South Park
South Park is a comedy animated series created by Matt Stone and Trey Parker. Distributed by and airing on Comedy Central (and its current owner, Viacom) since 1997, it follows the surreal adventures of four young boys who live in the small town of South Park, Colorado. South Park satirizes many aspects of American culture and current events, and challenges deepset convictions and taboos, usually using parody and black humor. New episodes in the show's ninth season began airing March 9, 2005. Recent seasons have aired in two parts; for example, half of the episodes from the eighth season were put on hiatus for Team America: World Police, another Stone and Parker production. The show is noted for its characteristically blunt handling of current events while they are still current. For example, an episode involving the repatriation of Romanian quintuplets aired during the Elián González issue, and depicted Janet Reno, then U.S. Attorney General, as a murderous Easter Bunny. An episode that aired after the September 11, 2001 attacks had the boys stow away on a military transport to Afghanistan, where they encounter Osama bin Laden, and more recently the 2005 Terri Schiavo case was parodied in an episode in which the town is at odds over the removal of a feeding tube from Kenny McCormick. Series historySouth Park got its start in 1991 when Parker and Stone, then film students at the University of Colorado, created an animated short called Jesus vs Frosty (also known as The Spirit of Christmas). The crudely made film featured prototypical versions of the kids of South Park, including a character resembling Cartman but called "Kenny", bringing a murderous snowman to life with a magic hat. The baby Jesus then saves the day by decapitating the monster with a halo. Executives at the Fox network saw the film, and in 1995 executive Brian Graden commissioned Parker and Stone to create a second short film to send to friends as a video Christmas card. Entitled The Spirit of Christmas, it closely resembled the style of the later series, and featured a martial arts duel (and subsequent truce) between Jesus and Santa Claus over the true meaning of Christmas. The video was a hit and was quickly shared, both by underground duplication and over the then-burgeoning Internet. This led to talks to create a series, first with Fox, then with Comedy Central, where the series premiered on August 13, 1997. One of the many deaths of KennyThe show's provocative, frequently offensive, and unquestionably adult-oriented material quickly drew howls of protests from various conservative spokespersons, and South Park merchandise (especially T-shirts) were banned from a number of public schools, day care centers, and other public places in a manner similar to the prohibition of Bart Simpson T-shirts in the early 1990s after The Simpsons was accused of contributing to juvenile delinquency. Comedy Central defended South Park by noting that the show is given a "Mature Audiences" TV rating (TV-MA) and that it only airs the show during nighttime hours and never during the day when children may be more likely to see the show. In February 1998, one episode of South Park posed the question of who Eric Cartman's father was. The episode ended with the announcement that it would be revealed in four weeks' time. Four weeks later, the airing of an episode about Terrance and Phillip (two Canadian comedians the main characters idolize) prompted outrage, and also prompted Comedy Central to push the true season premiere up earlier than expected. It was apparently a well-planted April Fools Day gag, meant to poke fun at season-ending cliffhangers. The following year, the full-length animated feature film South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut was released to generally enthusiastic reviews. The film managed to satirize both itself and the anticipated reaction that it engendered from moral conservatives. It also presented a twisted but seemingly sincere tribute to the film musical with a number of songs, including "Uncle Fucka" and "Blame Canada." The latter was nominated for an Oscar and was performed by Robin Williams during the awards show. It has often been said that "Blame Canada" was chosen from other Oscar-worthy songs in the movie on the basis that it was the only one that could be performed on live TV with its lyrics relatively intact; however, this is somewhat unlikely, as "Blame Canada" contains a swear word, whereas "Up There," a sentimental and inoffensive song sung by Satan, does not. It's more likely that "Blame Canada" was chosen because it plainly expresses the movie's main theme. On November 11, 1999 shortly after the U.S. theatrical release of South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut, actress Mary Kay Bergman, who had provided all of the female voices on the South Park television series and in the full-length movie, committed suicide using a gun in her suburban Los Angeles, California home. After her death it was revealed that she suffered from a severe form of clinical depression. Her husband, Dino Andrade, founded the Mary Kay Bergman Memorial Fund at the Suicide Prevention Center of Greater Los Angeles in an effort to help and educate people with the same type of depression that his wife suffered from. CharactersThe characters and backgrounds of South Park are made to appear deliberately crude, as if they are simply made of cut-out pieces of paper. Paper cutouts were indeed used in the original pilot Parker/Stone animation and in the very first Comedy Central episode, but every subsequent episode aired on TV has been produced by computer animation that provides the same crude look. To put the efficiency of this process in perspective, consider that the average episode of The Simpsons takes 8 months to create while episodes of South Park have been completed in as little as 3 days. Some episodes have sections of regular film edited in (e.g., "Tweek vs. Craig" and "Cat Orgy"). Major charactersThe main characters as they appeared during eight of the nine seasons (from left to right): Kenny, Cartman, Kyle and StanThe main characters of the show are four elementary school students:
In recent seasons, two other characters have gained prominence:
The show's earliest well-known gimmick was that in every episode, Kenny would die in some horrible, unexpected way. After this Stan would say, "Oh my god, they killed Kenny!" and Kyle would add, "You bastards!" Kenny would be back in the next episode, the incident forgotten. For some time (after the 5th season episode "Kenny Dies"), Kenny had actually died "permanently." In the 6th season episode "A Ladder to Heaven," Kenny's soul became entrapped inside of Cartman's body, but an exorcism performed by Chef's mama in "The Biggest Douche in the Universe" undid this. He came back to life for an unexplained reason in "Red Sleigh Down" and is now the same regular kid he was before, except his deaths are much rarer now. Kenny was killed by Saddam Hussein in "It's Christmas in Canada," the final episode of season seven. He was also killed once during the eighth season, unmasked, by "Mr. Jefferson," an alias of Michael Jackson, in the episode "The Jeffersons", and in the ninth season, he was killed by the Chinese mafia in the episode "Wing," as well as the following episode, "Best Friends Forever" (in fact, he dies twice in the latter). Recurring charactersMain article: Recurring South Park characters There are many other frequently recurring characters, besides the boys and their families.
