| “ | Rolf's eyes fool the brain of Rolf! | ” |
—Rolf | ||
Rolf is an immigrant from a far and distant culture known to us only as The Old Country. The most evidence was shown in the episode "No Speak Da Ed." There, it was revealed that he is familiar with a trickster named Gerta who lives in Norway. During flashbacks in that episode, he is seen being chased by what appears to be someone in a wolf costume. Rolf works on his parents' small farm within the Cul-de-Sac and leads a scouting group called the Urban Rangers; a Boy Scout-like group which includes Jimmy, Plank, and Jonny. Rolf often refers to himself in third person, as well as being the "son of a shepherd," in which he takes great pride. He hardly minds the Eds unless they make a fool out of him or insult his culture, after which he is not afraid to use brute force. When his superhuman strength is unleashed, it rivals Ed's; however, it should be considered that he is the second strongest character in the show, since he was seen lifting a tree with difficulty while Ed can lift a house single handed. Regardless, Rolf's strength depends on his mood rather than his biology.
In multiple episodes, Rolf is shown to have green teeth. As shown in "If It Smells Like an Ed," he has an obsession with jujubes. Rolf, like the other kids, shares the same infatuation with jawbreakers.
Rolf confuses the rest of the kids with his unusual customs, sayings, and food-making. He is one of the few characters who gets respect from all the kids. His best friend is Kevin, and he relates well with Jonny, as he tends to be an outsider as well. Rolf has a very strong accent and is exceptionally hairy. Although he has not revealed his age, he claims that his hair is premature (as mentioned in "Scrambled Ed"). He has a strong liking for meat, and when he agreed on a bet to not eat meat for a whole day, he became extremely malnourished and had severely lost his muscle tone almost instantly, not even having enough strength to open the cafeteria door or bite through celery. Nobody except him and his family knows what country he is from, but from what is known, he is most likely from Northern or Eastern Europe; however, the country he comes from is apparently fictional. While Rolf does speak English, he also has a tendency to speak in third-person.
Background
Rolf's background is based upon creator Danny Antonucci's childhood as the son of Italian immigrants. During an interview [1] he said the following:
| “ | ... Rolf is me and all of my cousins. My parents were right off the boat so I grew up playing to two worlds, the modern world and the 1950s Italian world. My parents like Rolf's lived - still live in the past, with strong traditions and strange cooking and having a hard time assimilating to modern life. | ” |
When questioned about the mysterious location of Rolf's home country, Danny replied:
| “ | Yeah, I purposely made Rolf with a non-nationality, especially after what happened with Lupo when we were accused of painting Italians in a bad light. But Rolf is me, take his proverbs - my family were always coming out with the strange proverbial stuff that only made sense to them and other family members. His vocabulary is always interesting, I've actually browsed through the dictionary sometimes looking for words he might use, we came in for some flak with 'jujubes' though, people were asking what on earth that meant, but its there, you know what they are right? Leaving Rolf with no set nationality means he's able to adopt all sorts of quirks he couldn't get away with if we'd stuck a label on him. Its the same with Peach Creek Estates, its not anywhere specific, its just one of those countless suburban development regions. | ” |
Personality
Hailing from an unknown country (presumably located somewhere in Eastern Europe), Rolf is a hard-working, jolly, fun-loving, friendly, but also fearsome and strange character who has the respect from almost everyone in the Cul-De-Sac.
Rolf values hard work and can most often be found working on his parents' small farm. He is responsible for doing all sorts of chores from the menial, such as tending to the animals, planting seeds etc., to the downright strange. It is because of this frequent display of labor that Rolf has strength that rivals Ed's, though his strength, while impressive, is no match for Ed's, as Rolf can only use it when he is angry, while Ed's strength is a part of his biology. Even when angry, his strength still does not seem to be of the same intensity or level as Ed's. Though he often works and takes great pride in his achievements, he describes his youth, back in The Old Country as being "lazy" and "good for nothing." It is possible that he does some of the chores out of fear, as he once mentioned that if his chores were not finished, he would be "banished to the cupboard." This is one of the reasons the Urban Rangers exist: to do all sorts of chores around the Cul-De-Sac and to "become the masters of the mundane," as Rolf puts it. They are a boy scout-type organization that has existed for over fifty years and they are specialists when it comes to chores, for which they earn badges. Aside from the menial chores, they often take camping trips to the woods in order to earn camping badges.
