South Park (franchise)

South Park is an American multimedia comedy franchise created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone. It is based on the television series of the same name, developed by Brian Graden for the Comedy Central television network.

This article is about the media franchise. For the television show, see South Park.
South Park
The town sign of South Park serves as the show's logo
Created byTrey Parker
Matt Stone
Original workThe Spirit of Christmas
Owned byViacomCBS
(via Comedy Central)
Films and television
Film(s)South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut
Short film(s)The Spirit of Christmas
Animated seriesSouth Park (1997–present)
Games
Video game(s)List of video games
Audio
Soundtrack(s)

TV show
Main article: South Park

South Park is an American adult animated sitcom created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone and developed by Brian Graden for the Comedy Central television network. The show revolves around four boys—Stan Marsh, Kyle Broflovski, Eric Cartman, and Kenny McCormick—and their bizarre adventures in and around the titular Colorado town. Much like The Simpsons, South Park uses a very large ensemble cast of recurring characters and became infamous for its profanity and dark, surreal humor that satirizes a wide range of topics towards a mature audience.

The pilot episode was produced using cutout animation, leading to all subsequent episodes being produced with computer animation that emulated the cutout technique. Parker and Stone perform most of the voice acting for the show's male characters. Since 2000, each episode has typically been written and produced in the week preceding its broadcast, with Parker serving as the primary writer and director. There have been a total of 308 episodes over the course of the show's 23 seasons. The show's twenty-third season premiered on September 25, 2019. A special aired on September 30, 2020.

Film
Main article: South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut

In June 1999, less than two years after the series first aired, a feature-length film was released domestically by Paramount Pictures, with Warner Bros. handling international distribution. The film, a musical comedy, was directed by Parker, who co-wrote the script with Stone and Pam Brady. The film was generally well received by critics,[1] and earned a combined US$83.1 million at the domestic and foreign box office.[2] The film satirizes the controversy surrounding the show itself and gained a spot in the 2001 edition of Guinness World Records for "Most Swearing in an Animated Film".[3] The song "Blame Canada" from the film's soundtrack earned song co-writers Parker and Marc Shaiman an Academy Award nomination for Best Music, Original Song.[4]

Imaginationland: The Movie was released direct-to-video in 2008 and features the three episodes from the 11th season (Imaginationland I, Imaginationland II, and Imaginationland III) merged into a compilation film.[5]

Parker and Stone said in a 2008 interview that a theatrically released sequel would most likely be what concludes the series.[6] In 2011, when asked on the official South Park website whether a sequel would be made, they said "the first South Park movie was so potent, we're all still recovering from the blow. Unfortunately, at the current moment, there are no plans for a second South Park movie. But you never know what the future may bring, crazier things have happened..."[7] In 2011, Time called South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut the sixth greatest animated feature of all time.[8] In 2013, Warner Bros. relinquished to Paramount its rights to co-finance a potential future South Park film during their negotiations to co-finance the Christopher Nolan science fiction film Interstellar. Previous efforts to create a second South Park film were complicated due to both studios retaining certain rights to the property.[9]

Media and merchandise

Shorts

As a tribute to the Dead Parrot sketch, a short that features Cartman attempting to return a dead Kenny to a shop run by Kyle aired during a 1999 BBC television special commemorating the 30th anniversary of Monty Python's Flying Circus.[10] South Park parodied Scientology in a short that aired as part of the 2000 MTV Movie Awards. The short was entitled "The Gauntlet" and also poked fun at John Travolta, a Scientologist.[11][12] The four main characters were featured in the documentary film The Aristocrats, listening to Cartman tell his version of the film's titular joke.[13] Short clips of Cartman introducing the starting lineup for the University of Colorado football team were featured during ABC's coverage of the 2007 matchup between the University of Colorado and the University of Nebraska.[14] In 2008, Parker, as Cartman, gave answers to a Proust Questionnaire conducted by Julie Rovner of NPR.[15] The Snakes & Arrows Tour for Rush in 2007 used an intro from Cartman, Stan, Kyle, and Kenny preceding "Tom Sawyer".[16] As Parker, Stone and producer Frank Agnone are Los Angeles Kings fans, special South Park pre-game videos have been featured at Kings home games at Staples Center,[17] and the club even sent the Stanley Cup to visit South Park Studios after winning the 2012 finals.[18] Parker and Stone have also created Denver Broncos and Denver Nuggets-themed shorts, featuring Cartman, for home games at Pepsi Center.