Minor characters and 'celebrities'The satirical disclaimer that begins every episodePart of the show's surrealist nature derives from the minor characters who appear in the series. Notable appearances include God, who appears as a small creature resembling a hippo-rodent hybrid; Jesus, a recurring character, who owns a home and hosts a public-access television show in South Park (Jesus and Pals); Satan and his lover Saddam Hussein; Moses, who appears exactly as the Master Control Program (MCP) does in the Disney film Tron and demands macaroni pictures; the alien Marklar race; the jakovasaur; Death; and Mr. Hankey "the Christmas poo", who adds to the holiday festivities in much the same spirit as the 1960s Rankin-Bass cartoons. And also Towelie the towel who always gets, or wants to get high (off cannabis). Celebrities often appear (usually "impersonated.....poorly"). Examples include:
See list of celebrities on South Park for more persons who have appeared on the show in one way or another. Religious affiliation of characters in South ParkAccording to the episode "Red Hot Catholic Love", virtually all the major and recurring characters in South Park are Roman Catholic, except:
MusicCover from South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut - Music From And Inspired By The Motion PictureAlthough South Park is well known for its humor and controversial plots, viewers are also treated to an original musical score. The show's opening theme song is:
It should be noted that Kenny's lines in the song, as well as all but one of his lines throughout the show (episode 807, "The Jeffersons") and one in the movie, are muffled. Kenny always wears a parka over his head and most of his face. The fact that the lines are unintelligible helped them slip past network censors. Popular songs such as "Kyle's Mom is a Bitch" originated on the show, but the creators' musical abilities were not frequently used until the release of South Park: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut. The film's soundtrack featured songs like "Mountain Town", "Uncle Fucka", "What Would Brian Boitano Do?" (a song to which Brian Boitano has been known to figure skate), "I'm Super", and "Blame Canada" (nominated for an Oscar, see below). Trey Parker and Matt Stone have, on occasion, performed these and other songs (some unrelated to the show, such as "Dead Dead Dead"), under the band name DVDA. The character of Eric Cartman will often burst into song to convey a false altruism or optimism that belies his baser motivations. In Red Sleigh Down, he sings "Poo-Choo Train", an unnervingly cheery Christmas carol, in an obvious attempt to convince Mr. Hankey and Santa Claus that he is worthy of Christmas presents. In The Death of Eric Cartman he sings "Make it Right" with Butters in a weak attempt to reconcile his sins. Additional musical contributions to the show come from themselves and from Isaac Hayes, who voices the character Chef, and from the band Primus, which performed the original opening and ending themes for the show. But another high point of the series is its dramatic score, for it dramatizes common and deep parts with a very heartwarming, melancholic or mysterious soundtrack. South Park and politicsThe political leaning of South Park has been open to some debate. The show has drawn widespread criticism from both conservatives and liberals for its themes and its offensive language. However, unlike many other satirical shows, South Park's political humor is often seen as mocking liberal celebrities and pet causes. This has in turn prompted the use of the phrase South Park Republican to describe the attitudes of some of the show's viewers. Trey Parker stated in an interview that he was a "registered Libertarian". In other interviews Trey Parker and Matt Stone described themselves as being (small 'l') libertarian-Republicans. At any rate, the show has consistently made fun of all sides of the political spectrum. In fact, a recent ad ran on Comedy Central listing many categories of people South Park has made fun of (including blacks, gays, politicians, transsexuals, Jews and the disabled) and stated afterward "We apologize if South Park has left you out." Trivia
Evolution of the seriesSouth Park's early episodes tended to be shock value-oriented, but the more recent episodes are often oriented more toward poking fun at current events. This was very evident in the first half of season 8: events in its episodes include Michael Jackson visiting South Park, the boys seeing The Passion of the Christ, blue-collar workers in South Park losing their jobs to immigrants from the future, and an episode featuring a "Paris Hilton" toy video camera. Season 9 premiered with the episode "Mr. Garrison's Fancy New Vagina," which incorporated uncensored footage of sex reassignment surgery. The pilot episode was produced using construction paper and traditional stop-motion animation techniques, but current episodes duplicate the original, amateurish look using modern computer animation tools (first Power Animator, then Maya). This allows for a short production schedule which enables the creators to respond quickly to current events. For instance, the December 17, 2003 episode depicted the capture of Saddam Hussein a mere three days after his capture by U.S. forces, even referring to the "spider hole" where he was found. In the case of this and the Elian Gonzalez episode, they stopped and changed production of an episode to focus on these events. In the audio commentary on the season 4 DVD set, Parker and Stone remarked that beginning with episode 408, "Chef Goes Nanners," they began to consistently make episodes centering on a single issue, rather than having different sub-plots going on. In 2002 the episode "Free Hat" was aired. In this episode, prompted by Kyle's comment on Ted Koppel's Nightline that changing E.T. would be like changing Raiders of the Lost Ark, the South Park depictions of George Lucas and Steven Spielberg decide to alter the first Indiana Jones film. Soon after "Free Hat" aired, the real Lucas and Spielberg announced that they would not be altering Raiders of the Lost Ark for DVD release (contrary to rumors surrounding it). Stone and Parker later claimed that their episode prevented