Rolf has also numerous times shown a type of honor system, most notably in the episode "Dueling Eds." Of course, growing up listening to fantastic stories about heroes and battles, it is no wonder that Rolf grew up into a man who gives credit where credit is due. Dishonoring someone from Rolf's country will result in a duel with dead fish as weapons, while balancing on a tree above a deep chasm. If the man who has dishonored the other man falls down into the chasm, the honor of the dishonored is restored, not just to him, but to his ancestors as well, thus meaning that if just one member of a family has been shamed, dishonored, or otherwise been disrespected, the credibility of the entire family is at stake. This is so deep that it even has supernatural properties: right after the "duel" begins, the alley was surrounded by heavy clouds that only vanished when Rolf (easily) defeated Eddy. The duel can be prevented beforehand if the provocateur brings to the man he offended the "Cupcakes of Sorriness," and then they must accept the "Eels of Forgiveness" down their trousers. Rolf has claimed that those worthy of the most respect are village buffoons and barbers, the latter of which he aspires to be.
He is also a prideful person, taking pride in numerous things, most notably him being the son of a shepherd, his hard work, and him winning the covetous, and most difficult of the Urban Ranger badges: The Hairy Chest of Resilience Badge. His pride in part might explain his illeism, that is, him referring to himself in third person, though this could also be as a result of his handling of the English language.
Rolf also seems to be the oldest child in the Cul-De-Sac, and in some ways, acts more maturely when compared to the rest of the kids. In appearance (excluding the vast amount of body hair, which he claims to be premature), he also seems to be the tallest out of all the kids in the Cul-De-Sac. It may be because he grew up in a very different environment than the other kids, surrounded by a radically different lifestyle.
Even though he is a hard-working individual, he is also a fun-loving person. When not working or hanging out with the rest of the kids, he can be found having a warm drink by the fireplace, candied beats, or meat. His jollyness is best shown in the Season 3 episode "Wish You Were Ed," in which he is shown dancing to a particularly violent song called "That's My Horse," in which the two dancers say the line and then proceed to hit each other with their hands (or anything else such as a barrel, a wheelbarrow, and so on). Despite it being very painful, Rolf and Ed enjoy it very much and Double D at one point even described it as a "delightful barbaric dance." He also owns an accordion, which the song is played on.
His many confusing customs have flabbergasted the rest of the Cul-De-Sac kids to no end. The many strange foods (such as fish balls, assorted aquatic creatures, and various meats), celebrations, activities, holidays, clothes (such as a vest made from his father's back hair), stories (such as the battle between his Great Nano and a Giant Sea Cucumber), and so on. He consistently confuses the meanings and messages of gestures and customs in the Cul-De-Sac with that of his own traditions, confusing the potted plant Eddy was giving him as a token of apology as the "Potted Shrub of Ridicule," and thinks that Kevin avoiding having eels poured down his pants as a sign of disrespect.
An odd thing about Rolf is that in "Fa-La-La-La-Ed," he knows about Christmas like every one else, but in Ed, Edd n Eddy's Jingle Jingle Jangle, he has no idea about Christmas.
On numerous occasions, Rolf has shown his sorrow and longing for his old village, most prominently featured in the episode "Wish You Were Ed." Rolf is easily confused by the modern world and its technology, culture, and way of life. He stated that he "sweats himself to understand our modern go-go world." He often recalls his childhood days in The Old Country and his voyage to America in a canoe made from leather shoes (which will prompt him to talk for hours about his Great Nano). In the episode "A Town Called Ed," Rolf, in a way, seems to have accepted the "confusing leisure delights" and simply goes along with them. When Kevin invited him over to his house to watch monster trucks, Rolf, somewhat nonchalantly, proclaims "Very well; Rolf will include himself, once again, in sharing yet another one of your menial customs and all the time wonder why." Overall, it may seem that Rolf has finally accepted his new, strange to him, home.
Appearance
Rolf wears a yellow T-shirt with a red horizontal stripe, light blue jeans, and red and cream shoes. During winter, he wears an orange sweater, has brown skin (comparable to Jonny's skin), as well as dark green eyes, dark blue hair, a unibrow, and a purple tongue (just like Jimmy and Sarah's tongues).
Old Rolf
Old Rolf and Old Eddy.
In the future shown in "Take This Ed and Shove It," Old Rolf seems to have become senile and somewhat near-sighted, as he confuses Eddy for many other characters (he confused Eddy for Kevin, Nazz, and also Jonny). He has grown a long white beard and has developed a hunchback. He seems to have forgotten that his tractor is for sale (yelling "Rolf's tractor is not for sale!" at Eddy). He also wears an eye patch on his left eye for an unknown reason.
Young Rolf
Young Rolf with his sheep.