Music

Chef Aid: The South Park Album, a compilation of original songs from the show, characters performing cover songs, and tracks performed by guest artists was released in 1998,[19][20] while Mr. Hankey's Christmas Classics, a compilation of songs performed by the characters in the episode of the same name as well as other Christmas-themed songs was released in 1999,[21] as was the soundtrack to the feature film.[22] The song "Chocolate Salty Balls" (performed by Hayes as Chef) was released as a single in the UK in 1998 to support the Chef Aid: The South Park Album and became a number one hit.[23]

Video games
See also: List of South Park video games

Following the early success of the series, three video games based on the series were released by Acclaim Entertainment. A first-person shooter simply titled South Park was released in 1998 for the PC, Nintendo 64, and PlayStation. This was followed in 1999 by South Park: Chef's Luv Shack, a party video game featuring quizzes and mini-games, on the Dreamcast, PlayStation, Nintendo 64, and PC. In 2000, South Park Rally, a racing game, was released on the Dreamcast, PlayStation, Nintendo 64, and PC. Parker and Stone had little to do with the development of these games, apart from providing voice acting, and have publicly criticized Acclaim and the quality of the South Park games they produced.[24][25]

There was a South Park game for the Game Boy Color in development at Acclaim but it was cancelled by Parker and Stone because they thought the game was not right for the system as the main demographic was kids. Parker and Stone have the prototype cartridge of the game, making it the first South Park video game ever made. Only one screenshot was published in Nintendo Power issue 114 in 1998.[26] A ROM file for the game, in a complete state, was leaked online in August 2018.[27]

Another South Park game was in development for the PlayStation 2, Xbox, and GameCube in 2004 but was cancelled for unknown reasons. A prototype of the game was found in an Xbox development kit in 2015.[28][29]

In 2010, the decision was made to form a small group called South Park Digital Studios, which would, among other things, work on creating new South Park games,[30] that would involve the studio and the show's creators more heavily. The first such title is South Park Let's Go Tower Defense Play!, a tower defense game developed by Doublesix, which was released in 2009 for the Xbox Live Arcade service on the Xbox 360 console. Another Xbox Live Arcade game, South Park: Tenorman's Revenge, is a platformer which was released in the spring of 2012.[31] South Park: The Stick of Truth is a role-playing video game that was written by Parker and Stone,[32] and was originally scheduled to be released on March 5, 2013 for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 consoles, and Microsoft Windows.[33] The game was eventually released a year later in March 2014 to positive reviews.[34] A sequel to The Stick of Truth, South Park: The Fractured but Whole, was released in October 2017 with similarly good reception.[35] A mobile game, 'South Park: Phone Destroyer, was released for Android and iOS in November 2017.

Merchandising
Logo commonly used for promotional adverts and merchandise

Merchandising related to the show is an industry which generates several million dollars a year.[36] In 1998, the top-selling specialty T-shirt in the United States was based on South Park, and US$30 million in T-shirt sales was reached during the show's first season.[37][38][39]

A South Park pinball machine was released in 1999 by Sega Pinball.[40] The companies Fun 4 All, Mezco Toyz, and Mirage have produced various South Park action figures, collectibles, and plush dolls.[36]

Comedy Central entered into an agreement with Frito-Lay to sell 1.5 million bags of Cheesy Poofs, Cartman's favorite snack from the show, at Walmart until the premiere of the second half of the fifteenth season on October 5, 2011.[41]