any alterations from happening when they appeared on a VH1 special, Inside South Park. While in college, Stone and Parker collaborated on the movie Cannibal! The Musical, a Western satire with humorous musical numbers (the "Braniff" tune that plays at the end of many South Park episodes is an excerpt from the Cannibal! song, "Shpadoinkle"). Later they created Orgazmo, a comedy about a Mormon starring in a pornographic movie, which found distribution thanks to the success of South Park later that same year. The pair starred in the 1998 film BASEketball directed by David Zucker (in a recent episode in which the boys see the Passion of the Christ and subsequently decide to get their money back for watching a lousy film, Stan comments to Kenny, "This is just like that time we got our money back from BASEketball," commenting on the film's box office failure). Their latest collaboration is the marionette action/comedy, Team America: World Police. This page about South Park includes information from a Wikipedia article. Additional articles about South Park News stories about South Park External links for South Park Videos for South Park Wikis about South Park Discussion Groups about South Park Blogs about South Park Images of South Park |
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Later they created Orgazmo, a comedy about a Mormon starring in a pornographic movie, which found distribution thanks to the success of South Park later that same year. It ranks third in the List of U.S. While in college, Stone and Parker collaborated on the movie Cannibal! The Musical, a Western satire with humorous musical numbers (the "Braniff" tune that plays at the end of many South Park episodes is an excerpt from the Cannibal! song, "Shpadoinkle"). Alaska's most populous city is Anchorage, home of 260,284 people, 225,744 of whom live in the urbanized area. Stone and Parker later claimed that their episode prevented any alterations from happening when they appeared on a VH1 special, Inside South Park. 1999 paperback, ISBN 0882405241. Soon after "Free Hat" aired, the real Lucas and Spielberg announced that they would not be altering Raiders of the Lost Ark for DVD release (contrary to rumors surrounding it). Insightful look into a different side of Anchorage in the 1960s and 1970s. In this episode, prompted by Kyle's comment on Ted Koppel's Nightline that changing E.T. would be like changing Raiders of the Lost Ark, the South Park depictions of George Lucas and Steven Spielberg decide to alter the first Indiana Jones film. Made into a TV movie. In 2002 the episode "Free Hat" was aired. "Johnny's Girl" by Kim Rich, a memoir by the daughter of a 1960s Anchorage mobster and a former stripper. In the audio commentary on the season 4 DVD set, Parker and Stone remarked that beginning with episode 408, "Chef Goes Nanners," they began to consistently make episodes centering on a single issue, rather than having different sub-plots going on. Gore Vidal based his first novel, Williwaw, on his military experiences in the Alaskan Harbor Detachment. In the case of this and the Elian Gonzalez episode, they stopped and changed production of an episode to focus on these events. "inua" is set after Alaskan statehood and again examines the intersection of cultures and the impact on the traditional Native Alaskan family. forces, even referring to the "spider hole" where he was found. "Spirit of the Raven" is set during Alaska's territorial days and examines the interactions of a culturally diverse group of characters brought together by a murder. For instance, the December 17, 2003 episode depicted the capture of Saddam Hussein a mere three days after his capture by U.S. Bob Cherry has written two books, "Spirit of the Raven: An Alaskan Novel" (ISBN 0966543068) and "inua" (ISBN 0966543017). This allows for a short production schedule which enables the creators to respond quickly to current events. 1997, ISBN 0385486804. The pilot episode was produced using construction paper and traditional stop-motion animation techniques, but current episodes duplicate the original, amateurish look using modern computer animation tools (first Power Animator, then Maya). Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer is the true story of Christopher McCandless, a college graduate and top student, who donated his entire $24,000 savings account to charity and moved into the Alaskan wilderness. Garrison's Fancy New Vagina," which incorporated uncensored footage of sex reassignment surgery. James Michener wrote Alaska. Season 9 premiered with the episode "Mr. 2003) has written three books which describe what it is like to live in a small coastal community in Alaska: Rogue's Yarn (2003, ISBN 0425191982), Crow in Stolen Colors (2000, ISBN 1890208361) and Sound Tracks (2001, ISBN 1890208728). This was very evident in the first half of season 8: events in its episodes include Michael Jackson visiting South Park, the boys seeing The Passion of the Christ, blue-collar workers in South Park losing their jobs to immigrants from the future, and an episode featuring a "Paris Hilton" toy video camera. Marcia Simpson (d. South Park's early episodes tended to be shock value-oriented, but the more recent episodes are often oriented more toward poking fun at current events. Coraghessan Boyle novel Drop City (2003, ISBN 0670031720) tells the story of a group of Hippies who relocate to Alaska. In fact, a recent ad ran on Comedy Central listing many categories of people South Park has made fun of (including blacks, gays, politicians, transsexuals, Jews and the disabled) and stated afterward "We apologize if South Park has left you out.". The T. At any rate, the show has consistently made fun of all sides of the political spectrum. Dale. In other interviews Trey Parker and Matt Stone described themselves as being (small 'l') libertarian-Republicans. Honorae V. Trey Parker stated in an interview that he was a "registered Libertarian". The first woman elected to statewide office was Fran Ulmer, elected as Lieutenant Governor in 1994. This has in turn prompted the use of the phrase South Park Republican to describe the attitudes of some of the show's viewers. Alaska's are of its first two senators:. However, unlike many other satirical