Cartoon Wars Part I
Encyclopedia
"Cartoon Wars Part I" is the third episode of the tenth season
of the animated television series South Park
, and the 142nd episode overall. It first aired on Comedy Central
in the United States
on April 5, 2006. It is part one of a two-episode story, which concludes with "Cartoon Wars Part II
". In the episode, it is announced that a Family Guy
episode will air with the Muslim
prophet Muhammad
uncensored, leaving the whole of the United States fearing for their lives. Cartman
apparently believes that the episode is offensive to Muslims and decides to go to Los Angeles
to try to get the episode pulled.
The episode was written by series co-creator Trey Parker
and is rated TV-MA in the United States.
as a character. Everyone hides in the Community Center for fear of a Islamic terrorist attack and Randy announces that the cartoon is Family Guy
. The next day, everyone is thrilled to find out that there was no attack, and Jimbo tells everyone that Fox Network
censored out the image of Muhammad at the last minute. Kyle
, who likes Family Guy, tells Cartman
, Stan
and Kenny
that he TiVo
s every episode of the show and the four boys go to Kyle's house to watch the Muhammad episode. After watching it, Kyle finds no problem and thinks the censorship is wrong, but his mother Sheila tells him that he and his friends need "Muslim-sensitivity training", in which Mrs. Garrison teaches the class an incorrect lesson about why the Muslims are angry, saying it is because they live in sand
and cannot "jack off
" or have pre-marital sex. Cartman, uncharacteristically, exclaims that this is "ignorant and racist", leaving the rest of the class shell-shocked.
It is later announced that the Family Guy episode was just part one of a two-parter, and that part two will air the following week - without censorship. Cartman believes that this is insulting to Muslims, declaring that Fox Network was right to censor Muhammad. Kyle thinks that he is faking, but, when Cartman gives an impassioned speech about keeping people from getting hurt, Kyle is guilt-ridden and believes him. Kyle agrees to go with Cartman to Hollywood to get the Family Guy episode pulled after being convinced by a disturbing and horrible dream of his little brother Ike getting killed by a terrorist bomb that destroys the town and himself.
The people of South Park, meanwhile, decide to literally bury their heads in the sand
, so as to show Islamists that they have no part in the insult. On the way to Hollywood, Kyle discovers something shocking: in his rambling, Cartman accidentally reveals that he only wants to get Family Guy canceled, does not care about the Muslims, and is only using them as a means to get the episode pulled, thus setting off a chain of events which will causing other episodes to get pulled until Family Guy is taken off the air altogether, endeavoring to use fear to destroy Freedom of speech
. Cartman reveals that people always assume that he loves Family Guy, when in fact he hates it since he believes it employs jokes without a point or relation to the main plot. Kyle tells Cartman that it is not right to have Family Guy taken completely off the air, even though he agrees on the content of the Muhammad-depicting show.
Knowing that Kyle will not be helping now, Cartman decides to go at it alone, but Kyle insists he will not let that happen. The two start racing one another on their Big Wheels to Hollywood in order to decide the fate of the show. In an exaggeratedly dramatic (because Big Wheels move slowly) car chase, a police car loses control and Kyle rides his Big Wheel over a ledge after various objects are thrown at it by Cartman, jumping off it seconds before it falls down a steep hill and explodes. Cartman laughs manically and bids his friend farewell: "So long, Kyle!" Kyle angrily yells back at him, "You son of a bitch! I won't let you win! You hear me?". Cartman, riding into the distance, replies, "Suck my balls, Kyle!".
U.S. President George W. Bush
meets with the Fox Network executives. Bush and the Fox president call each other "Mr. President" back and forth. The Fox president says that there is something secret about the Family Guy writers that Bush needs to know.
At this point, it is revealed this is a two-part episode and that the conclusion will be given in the next episode. According to the ending and the "Next Week on South Park" segment, President Bush and Cartman will learn a horrible secret about the Family Guy writers that supposedly "explains everything", while the entire nation buries its head in sand. The "Next Week on South Park" segment hints that Cartman and Kyle are finally going to have a fight, at last venting years of hatred against each other.
Trey Parker
and Matt Stone
have clarified their opinions on Family Guy on the DVD audio commentary, Parker stated "we totally understand that people love it, that's why we put it in the show, we understand that it speaks to some people and it can just be a simple laugh and that's great and we certainly don't think it should be taken off the air or anything like that, we just don't respect it in terms of writing", later referring to the writers behind the show as "smart" but emphatically criticizing their overuse of "gag-humor".
South Park (season 10)
Season 10 of South Park, an American animated television series created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone, began airing on March 22, 2006. The tenth season concluded after 14 episodes on November 15, 2006...
of the animated television 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...
