It's Christmas in Canada
Encyclopedia
"It's Christmas in Canada" (sometimes called "Christmas in Canada?" or simply "Christmas in Canada") is episode 111 of the American cartoon series
South Park
. The episode originally aired on December 17, 2003 and was nominated for an Emmy Award
. The episode parodies the film The Wizard of Oz
.
together when a Canadian
couple, who introduce themselves as Harry and Elise Gints, come to their house. Just as Harry begins explain why they have sought out the Broflovskis, Kyle
and Ike walk into view to see who is at the door and Elise immediately rushes in to hug Ike, who hides behind Kyle. While talking in the dining area, with Kyle and Ike outside listening in, Harry and Elise reveal they are Ike's biological parents (and address him as "Peter", which was his birth name), who gave Ike up during the Cola Wars
in Canada. Harry justifies their right to change their mind about putting Ike up for adoption as, due to a new law made by the Prime Minister of Canada
, all Canadian-born children living in America must be returned to their biological parents. The Gintses depart, with the Broflovskis vowing to fight them in court. Sadly, the Canadian law cannot be overturned by South Park's court, so Ike is given to the Gintses. After Ike sadly leaves with his biological parents, Kyle notices his parents steadily getting worse as time without Ike goes on and attempts to get his friends to help him, but they have other things on their minds: Cartman
selfishly believes that presents are more important, and Stan
is obsessed with the Christmas adventures that he may have this year.
South Park's citizens decide to act kindly towards the Broflovskis and agree to give them their Christmas gift money to help fund their trip to Canada in order to talk to the Prime Minister. However, they do not take their children into account and their decision leaves the children upset with the thought of Christmas without any presents. Cartman blames it all on Kyle. Kyle has an idea of how to save Christmas: the boys can go to Canada and get Ike back themselves in the few days before Christmas, saving everybody's money for presents. Everyone else agrees, with Cartman threatening to fight Kyle if they don't get home in time for Christmas. They fly with City Airlines, run by City Wok owner Tuong Lu Kim. During the flight, the plane suffers from mechanical troubles and runs out of gas. Tuong parachutes from the plane, leaving the four boys inside. It crashes in Canada, but the boys get out relatively unscathed. Recovering, they meet a bunch of Canadians, including Scott, a Canadian who hates his own people and Americans, and is universally considered "a dick". Traveling to Ottawa on the "only road"
in Canada, the boys meet others plagued by the new Prime Minister's laws, such as a Mountie
named Rick, who is forced to ride a sheep instead of a horse
; an unnamed French Canadian
mime
, who can no longer drink wine; and a Newfoundland
er named Steve, who can no longer practice sodomy
. In Newfoundland, Steve points out that they were heading in the wrong direction. However, they get there in enough time by using Steve's boat.
In the Centre Block
of the Parliament Buildings
, the boys ask guard to let them in, but he declines. Kyle pleads with the guard who states that the Prime Minister is in China. Disappointed, the four boys sit on the steps and cry until the guard, now feeling sorry for them, admits he was lying and allows them entrance. The boys finally meet with the Prime Minister, a gigantic floating head who is a brutal dictator and refuses to repeal his laws. Scott then arrives with the Gintses, and, along with Kyle, appeal to the Prime Minister to support their separate views. The Prime Minister rejects Kyle's speech, and to prove his point, vaporizes Kenny. Stan reveals that the gigantic floating head is mechanically controlled by Saddam Hussein in a spider-hole. Upon discovery of the Prime Minister's true identity, the Canadians arrest Hussein and declare all of the new laws null and void. The Gintses realize how much Kyle must care for Ike to come all the way to Canada and they give Ike the choice to go back to America, which he accepts as he hugs Kyle. Cartman's watch goes off, and he is upset about missing Christmas, but Kyle insists that he got his brother back and that's all that matters; Cartman, however, gets angry and tries to fight Kyle. Kyle at first is reluctant but then hits Cartman only once, causing him to scream and cry at the top of his voice and call for his mother. Rick the Mountie invites the boys to celebrate Christmas Canadian-style, being part of a parade celebrating Hussein's capture and the boys' efforts to remove him from power. Oblivious to what just happened, Stan and Cartman are unhappy; Stan sighs and says that maybe they will have a Christmas adventure next year.
Cartoon series
A cartoon series is a set of regularly presented animated television programs with a common series title, usually related to one another. These episodes typically share the same characters and a basic theme...
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...
. The episode originally aired on December 17, 2003 and was nominated for an Emmy Award
Emmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
. The episode parodies the film The Wizard of Oz
The Wizard of Oz (1939 film)
The Wizard of Oz is a 1939 American musical fantasy film produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. It was directed primarily by Victor Fleming. Noel Langley, Florence Ryerson and Edgar Allan Woolf received credit for the screenplay, but there were uncredited contributions by others. The lyrics for the songs...
.
Plot
The Broflovski family is celebrating HanukkahHanukkah
Hanukkah , also known as the Festival of Lights, is an eight-day Jewish holiday commemorating the rededication of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem at the time of the Maccabean Revolt of the 2nd century BCE...
together when a Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
couple, who introduce themselves as Harry and Elise Gints, come to their house. Just as Harry begins explain why they have sought out the Broflovskis, 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...
and Ike walk into view to see who is at the door and Elise immediately rushes in to hug Ike, who hides behind Kyle. While talking in the dining area, with Kyle and Ike outside listening in, Harry and Elise reveal they are Ike's biological parents (and address him as "Peter", which was his birth name), who gave Ike up during the Cola Wars
Cola wars
The Cola Wars are a campaign of mutually-targeted television advertisements and marketing campaigns since the 1980s between soft drink manufacturers Coca-Cola Company and PepsiCo Incorporated.- Competition :...
in Canada. Harry justifies their right to change their mind about putting Ike up for adoption as, due to a new law made by the Prime Minister of Canada
Prime Minister of Canada
The Prime Minister of Canada is the primary minister of the Crown, chairman of the Cabinet, and thus head of government for Canada, charged with advising the Canadian monarch or viceroy on the exercise of the executive powers vested in them by the constitution...