During the episode "No Speak Da Ed," Rolf is seen as a young boy. He has a bucktooth, overalls, and a yellow shirt. It was shown that he had shepherding responsibilities as a toddler. While doing this one day, one of his sheep was attacked by a sheep rustler wearing a wolf skin mask, and that memory stuck with him for the rest of his life.
Family
- Mother
- Father - A mighty shepherd known to tend to his sheep daily and has been known to have a hairy back.
- Nana - A seriously disfigured woman known to have a wooden leg and be mistaken as "that large hairy beast eating all the dip."
- One-Eyed Great Nana - Rolf's deceased great-grandmother. It was revealed that she died right before or during Rolf's family move to Peach Creek.
- Great Nano - Rolf's deceased great-grandfather.
Distant Cousins
Livestock
- 3 Pigs, one of which is named Wilfred
- 4 Goats, one of which is named Victor. The other three were nameless and only appeared in "Fool on the Ed." Its likely Rolf borrowed them from someone or somewhere.
- 2 Cows, one of which is named Beatrice
- Hundreds, possibly thousands of Chickens (most of which were seen during his chicken drive in "Don't Rain on My Ed"), and three main chickens, one named Gertrude, another Laggard, and the other Bridget.
- About 2 dozen Sheep, one called Fluffy
- Many Rabbits
- A Clam named Bobo
- Blowfishes
- Several Eels
Produce and Animal Products
- Carrots
- Cheese
- Cucumbers
- Eggplants
- Eggs
- Fish
- Lard
- Meat
- Melons
- Milk
- Mushrooms
- Nana's Sea Cucumber Balls
- Octopus
- Parsley
- Plums
- Potatoes
- Pumpkins
- Radishes
- Squash
- Squid
- Stuffed Pig's Head
- Sugar Beets (a.k.a. "Candied Beets")
- Turnips
- Yams
Weird Things
It's known in his home land that there are a lot of hero stories, fights, famous people and unbelievable stuff that have been in his childhood. For example, when he was little, a man in a wolf costume tried to steal and eat his sheep. He has also witnessed a giant Swedish meatball stalking Wilfred in the dead of night. Another strange tale is the story of how his Great Nano crossed the ocean paddling in a canoe made from the soles of his shoes while fighting a Giant Sea Cucumber in an attempt to immigrate to (presumably) Canada. He claims the Giant Sea Cucumber stared at him like a sandwich and that they had to devour it. Because the Great Nano, who had one eye, was lost at sea in this battle, Rolf would dress in a tight-fitting sea cucumber suit and prepare a box of sea cucumber balls for the neighbors to feast, but was offended by Eddy when he threw one of these balls once. Also, around the holidays, Rolf's family worships a woman named Yeshmiyek who supposedly lives in the center of the Earth preparing the holiday feast for good males and females. Rolf also celebrates the guardian pigeon. Another thing Rolf does is dueling: he would dig a hole and make a bridge of a tree and then he would put on a war-like suit with an ox skull on it and battle his enemy with dead stiff fish.
Rolf and the Cursed Phone
In Rolf's family, it has been known that they have been given a telephone known as the Cursed Phone or the Telephone of Doom. In each generation, Rolf's family is cursed for no exact reason. When the phone was given to Rolf, he decided to bury it so no one could be threatened by the curse again. It was later stolen by Eddy who (after finding out the curse) gave it to Jonny but even when Jonny has it Eddy is still affected by the curse (even if Plank is the one who is answering the phone) quite possibly showing that the curse only affects the first person to answer it. This, however, does not explain why Rolf isn't affected when Plank or even Eddy answers it, though it could be possible that Rolf never answered the phone, thus explaining his avoiding the curse. It is possible that Rolf wasn't affected because as he was burying the phone, he was throwing salt on it from a salt shaker strapped to his head.
Rolf/Wolf Rivalry
The Rolf/Wolf Rivalry is a rivalry revealed in the episode "No Speak Da Ed." When Rolf was a little boy in his old country, a rustler with a wolf mask would steal Rolf's father's flock of sheep. Rolf finally fought back, despite his fears, in order to save a sheep (possibly his favorite in the flock). Apparently, the whole experience was so traumatic for Rolf that it left a mental scar on his already jacked up mind. Rolf dug a secret lair under his shed, in case of the wolf's return and even created a throne and walkway out of stone in said lair. He filled the lair with sheep and decorated it with sheep-related objects and banners. Rolf's insanity brought on by the wolf caused him to go insane, the lair becoming a representation of his apparent cult-driven hatred. The cult, in question, consists of only Rolf himself. Not a very big roster. Over the years, Rolf's mental scar continued to haunt him, driving his hatred to levels so high that it almost became more of a religious belief than hatred. By the time Gerta started sending Ed wolf-related objects, Rolf's hatred was at its peak.
