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Towelie (South Park episode)
Encyclopedia
"Towelie" is the eighth episode of the fifth season
of the animated television series South Park
, and the 73rd episode of the series overall. "Towelie" originally aired in the United States
on August 8, 2001 on Comedy Central
. The episode, which depicts the boys' single-minded attempt to recover their stolen video game console from the middle of a feud between a paramilitary group and extraterrestrials, features the first appearance of the recurring character Towelie, created to satirize the degree to which South Park was being merchandised.
house, Cartman
discovers a used tampon
which he mistakes for an aborted
fetus
in the garbage. In an effort to get the kids never to mention the tampon again, Stan's mother buys the kids a video game system
, the Okama Gamesphere. The boys are completely fascinated by the Okama Gamesphere and intend to play with it for the entire weekend, without sleeping. During their playing, a talking towel called "Towelie" comes in whenever they mention any subject involving water and advises them to keep a towel handy, before asking if they want to get "high". However, the boys largely ignore him and tell him to go away.
When Monday comes around, the boys are forced to go to school. At the bus stop, a car pulls up and a man in the car asks if the boys have seen a talking towel anywhere. When the boys ask if he is talking about Towelie, the man yells into a walkie-talkie
, and drives off, watching the boys suspiciously. After school, the boys run to Stan's house, but the Okama Gamesphere is not there. In its place is a ransom call, saying that if the boys want to get their Okama Gamesphere, they will have to take Towelie to a secluded gas station during the night. The boys locate Towelie and take him to the gas station. An elderly man that works for the company that made Towelie is there, and he thanks the boys for bringing Towelie to him. When the boys ask for their Okama Gamesphere, the old man realizes that it is a trap, and the United States Military
ambushes them. During the fight, Towelie and the boys escape.
Before the episode goes to a commercial break, what appears to be a fake commercial is shown advertising Towelie merchandise. However, when this episode first aired, the t-shirts shown were available over a Comedy Central 1-800 line.
For the rest of the episode, the boys and Towelie go back and forth between a military base and the company that made Towelie (Tynacorp) in an effort to get their Okama Gamesphere. The plot gets increasingly thick, involving aliens trying to take over Earth using genetically modified towels. Throughout the story, the boys show no interest in these revelations, as they single-mindedly want nothing more than to retrieve their Okama Gamesphere; in spite of their utter indifference, the increasingly complicated plot continues to surround them and the two sides play them against the other. In the midst of a confrontation between the military and the company that made Towelie, the boys find their Okama Gamesphere, but before they can play for long the building is blown up in order to kill the aliens that want to rule the world. Kenny
falls in a pool of lava, but the other boys and Towelie escape with the Okama Gamesphere. The boys and Towelie go home and play the Okama Gamesphere with Towelie. As they share a laugh, Cartman comments to Towelie, "You're the worst character ever, Towelie", to which Towelie complacently replies, "I know."
Shortly after "Towelie" was originally broadcast, South Park Studios, the official South Park website, featured T-shirts and hooded sweatshirts based on the episode. The shirt design featured a waving Towelie saying, "Don't forget to bring a towel".
, the name of which could not be used as it was a trademarked product. The name Gamesphere is a take on the Nintendo GameCube
, which was to be released shortly after the episode was written.
South Park (season 5)
Season five of South Park, an American animated television series created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone, began airing on June 20, 2001. The fifth season concluded after 14 episodes on December 12, 2001...
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 73rd episode of the series overall. "Towelie" originally aired in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
on August 8, 2001 on Comedy Central
Comedy Central
Comedy Central is an American cable television and satellite television channel that carries comedy programming, both original and syndicated....
. The episode, which depicts the boys' single-minded attempt to recover their stolen video game console from the middle of a feud between a paramilitary group and extraterrestrials, features the first appearance of the recurring character Towelie, created to satirize the degree to which South Park was being merchandised.