shows, South Park's political humor is often seen as mocking liberal celebrities and pet causes. Each state has selected one or two distinguished citizens and provided statues. The show has drawn widespread criticism from both conservatives and liberals for its themes and its offensive language. The National Statuary Hall of the United States of America is part of the Capitol in Washington DC. The political leaning of South Park has been open to some debate. The state has tried to combat this by offering 4 year scholarships to the top 10 percent of Alaska high school graduates. But another high point of the series is its dramatic score, for it dramatizes common and deep parts with a very heartwarming, melancholic or mysterious soundtrack. Alaska has long had a problem with "brain drain" as many of its young people, including most of the highest academic achievers, leave the state upon graduating high school. Additional musical contributions to the show come from themselves and from Isaac Hayes, who voices the character Chef, and from the band Primus, which performed the original opening and ending themes for the show. Spanish speakers make up 2.9% of the population, followed by Tagalog speakers at 1.5% and Korean at 0.8%. In The Death of Eric Cartman he sings "Make it Right" with Butters in a weak attempt to reconcile his sins. As of 2000 85.7% of Alaska residents age 5 and older speak English at home and 5.2% speak Native American languages. Hankey and Santa Claus that he is worthy of Christmas presents. The six largest ethnic groups in the state are: German (16.6%), Alaska Native (15.6%), Irish (10.8%), English (9.6%), American (5.7%), Norwegian (4.2%). In Red Sleigh Down, he sings "Poo-Choo Train", an unnervingly cheery Christmas carol, in an obvious attempt to convince Mr. Racially, the state is:. The character of Eric Cartman will often burst into song to convey a false altruism or optimism that belies his baser motivations. 51.7% is male, and 48.3% is female. Trey Parker and Matt Stone have, on occasion, performed these and other songs (some unrelated to the show, such as "Dead Dead Dead"), under the band name DVDA. As of 2003, the population of Alaska was 648,818. The film's soundtrack featured songs like "Mountain Town", "Uncle Fucka", "What Would Brian Boitano Do?" (a song to which Brian Boitano has been known to figure skate), "I'm Super", and "Blame Canada" (nominated for an Oscar, see below). Mushers from all over the world come to Anchorage each March to compete for cash prizes and prestige. Popular songs such as "Kyle's Mom is a Bitch" originated on the show, but the creators' musical abilities were not frequently used until the release of South Park: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut. The race commemorates the famous 1925 serum run to Nome in which mushers and dogs like Balto took much-needed medicine to the diphtheria-stricken community of Nome when all other means of transportation had failed. The fact that the lines are unintelligible helped them slip past network censors. Various races are held around the state, but the most well-known is the Iditarod, a 1,150-mile trail from Anchorage to Nome. Kenny always wears a parka over his head and most of his face. In modern times, dog mushing is more of a sport than a true means of transportation. It should be noted that Kenny's lines in the song, as well as all but one of his lines throughout the show (episode 807, "The Jeffersons") and one in the movie, are muffled. Another Alaskan transportation method is the dogsled. The show's opening theme song is:. The world's busiest seaplane base is Lake Hood, located next to Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport, where flights bound for remote villages without an airstrip carry passengers, cargo, and lots of items from Costco. Although South Park is well known for its humor and controversial plots, viewers are also treated to an original musical score. But perhaps the most quintessentially Alaskan plane is the Bush seaplane. According to the episode "Red Hot Catholic Love", virtually all the major and recurring characters in South Park are Roman Catholic, except:. The smallest towns and villages must rely on scheduled or chartered Bush flying services using general aviation aircraft such as the Cessna Caravan, the most popular aircraft in use in the state. See list of celebrities on South Park for more persons who have appeared on the show in one way or another. Smaller communities are served by the three main regional commuter airlines: Era Aviation, PenAir, and Frontier Flying Service. Examples include:. However, Alaska Airlines has a virtual monopoly on jet air travel within the state—meaning airfares are extremely high. The airline offers frequent jet service (sometimes in combination cargo and passenger Boeing 737-200s) from Anchorage and Fairbanks to regional hubs like Bethel, Nome, Kotzebue, Dillingham, Kodiak, and other larger communities as well as to major Southeast and Alaska Peninsula communities. Celebrities often appear (usually "impersonated.....poorly"). Anchorage recently completed extensive remodeling and construction at Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport to help accommodate the upsurge in tourism (unofficial sources have estimated the numbers for 2004 at some four million tourists arriving in Alaska between May and September). And also Towelie the towel who always gets, or wants to get high (off cannabis). Air travel is the cheapest and most efficient form of transportation in and out of the state. Hankey "the Christmas poo", who adds to the holiday festivities in much the same spirit as the 1960s Rankin-Bass cartoons. Anchorage itself, and to a lesser extent Fairbanks, are serviced by most major airlines. Notable appearances include God, who appears as a small creature resembling a hippo-rodent hybrid; Jesus, a recurring character, who owns a home and hosts a public-access television show in South Park (Jesus and Pals); Satan and his lover Saddam Hussein; Moses, who appears exactly as the Master Control Program (MCP) does in the Disney film Tron and demands macaroni pictures; the alien Marklar race; the jakovasaur; Death; and Mr. Cities not served by road or sea can only be