Hypno-Puppy Love
When it comes to novelties like hypnotism, you can pretty much always expect them to never actually work as those things just weren’t cut out for reality’s capabilities. Those kinds of things were essentially made for cartoons, especially where anything can happen. In a show like this, every exaggerated antic is used to make a point of how challenging something in life really is, but what happens is still really bizarre. For that, it’s open for telling stories about the antics of hypnotism without needing to be relatable to anything. The results are a well-told story with solid humor, but also a few notable instances of heart.
The cartoon begins with Heffer’s childlike whimsy of picking up something fun-sounding in his leisure time. The mere sight of an ad for a hypnotizing kit easily meets his fascination, so he sends in the order for it and is keen to try it when it comes. He plans to use it on Rocko who insists the statement that hypnosis is just a scam, which it would be in real life. However, through Heffer’s messing around, he tries the hypnosis out, and it works on Rocko. There’s no need for an explanation why; the cartoonish tone of the series is all it needs to be acceptable enough. The actual antics from the hypnosis are standard with Heffer and Filburt telling Rocko to act like certain animals, and Rocko looking foolish performing the mannerisms. While Heffer and Filburt greatly enjoy messing with him like always, it’s good to know that they realize when they take things too far.
At one point, Heffer hypnotizes Rocko to make him think he’s a dog, and at that moment, notices a problem that he doesn’t have the skills to get him out of the trance. Just after that, he and Filburt get a sense of urgency when hypnotized Rocko gets out of the house, and is at the mercy of the outside world as long as he thinks like a dog. Among many dog mannerisms, one of them is going out into the street, not attending to passing cars. This in turn makes for an emotional moment where Heffer and Filburt find Rocko’s shirt run over by cars and assume the worst. In his own emotional way, Heffer especially astounds in showing that for all his lacking intelligence and reckless fun, he has genuine care for his friend.
As you can imagine, Rocko has not been run over, but is instead taken in as a pet by Bev Bighead. Considering she has a history of taking in stray dogs and has expressed fondness of Rocko, this cartoon can be seen as a culmination of these traits. In fact, her care for dog-Rocko is very nice to watch despite Rocko being helpless in a freak circumstance all throughout. For a conflict, Bev becomes so attached to her new dog that Heffer and Filburt have to be decisive in getting Rocko back to normal. There’s a heist where they sneak in at night and successfully bring Rocko home, but at the same time, it’s easy to feel for Bev when she believes her dog ran away. For that, there’s good heart when Ed gives her a fish as a replacement for the dog. An interesting kind of heart element is found as the cartoon ends with Rocko getting back to normal, albeit hairless and naked. He receives some teasing, but at least gets to share the humiliation when Heffer looks at everyone with another novelty of x-ray glasses.
This cartoon may not be
relatable, but it certainly takes its absurd concepts, applies them to a medium
that can make it happen, and a well-constructed escapade is the result.
A
Driving Mrs. Wolfe
It’s surprising how many cartoons this season lean more towards the flat-out bizarre as opposed to bizarre yet oddly relatable. That being said, there are still a good number of cartoons that relate to everyday tasks and anything that can ensue from them as a result. This cartoon is one of those instances, specifically the idea of learning to drive or teaching someone to drive.
The main underlying tone of the affair connects to both the eagerness to get on the road, and the stress and pressure from whoever is teaching the novice driver. What kicks things off, however, is the paranoia that comes with getting a brand new car and wanting to keep it safe. Heffer’s dad gets a brand new top of the line car, and it’s an understatement to say that he absolutely treasures it. Whenever anyone else in the Wolfe family wants to drive it, he aggressively refuses, not wanting it to get even the tiniest scratch. He even goes through the trouble of setting up an intense security system to prevent anyone from getting to the key. This and other scenes in the cartoon feature him go way overboard with his feelings for the car, acting like he treasures it over life itself. In a way, this makes the cartoon fascinating for expressing the effects of this behavior.
Mrs. Wolfe has never driven before, and now with a new family car present, she’s somewhat eager to actually learn. She gets her chance when the rest of the family goes out for the day, and Rocko is around to teach her how to drive with his own car. There’s a good clash of driving experience with Rocko being knowledgeable on driving while Mrs. Wolfe, who’s never driven, fumbles through all maneuvers. Just how Mrs. Wolfe fumbles through even the most basic driving skills is the bulk of the comedy here, and it simply makes the cartoon. There’s mild humor in how she messes up simple tasks like driving around lampposts or hitting cars while parallel parking. More creative gags come from signs like a random one of cheese meaning a bunch of cheese is to cross the road, or ‘slow children playing’ depicts kids playing ball in slow motion. Then there are more suspense filled gags when Mrs. Wolfe stops the car on train tracks and Rocko can’t get her to move the car off as he freaks out over a train coming towards them.
The thing that makes the humor work is how Mrs. Wolfe never sees the immediate danger of her driving choices. As a predominantly loving mother figure, she simply sticks to that role no matter what. It makes for an amusing contrast with Rocko understandably scared for his life. This only builds when Mrs. Wolfe’s driving gets Rocko’s car destroyed, so she decides to take him home with the new car.
Her blissful unawareness reaches its climax as not only does she take wrong turns in getting Rocko home, but drives the new car into a monster truck rally. It’s where the humor of her bad driving is fully realized. She goes through it unaware that cars are meant to destroy each other here and is a sitting duck for the others, but she beats them all anyway, a remarkable turn of events. Mr. Wolfe even recognizes this after several freak-outs of his new car about to be destroyed. After all that stress from antics, there’s solid resolution with at least Mrs. Wolfe now being allowed to drive. I personally wouldn’t have ended the cartoon with the new car getting destroyed from the effects of a door closing though. That just justifies the paranoia.
Barring that, exciting staging
and strong gags and characterizations bring fun in this relatable driving
lesson.
A+
The Ranking
1. From Here to Maternity
2. Heff in a Handbasket
3. Driving Mrs. Wolfe
4. Yarn Benders
5. Feisty Geist
6. Mama’s Boy
7. Hypno-Puppy Love
8. Dumbells
9. Wallaby on Wheels
10. Teed Off
11. Wimp on the Barby
12. S.W.A.K.
13. Closet Clown
14. Sailing the 7 Zzzz’s
15. Pranksters
16. The High-Five of Doom
17. Magic Meatball
18. Rug Birds
19. Fly Burgers
20. Ed Good, Rocko Bad
21. Seat to Stardom
22. With Friends Like These
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