A Ladder to Heaven
Encyclopedia
"A Ladder to Heaven" is episode 91 of the Comedy Central
series South Park
. It was originally broadcast on November 6, 2002.
to hold on to before he last died. Upon visiting Kenny's house, the boys are shown the urn containing his ashes, which they steal during the next night. However, having never heard of cremation
, they expect to find Kenny's body and are confused when they find ashes inside. Cartman assumes it must be some kind of chocolate milk powder. He mixes the ashes with milk and drinks them.
The boys decide to build a ladder to Heaven to find Kenny so he can hand them the ticket. However, when questioned about why they are building the ladder, they neglect to mention that candy is involved and merely say they want to see Kenny again. As a result, the adults, thinking that the boys desperately want to see their dead friend again, are touched and the ladder's construction grips the whole country. Singer Alan Jackson
turns up and performs a song that parodies his country hit about 9/11, "Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning)
.", and the Japanese even start building a rival ladder of their own.
When the boys announce they have run out of stuff to build the ladder, the adults consider telling them the truth that they are not actually going to reach Heaven. However, just then the United States military
arrives and starts to build a reinforced tower in order to beat the Japan
ese. The ladder eventually reaches above the clouds and the boys are disappointed to find no heaven.
Suspicious photos taken of heavenly clouds are reported to the President as indicating a potential factory making WMDs run by Saddam Hussein, now dead
and permanently living in Heaven. The U.S.
decides to bomb Heaven, believing Hussein to be building nuclear warheads there. A US representative explains the whole Satan/Saddam/Chris love triangle story to a bemused United Nations assembly.
Meanwhile, Cartman starts channeling
Kenny and viewing his memories every time something hits his head. After the adults try to tell the boys to get back to their lives and explain cremation to them, Cartman realizes that this is because he drank Kenny's ashes. After getting intentionally hit on the head a few more times, Cartman witnesses Kenny locking up the ticket in a box he kept in his room. The boys retrieve the stub, collect their confectionery and lose all interest in the ladder. The whole misunderstanding is explained and various platitudes exchanged, which Alan Jackson tries and fails to turn into an umpteenth song.
In a final scene, it is revealed that Saddam Hussein is in fact building a WMD factory, disguised as "Saddam's Heavenly Chocolate Chip Factory", and bamboozling an inquiring God about it.
Comedy Central
Comedy Central is an American cable television and satellite television channel that carries comedy programming, both original and syndicated....
series South Park
South Park
South Park is an American animated television series created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone for the Comedy Central television network. Intended for mature audiences, the show has become famous for its crude language, surreal, satirical, and dark humor that lampoons a wide range of topics...
. It was originally broadcast on November 6, 2002.
Plot
Stan, Kyle and Cartman have won an all-you-can-grab candy prize but cannot claim it without the stub of the ticket they bought. After thinking hard, they remember that they gave the ticket stub to KennyKenny McCormick
Kenneth "Kenny" McCormick is a fictional character in the animated television series South Park. He is one of the four central characters along with his friends Stan Marsh, Kyle Broflovski, and Eric Cartman. His oft-muffled and indiscernible speech—the result of his parka hood covering his...
to hold on to before he last died. Upon visiting Kenny's house, the boys are shown the urn containing his ashes, which they steal during the next night. However, having never heard of cremation
Cremation
Cremation is the process of reducing bodies to basic chemical compounds such as gasses and bone fragments. This is accomplished through high-temperature burning, vaporization and oxidation....
, they expect to find Kenny's body and are confused when they find ashes inside. Cartman assumes it must be some kind of chocolate milk powder. He mixes the ashes with milk and drinks them.
The boys decide to build a ladder to Heaven to find Kenny so he can hand them the ticket. However, when questioned about why they are building the ladder, they neglect to mention that candy is involved and merely say they want to see Kenny again. As a result, the adults, thinking that the boys desperately want to see their dead friend again, are touched and the ladder's construction grips the whole country. Singer Alan Jackson
Alan Jackson
Alan Eugene Jackson is an American country music singer, known for blending traditional honky tonk and mainstream country sounds and penning many of his own hits. He has recorded 13 studio albums, 3 Greatest Hits albums, 2 Holiday albums, 1 Gospel album and several compilations, all on the Arista...
turns up and performs a song that parodies his country hit about 9/11, "Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning)
Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning)
"Where Were You " is the title of a song written and recorded by American country music artist Alan Jackson. Written in the wake of the September 11 attacks, it was introduced at the Country Music Association's annual awards show on November 7, 2001...
.", and the Japanese even start building a rival ladder of their own.
When the boys announce they have run out of stuff to build the ladder, the adults consider telling them the truth that they are not actually going to reach Heaven. However, just then the United States military
Military of the United States
The United States Armed Forces are the military forces of the United States. They consist of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Coast Guard.The United States has a strong tradition of civilian control of the military...
arrives and starts to build a reinforced tower in order to beat the Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese. The ladder eventually reaches above the clouds and the boys are disappointed to find no heaven.
Suspicious photos taken of heavenly clouds are reported to the President as indicating a potential factory making WMDs run by Saddam Hussein, now dead
South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut
South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut is a 1999 animated musical comedy film based on the animated television series South Park, created by Matt Stone and Trey Parker. The film was directed by Parker, who also stars along with the rest of the regular voice cast from the series, including Stone, Mary...
and permanently living in Heaven. The U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
decides to bomb Heaven, believing Hussein to be building nuclear warheads there. A US representative explains the whole Satan/Saddam/Chris love triangle story to a bemused United Nations assembly.
Meanwhile, Cartman starts channeling
Mediumship
Mediumship is described as a form of communication with spirits. It is a practice in religious beliefs such as Spiritualism, Spiritism, Espiritismo, Candomblé, Voodoo and Umbanda.- Concept :...
Kenny and viewing his memories every time something hits his head. After the adults try to tell the boys to get back to their lives and explain cremation to them, Cartman realizes that this is because he drank Kenny's ashes. After getting intentionally hit on the head a few more times, Cartman witnesses Kenny locking up the ticket in a box he kept in his room. The boys retrieve the stub, collect their confectionery and lose all interest in the ladder. The whole misunderstanding is explained and various platitudes exchanged, which Alan Jackson tries and fails to turn into an umpteenth song.
In a final scene, it is revealed that Saddam Hussein is in fact building a WMD factory, disguised as "Saddam's Heavenly Chocolate Chip Factory", and bamboozling an inquiring God about it.
External links
- A Ladder to Heaven Full episode at South Park Studios
- A Ladder to Heaven Episode guide at South Park Studios