reached by air, accounting for Alaska's extremely well-developed Bush air services—an Alaskan novelty. Part of the show's surrealist nature derives from the minor characters who appear in the series. Alaska has a well-developed ferry system, known as the Alaska Marine Highway System, which serves the cities of Southeast and the Alaska Peninsula. The system also operates a ferry service from Bellingham, Washington up the Inside Passage to Haines (several cruise companies offer cruises up the Inside Passage as well, with service all the way to Seward and Whittier). There are many other frequently recurring characters, besides the boys and their families. Most cities and villages in the state are accessible only by sea or air. Main article: Recurring South Park characters. When they want to come back to town, they wait by the side of the tracks and "flag" the train, giving the train its name. Jefferson," an alias of Michael Jackson, in the episode "The Jeffersons", and in the ninth season, he was killed by the Chinese mafia in the episode "Wing," as well as the following episode, "Best Friends Forever" (in fact, he dies twice in the latter). Residents board the train in Talkeetna and tell the conductor where they want to get off. He was also killed once during the eighth season, unmasked, by "Mr. A stretch of the track along an area inaccessible by road serves as the only transportation to cabins in the area. Kenny was killed by Saddam Hussein in "It's Christmas in Canada," the final episode of season seven. The route between Talkeetna and Hurricane (an area between Talkeetna and Denali) features the last remaining flag stop train service in the United States. He came back to life for an unexplained reason in "Red Sleigh Down" and is now the same regular kid he was before, except his deaths are much rarer now. The Alaska Railroad is the only remaining railroad in North America to use cabooses on its freight trains. For some time (after the 5th season episode "Kenny Dies"), Kenny had actually died "permanently." In the 6th season episode "A Ladder to Heaven," Kenny's soul became entrapped inside of Cartman's body, but an exorcism performed by Chef's mama in "The Biggest Douche in the Universe" undid this. The railroad is famous for its summertime passenger services but also plays a vital part in moving Alaska's natural resources, such as coal and gravel, to ports in Anchorage, Whittier and Seward. After this Stan would say, "Oh my god, they killed Kenny!" and Kyle would add, "You bastards!" Kenny would be back in the next episode, the incident forgotten. The Alaska Railroad runs from Seward through Anchorage, Denali, and Fairbanks to North Pole, with spurs to Whittier and Palmer. The show's earliest well-known gimmick was that in every episode, Kenny would die in some horrible, unexpected way. The tunnel is the longest road tunnel in North America at nearly 2.5 miles and combines a one-lane roadway and train tracks in the same housing. Consequently, eastbound traffic, westbound traffic, and the Alaska Railroad must share the tunnel, resulting in waits of 20 minutes or more to enter. In recent seasons, two other characters have gained prominence:. One unique feature of the road system is the Anton Anderson Memorial Tunnel, which links the Seward Highway south of Anchorage with the relatively isolated community of Whittier. The main characters of the show are four elementary school students:. The state capital, Juneau, is not accessible by road, which has spurred several debates over the decades about moving the capital to a city on the road system. Craig" and "Cat Orgy"). The state's road system covers a relatively small area of the state, linking the central population centers and the Alaska Highway, the principal route out of the state through Canada. Some episodes have sections of regular film edited in (e.g., "Tweek vs. Alaska is arguably the least-connected state in terms of road transportation. To put the efficiency of this process in perspective, consider that the average episode of The Simpsons takes 8 months to create while episodes of South Park have been completed in as little as 3 days. Some have embraced the free shipping offers of some online retailers to purchase items much more cheaply than they could in their own communities, if they are available at all. Paper cutouts were indeed used in the original pilot Parker/Stone animation and in the very first Comedy Central episode, but every subsequent episode aired on TV has been produced by computer animation that provides the same crude look. Many rural residents come in to Anchorage and purchase food and goods in bulk from warehouse clubs like Costco and Sam's Club. The characters and backgrounds of South Park are made to appear deliberately crude, as if they are simply made of cut-out pieces of paper. However, rural Alaska suffers from extremely high prices for food and consumer goods due to the lack of transportation infrastructure. Her husband, Dino Andrade, founded the Mary Kay Bergman Memorial Fund at the Suicide Prevention Center of Greater Los Angeles in an effort to help and educate people with the same type of depression that his wife suffered from. This has changed for the most part in Anchorage, where the cost of living is actually less than some major cities in the Lower 48, thanks to lower housing and transportation costs. After her death it was revealed that she suffered from a severe form of clinical depression. The cost of goods in Alaska has long been higher than in the contiguous 48 states. theatrical release of South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut, actress Mary Kay Bergman, who had provided all of the female voices on the South Park television series and in the full-length movie, committed suicide using a gun in her suburban Los Angeles, California home. There is also a growing service and tourism sector. On November 11, 1999 shortly after the U.S. Its industrial outputs are crude petroleum, natural gas, coal, gold, precious metals, zinc and other mining, seafood processing, timber and wood products. It's more likely that "Blame Canada" was chosen because it plainly expresses the movie's main theme. Manufacturing is limited, with most foodstuffs and general goods imported