Ed Bighead
Encyclopedia
Edward "Ed" Bighead is a fictional character in the cartoon series Rocko's Modern Life
and the comic book series of the same name. Mr. Bighead, an anthropomorphic
cane toad
, lives next door to the main character of the show, Rocko, whom he vehemently dislikes. In the television show, he is voiced by Charles Adler
.
and his boss, Mr. Dupette. He particularly dislikes Rocko and his friends, Heffer Wolfe
and Filburt
. He usually yells at anyone he sees, and grumbles bitterly under his breath at any situation he finds even slightly troubling.
In the original television show, Ed works at the Conglom-O Corporation, the largest company in town. He has worked at Conglom-O since at least 1961, yet despite his long tenure, his "slimy boss" Mr. Dupette, has never promoted him into a permanent position in the top echelons of the company. While his actual job at Conglom-O varies throughout the course of the show, he seems to be stuck in mostly middle management roles that occasionally cause him a great deal of stress (She's the Toad, Zanzibar). He has also been shown as a lowly worker (Teed Off, Magic Meatball) to being an executive of sorts (Closet Clown, Canned).
In the later seasons of the show, his character is fleshed out more. He is shown to display, at times, genuine affection for Rocko and his friends (Old Fogey Froggy, Put to Pasture), but is mostly unpleasant toward them.
In the comic book, Ed Bighead works for a similar company headed by a white elephant named Donald Frump (a parody of Donald Trump
).
Ed is the husband of Bev Bighead, and Bev is the only character in the series that can turn Ed from mean to downright terrified. Bev has the strength to stand up to Ed, and this makes her quite a powerful figure. Indeed, she is probably the most powerful figure for Ed, because anyone else who Ed torments never does anything to stop it. Therefore, the other characters, particularly Rocko, are always under his control. He does not have many friends and is disliked by many, but appears to not be bothered by this.
He is also mean to his own son, Ralph, who creates a show called "The Fatheads," which his parents feel make a mockery of them. Ralph also becomes a cartoonist instead of following Ed's footsteps at Conglom-O; furious, Ed says, "I have no son." This was the subject of one episode. The two of them later reconciled after Ed found out how much money Ralph makes.
In episodes that he starred in, he:
Despite his almost constant bad luck, there have been episodes where he's come out on top or at least shown having moderately good luck:
In the comic book chapters, Ed:
Rocko's Modern Life
Rocko's Modern Life is an animated series created by Joe Murray. The show aired for four seasons between 1993 and 1996 on Nickelodeon. Rocko's Modern Life is based around the surreal, parodic adventures of an anthropomorphic wallaby named Rocko, and his life in the city of O-Town...
and the comic book series of the same name. Mr. Bighead, an anthropomorphic
Anthropomorphism
Anthropomorphism is any attribution of human characteristics to animals, non-living things, phenomena, material states, objects or abstract concepts, such as organizations, governments, spirits or deities. The term was coined in the mid 1700s...
cane toad
Cane Toad
The Cane Toad , also known as the Giant Neotropical Toad or Marine Toad, is a large, terrestrial true toad which is native to Central and South America, but has been introduced to various islands throughout Oceania and the Caribbean...
, lives next door to the main character of the show, Rocko, whom he vehemently dislikes. In the television show, he is voiced by Charles Adler
Charles Adler (voice actor)
Charles Michael "Charlie" Adler is an American voice actor and voice director. His most famous voice credits include The Smurfs, Brandy and Mr. Whiskers, Tiny Toon Adventures, SWAT Kats: The Radical Squadron, Cow and Chicken, Aaahh!!! Real Monsters, I Am Weasel and Rocko's Modern Life...
.
Development
Joe Murray, the creator of Rocko's Modern Life, said that he based the Bigheads on a group of neighbors who lived next door to Murray during his childhood. Murray described the neighbors as "grumpy and pissed about everything." The general concept involving characters with large heads originated from a comic, written by Murray, named "Rizzo the Art Director."Description
Ed Bighead is an employee at a large corporation. He is cruel, petty, bossy, and has a terrible temper; in fact, the only people that he fears are his wife, BevBev Bighead
Beverly "Bev" Bighead is a fictional character on the television show Rocko's Modern Life and the comic of the same name.-Development:Joe Murray, the creator of Rocko's Modern Life, said that he based the Bigheads on a group of neighbors who lived next door to Murray during his childhood...
and his boss, Mr. Dupette. He particularly dislikes Rocko and his friends, Heffer Wolfe
Heffer Wolfe
Heffer Wolfe is a fictional character on the cartoon Rocko's Modern Life and the comic book series of the same name. Tom Kenny provided the voice of the anthropomorphic steer...
and Filburt
Filburt
Filburt is a main and supporting character of the cartoon Rocko's Modern Life and the comic book series of the same name. In the Australian website of the television show, his name is sometimes spelled as Filbert and sometimes as Filburt. In the comic book, his name is spelled Filbert...