Plot
While at Stan'sStan 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...
house, 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...
discovers a used tampon
Tampon
A tampon is a mass of cotton or rayon or a mixture of the two inserted into a body cavity or wound to absorb bodilyfluid. The most common type in daily use is designed to be inserted into the vagina during menstruation to absorb the flow of menstrual fluid...
which he mistakes for an aborted
Abortion
Abortion is defined as the termination of pregnancy by the removal or expulsion from the uterus of a fetus or embryo prior to viability. An abortion can occur spontaneously, in which case it is usually called a miscarriage, or it can be purposely induced...
fetus
Fetus
A fetus is a developing mammal or other viviparous vertebrate after the embryonic stage and before birth.In humans, the fetal stage of prenatal development starts at the beginning of the 11th week in gestational age, which is the 9th week after fertilization.-Etymology and spelling variations:The...
in the garbage. In an effort to get the kids never to mention the tampon again, Stan's mother buys the kids a video game system
Video game console
A video game console is an interactive entertainment computer or customized computer system that produces a video display signal which can be used with a display device to display a video game...
, the Okama Gamesphere. The boys are completely fascinated by the Okama Gamesphere and intend to play with it for the entire weekend, without sleeping. During their playing, a talking towel called "Towelie" comes in whenever they mention any subject involving water and advises them to keep a towel handy, before asking if they want to get "high". However, the boys largely ignore him and tell him to go away.
When Monday comes around, the boys are forced to go to school. At the bus stop, a car pulls up and a man in the car asks if the boys have seen a talking towel anywhere. When the boys ask if he is talking about Towelie, the man yells into a walkie-talkie
Walkie-talkie
A walkie-talkie is a hand-held, portable, two-way radio transceiver. Its development during the Second World War has been variously credited to Donald L. Hings, radio engineer Alfred J. Gross, and engineering teams at Motorola...
, and drives off, watching the boys suspiciously. After school, the boys run to Stan's house, but the Okama Gamesphere is not there. In its place is a ransom call, saying that if the boys want to get their Okama Gamesphere, they will have to take Towelie to a secluded gas station during the night. The boys locate Towelie and take him to the gas station. An elderly man that works for the company that made Towelie is there, and he thanks the boys for bringing Towelie to him. When the boys ask for their Okama Gamesphere, the old man realizes that it is a trap, and 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...
ambushes them. During the fight, Towelie and the boys escape.
Before the episode goes to a commercial break, what appears to be a fake commercial is shown advertising Towelie merchandise. However, when this episode first aired, the t-shirts shown were available over a Comedy Central 1-800 line.
For the rest of the episode, the boys and Towelie go back and forth between a military base and the company that made Towelie (Tynacorp) in an effort to get their Okama Gamesphere. The plot gets increasingly thick, involving aliens trying to take over Earth using genetically modified towels. Throughout the story, the boys show no interest in these revelations, as they single-mindedly want nothing more than to retrieve their Okama Gamesphere; in spite of their utter indifference, the increasingly complicated plot continues to surround them and the two sides play them against the other. In the midst of a confrontation between the military and the company that made Towelie, the boys find their Okama Gamesphere, but before they can play for long the building is blown up in order to kill the aliens that want to rule the world. 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...
falls in a pool of lava, but the other boys and Towelie escape with the Okama Gamesphere. The boys and Towelie go home and play the Okama Gamesphere with Towelie. As they share a laugh, Cartman comments to Towelie, "You're the worst character ever, Towelie", to which Towelie complacently replies, "I know."
Production
Towelie's catchphrase, "don't forget to bring a towel", originated on a boat trip the writers took, during which people were constantly telling each other "don't forget to bring a towel" with the phrase having eventually morphed into "Towelie says to bring a towel." Parker and Stone have explained that they were becoming increasingly aware as to how heavily merchandised and exploited their creations were becoming, and created Towelie to poke fun at this. They designed Towelie as a shallow, two-dimensional (both literally and figuratively) character who has no real purpose except to "spout catch phrases and merchandise the hell out of". This is the reason for the fake commercial during the show, and why Cartman calls him the "worst character ever" at the end of the episode.Shortly after "Towelie" was originally broadcast, South Park Studios, the official South Park website, featured T-shirts and hooded sweatshirts based on the episode. The shirt design featured a waving Towelie saying, "Don't forget to bring a towel".
Cultural references
The Okama Gamesphere represented the PlayStation 2PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
, the name of which could not be used as it was a trademarked product. The name Gamesphere is a take on the Nintendo GameCube
Nintendo GameCube
The , officially abbreviated to NGC in Japan and GCN in other regions, is a sixth generation video game console released by Nintendo on September 15, 2001 in Japan, November 18, 2001 in North America, May 3, 2002 in Europe, and May 17, 2002 in Australia...
, which was to be released shortly after the episode was written.