, and the 142nd episode overall. It first aired on Comedy Central
Comedy Central
Comedy Central is an American cable television and satellite television channel that carries comedy programming, both original and syndicated....
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
on April 5, 2006. It is part one of a two-episode story, which concludes with "Cartoon Wars Part II
Cartoon Wars Part II
"Cartoon Wars Part II" is the fourth episode of the tenth season of the American animated television series South Park, and the 142nd episode overall. It first aired on Comedy Central in the United States on April 12, 2006...
". In the episode, it is announced that a Family Guy
Family Guy
Family Guy is an American animated television series created by Seth MacFarlane for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series centers on the Griffins, a dysfunctional family consisting of parents Peter and Lois; their children Meg, Chris, and Stewie; and their anthropomorphic pet dog Brian...
episode will air with the Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
prophet Muhammad
Muhammad
Muhammad |ligature]] at U+FDF4 ;Arabic pronunciation varies regionally; the first vowel ranges from ~~; the second and the last vowel: ~~~. There are dialects which have no stress. In Egypt, it is pronounced not in religious contexts...
uncensored, leaving the whole of the United States fearing for their lives. Cartman
Eric Cartman
Eric Theodore Cartman is a fictional character in the American animated television series South Park. One of four main characters, along with Stan Marsh, Kyle Broflovski, and Kenny McCormick, he is generally referred to within the series by his last name...
apparently believes that the episode is offensive to Muslims and decides to go to Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
to try to get the episode pulled.
The episode was written by series co-creator Trey Parker
Trey Parker
Trey Parker is an American animator, screenwriter, director, producer, voice artist, musician and actor, best known for being the co-creator of the television series South Park along with his creative partner and best friend Matt Stone.Parker started his film career in 1992, making a holiday short...
and is rated TV-MA in the United States.
Plot
The townspeople of South Park are in a panic when they discover that a cartoon is going to show an episode featuring MuhammadMuhammad
Muhammad |ligature]] at U+FDF4 ;Arabic pronunciation varies regionally; the first vowel ranges from ~~; the second and the last vowel: ~~~. There are dialects which have no stress. In Egypt, it is pronounced not in religious contexts...
as a character. Everyone hides in the Community Center for fear of a Islamic terrorist attack and Randy announces that the cartoon is Family Guy
Family Guy
Family Guy is an American animated television series created by Seth MacFarlane for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series centers on the Griffins, a dysfunctional family consisting of parents Peter and Lois; their children Meg, Chris, and Stewie; and their anthropomorphic pet dog Brian...
. The next day, everyone is thrilled to find out that there was no attack, and Jimbo tells everyone that Fox Network
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
censored out the image of Muhammad at the last minute. Kyle
Kyle Broflovski
Kyle Broflovski is a fictional character in the animated television series South Park. He is voiced by co-creator Matt Stone. Kyle is one of the show's four central characters, along with his friends Stan Marsh, Kenny McCormick, and Eric Cartman...
, who likes Family Guy, tells Cartman
Eric Cartman
Eric Theodore Cartman is a fictional character in the American animated television series South Park. One of four main characters, along with Stan Marsh, Kyle Broflovski, and Kenny McCormick, he is generally referred to within the series by his last name...
, Stan
Stan Marsh
Stanley Randall "Stan" Marsh is a fictional character in the animated television series South Park. He is voiced by and loosely based on series co-creator Trey Parker. Stan is one of the show's four central characters, along with his friends Kyle Broflovski, Kenny McCormick, and Eric Cartman...
and Kenny
Kenny 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...
that he TiVo
TiVo
TiVo is a digital video recorder developed and marketed by TiVo, Inc. and introduced in 1999. TiVo provides an on-screen guide of scheduled broadcast programming television programs, whose features include "Season Pass" schedules which record every new episode of a series, and "WishList"...
s every episode of the show and the four boys go to Kyle's house to watch the Muhammad episode. After watching it, Kyle finds no problem and thinks the censorship is wrong, but his mother Sheila tells him that he and his friends need "Muslim-sensitivity training", in which Mrs. Garrison teaches the class an incorrect lesson about why the Muslims are angry, saying it is because they live in sand
Sand
Sand is a naturally occurring granular material composed of finely divided rock and mineral particles.The composition of sand is highly variable, depending on the local rock sources and conditions, but the most common constituent of sand in inland continental settings and non-tropical coastal...
and cannot "jack off
Masturbation
Masturbation refers to sexual stimulation of a person's own genitals, usually to the point of orgasm. The stimulation can be performed manually, by use of objects or tools, or by some combination of these methods. Masturbation is a common form of autoeroticism...