from elsewhere. Employment is primarily in government and industries such as natural resource extraction, shipping, and transportation. It has often been said that "Blame Canada" was chosen from other Oscar-worthy songs in the movie on the basis that it was the only one that could be performed on live TV with its lyrics relatively intact; however, this is somewhat unlikely, as "Blame Canada" contains a swear word, whereas "Up There," a sentimental and inoffensive song sung by Satan, does not. Alaska's main agriculture output is seafood, although nursery stock, dairy products, vegetables, and livestock are produced and used internally. It also presented a twisted but seemingly sincere tribute to the film musical with a number of songs, including "Uncle Fucka" and "Blame Canada." The latter was nominated for an Oscar and was performed by Robin Williams during the awards show. Its per-capita income for 2003 was $33,213, 14th in the nation. The film managed to satirize both itself and the anticipated reaction that it engendered from moral conservatives. The state's 2003 total gross state product was $31 billion. The following year, the full-length animated feature film South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut was released to generally enthusiastic reviews. The difference between boroughs and census areas is that boroughs have an organized area-wide government, while census areas are artificial divisions defined by the United States Census Bureau. It was apparently a well-planted April Fools Day gag, meant to poke fun at season-ending cliffhangers. Alaska has no counties in the sense used in the rest of the country; however, the state is divided into 27 census areas and boroughs. Four weeks later, the airing of an episode about Terrance and Phillip (two Canadian comedians the main characters idolize) prompted outrage, and also prompted Comedy Central to push the true season premiere up earlier than expected. See: List of Alaska rivers. The episode ended with the announcement that it would be revealed in four weeks' time. Various private interests own the remaining land, less than 1%. In February 1998, one episode of South Park posed the question of who Eric Cartman's father was. Of the remaining land, the State of Alaska owns 24.5%; another 10% is managed by thirteen regional and dozens of local Native corporations called ANCSA. Comedy Central defended South Park by noting that the show is given a "Mature Audiences" TV rating (TV-MA) and that it only airs the show during nighttime hours and never during the day when children may be more likely to see the show. The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is managed by the US Fish and Wildlife Service. The show's provocative, frequently offensive, and unquestionably adult-oriented material quickly drew howls of protests from various conservative spokespersons, and South Park merchandise (especially T-shirts) were banned from a number of public schools, day care centers, and other public places in a manner similar to the prohibition of Bart Simpson T-shirts in the early 1990s after The Simpsons was accused of contributing to juvenile delinquency. Of these, the Bureau of Land Management manages 87 million acres, or 23.8% of the state. This led to talks to create a series, first with Fox, then with Comedy Central, where the series premiered on August 13, 1997. According to the October 1998 report of the USDI Bureau of Land Management, approximately 65% of Alaska is owned and managed by the US Federal Government as national forests, national parks, and national wildlife refuges. The video was a hit and was quickly shared, both by underground duplication and over the then-burgeoning Internet. The Aleutian Islands actually cross longitude 180°, though the International Date Line doglegs around them to keep the whole state in the same day. Entitled The Spirit of Christmas, it closely resembled the style of the later series, and featured a martial arts duel (and subsequent truce) between Jesus and Santa Claus over the true meaning of Christmas. Alaska is both the Westernmost and Easternmost state in the Union. Executives at the Fox network saw the film, and in 1995 executive Brian Graden commissioned Parker and Stone to create a second short film to send to friends as a video Christmas card. North America's second largest tide occurs in Turnagain Arm just south of Anchorage, which often sees tidal differences of more than 30 feet. The baby Jesus then saves the day by decapitating the monster with a halo. The chain of volcanoes extends to Mount Spurr, west of Anchorage on the mainland. The crudely made film featured prototypical versions of the kids of South Park, including a character resembling Cartman but called "Kenny", bringing a murderous snowman to life with a magic hat. For example, Unimak Island is home to Mount Shishaldin, a moderately active volcano that rises to 9,980 ft (3,042 m) above sea level. South Park got its start in 1991 when Parker and Stone, then film students at the University of Colorado, created an animated short called Jesus vs Frosty (also known as The Spirit of Christmas). The island chain extending west from the southern tip of Alaska is called the Aleutian Islands. Many active volcanoes are found in the Aleutians. An episode that aired after the September 11, 2001 attacks had the boys stow away on a military transport to Afghanistan, where they encounter Osama bin Laden, and more recently the 2005 Terri Schiavo case was parodied in an episode in which the town is at odds over the removal of a feeding tube from Kenny McCormick. Alaska, with its numerous islands, has nearly 34,000 miles (54,700 km) of tidal shoreline. Attorney General, as a murderous Easter Bunny. One scheme for describing the state's geography is by labeling the regions:. For example, an episode involving the repatriation of Romanian quintuplets aired during the Elián González issue, and depicted Janet Reno, then U.S. If you superimposed a map of Alaska on the Lower 48 states, Alaska would stretch from Minnesota to Texas, and from California to Georgia. The show is noted for its characteristically blunt handling of current events while they are still current. (It is thus an exclave.) Alaska is the