Major Boobage
Encyclopedia
"Major Boobage" is the third episode of the twelfth season
of the animated television series South Park
, and the 170th episode of the series overall. It originally aired on Comedy Central
in the United States
on March 26, 2008. In the episode, Kenny
becomes addicted to hallucinations induced by a new drug-craze in South Park called "cheesing".
The episode was co-written by series co-creators Trey Parker
and Matt Stone
. It is the first episode of South Park to be rated TV-MA LSV. Many hallucination segments were inspired by the 1981 Canadian
film Heavy Metal
, and includes references to various rumored drug crazes
, the experiences of Jews in Europe during World War II
, and Eliot Spitzer's 2008 prostitution scandal
.
's house and confirm it for themselves, by having Cartman's cat, Mr. Kitty (who, in previous episodes, was actually female), squirt urine in Kenny
's face. Kenny then experiences a drug trip
driving a rocket-powered, black Pontiac Trans Am through space and encountering a woman with large breasts. At the height of the trip, as he is about to bathe with her, Cartman manages to pin him to the ground and bring him back to reality, where he has been running around and removing his clothing (though Kenny angrily attacks him for interrupting). As a result, Stan
and Kyle
suggest that they permanently abstain from using cat urine.
The new drug craze becomes national, with Fox News calling it "cheesing". Kyle's parents, horrified, bring it to the attention of other parents and Gerald Broflovski drafts a bill that will make cats illegal in South Park, whereupon all cats are subsequently taken into custody by the DEA. Cartman hides Mr. Kitty in his attic and suggests that it "write a diary
", and he also reluctantly hides many of the neighborhood cats (strangely, out of compassion for the cats, not out of his usual and initial greed.).
Kenny, meanwhile, is still able to acquire cat urine and is now addicted. The boys try to stop his cheesing addiction, threatening to tell on him, and confiscate his cat. Kyle's mother Sheila finds the cat in Kyle's dresser drawer, but Kyle denies that it is his. He is nevertheless grounded and Gerald takes the cat downstairs, where it is revealed that Gerald himself was once a user. Despite being clean for ten years, temptation takes over and Gerald cheeses himself "one last time". Under the influence, he finds himself in the fantasy world, flying a B-17G. After encountering the woman with the large breasts, he is annoyed to find that Kenny is there, too. They are told that they must battle at the "Breastriary in Nippopolis." Back in reality, a large audience is watching Gerald and Kenny fight at the playground (still believing themselves to be in the fantasy world), shocking Sheila and embarrassing Kyle. Gerald makes a public apology with a very indignant Sheila by his side
, and lifts the ban on cats. He tells his audience that it is not the fault of cats; the cats only produce urine while people actively choose to use it. Randy Marsh
then says, "You never really get a good look at her naked boobs anyway."
At the end of the episode, Cartman says he has learned that you cannot deprive a living being of its freedom. Upon hearing this, Kyle then asks Cartman if he does not notice a similarity between the recent happenings and anything else in history, to which Cartman replies, "Hmm...nope, I have no idea what you're talking about, Kyle." The boys then find Kenny, to their delight, sniffing a flower, claiming that he is getting "high on life". Suddenly Kenny starts rapidly sniffing a handful of flowers, causing him to be transported back to his drug-induced fantasy world much to Stan, Kyle and Cartman's dismay as they run toward Kenny yelling angrily, trying to subdue him and call him back to reality.
gave the episode a 9.0 out of 10, stating
. It also reveals the origin of Kenny's car, which was sometimes an actual 3-D model instead of animation.
Two different songs are played (alternating) in the "cheese trip" portions of the episode; the first (and third) one is "Heavy Metal (Takin' a Ride)" by Don Felder
, with the second (and fourth) one being "Heavy Metal" by Sammy Hagar
. Radar Rider by Riggs
is played briefly during the arena scene. All three songs originally appeared on the Heavy Metal Soundtrack.
South Park (season 12)
Season twelve of South Park, an American animated television series created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone, began airing on March 12, 2008. The twelfth season concluded after 14 episodes on November 19, 2008...
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 170th episode of the series overall. It originally 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 March 26, 2008. In the episode, 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...
becomes addicted to hallucinations induced by a new drug-craze in South Park called "cheesing".
The episode was co-written by series co-creators 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 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....
. It is the first episode of South Park to be rated TV-MA LSV. Many hallucination segments were inspired by the 1981 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...
film Heavy Metal
Heavy Metal (film)
Heavy Metal is a 1981 Canadian fantasy-animated film directed by Gerald Potterton and produced by Ivan Reitman and Leonard Mogel, who also was the publisher of Heavy Metal magazine....
, and includes references to various rumored drug crazes
Deviancy amplification spiral
Deviancy amplification spiral is a media hype phenomenon defined by media critics as a cycle of increasing numbers of reports on a category of antisocial behavior or some other "undesirable" event, leading to a moral panic...
, the experiences of Jews in Europe during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, and Eliot Spitzer's 2008 prostitution scandal
Eliot Spitzer prostitution scandal
The Eliot Spitzer prostitution scandal began on March 10, 2008, when The New York Times reported that Democratic New York Governor Eliot Spitzer had patronized a prostitution service called Emperors Club VIP...
.
Plot
Mr. Mackey lectures the kids on the dangers of choking themselves to get high, as well as other methods that are becoming popular, including getting high off cat urine. Mr. Mackey explains that urine used by male cats to mark their territory in the presence of other male cats, can cause one to get intoxicated when inhaled. Curious, the boys go to CartmanEric 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...
's house and confirm it for themselves, by having Cartman's cat, Mr. Kitty (who, in previous episodes, was actually female), squirt urine in 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...