" or have pre-marital sex. Cartman, uncharacteristically, exclaims that this is "ignorant and racist", leaving the rest of the class shell-shocked.
It is later announced that the Family Guy episode was just part one of a two-parter, and that part two will air the following week - without censorship. Cartman believes that this is insulting to Muslims, declaring that Fox Network was right to censor Muhammad. Kyle thinks that he is faking, but, when Cartman gives an impassioned speech about keeping people from getting hurt, Kyle is guilt-ridden and believes him. Kyle agrees to go with Cartman to Hollywood to get the Family Guy episode pulled after being convinced by a disturbing and horrible dream of his little brother Ike getting killed by a terrorist bomb that destroys the town and himself.
The people of South Park, meanwhile, decide to literally bury their heads in the sand
Ostrich effect
In behavioral finance, the ostrich effect is the avoidance of apparently risky financial situations by pretending they do not exist. The name comes from the common legend that ostriches bury their heads in the sand to avoid danger....
, so as to show Islamists that they have no part in the insult. On the way to Hollywood, Kyle discovers something shocking: in his rambling, Cartman accidentally reveals that he only wants to get Family Guy canceled, does not care about the Muslims, and is only using them as a means to get the episode pulled, thus setting off a chain of events which will causing other episodes to get pulled until Family Guy is taken off the air altogether, endeavoring to use fear to destroy Freedom of speech
Freedom of speech
Freedom of speech is the freedom to speak freely without censorship. The term freedom of expression is sometimes used synonymously, but includes any act of seeking, receiving and imparting information or ideas, regardless of the medium used...
. Cartman reveals that people always assume that he loves Family Guy, when in fact he hates it since he believes it employs jokes without a point or relation to the main plot. Kyle tells Cartman that it is not right to have Family Guy taken completely off the air, even though he agrees on the content of the Muhammad-depicting show.
Knowing that Kyle will not be helping now, Cartman decides to go at it alone, but Kyle insists he will not let that happen. The two start racing one another on their Big Wheels to Hollywood in order to decide the fate of the show. In an exaggeratedly dramatic (because Big Wheels move slowly) car chase, a police car loses control and Kyle rides his Big Wheel over a ledge after various objects are thrown at it by Cartman, jumping off it seconds before it falls down a steep hill and explodes. Cartman laughs manically and bids his friend farewell: "So long, Kyle!" Kyle angrily yells back at him, "You son of a bitch! I won't let you win! You hear me?". Cartman, riding into the distance, replies, "Suck my balls, Kyle!".
U.S. President George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
meets with the Fox Network executives. Bush and the Fox president call each other "Mr. President" back and forth. The Fox president says that there is something secret about the Family Guy writers that Bush needs to know.
At this point, it is revealed this is a two-part episode and that the conclusion will be given in the next episode. According to the ending and the "Next Week on South Park" segment, President Bush and Cartman will learn a horrible secret about the Family Guy writers that supposedly "explains everything", while the entire nation buries its head in sand. The "Next Week on South Park" segment hints that Cartman and Kyle are finally going to have a fight, at last venting years of hatred against each other.
Influence
Trey Parker
Trey Parker is an American animator, screenwriter, director, producer, voice artist, musician and actor, best known for being the co-creator of the television series South Park along with his creative partner and best friend Matt Stone.Parker started his film career in 1992, making a holiday short...
and Matt Stone
Matt Stone
Matthew Richard "Matt" Stone is an American screenwriter, producer, voice artist, musician and actor, best known for being the co-creator of South Park along with creative partner and best friend, Trey Parker....
have clarified their opinions on Family Guy on the DVD audio commentary, Parker stated "we totally understand that people love it, that's why we put it in the show, we understand that it speaks to some people and it can just be a simple laugh and that's great and we certainly don't think it should be taken off the air or anything like that, we just don't respect it in terms of writing", later referring to the writers behind the show as "smart" but emphatically criticizing their overuse of "gag-humor".
See also
- "Cartoon Wars Part IICartoon Wars Part II"Cartoon Wars Part II" is the fourth episode of the tenth season of the American animated television series South Park, and the 142nd episode overall. It first aired on Comedy Central in the United States on April 12, 2006...
" - Criticism of Family GuyCriticism of Family GuyThe American animated sitcom Family Guy has been the target of numerous complaints concerning taste and indecency. Parents Television Council has expressed moral opposition to the series, and filed complaints with the Federal Communications Commission....
- Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons controversyJyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons controversyThe Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons controversy began after 12 editorial cartoons, most of which depicted the Islamic prophet Muhammad, were published in the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten on 30 September 2005...
External links
- "Cartoon Wars Part I" Full episode at South Park Studios
- "Cartoon Wars Part I" Episode guide at South Park Studios