largest state in the United States in terms of land area, 570,374 square miles (1,477,261 km²). Recent seasons have aired in two parts; for example, half of the episodes from the eighth season were put on hiatus for Team America: World Police, another Stone and Parker production. Alaska is the only state that is both in North America and not part of the 48 contiguous states; about 500 miles (800 kilometers) of Canadian territory separate Alaska from Washington. New episodes in the show's ninth season began airing March 9, 2005. Littke, Peter, Russian-American Bibliography, 2003. South Park satirizes many aspects of American culture and current events, and challenges deepset convictions and taboos, usually using parody and black humor. Literature:. Distributed by and airing on Comedy Central (and its current owner, Viacom) since 1997, it follows the surreal adventures of four young boys who live in the small town of South Park, Colorado. It was the only part of the United States to have land occupied during the war. South Park is a comedy animated series created by Matt Stone and Trey Parker. During World War II three of the outer Aleutian Islands — Attu, Agattu and Kiska — were occupied by Japanese troops. Parker animated a South Park version of a joke called The Aristocrats for the documentary of that name. Over the years various vessels have been named USS Alaska, in honor of the state. Eventually an ending showing crude cut outs of Terry Gilliam, Venus de Milo, and the Monty Python foot appear. In 1983 the number of time zones was reduced to two, with the entire mainland plus the inner Aleutian Islands going to UTC −9 hours (and this zone then being renamed Alaska Standard Time as the Yukon Territory had several years earlier (circa 1975) adopted a single time zone identical to Pacific Standard Time), and the remaining Aleutian Islands were slotted into the UTC −10 hours zone, which was then renamed Hawaii-Aleutian Standard Time. A short tribute sketch was shown for the 30th anniversary of Monty Python which parodied the "Dead Parrot sketch." The parody takes part in a friends store, where Eric Cartman walks in and complains that this friend (Kenny) that he bought is dead. Prior to 1983, the state lay across four different time zones — Pacific Standard Time (UTC −8 hours) in the extreme southeast, a small area of Yukon Standard Time (UTC −9 hours) around Juneau, Alaska-Hawaii Standard Time (UTC −10 hours) in the Anchorage and Fairbanks vicinity, with the Nome area and most of the Aleutian Islands observing Bering Standard Time (UTC −11 hours). In fact, Cartman says the expert (introduced as "Geoffrey Mainard") played the lead in a production of Les Misérables. Characters on The Simpsons, perhaps not coincidencially, often have the number 24601 as well. The fund invests a portion of the state's mineral revenue, including revenue from the Trans-Alaskan Pipeline System, 'to benefit all generations of Alaskans.' In March 2005, the fund's value was over $30 billion. Les Misérables has had several cameo roles throughout the series, including Cosette's appearance, Cartman's prison number, 24601 (Jean Valjean's number), and an entire song in South Park: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut that is based on a song from the musical named "One Day More." Also, in episode 414 "Helen Keller! The Musical," the "musical theater expert" sounds similar to Colm Wilkinson, who played the original Jean Valjean on Broadway. In 1976, the people of Alaska amended the state's constitution, establishing the Alaska Permanent Fund. They have said the appearance of Moore as a suicide bomber in their 2004 film Team America: World Police is their sardonic response to this incident. Eisenhower signed the Alaska Statehood Act into United States law on 7 July 1958 which paved the way for Alaska's admission into the Union on January 3, 1959. It became a point of contention between them and the filmmaker, Michael Moore, as they believed Moore meant to imply they had contributed to his film. President Dwight D. Stone's appearance was followed by an uncredited cartoon in a style strongly reminiscent of South Park that was not the work of either Stone or Parker. Between 1884 and 1912 it was called the district of Alaska. Stone presents a vision of Littleton as painfully normal, and highly intolerant of non-conformist behavior. After the purchase of Alaska between 1867 and 1884 the name was changed to the Department of Alaska. The film Bowling for Columbine includes a brief interview with Matt Stone that suggests South Park was largely inspired by Stone's childhood experiences in Littleton, Colorado. The purchase was not popular in the continental United States, where Alaska became known as "Seward's Folly" or "Seward's Icebox". Alaska celebrates the purchase each year on the last Monday of March, calling it Seward's Day. The Harrisons, who are Mormon. The first American administrator of Alaska was Włodzimierz Krzyżanowski. The Broflovskis (Kyle's family), who are Jewish. Secretary of State William Seward, the United States Senate approved the purchase of Alaska from Russia for $7,200,000 on 9 April 1867, and the United States flag was raised on 18 October of that same year (now called Alaska Day). Clooney also appeared as a voice actor for Sparky, Stan's homosexual dog, in the episode "Big Gay Al's Big Gay Boat Ride". At the instigation of U.S. George Clooney, who appears in "Bigger, Longer, and Uncut" as himself, portraying an emergency room doctor similar to his character Doug Ross in the TV series ER. The colony was never very profitable, because of the costs of transportation. Patrick Duffy, who appears upside-down as one of the legs of a mountain creature called Scuzzlebutt. The Russian-American Company hunted otters for their fur. Christina Aguilera, who is portrayed as a hideous creature. St. Elias. Paris Hilton as spokeswoman for the "Stupid Spoiled Whore" clothing store chain. Vitus Bering sailed east and saw Mt. Jefferson comes to South Park to hide out because he is being accused of child molestation; such accusations were made against Jackson in late 2003. The first written accounts indicate that the first Europeans to reach Alaska came from Russia. Mr. Most, if not all, of