South Park
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South Park | |
---|---|
Genre | Animated Sitcom/Satire |
Running time | 22 min |
Creator(s) | Trey Parker Matt Stone |
Starring | Trey Parker Matt Stone Isaac Hayes (1997–2006) Mary Kay Bergman (1997–1999) Eliza Schneider (2000–2003) Mona Marshall April Stewart John Hansen Jennifer Howell and Adrien Beard |
Country of origin | |
Original channel | Comedy Central |
Original run | August 13, 1997–present |
No. of episodes | 159 (List of episodes) |
Official website | |
IMDb profile | |
TV.com summary |
South Park is an animated television comedy series about the lives of four boys in the fourth grade living in the small mountain town of South Park, Colorado. The series is made to be watched by teenagers and adults, but the series gets a lot of people to watch it because of its humor. It is not politically correct, or good for children, in many of the things it shows. Creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone also made a movie based on this series called South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut. Characters in South Park include Stanley "Stan" Marsh, Kyle Broflovski, Eric Theodore Cartman and Kenneth "Kenny" McCormick. These boys are 8 and 9 years old and the series is about them living in their town.
Contents |
[edit] Origins
South Park began in 1992 when Trey Parker and Matt Stone met in their film class at the University of Colorado. They made a animated short called Jesus vs. Frosty. The short movie had characters that were similar to the main characters in the present-day South Park.
Later on, an executive at FOX saw the movie. He hired Parker and Stone to make a second short movie to send to friends as a video Christmas card. This second video was called Jesus vs. Santa. It had the same style as the South Park that can be seen today.
[edit] Characters
The voices in South Park are done by a small number of actors. Most of the male voices are done by Matt Stone and Trey Parker. The female voices are done by April Stewart and Mona Marshall (formerly Mary Kay Bergman and Eliza Schneider). Other voices are done by Adrien Beard (Token Black), and Vernon Chatman (Towelie).
[edit] Main characters
Before the start of season four, the main characters of the show were four third grade students (often called "the boys" when as a group for easier reference).
- Stanley "Stan" Marsh
Stan is usually considered the serious and sensitive of the group. Stan is able to think clearly and is generally good-natured. Stan usually tries to come up with logical solutions to their outrageous situations. Stan's character is loosely based on the persona of co-creator Trey Parker. His best friend is Kyle and their relationship is essential in several episodes, such as when he saves Kyle's life in Cherokee Hair Tampons, Cartmanland and Super Best Friends.
- Kyle Broflovski
Kyle is the most easy-going character and the only Jewish one. Even though he isn't particularly religious, he hates Cartman because of his constant ridiculing of his faith. Kyle's character effectively portrays the alter-ego of co-creator Matt Stone. Along with Stan, Kyle often provides a reasonable perspective on the crazy behavior of the adult world around them. Kyle is often depicted as the most moral member of the four.
- Eric Theodore Cartman
Eric is the most irrational of the main characters. Eric is overweight and seems to hate almost everything. He is often the catalyst for the plot. Cartman commonly acts against the other boys. Cartman frequently insults Kyle for being Jewish and Kenny for being poor and in earlier episodes, Stan for having a girlfriend. Cartman is extremely devious and seems to be intelligent, however, this is shadowed by his racism and bigotry. Cartman sometimes serves as a mouthpiece for some of Parker and Stone's more extreme social commentary (three times he has dressed as Adolf Hitler). Cartman hates hippies above all else as seen in the episode (Die Hippie, Die depicted his career as a 'hippie exterminator' ).
- Kenneth "Kenny" McCormick
Kenny comes from a poverty-stricken family and is the most cosmopolitan of the four boys, who often turn to him when encountering an unfamiliar sexual term. Kenny's voice is muffled by his parka, this is mainly because the comments he makes are vulgar. Even though his dialog isn’t understood by the viewer, Stan, Kyle and Cartman can understand him completely.
- Leopold "Butters" Stotch
Butters made very few appearances in the early episodes. He only started to became a regular character upon Kenny's departure in season 6. He has since been used almost as regularly as the main 4 boys. Butters is the character that the others usually make fun of, he is nervous, naive, easily manipulated, yet he remains very optimistic. He is often punished by his overbearing parents, and sometimes used by his peers for their own amusement. To further represent the misfortune of this character, it is revealed in the episode AWESOM-O that his birthday is on September 11. Butters became important after he was the replacement for the semi-permanently dead Kenny in season six. His character is based on animation director Eric Stough.
[edit] Other characters
[edit] Family members
South Park has a number of different families, who represent a common theme of many episodes. There are six main families, who are distinguished from the rest of the townsfolk: the Marshes, the Broflovskis, the Tweeks, the Cartmans, the McCormicks, and the Stotches. These families are important because their children have once or twice been the main character.