested this video to me and I love it. However, the only complaint I have is that Princess Bubble Gum and Marceline from Adventure Time hasn't been mentioned...unless I just completely missed it. Other than that, I loved this video