. He usually yells at anyone he sees, and grumbles bitterly under his breath at any situation he finds even slightly troubling.
In the original television show, Ed works at the Conglom-O Corporation, the largest company in town. He has worked at Conglom-O since at least 1961, yet despite his long tenure, his "slimy boss" Mr. Dupette, has never promoted him into a permanent position in the top echelons of the company. While his actual job at Conglom-O varies throughout the course of the show, he seems to be stuck in mostly middle management roles that occasionally cause him a great deal of stress (She's the Toad, Zanzibar). He has also been shown as a lowly worker (Teed Off, Magic Meatball) to being an executive of sorts (Closet Clown, Canned).
In the later seasons of the show, his character is fleshed out more. He is shown to display, at times, genuine affection for Rocko and his friends (Old Fogey Froggy, Put to Pasture), but is mostly unpleasant toward them.
In the comic book, Ed Bighead works for a similar company headed by a white elephant named Donald Frump (a parody of Donald Trump
Donald Trump
Donald John Trump, Sr. is an American business magnate, television personality and author. He is the chairman and president of The Trump Organization and the founder of Trump Entertainment Resorts. Trump's extravagant lifestyle, outspoken manner and role on the NBC reality show The Apprentice have...
).
Relationships
He is also mean to his own son, Ralph, who creates a show called "The Fatheads," which his parents feel make a mockery of them. Ralph also becomes a cartoonist instead of following Ed's footsteps at Conglom-O; furious, Ed says, "I have no son." This was the subject of one episode. The two of them later reconciled after Ed found out how much money Ralph makes.
Episodes
Ed usually played the role of an antagonist, or the bully.In episodes that he starred in, he:
- Destroys Rocko's valuable baseball
- Tries to have Rocko's home condemned
- Spreads rumors around town to stop anyone from going to Rocko's Christmas Party
- Deprives Bev of the attention she deserves
- Serves as the antagonist in Rocko's pursuit of recyclingRecyclingRecycling is processing used materials into new products to prevent waste of potentially useful materials, reduce the consumption of fresh raw materials, reduce energy usage, reduce air pollution and water pollution by reducing the need for "conventional" waste disposal, and lower greenhouse...
- Starts a competition with Rocko to have the nicest yard for the sole purpose of having Rocko lose
- Refuses to have contact with his son, Ralph
- Creates a beach parking lot that was actually in front of his house
- Tortures Rocko while sleepwalking as a pirate
- Runs against Rocko in the town dog catcher elections, spreading vicious rumors to harm his neighbor's public image. Ed won but it became a hollow victory since; despite Rocko's bad image, his ideas were accepted by the people (which was what Ed tried to prevent in the first place) and his main duty as the town dog catcher consisted of picking up dog feces.
Despite his almost constant bad luck, there have been episodes where he's come out on top or at least shown having moderately good luck:
- Magic Meatball: After getting a magic meatball as a gag gift for a promotion, he uses the meatball to work his way up and up the company ladder, eventually getting an office with a view of the entire earth.
- Sailing the Seven Zzzz's: At the end of the episode, despite having put Rocko, Heffer, and Filburt through hell, we see him sleeping peacefully with Spunky's chew toy, a big smile on his face
- Closet Clown: After confessing his secret to Bev and the others, he finds everyone's accepting of him being a clown, although they're less than acceptive of Rocko's admission that he "likes rainbows" (a possible gay reference), even leading to Ed, Bev, and Dr. Hutchison chasing Rocko.
In the comic book chapters, Ed:
- Expels Rocko and Heffer from a company party on several occasions, despite the fact that the rest of the partygoers enjoy their company.
- "Trains" Earl to attack Rocko while Rocko plans to enjoy an inflatable swimming pool in his yard.