References
  1. "South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut (1999)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved October 19, 2008.
  2. "South Park – Bigger, Longer and Uncut (1999)". boxofficemojo.com. Retrieved May 25, 2009.
  3. Singer, Jill (November 10, 2000). "Pop Culture News : News + Notes : Entertainment Weekly". Guinness Book of World Records. ew.com. Retrieved May 28, 2009.
  4. Michael, Dennis (March 23, 2000). "– Entertainment – Raunchy song's creators tuning up for Oscar night". CNN. Archived from the original on May 5, 2008. Retrieved August 1, 2009.
  5. Monfette, Travis Fickett and Christopher (26 February 2008). "South Park: Imaginationland (Uncensored Director's Cut) DVD Review".
  6. "Trey Parker on a 'South Park' movie sequel". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 10, 2013.
  7. "Will there be another South Park movie?". South Park Studios. March 11, 2010.
  8. Richard Corliss (June 23, 2011). "6. South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut, 1999". Time. Retrieved June 23, 2011.
  9. "Warner Bros. Gives Up 'Friday the 13th' Rights to Board Christopher Nolan's 'Interstellar'". The Hollywood Reporter. June 6, 2013. Retrieved June 7, 2013.
  10. Reiter, Amy (October 12, 1999). "I want your set". salon.com. Archived from the original on February 11, 2011. Retrieved August 11, 2009.
  11. Ortega, Tony (September 27, 2001). "Sympathy For The Devil: Tory Bezazian was a veteran Scientologist who loved going after church critics. Until she met the darkest detractor of all". New Times Los Angeles.
  12. Trey Parker, Matt Stone (2000). The Gauntlet (Television special). MTV, Comedy Central. Short that aired during the 2000 MTV Movie Awards
  13. "HBO Documentary Films: The Aristocrats". HBO. Retrieved March 27, 2009.
  14. "Colorado Beats Huskers to Become Bowl Eligible". University of Colorado. November 23, 2007. Retrieved January 17, 2010.
  15. Rovner, Julie (April 5, 2008). "Eric Cartman: America's Favorite Little $@#&*%". NPR. Retrieved October 25, 2008.
  16. "South Park Tom Sawyer intro live". Rush is a band. October 14, 2010. Retrieved October 14, 2010.
  17. "Hollywood stars are among the most passionate of Kings fans". Los Angeles Kings. May 6, 2012. Retrieved May 8, 2014.
  18. "Stanley Cup Visits South Park". Los Angeles Kings. November 19, 2012. Archived from the original on May 12, 2014. Retrieved May 8, 2014.
  19. Browne, David (January 8, 1999). "Shower Hooks". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved July 24, 2009.
  20. Nazareth, Errol. ""Chef" Hayes cooks crazy stew". jam! Showbiz: Music. Canadian Online Explorer. Archived from the original on September 16, 2012. Retrieved July 24, 2009.
  21. Moorhead, M.V. (December 23, 1999). "Mr. Hankey's Christmas Classics". Phoenix New Times. Retrieved July 24, 2009.
  22. Hartlaub, Peter (September 16, 2007). "The best movie soundtracks since 'Saturday Night Fever'". www.sfgate.com. Retrieved August 11, 2009.
  23. "One Hit Wonders". The Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on February 21, 2006. Retrieved December 21, 2008.
  24. "40 Questions". South Park Studios. October 4, 2001. Archived from the original on November 29, 2010. Retrieved January 30, 2009.
  25. PlayStation 2 Premiere. treyparker.info/. shpadoinkle. October 18, 2000. Archived from the original on February 26, 2006. Retrieved September 4, 2011. Video on YouTube.
  26. "South Park [GBC - Cancelled] - Unseen64". Unseen64: Beta, Cancelled & Unseen Videogames!. Retrieved February 5, 2016.
  27. "South Park's Lost, Unreleased Game Boy Color Game Leaks Online".
  28. DidYouKnowGaming? (November 14, 2015), South Park's Cancelled GTA Clone - Unseen64, retrieved February 5, 2016
  29. HappyConsoleGamer (September 27, 2015), UNRELEASED SOUTH PARK GAME! (Never before seen Gameplay Footage) - Happy Console Gamer, retrieved February 5, 2016
  30. Benson, Todd (September 18, 2009). "Let's Go Tower Defense Play!: Developer Diaries: Do you have what it takes to save South Park?". South Park Studios. Archived from the original on November 16, 2010. Retrieved September 4, 2011.
  31. "'South Park' Launches 'South Park: Tenorman's Revenge' Video Game Exclusively on Xbox LIVE Arcade for Spring 2012 Debut" (Press release). Comedy Central. October 13, 2011. Retrieved October 16, 2011.
  32. "THQ Joins Forces with South Park Digital Studios on 'South Park: The Game'" (Press release). THQ. December 1, 2011. Retrieved December 2, 2011.
  33. "South Park: The Stick of Truth Release Date Set for March". GamesRadar. June 4, 2012. Retrieved September 1, 2012.
  34. "'South Park: The Stick of Truth Delayed". IGN. October 31, 2013. Retrieved December 30, 2013.
  35. "E32015: South Park: The Fractured But Whole Announced". IGN. June 15, 2015. Retrieved February 29, 2016.
  36. Oldenburg, Ann (August 14, 2002). "Ozzy's new reality: Toys". www.usatoday.com. Retrieved May 27, 2009.
  37. Carter, Bill (November 10, 1997). "Comedy Central makes the most of an irreverent, and profitable, new cartoon hit". The New York Times. Retrieved May 5, 2009.
  38. Dennis Lim (March 29, 1998). "Television: Lowbrow and proud of it". independent.co.uk. London. Retrieved May 9, 2009.
  39. Jeffrey Ressner & James Collins (March 23, 1998). "Gross And Grosser". Time. Retrieved April 28, 2009.
  40. Kushner, David (August 26, 1999). "It's Still a Mean Pinball, but Video Glitz Is Edging In". www.nytimes.com. Retrieved May 27, 2009.
  41. Sellers, John (July 15, 2011). ""South Park's" Cheesy Poofs snack coming to Walmart". Reuters. Retrieved July 21, 2011.
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