South Park Still Rules

South Park has been airing on Comedy Central since 1997; but, did you know that it got its start in 1991 when Trey Parker and Matt Stone, the series’ creators, were still film students at the University of Colorado. Originally, the guys wanted to focus on Mr. Hankey – you know – the Christmas Poo; but, the fellas at Comedy Central thought that would be in poor taste.

The series as it exists today revolves around the lives of four young boys – Kyle, Kenny, Stan and Cartman. They’re now in 4th grade although they were in 3rd grade for many seasons. Each lives in South Park, Colorado where it almost always snows. Yup. Only one episode called “Summer Sucks” has featured snow.

The animation is as crude as the children on the series who love to curse and discuss disgusting stuff. The topics are full of fart and shit jokes; yet, we watch and laugh. The show has charm. It’s violent at times. Hey, Kenny has died hundreds of times. Just last season, they did him in for good; or so we thought.

South Park is good because it’s so bad. It’s a guilty pleasure. It’s one you wallow in. It’s piggish. Insanely so and deliciously decadent. The show is a real treat. Trey and Matt are NOT afraid to take one anyone – or anything. Here are some of my favorite skewerings by the South Part crew:

• Hay – Lo. “Hennifer” Lopez is a hand puppet, painted onto Cartman’s left hand. She steals Ben Affleck away from the diva and her film career.
• Osama Bin Laden in a Looney Tunes parody. He’s been hunted yet can hide so easily from the United States. Why can’t we find one man in all these caves? Why? Cartman torments him like Bugs Bunny torments Elmer Fudd; he even dresses up like a girl. All Osama can say is “Hadooka Dooka Dooka.”
• Barbra Streisand is an evil monster hell-bent on destroying the world. Only Robert Smith of the Cure can save the world from her.

South Park also makes fun of Canada. They never leave that poor nation alone. In fact, the film South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut had the US invading that nation. In other episodes, the boys have gone to Canada to find Kyle’s adopted brother, Ike. He was taken away from the family due to legislation passed by Canada’s new PM – Saddam Hussein, the Devil’s gay lover.

South Park has touched upon the boys’ growing interest in girls. One episode has the boys becoming enamored with Bebe. She’s the first to develop boobies. It makes her very popular with the boys and hated by the girls. In another episode, Butters, a sweet little boy who’s parents tried to say was kidnapped by some Puerto Rican Guy – the same “some Puerto Rican guy” who killed OJ’s wife, Nicole and JonBenet Ramsey, becomes enamored with a sluttly little girl waitress from “Raisins”, a “Hooters” knockoff.

The show makes no apologies for itself. It is what it is and will remain that way. Trey and Matt don’t cave under network pressure. They’ve poked fun at that too. In one episode they showed how saying SHIT on TV would open up the gates to Hell. That was funny as SHIT y’all.

I could go on and on about the series here. It’s an acquired taste that requires immature maturity and a bit of a mean streak to enjoy. The religious right and many republicans have denounced it and say that it “debases the moral fiber of our great nation.” South Park moons its critics and spits in their faces. It isn’t for everyone; but, it certainly has its place in TV history. I hope there are many more hysterical and crazy episodes to come.

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