Top 10 Times South Park Infiltrated Other Shows

As a show about a young man passing into adulthood, they occasionally dove into the realm of serious topics, but by far and large kept the material light. One notable example was from Season Five where the show poked fun at countless horror films. As the door opens, Eric acknowledges the group with a very familiar Mr. Hankey greeting. Later in the same scene, as one of the other friends is seemingly hurt, he then shouts out yet another catchphrase from “South Park”’s early years. Funnily enough, in a handful of other episodes, “Eric” does his own Cartman impression as well. Maybe it’s the name that brings it out.

It shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone that “South Park” found its way into “Robot Chicken.” Well known for its satirical content, this time we find Chef participating in Gordon Ramsey’s “MasterChef Celebrity Showdown.” His dessert of choice is a Thetan (aka spirits of the dead) Lava Cake, which was an obvious dig at Isaac Hayes’ history as a Scientologist. And just as it always does on “South Park,” chaos ensues as the Thetans get loose and terrorize the kitchen. It’s a bit more of a parody than an infiltration into the show, but still a fantastic nod to its cast.

During the first few years of the show’s run, “South Park” found itself popping up on countless award shows. They did a skit for the “MTV Movie Awards” in 2000 and even poked fun at the “American Comedy Awards” in 1998. One of their first appearances was as presenters for the 1997 “CableACE Awards.” The four boys come out on stage to present the nominations for Best Talk Show Series. Between Cartman’s complaints about it being all fancy, and Stan having to translate for Kenny when he announces the winner, it’s a cute bit that many fans today may not have even seen.

Ask any parent of a kindergarten-aged child, and they can probably cite a handful of TV shows their kids are obsessed with. Among them, “The Powerpuff Girls” is the last place you would ever expect to see a reference to “South Park.” Nonetheless, for any adults watching the “Imaginary Friend” episode, they spot and hear something familiar. Blossom crashes into a pile of laundry, and when she emerges, she’s wearing a red sweater and a blue hat with a little pom-pom on it. She also uses the word “seriously.” Cartman is the last thing you’d expect to see in this kind of show, but clearly, the creators are fans.

The odds of ever getting some of Hollywood’s biggest stars in a boxing ring to slug it out are slim to none. But it became a whole lot more possible when MTV put together the claymated, stop-motion show “Celebrity Deathmatch.” During this round, bass player Flea from “The Red Hot Chili Peppers” takes on Kenny G. Between playing the sax and a swarm of bugs, Flea eventually takes him out. It’s here a wink to “South Park” appears as the hosts paraphrase one of the show’s most notable catchphrases. It goes further when an audience member, looking an awful lot like Kenny McCormick chimes in as well.

Who doesn’t love a good Halloween episode? Almost every sitcom has given a take on this spooky holiday. “The Office” did a total of six Halloween-themed episodes, and found a way to sneak Chef from “South Park” into the mix. In Season Eight, Andy is pre-approving the costumes for the party and Stanley comes in with a chef’s outfit. In a quick, blink and you’ll miss it moment, Andy exclaims, “Chef from South Park. It’s genius!” Stanley claims it’s not a reference to the soul-singing cafeteria cook, but we can’t help but notice the resemblance once he gets into costume.

Among diehard “South Park” fans, it’s well established that the creators are not fans of “Family Guy.” This was made clear by the “Cartoon Wars” two-parter back in Season Ten. Despite this, however, it seems Seth MacFarlane must still enjoy the small mountain town. References have been made in episodes on more than one occasion. Peter comes right out and mentions the “ribbing” they got from “South Park” in one monologue. A dead Kenny appeared in the intro for one of their episodes. They even acknowledged the show’s accolades in their “Emmy-Winning Episode,” highlighting how “South Park” and others had won Emmys when they had not. Despite any differences, clearly, there’s some respect from the Griffins’ side.

Even multi-camera sitcoms can’t help but tip their hat to the folks over at “South Park.” In a Season Two episode of “Last Man Standing,” Eve hides all of the makeup in the house, putting Mandy into a panic. When we next see her, she’s clearly doing her best Kenny McCormick impression. Dressed in an orange hoodie and sunglasses, the only thing that distinguishes her from the original is her legible voice. Desperately seeking anyone to borrow makeup from, the bell rings and the hall is filled with kids, one of whom identifies her as Kenny himself. We knew the joke was coming, but that didn’t make it any less funny.

Where do we even begin? This “Mad TV” parody used characters from the “Peanuts” gang and animated them in a similar fashion to “South Park.” Over the course of four minutes, we are treated to gag after gag referencing countless bits from the first season of the mountain town show. It starts with an almost word-for-word rip on a now-famous conversation between Kyle and Cartman. From there, we get a version of Chef, the death and famous tagline of one character, the blood and gore of earlier episodes, all the way to an ending with Snoopy playing the part of Mr. Hankey. It’s one of the single best parodies of “South Park” ever put to film.

Having originated as far back as 1987, “The Simpsons” helped shows like “South Park” and others become a reality. And even though many of these newer programs may seem like competitors, a natural respect for each other seems to have formed. On more than one occasion, “The Simpsons” have found clever ways to appreciate the folks over at “South Park.” From Bart and his friends dressed as Stan, Kyle, and the others to catching a glimpse of the mountain town characters on Homer’s TV, there’s no shortage of homages in this show. Even Homer once ended up in front of the school being cussed out by four young boys. That’s a lot of friendly banter which makes this a perfect #1.