Quotes
- Rolf: "Ed Boy…"
Eddy: [lounging on a chair placed on top of a tree stump] "What's up, Stretch?"
Rolf: "Do you like being a guest at the house of Rolf and, you know, make lazy on Rolf's stump?"
Eddy: "Whaddya' kidding? It's great."
Ed: [passes by being trailed behind cow, captures Rolf's attention] "I'm a cowboy! Bang! Bang!"
Rolf: [deadpan] "A burden has been placed on Rolf."
"Rambling Ed"
- Rolf: "Hello, Ed Boys. Why must you spoil Wilfred with this lavish monkey suit? This will only lead him to search for a life as an airline steward."
"Momma's Little Ed"
- Rolf: "Very impressive, Ed Boy. It is a shame you fail with such disgrace at your pitiful attempt to prove your sorry and feeble effort at becoming an Urban Ranger."
"An Ed in the Bush"
- Rolf: [enraged after getting a back injury on Eddy's beds scam] "Ed Boys! Your mattress has ruptured Rolf's tail bone! Who is in charge of this double-crossing slumber flim-flammery?!"
"One of Those Eds"
- Rolf: [referring to his grade on a school assignment] "This alphabet F confounds Rolf to no end! Phooey! Rolf would not line Wilfred's plumbing pit with such dribble."
"Pick an Ed"
- [Rolf is drinking water at the water fountain at school, the cupids pass by, Rolf stops drinking water]
Rolf: "Rolf smells the scent of mountain sprites come to make mischief among us."
Ed, Edd n Eddy's Hanky Panky Hullabaloo
- [Rolf, Kevin, and Nazz interacting with their lockers, cupids pass by, Rolf senses them]
Rolf: "Again! These mountain nymphs haunt Rolf no more!"
Kevin: "You're whack, dude."
Ed, Edd n Eddy's Hanky Panky Hullabaloo
- Rolf: "Begone! Cursed underlings of Valhalla!"
Jimmy (Cupid): "Ooops, we missed one, Cupid Sarah."
Rolf: [jumps up on a table] "Rolf awaits your response!" [the cupids fire arrows, Rolf blocks them with the mop and then bangs it into the table and the arrows falls off] "You tickle Rolf's radish."
Ed, Edd n Eddy's Hanky Panky Hullabaloo
- Rolf: "Shed tears no more, fuss-bucket Nazz girl. Rolf will unearth the Ed Boys like the parasite that infects Wilfred's tuchus! This is Rolf's word! …Dawg!"
Ed, Edd n Eddy's Big Picture Show
- Rolf: "Wilfred! You interrupt Rolf's study! Do you think this is party time for 1999? NO!"
Ed, Edd n Eddy's Big Picture Show
- Rolf: [talking about school to the Eds] "The days of reckoning are upon us, half naked Ed boys, for it is here that we will be mercilessly judged".
"Out with the Old, In with the Ed"
- Rolf: "Hello, Eddy!"
Eddy: "What's happening, Rolf?" [Rolf slams head into the ground]
Rolf: "I cannot hear you. I am invisible. Goodbye. I have gone to the market..."
"Ed-n-Seek"
- Rolf: [sniffs the air; talking about the Kankers' hissy fit] "The stench of immortal doom still thickens the air, yes? Or, perhaps it is Wilfred's cabbage evacuations? Hard to tell."
"Run for your Ed"
- Rolf: [to Wilfred, after removing him from the chicken coop] "Do not burn the candle at both ends, as it leads to the life of a hairdresser."
"One + One = Ed"
- 'Rolf: "Something big, Ed-boy. Gather your inadequate friends and flee! Flee in the name of blanched rhubarb!"
"Once Upon an Ed"
- Rolf: [to Ed, after Ed puts his tractor on top of an eggshell.] "May your nose fester with the rage of olives!"
"Rambling Ed"
- Rolf: [to the Eds, who are playing with his shed.] "You have broken a celery stalk on the back of a sea urchin!"
"Rambling Ed"
- Rolf: "May the fleas from your cow inflame your rhubarb!"
"Home Cooked Eds"
- Rolf: "Your garden is overgrown and your cucumbers are soft!"
"Floss Your Ed"
- Kevin: [After watching the Kankers beat the Eds in a wrestling match] "I guess the Eds showed us."
