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A Sucker for the Suck-O-Matic


"A Sucker for the Suck-O-Matic" is an episode of the first season from Rocko's Modern Life. In series' production order, it is the first segment of the second episode of the first season, as well as the third episode overall. Alongside its sister episode, it served as the original premiere of the series on Nickelodeon.[1]

Summary[]

Rocko buys a Suck-O-Matic vacuum cleaner, but soon it starts to attack. At the end, the heroes are sitting and watching TV while the outside has been taken over by the Suck-O-Matic.

Plot[]

Rocko is frustrated with his old vacuum cleaner, which suddenly dies and spews dust all over the house. Rocko and Heffer see a commercial for the Suck-O-Matic (the commercial literally plays with minds of those who watch it), and orders it, and it appears drastically different from how it appeared on TV. After trying out some functions, it goes out of control, and they try to shut it off, only to find out it has a mind of its own. Due to this, Rocko attempts to return it for a refund, only for the Suck-O-Matic to suck up his receipt. When they attempt to read how to turn off the Suck-O-Matic, it sucks up the instructions.

The Suck-O-Matic gets choked up after sucking some gunk out of Rocko, Heffer, and Spunky's mouths. Heffer then finds a barbecue-flavored potato chip from 1973 stuck in its throat. After dislodging the chip to eat it, the Suck-O-Matic comes back alive and sucks Heffer into it, eventually taking Rocko, Spunky, and the entire house. Rocko and Heffer are then shown watching the Lobot-o-Shop network from inside the bag of the Suck-O-Matic. Meanwhile, outside apparently everyone else in the neighborhood has been hypnotized by the Suck-O-Matic commercial, and bought it too.

Characters[]

  • Rocko Rama (debut)
  • Heffer Wolfe (debut)
  • Spunky (debut)
  • Buddy Gecko (debut)
  • Suck-O-Matic (debut)
  • Santa Claus (cameo, debut)
  • Head Statue of Sigmund Freud (cameo, debut)
  • Airline passenger 1 (cameo, debut)
  • Cowboy passenger (cameo, debut)
  • Airline passenger 2 (cameo, debut)
  • Airline passenger 3 (cameo, debut)
  • Frog passenger (cameo, debut)
  • Butterflies (cameo, debut)
  • Buck-toothed man (cameo, debut)
  • Robotic talking brain (cameo, debut)

Music[]

  • The Suck-O-Matic by Pat Irwin (title card)

Home media[]

DVD[]

  • Rocko's Modern Life: Season 1
  • The Complete Series

iTunes[]

  • Rocko's Modern Life: The Best of Vol. 1

Trivia[]

  • Creator Joe Murray originally wrote this episode as the pilot, but Nickelodeon thought that Heffer would be too weird a character for test audiences, so instead of removing Heffer from the episode, Murray decided to write "Trash-O-Madness" as the pilot episode instead.
  • The Suck-O-Matic having many different features and attachments could be a reference to Kirby Vacuum cleaners, which are known for having multiple attachments and uses aside from cleaning floors and carpets.
  • This episode is simply referred to as "Suck-O-Matic" in the end credits.
  • Rocko's old vacuum cleaner bears the name Suck-O-Lux on the side of its canister. This is a reference to the real life brand "Electrolux", known for making vacuum cleaners and other home appliances
  • As stated by Buddy Gecko in the advertisement, the Suck-O-Matic has multiple features, apart from being a vacuum cleaner, it’s also a Tree pruner, floor polisher, telephone answering machine, oil lantern, pizza oven, a strategic fallout bunker, a bidet, and a liposuction machine.
  • The Suck-O-Matic has multiple capabilities; It will clean colons, counters, corduroy, clarinets, cotton, couches, cassettes, "and things that start with letters besides C". The machine apparently can also improve hairstyles, rheumatism, world politics, batting averages, and rid the world of rodents.
  • Apart from being powerful enough to deep clean carpets and floors, the Suck-O-Matic has many other features as well; a second hose to clean furniture, a setting to clean fireplaces and chimneys, an attachment for cleaning pets, a setting to spay or neuter animals, an attachment for cleaning vehicles, a setting to remove grass/brush, a bug filter, a saw attachment that can cut steel I-beams, the capability to drive at highway speeds, and self-learning Artificial Intelligence
  • The sequence that shows the bugs referring to the vacuum as Suck-O-Zilla is a nod towards Godzilla.
  • The Suck-O-Lux's dying word, "Rosebud", is an obvious reference to Citizen Kane.
  • When the news reporter says that the president has been shot in his car this is a reference to when President John F. Kennedy was murdered in 1963.
  • The Suck-O-Matic is featured as a main part of the VHS "Machine Madness" cover in both of its versions (being Sony Wonder and Paramount, which doesn't change the cover art aside from some shading and logos.)
  • At one point, a pink spaceship resembling the USS Enterprise is being sucked, complete with a voice over reminiscent of Captain Kirk speaking off screen.
  • This episode is similar to the SpongeBob SquarePants episode "The Main Drain".

