Not Even Trey Parker and Matt Stone Can Keep ‘South Park's Decades-Spanning Lore Straight
A whole lot has gone down during South Park’s nearly three-decade-long run. But if you’ve ever found yourself wondering how many times the show’s writers have killed Kenny, blamed Canada or found themselves in trouble with international censors — and the micropenised POTUS — you’re not alone. South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone aren’t sure about it either.
Over the weekend, the pair, fresh off their resistance-stoking, Satan-fucking Season 27 premiere, dropped by San Diego Comic-Con, where they revealed that they, too, struggle to keep track of the show’s unwieldy canon.
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“It’s them,” Parker said, addressing the audience of fans, when asked who’s responsible for keeping track of South Park’s extensive lore. Specifically naming Wikipedia and fan forums, the duo detailed how South Park’s loyal viewers take on the brunt of this dirty work that should probably be done by an actual paid employee. Either way, when in doubt, Parker and Stone — much like us — hit the web in search of community-generated answers.
“We just go on the internet, and we’re just like, ‘Oh, what does everyone say, again?’” Parker explained, noting that the process comes in handy when identifying niche side characters.
“We can look on any kind of South Park fanbase or whatever, and find — ‘Oh yeah, we did that, that’s who that kid’s mom is,’” he continued, eliciting a smattering of laughs from the room. “It’s like, ‘What did his mom do for a living? We’ll just go on the internet.’”
When it comes to the meat of their episodes, however, they made it clear that they treat their research process with particular care. At another point during the panel, Parker pulled back the curtain on the Season 27 premiere, revealing that the South Park team cut it particularly close in light of various breaking news stories.
“We were like, ‘I don’t know if people are going to like this,’” Parker recalled. “We were reading stuff in the newspaper, and (we) were like, ‘Let’s put that in there!’”
That, of course, they’re sure to remember.
