Socks the Cat Rocks the Hill

SNES video game

Socks the Cat Rocks the Hill is an unreleased platform video game developed by Realtime Associates for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. The game stars Socks, the real life presidential pet cat of the Clinton family during Bill Clinton's tenure in office. Originally scheduled for release in 1993, Socks the Cat experienced delays until it was ultimately canceled due to the closure of publisher Kaneko's U. S. branch. A prototype copy eventually entered the hands of private collectors, and following a successful Kickstarter campaign, the ROM image was released to the public in 2018. Set in Washington D. C., Socks the Cat Rocks the Hill follows the title character as he makes his way past spies, politicians, and the news media to warn the Clinton family of a stolen nuclear missile launch device. The game makes heavy use of political satire, including bosses designed as caricatures of former U. S. presidents and other political figures. Nintendo reportedly liked the game despite their censorship policies during the era which condemned games with political content. The political satire was also praised by contemporary critics, although the game was otherwise found to be average.

The game begins with Socks observing foreign spies stealing a nuclear missile launch unit in the basement of a foreign embassy. The bosses are caricatures of political figures, such as Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, and Ross Perot. In one situation, Socks must push Millie the dog, pet of former president George H. W. Bush, out the front door to avoid Arab terrorist felines. The SNES and Genesis games were both occasionally referred to as Socks the Cat Rocks the House in some early publications; however, this title would later refer to the Genesis game only. Kaneko purchased the license from the fan club, with some of the profits given to The Humane Society of the United States and the Children's Defense Fund, one of Hillary Clinton's favorite charities. Socks the Cat was first unveiled and demonstrated by Kaneko on June 2, 1993, at the Consumer Electronics Show in Chicago. Shortly before its scheduled release, Socks the Cat was canceled due to the closure of Kaneko's U. S. division. Although Nintendo's censorship policies during the late 1980s and early 1990s condemned games that had "subliminal political messages or overt political statements", Nintendo reportedly liked the game. Former Realtime Associates employees have stated the game was finished. One former developer, David Warhol, stated the game "was very irreverent maybe it's better it didn't come out after all!" In 2011, a five minute video was uploaded to YouTube showing gameplay from the cartridge, giving proof of the game's existence. In 2012, Wilson sold the game to collector Tom Curtin for the same amount as a "decent used car". The sale was made in part because Curtin wished to release the game. He acquired the rights to the "Socks the Cat" trademark in 2015 and planned to launch a Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign to fund a release of the game. the game finally released on February 1, 2018.