Errors[]

  • Rocko's old vacuum changes between being called the "Suck-O-Lux" and the "Suck-O-Vac".
  • The announcer for the Suck-O-Matic says the item's price is $99.95, but when the TV screen says "Suck-O-Matic" along with the price, the price is stated to be $99.99, although the latter could be with Tax.

Quotes[]

Rocko: I've had it with you. You're useless and pathetic. Like a useless and pathetic thing.
Rocko: Prepare to feel my wrath!
Heffer: Yeesh. A hundred channels and nothing's on.
Suck-o-Lux: (softly, but hoarsely) Rosebud (burps and drools)
Heffer: What did he say?
Rocko: I think he said house crud. Oy, what the blazes does that mean?
(Vacuum spews grey sludge on Rocko and the floor)
Japanese Bug: Look! It is Suck-o-Zilla! No one is safe! We must flee [flea] the city!
Rocko: Hey, maybe we should try the neutering device later.
Rocko: I must cease this senseless sucking. It's stuck in suck!
Rocko and Heffer: (reading) "How to turn off your Suck-o-Matic..." (suck) "In case Suck-o-Matic sucks instructions, see page 101..." (suck) "PREPARE TO DIE?!?!?!" AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!
Heffer: Barbecue flavor. My god, vintage '73! My favorite year!

References[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 "Rocko's Modern Life". Nickandmore!.
ve Episodes
Season 1 A Sucker for the Suck-O-MaticCannedCarnival KnowledgeSand in Your NavelNo Pain, No GainWho Gives a BuckLeap FrogsBedfellowsJet ScreamDirty DogKeeping Up With the BigheadsSkid MarksPower TripTo Heck and BackThe Good, The Bad, and The WallabyTrash-O-MadnessSpitballsPopcorn PandemoniumCabin FeverRinse & SpitRocko's Happy SackFlu-In-U-EnzaWho's For Dinner?Love SpankedClean Lovin'Unbalanced Load
Season 2 I Have No Son!Pipe DreamsTickled PinkyThe Lounge SingerShe's the ToadDown the HatchRoad RashBoob TubedCommuted SentenceRocko's Modern ChristmasHut Sut RawKiss Me I'm ForeignCruisinBorn to SpawnUniform BehaviorHair LickedGutter BallsJunk JunkiesDay of the FleckoSnowballsFrog's Best FriendShort StoryEyes Capades
Season 3 Bye, Bye BirdieBelch of DestinyThe Emperor's New JoeSchnit-headsSugar Frosted FrightsEd is Dead: A Thriller!Fish-N-ChumpsCamera ShyNothing To Sneeze AtOld Fogey FroggyManic MechanicRocko's Happy VerminI See London, I See FranceThe FatlandsFortune CookieDear JohnSpeaking TermsTooth and NailWacky DellyThe Big QuestionThe Big AnswerAn Elk for HefferScrubbin' Down UnderZanzibar!Fatal Contraption
Season 4 With Friends Like TheseSailing the 7 Zzz'sPrankstersFrom Here to MaternityEd Good, Rocko BadTeed OffWimp on the BarbyYarnbendersMama's BoyFeisty GeistS.W.A.K.Magic MeatballCloset ClownSeat to StardomThe High Five of DoomFly BurgersHeff in a HandbasketWallaby on WheelsDumbellsRug BirdsHypno-Puppy LuvDriving Mrs. WolfePut to PastureFuture SchlockTurkey TimeFloundering Fathers
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