Top 10 Times South Park Crossed Over Into Real Life
It's been around for so long, we expect a little crossover! Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for all the times “South Park” found ways to either appear in or influence the real world.
Transcript
00:00 Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for all the times South Park
00:06 found ways to either appear in or influence the real world.
00:11 10.
00:12 51st Emmy Awards South Park got their breakout on live TV when
00:29 our favorite group of four made an appearance at the 51st Primetime Emmy Awards as presenters
00:35 to honor those the industry had lost.
00:37 Instead, we got a quick montage of mostly Kenny being killed along with a few other
00:42 notable celebrities.
00:43 Sure enough, as the clip ends, the boys back away from Kenny who is then killed by a giant
00:48 Emmy statue falling on him.
00:52 This wasn't the boys' first appearance at an awards show.
00:55 At the 1997 Cable Ace Awards, our favorite four boys cracked jokes at the audience and
01:01 at the show itself.
01:02 9.
01:03 Gave birth to a cooking show As far back as the original short film, South
01:13 Park has had a strange affinity for figure skater Brian Boitano.
01:20 He was even featured in a musical segment in the feature film, South Park, Bigger, Longer
01:24 and Uncut.
01:34 Boitano himself seemed flattered by the attention, but just as confused as the rest of us as
01:39 to where it really came from.
01:41 Nonetheless, in 2009, Boitano came out with a cooking show on the Food Network called
01:46 "What Would Brian Boitano Make?".
01:48 The program gave viewers a taste of what this famous skater likes to cook up in the kitchen.
01:53 All using a portion of the South Park song as its theme music.
01:57 8.
01:58 The Real Boys Emerge During season 16's "I Should Have Never
02:02 Gone Zip-Lining" episode, fans were treated to a recreation of the four boys portrayed
02:07 by real life actors.
02:19 This exaggerated bit was unexpected, but still great to see.
02:33 But the best version of these four boys came two seasons later in Grounded Vindaloop.
02:37 Cartman, Kenny, Stan, Kyle and Butters are all experimenting with VR goggles.
02:43 Even going as far as to convince Butters the simulation is real.
02:51 The best part of this episode, however, is at the end when Stan takes off the headpiece.
02:55 And we're treated to four live action children portraying the boys.
02:59 Nothing can possibly beat Stan's closing line when he says, "It's pretty cool, but the
03:04 graphics suck."
03:05 7.
03:07 Cartman on Basketball A year after South Park made it to the airwaves,
03:11 Basketball was released in theaters.
03:14 The film starred both South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone.
03:25 Although the film received mixed reviews and bombed at the box office, one particular scene
03:30 surely was a hit with South Park fans.
03:33 As Coop tries to sack out one of the opposing players, he squats down and makes jabs about
03:37 the player's weight using an all-too-familiar Cartman voice.
03:44 It's not quite a live action version of this infamous character, but it certainly came
03:48 pretty close.
03:49 6.
03:50 The Aristocrats Stand-up comedians have been telling offensive
03:58 jokes since the dawn of time.
04:00 But no single joke has ever stood the test of time as The Aristocrats.
04:05 The joke tells the story of a family trying to get work as a stage act.
04:20 From there, each comedian who tells the joke proceeds to make it as offensive and disgusting
04:25 as possible.
04:26 Never told in public, the joke remained relatively unheard of by mass audiences until a documentary
04:31 centering on the joke was released in 2005.
04:34 One scene from the doc shows the four boys waiting for the bus as they usually do.
04:39 Cartman then proceeds to tell his version of the joke.
04:45 It's far more vile and disturbing than anything seen on the show, which says a lot.
04:56 5.
04:58 Symphony of Music For all of its offensive jokes and outlandish
05:04 humor, music has and continues to be an integral part of many of South Park.
05:09 From songs about Kyle's mom to the hilarious "Gay Fish" number, Trey Parker's love of music
05:14 bleeds through the show and is palpable.
05:24 So when it came time to celebrate its 25th anniversary, South Park collaborated with
05:28 Broadway musical director and orchestrator Stephen Orimus to turn some of the show's
05:33 most memorable tunes into full-on orchestra-driven classics.
05:37 The end result is a testament to the show's incredible devotion to music.
05:45 4.
05:49 Cartman on NPR
05:51 NPR, or National Public Radio, is known for its vast network of news stations across the
06:07 United States.
06:09 Focusing mainly on notable news and cultural stories, it also featured the "In Character"
06:14 series, which focused on fictional characters from various forms of media.
06:18 During one segment, NPR correspondent Julie Rovner interviews infamous South Park resident
06:24 Eric Cartman.
06:31 It's an entertaining few minutes as she asks about his heroes and what his future looks
06:35 like.
06:47 As you can imagine, Cartman's responses to Rovner's questions showcase his love
06:51 for himself and disdain for… pretty much everyone else in the world.
06:59 3.
07:01 Jeans Named After Kenny
07:03 One of the earliest running gags on South Park was the killing off of poor Kenny McCormick
07:07 in every episode.
07:14 No matter what crazy antics the show went through, the orange hoodie laden young man
07:18 always wound up losing his life.
07:25 Although his deaths are less frequent, Dr. Sophie Rutchman found a way to immortalize
07:29 Kenny's tragedies.
07:31 She discovered a fruit fly gene that has the potential to kill the insect within two days.
07:36 Thinking of poor Kenny's bad luck, she named the gene "Kep-1" after the show's immortal
07:41 fourth grader.
07:42 Oh you old dog!
07:44 2.
07:45 Spawned College Courses
07:47 After 26 seasons of the show, none of the boys have made it out of fourth grade yet.
07:54 But their academic misfires certainly haven't reflected how the real world views the show.
07:59 The very nature of South Park's stories has given inspiration in academic circles.
08:05 Both McDaniel College and Brooklyn College have offered courses that center on the show,
08:10 dissecting its take on political correctness and many other notable issues of our time.
08:15 In fact, studies and papers have been published about the show's unique method of commenting
08:19 on social and political topics through its comedic medium.
08:29 1.
08:46 Influenced the Law
08:48 One of the most infamous trial cases of the 1990s was that of OJ Simpson.
08:53 He was accused of the murder of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and Ron Goldman.
08:57 Defense lawyer Johnny Cochran infamously used the line, "If it doesn't fit, you must acquit,"
09:03 to influence jurors into a "not guilty" verdict.
09:06 South Park mocked this defense in a season 2 episode where Chef goes on trial and the
09:11 prosecution starts talking about Chewbacca from Star Wars to purposely confuse the jury.
09:16 "Now think about that.
09:18 That does not make sense."
09:20 Since the episode aired, the Chewbacca defense has become widely known as a tactic by attorneys
09:24 to sway the jury using arguments that are devoid of reason or logic.
09:29 "If Chewbacca lives on Endor, you must acquit the defense rests."
09:32 "Okay then."
09:35 "Wow, he's good."
09:38 What's your favorite spill of this notable animated comedy into the real world?
09:43 Let us know in the comments!
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