's face. Kenny then experiences a drug trip
Psychedelic experience
The term "psychedelic experience" is vague – characterized by polyvalence or ambiguity due to its nature – however in modern psychopharmacological science as well as philosophical, psychological, neurological, spiritual-religious and most other ideological discourses it is understood as an altered...
driving a rocket-powered, black Pontiac Trans Am through space and encountering a woman with large breasts. At the height of the trip, as he is about to bathe with her, Cartman manages to pin him to the ground and bring him back to reality, where he has been running around and removing his clothing (though Kenny angrily attacks him for interrupting). As a result, 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 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...
suggest that they permanently abstain from using cat urine.
The new drug craze becomes national, with Fox News calling it "cheesing". Kyle's parents, horrified, bring it to the attention of other parents and Gerald Broflovski drafts a bill that will make cats illegal in South Park, whereupon all cats are subsequently taken into custody by the DEA. Cartman hides Mr. Kitty in his attic and suggests that it "write a diary
The Diary of a Young Girl
The Diary of a Young Girl is a book of the writings from the Dutch language diary kept by Anne Frank while she was in hiding for two years with her family during the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands. The family was apprehended in 1944 and Anne Frank ultimately died of typhus in the Bergen-Belsen...
", and he also reluctantly hides many of the neighborhood cats (strangely, out of compassion for the cats, not out of his usual and initial greed.).
Kenny, meanwhile, is still able to acquire cat urine and is now addicted. The boys try to stop his cheesing addiction, threatening to tell on him, and confiscate his cat. Kyle's mother Sheila finds the cat in Kyle's dresser drawer, but Kyle denies that it is his. He is nevertheless grounded and Gerald takes the cat downstairs, where it is revealed that Gerald himself was once a user. Despite being clean for ten years, temptation takes over and Gerald cheeses himself "one last time". Under the influence, he finds himself in the fantasy world, flying a B-17G. After encountering the woman with the large breasts, he is annoyed to find that Kenny is there, too. They are told that they must battle at the "Breastriary in Nippopolis." Back in reality, a large audience is watching Gerald and Kenny fight at the playground (still believing themselves to be in the fantasy world), shocking Sheila and embarrassing Kyle. Gerald makes a public apology with a very indignant Sheila by his side
Eliot Spitzer prostitution scandal
The Eliot Spitzer prostitution scandal began on March 10, 2008, when The New York Times reported that Democratic New York Governor Eliot Spitzer had patronized a prostitution service called Emperors Club VIP...
, and lifts the ban on cats. He tells his audience that it is not the fault of cats; the cats only produce urine while people actively choose to use it. Randy Marsh
Randy Marsh
Randall Gilbert Marsh is a former umpire in Major League Baseball who worked in the National League from 1981 to 1999 and throughout both major leagues from 2000-2009. Marsh wore the uniform number 30...
then says, "You never really get a good look at her naked boobs anyway."
At the end of the episode, Cartman says he has learned that you cannot deprive a living being of its freedom. Upon hearing this, Kyle then asks Cartman if he does not notice a similarity between the recent happenings and anything else in history, to which Cartman replies, "Hmm...nope, I have no idea what you're talking about, Kyle." The boys then find Kenny, to their delight, sniffing a flower, claiming that he is getting "high on life". Suddenly Kenny starts rapidly sniffing a handful of flowers, causing him to be transported back to his drug-induced fantasy world much to Stan, Kyle and Cartman's dismay as they run toward Kenny yelling angrily, trying to subdue him and call him back to reality.
Reception
IGNIGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
gave the episode a 9.0 out of 10, stating
Finally, this is an episode made up of great small moments. There's Cartman completely missing the "historical parallels" found in his saving the cats. Butters calmly helping Kenny even after getting puked on. Mr. Mackey realizing he shouldn't have told the kids all the different ways to get high. Kyle's cat innocently meowing while trapped in a ziplock bag as Gerald lectures. And – my personal favorite - the alternate name for cheesing: "Mary Jane piss in your face fun time." All in all, this is a terrific episode – funny throughout. South Park is, after a rough start, back and in top form.
Production
The episode took eight weeks to complete, which is eight times that of a normal episode, due to the use of traditional animation in order to make it resemble the film Heavy MetalHeavy Metal (film)
Heavy Metal is a 1981 Canadian fantasy-animated film directed by Gerald Potterton and produced by Ivan Reitman and Leonard Mogel, who also was the publisher of Heavy Metal magazine....
. It also reveals the origin of Kenny's car, which was sometimes an actual 3-D model instead of animation.
Two different songs are played (alternating) in the "cheese trip" portions of the episode; the first (and third) one is "Heavy Metal (Takin' a Ride)" by Don Felder
Don Felder
Donald William "Don" Felder is an American musician and songwriter, best known for his work as lead guitarist for the Eagles from 1974 to 1980 and again from 1994 to 2001.-Early life and influences:...
, with the second (and fourth) one being "Heavy Metal" by Sammy Hagar
Sammy Hagar
Sam Roy "Sammy" Hagar , also known as The Red Rocker, is an American rock singer, guitarist, and songwriter. Also sings Country Music....
. Radar Rider by Riggs
Jerry Riggs
Jerry Riggs is an American rock guitarist and vocalist, born on August 25, 1956, in Knoxville, Tennessee.-Biography:Jerry Riggs began his musical career as lead guitarist for the Knoxville, Tennessee group, Lynx, a popular staple on the local bar circuit in the mid-70s. The band, featuring Michael...
is played briefly during the arena scene. All three songs originally appeared on the Heavy Metal Soundtrack.
External links
- "Major Boobage" Full episode at South Park Studios
- "Major Boobage" Episode guide at South Park Studios