the pre-Columbian population of the Americas probably took this route and continued further south and east. Jefferson" who moves to South Park with his young son, Blanket. Eventually, Alaska became populated by the Inuit and a variety of Native American groups. Michael Jackson as a new neighbor named "Mr. Alaska was probably first settled by people who came there across the Bering Land Bridge. Fleetwood Mac's Stevie Nicks as a goat in the Afghanistan episode. Alaska is the largest state by area in the United States. Radiohead, playing themselves, with the band telling lead singer Thom Yorke to stop reading fan mail and mocking Scott Tenorman for crying. It is bordered by Yukon Territory and British Columbia, Canada to the east, the Gulf of Alaska and the Pacific Ocean to the south, the Bering Sea, Bering Strait, and Chukchi Sea to the west, and the Beaufort Sea and the Arctic Ocean to the north. Sally Struthers, portrayed as a Hutt (as in "Jabba the Hutt" from Star Wars) saving "Starvin' Marvin" and his people in Africa. The natives called it "Alyeska", meaning "the great land". David Blaine, founder of the fictional "Blainetology" religion. The name "Alaska" is most likely derived from the Aleut word for "great country" or "mainland". Madonna, who is ridiculed. The population of the state is 626,932, as of 2000. Russell Crowe, star of the TV show "Russell Crowe: Fightin' Around the World," in which he travels the world in a cartoon tugboat and picks fights with random strangers based on perceived insults. On January 3, 1959, Alaska was admitted to the United States as the 49th state. Brian Boitano, who is a superhero. Sheldon Jackson College. the band Toto (an 80s band). Ilisagvik College. the band Korn, who played themselves and solved a Scooby Doo-type mystery. Charter College. Simpson, part of a support group for relatives of murder victims. Alaska Pacific University. J. Alaska Bible College. O. University of Alaska Southeast. Bill Clinton, who slept with Cartman's mom. University of Alaska Fairbanks. Garrison tried to assassinate. University of Alaska Anchorage. Kathie Lee Gifford, whom Mr. University of Alaska System
Cartman later takes revenge on Scott by feeding him Scott's own parents at Cartman's chili con carnival. Jay Hammond was Governor during the building of the Alaska Pipeline and established the Alaska Permanent Fund, providing Alaskans with essentially free money. Scott Tenorman, a much older schoolmate, originally introduced when he cons Cartman out of his allowance money in the episode Scott Tenorman Must Die. He was elected to the United States Senate in 1958 and re-elected in 1962. The goth kids, originally featured in episode 714 (Raisins). Ernest Gruening (1886–1974) was appointed Governor of the Territory of Alaska in 1939, and served in that position for fourteen years. Token is also a frequent target of Cartman's racism. There are streets, buildings, and even the first state ferry, named for him. Token Williams, a schoolmate of black descent who often accompanies the boys on their adventures. Edward Lewis "Bob" Bartlett (1904–1968) was the territorial delegate to the US Congress from 1944 to 1958, and was elected as the first senior US senator in 1958 and re-elected in 1964. He is afraid of getting an erection and took steroids to win the Special Olympics. 5.4% mixed race. Often performs stand-up comedy. 3.5% Black. Jimmy, a handicapped schoolmate with crutches and a speech impediment. 4% Asian. He has a limited vocabulary, usually only consisting of his own name, Jimmy's name, and his usual babble that sounds like "Livin' a lie!", though, on occasion, has managed a few other words. 4.1% Hispanic. Timmy, a schoolmate confined by handicap to a wheelchair. 15.6% American Indian or Alaska Native. Wendy Testaburger, a schoolmate and Stan's sometimes girlfriend. 67.6% White (Non-Hispanic). Officer Barbrady, the incompetent town police officer. the Alaskan Bush is the remote, uncrowded part of the state. kay?" to the end of his sentences. the Alaska Interior has big rivers, such as the Yukon River and the Kuskokwim River, as well as Arctic tundra lands and shorelines; and. Mackey, the school counselor who often appends "Mmmm.. the Alaska Panhandle, also known as Southeast Alaska, is home to towns, tidewater glaciers and extensive forests;. Mr. South Central Alaska is the southern coastal region with towns, cities, and petroleum industrial plants;. Jesus and Santa Claus, who are frequently depicted as gun-toting heroes. Satan, portrayed as the insecure and overly sensitive gay lover of Saddam Hussein. Jerome "Chef" McElroy (voiced by Isaac Hayes), the school cafeteria chef whom the boys seek out for advice. Hat). Garrison's gay live-in lover until his sex change in episode 901 (replacement for Garrison's beloved puppet companion, Mr. Slave, Mr. Mr. Choksondik (pronounced "chokes-on-dick") who dies in season 6. Garrison's Fancy New Vagina), and Ms. Herbert Garrison (currently Mrs. Garrison after receiving a sex change in episode 901, Mr. the boys' teachers Mr. Tweek (replaced Kenny during the second part of the 6th season, though Kenny was brought back for the 7th season): like Butters he is very nervous; he is constantly given caffeine by his coffee-shop-owning parents, he is visited nightly by the "underpants gnomes" and his eyes "tweek." Since Kenny returned, he has returned to playing a minor role. His birthday is September 11. He is now one of the most important characters, having featured prominently in several episodes, particularly as a foil to Cartman's schemes. Leopold "Butters" Stotch (replaced Kenny as a main character during the first part of the 6th season, though Kenny was brought back for the 7th season; has been prominent ever since): intelligent and sometimes insightful, but nervous and easily manipulated, thanks to his overbearing parents. Eric Cartman: aggressive, spoiled, overweight and rude, antagonistic, often the catalyst for the plot, frequently insults Kyle for being Jewish and Kenny for being poor. Kenny McCormick: poor lower class, obsessed with sex and bathroom humor, victim of many deaths. Kyle Broflovski: skeptical, critical of authority, Jewish. Stan Marsh: kind and nervous, with a strong sense of right and wrong. |