, all Canadian-born children living in America must be returned to their biological parents. The Gintses depart, with the Broflovskis vowing to fight them in court. Sadly, the Canadian law cannot be overturned by South Park's court, so Ike is given to the Gintses. After Ike sadly leaves with his biological parents, Kyle notices his parents steadily getting worse as time without Ike goes on and attempts to get his friends to help him, but they have other things on their minds: 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...
selfishly believes that presents are more important, and 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...
is obsessed with the Christmas adventures that he may have this year.
South Park's citizens decide to act kindly towards the Broflovskis and agree to give them their Christmas gift money to help fund their trip to Canada in order to talk to the Prime Minister. However, they do not take their children into account and their decision leaves the children upset with the thought of Christmas without any presents. Cartman blames it all on Kyle. Kyle has an idea of how to save Christmas: the boys can go to Canada and get Ike back themselves in the few days before Christmas, saving everybody's money for presents. Everyone else agrees, with Cartman threatening to fight Kyle if they don't get home in time for Christmas. They fly with City Airlines, run by City Wok owner Tuong Lu Kim. During the flight, the plane suffers from mechanical troubles and runs out of gas. Tuong parachutes from the plane, leaving the four boys inside. It crashes in Canada, but the boys get out relatively unscathed. Recovering, they meet a bunch of Canadians, including Scott, a Canadian who hates his own people and Americans, and is universally considered "a dick". Traveling to Ottawa on the "only road"
Trans-Canada Highway
The Trans-Canada Highway is a federal-provincial highway system that joins the ten provinces of Canada. It is, along with the Trans-Siberian Highway and Australia's Highway 1, one of the world's longest national highways, with the main route spanning 8,030 km...
in Canada, the boys meet others plagued by the new Prime Minister's laws, such as a Mountie
Royal Canadian Mounted Police
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police , literally ‘Royal Gendarmerie of Canada’; colloquially known as The Mounties, and internally as ‘The Force’) is the national police force of Canada, and one of the most recognized of its kind in the world. It is unique in the world as a national, federal,...
named Rick, who is forced to ride a sheep instead of a horse
Horse
The horse is one of two extant subspecies of Equus ferus, or the wild horse. It is a single-hooved mammal belonging to the taxonomic family Equidae. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million years from a small multi-toed creature into the large, single-toed animal of today...
; an unnamed French Canadian
French Canadian
French Canadian or Francophone Canadian, , generally refers to the descendents of French colonists who arrived in New France in the 17th and 18th centuries...
mime
Mime
The word mime is used to refer to a mime artist who uses a theatrical medium or performance art involving the acting out of a story through body motions without use of speech.Mime may also refer to:* Mime, an alternative word for lip sync...
, who can no longer drink wine; and a Newfoundland
Newfoundland and Labrador
Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada. Situated in the country's Atlantic region, it incorporates the island of Newfoundland and mainland Labrador with a combined area of . As of April 2011, the province's estimated population is 508,400...
er named Steve, who can no longer practice sodomy
Sodomy
Sodomy is an anal or other copulation-like act, especially between male persons or between a man and animal, and one who practices sodomy is a "sodomite"...
. In Newfoundland, Steve points out that they were heading in the wrong direction. However, they get there in enough time by using Steve's boat.
In the Centre Block
Centre Block
The Centre Block is the main building of the Canadian parliamentary complex on Parliament Hill, in Ottawa, Ontario, containing the Commons and Senate chambers, as well as the offices of a number of Members of Parliament and Senators, as well as senior administration for both legislative houses...
of the Parliament Buildings
Parliament Hill
Parliament Hill , colloquially known as The Hill, is an area of Crown land on the southern banks of the Ottawa River in downtown Ottawa, Ontario. Its Gothic revival suite of buildingsthe parliament buildings serves as the home of the Parliament of Canada and contains a number of architectural...
, the boys ask guard to let them in, but he declines. Kyle pleads with the guard who states that the Prime Minister is in China. Disappointed, the four boys sit on the steps and cry until the guard, now feeling sorry for them, admits he was lying and allows them entrance. The boys finally meet with the Prime Minister, a gigantic floating head who is a brutal dictator and refuses to repeal his laws. Scott then arrives with the Gintses, and, along with Kyle, appeal to the Prime Minister to support their separate views. The Prime Minister rejects Kyle's speech, and to prove his point, vaporizes Kenny. Stan reveals that the gigantic floating head is mechanically controlled by Saddam Hussein in a spider-hole. Upon discovery of the Prime Minister's true identity, the Canadians arrest Hussein and declare all of the new laws null and void. The Gintses realize how much Kyle must care for Ike to come all the way to Canada and they give Ike the choice to go back to America, which he accepts as he hugs Kyle. Cartman's watch goes off, and he is upset about missing Christmas, but Kyle insists that he got his brother back and that's all that matters; Cartman, however, gets angry and tries to fight Kyle. Kyle at first is reluctant but then hits Cartman only once, causing him to scream and cry at the top of his voice and call for his mother. Rick the Mountie invites the boys to celebrate Christmas Canadian-style, being part of a parade celebrating Hussein's capture and the boys' efforts to remove him from power. Oblivious to what just happened, Stan and Cartman are unhappy; Stan sighs and says that maybe they will have a Christmas adventure next year.
External links
- It's Christmas in Canada Full episode at South Park Studios
- It's Christmas in Canada Episode guide at South Park Studios