Clean Lovin is episode 13a of Rocko's Modern Life. In this episode Spunky develops an unhealthy love for Rocko's mop.
Plot
While watching TV with Spunky, Rocko goes into the kitchen and is appalled by the prolific mess on the floor. He decides that it is time to mop. When Spunky catches a glimpse of Rocko about to use the mop, he sees that the girl dancing with her boyfriend on TV is similar to how Rocko is using his mop. Eventually, he gains an unhealthy love for the mop. After Rocko finishes, he leaves, leaving Spunky alone with the mop as the dog imagines his romance with the cleaning object. The next morning, Rocko discovers that Spunky is missing and catches the dog in the cleaning supply closet with the mop. Rocko kicks him out and chides Spunky for his obsession with the mop, but all Spunky could hear is incoherent gibberish. Rocko locks up the supply closet and orders Spunky to play. But the dog (offscreen) relieves himself on the kitchen table, appalling Rocko as he is later seen using the mop to clean the mess. Spunky attempts to make a grab for the mop, but Rocko pulls it out of his reach and tosses it in the trash can outside. He catches Spunky with the mop and the dog tries to run with it, but to no avail. Rocko snatches the mop from him and put it in the garbage disposal ready to shred it. Spunky makes a grab for it, but Rocko pushes the dog off just in time. During the night, Spunky attempts to sneak out of the bedroom window with the mop, but he crashes down below, waking Rocko as the wallaby takes notice of his dog laying on the grass smiling nervously. Cognizant of the seriousness of the unhealthy "romance," Rocko decides to take Spunky to the pet psychologist to explain the problem to Dr. Katz. The doctor takes Spunky to the office (labeled "Patients Only") as Rocko waits in the waiting room. When the doctor returns, he says that Spunky is normal and that the mop is "sick" and that he must keep it to observe it (the squeaking noises inside his office implies that he is really making love to the mop the same way that Spunky was earlier). Feeling heartbroken, Spunky begins to cry and walks home with Rocko, still depressed. Rocko tells his dog that he would make it up to him, but Spunky ignores his owner and walks away from him. Spunky then spots a female poodle and falls in love once again. Rocko notices this and watches proudly. The iris end begins to close as the dog is seen running to the poodle. The next scene shows Rocko and Spunky back at home watching TV. It turns out that instead of falling for the poodle, Spunky fell in love with the fire hydrant. He kisses it as Rocko watches in annoyance.
Characters Present
Trivia
- According to Joe Murray the idea of Spunky falling in love with a mop was liked by focus groups. When Murray created the episode, he believed that the creation was "more challenging than I thought. It sounded funny though."
- During Spunky's fantasy of dating the mop, at one point he is eating a spaghetti dinner while sitting next to the mop, and accidentally sucks up one of the mop's threads, leading them to "kiss" each other. This is a spoof of the famous Italian restaurant scene in Disney's animated classic 1955 film, Lady and The Tramp.
- Right before Rocko catches Spunky in the closet with the mop, you can clearly hear squeaking noises. This is a sexual reference to Spunky's relationship with the mop. The joke is played again later when the same noise is heard when the doctor spends time with the mop.