Rolf: "Ya, perhaps we should take up basket weaving!"
"Tag Yer Ed"
- Rolf: "Rolf respects your vow to uphold the sticky notes of elders, yet [puts on the Hat of Discipline] you must be punished."
Edd: "What is that, Rolf?"
Rolf: "The Hat of Discipline. DO YOU LIVE IN A CAVE?! [hits Edd with the hat.] All is forgiven."
"Momma's Little Ed"
Trivia
- Rolf has the same color clothing scheme as Eddy, a yellow shirt with a red stripe, light blue pants and red shoes.
- Rolf is usually friendly towards the Eds at the first time in the episode he meets them. After all, he will at unexpected times seek them for assistance. In "Scrambled Ed," he asks Edd for a solution to getting rid of the lobsters and leaks in his garden. In "Too Smart for His Own Ed," he asks Ed for help on his homework. In "Mirror, Mirror, on the Ed," he wants Ed's help to stomp on raspberries. In "Who's Minding the Ed?" he asks Ed to look after his farm animals while he was at his family reunion.
- Rolf owns an accordion and is able to play it exceptionally well, as revealed in the episode "Key to My Ed".
- He is also known to own a unicycle, as shown in "Button Yer Ed", "Avast Ye Eds", "Ready, Set... Ed!" and "Mirror, Mirror, on the Ed". In "Ready, Set... Ed!" Rolf claims to have the record for "Unicycle Shenanigans". In "Fa-La-La-La-Ed", he gave the unicycle to Kevin.
- Like Ed, Rolf has a unibrow, but it is thinner and therefore less noticeable than Ed's.
- Rolf fears Eddy's Brother, because he fears Eddy's Brother will steal his chickens, and implies that he has done so before.
- Rolf is apparently good at basketball; as he states in "A Pinch to Grow an Ed", he is capable of making up to five baskets in a row. He is also seen frequently playing basketball with Kevin.
- In "Ed or Tails", Rolf mentions that he comes from a long line of village buffoons. Considering the fact that Rolf was saying this in response to Kevin insulting the Eds' Clown-renting scam (as well as Rolf telling Kevin not to mock clowns), this could mean that some of Rolf's ancestors possibly were circus clowns, or whatever their Old Country equivalents are.
- If you notice, Rolf has a rival who is a wolf, yet ironically, Rolf is only one letter away from being wolf (if you replace the "R" with a "W"). Interestingly, "Rolf" means "wolf" in some Scandinavian dialects.
- Like Marie, Rolf's hair color is blue.
- He has a purple tongue which is exactly like Jimmy and Sarah's.
- Rolf also tends to address himself as the "son of a shepherd".
- Rolf can become extremely angry, aggressive, and/or crazy and can become easily agitated if any of the following happen to him:
- When someone harms or steals his livestock (as shown in "Ed... Pass it On..." and "No Speak Da Ed").
- When someone has besmirched his family and his traditions (as shown in "Dueling Eds").
- When he does not eat any meat for too long (as seen in "All Eds Are Off").
- When he sees or hears anything that brings up his traumatic feud with Wolf (also shown in "No Speak Da Ed").
- When someone fools around in his home for too long (as shown in "Rambling Ed").
- When someone makes a "Merry Andrew" of him (as shown in "Wish You Were Ed").
- When he senses powerful supernatural beings (as shown in Ed, Edd n Eddy's Hanky Panky Hullabaloo).
- Rolf has green teeth, but in "Read All About Ed", a few other episodes, and the game Cul-de-Sac Smash 2: Wheels of Fury, they are white.
- Rolf has had a major role in two specials, Ed, Edd n Eddy's Hanky Panky Hullabaloo and "The Eds are Coming".
- Rolf is the first boss in Ed, Edd n Eddy - Jawbreakers! who Edd must face. Rolf needs to be hit 2-7 times to win.
- Danny Antonucci said in an interview that Rolf was his favorite character.
- Also, he says that he based Rolf off of himself and his relatives, considering that Antonucci is part of an Italian immigrant family who had different customs during his childhood, similar to Rolf's situation.
- Rolf has blue hair on his back, as shown in "Take This Ed and Shove It".
- Although he is afraid of cameras, he willingly posed for a shot in "Is There an Ed in the House?"
- In the Swedish dub Rolf is called; Reinar instead. Albeit he was called by his original name in the first season but they later changed his name for unknown reasons.
Gallery
See also
- Rolf's House
- Urban Rangers
- The Old Country
- List of Animals
- Rolf's Tractor
- "That's My Horse"
- Sea Cucumber Ball