This article is classified "Real"
"Oh, my God! They killed Kenny! You bastards!"
Sound familiar? It should. This now-famous catch-phrase is from the Comedy
Central show, South Park, the brainchild of animators Trey Parker and Matt
Stone. The animation? Crude. The language? Cruder. The humor?
Brilliant. Made to look like cut-paper animation (it actually takes some
fancy computer equipment and a lot of free time), the show chronicles the
lives of four third graders in the small Colorado town of South Park. Stan,
a fairly nondescript kid in a red and blue hat, has an evil sister, a gay
dog [1] and a crush on Wendy Testaburger (he throws up whenever she talks to
him). Kyle, the kid in the green hat with flaps, is Jewish, talks to Mr.
Hankey the Christmas Poo [2], and is the protagonist of sorts. Cartman is
the fat kid, who has been abducted by aliens, given an anal probe, almost
been on TV with Kathie Lee Gifford, and delights in tormenting those less
rotund than he. Lastly is Kenny, the kid in the hood who is completely
incomprehensible [4] and who dies in nearly every episode.
Those children of the seventies will undoubtedly recognize the Oscar-winning
voice of Isaac Hayes behind the school's chef. This rotund culinary master
is always prepared to help out his "little crackers" with a helping of
Salisbury Steak, and a wildly inappropriate, sexually-oriented song.
It all started with a video Christmas card, "The Spirit of Christmas". In
this delightful holiday tale, Jesus and Santa Claus go at it, Mortal
Kombat-style, taking out half the neighborhood kids and setting the stage
for Kenny's recurring death. The dispute is settled by Brian Boitano [5],
and the (remaining) kids realize the true Spirit of Christmas: presents.
This video, a rather large MPEG, was kicked around on the Internet,
developing a cult following, and was finally picked up by Comedy Central,
who has since commissioned at least 13 episodes. This is, of course, in
addition to commercials [6] and the natural appearance on The Tonight Show,
in which Jay Leno kills Kenny.
Despite being chock-full of obscenities, atrocities and the occasional
blasphemy, or perhaps because of them, the show manages to be both hilarious
and thought-provoking. Episodes poke fun at UFO enthusiasts, genetic
engineers, sports commentators, teachers, political correctness, hunting,
Sally Struthers, and damn near anything they can think of. It's only a
matter of time, one thinks, before Cartman eats an entire Sacred Cow. The
jokes range from the token flatulence and sex jokes to rather sophisticated
humor. In fact, one recent episode was entirely devoted to a duo of walking
fart jokes in a "movie" entitled, "Not Without My Anus." It's like having
Beavis and Butthead sit in on The Simpsons.
Like any cult classic, South Park episodes lend themselves to being
watched over and over. Every time you watch an episode, you notice
something different, including what Mr. Garrison, the kids' teacher, writes
on the blackboard, and other such details that give the show a real
masterful touch.
And of course, it all goes to show: Kids say the darndest things.
South Park airs at 10pm EST Wednesday night and Saturday night on Comedy
Central in the United States. Those in the UK may be able to tune into
Channel 4 on the Friday night cartoon slot, although of course this
information may well be out of date by the time you read this.
[1] Played by none other than George Clooney, star of ER, Batman and
Robin, From Dusk 'Til Dawn, and not much else.
[2] Don't ask. [3]
[3] Seriously. Don't ask.
[4] Something akin to a cult following has been trying to determine what
Kenny is actually saying. Most of what they have conjectured is unfit
for print, but it makes one wonder... [7]
[5] Yes, the skater.
[6] Kenny and Kyle appeared in a commercial for Magic: The Gathering, in
which Kenny reportedly said something nasty about the game.
[7] In a recent edition of TV Guide, the show's creators confirmed that
Kenny's ramblings, if understandable, would be censor-food.