With so many seasons and episodes under South Park’s belt after being on the air for more than 23 years, it’s easy for a lot of moments to get forgotten in a show that’s full of memorable ones. Even in its infancy, South Park had a lot of great scenes, leading to some deep cuts becoming forgotten gems along the way.
The show has become such a huge franchise and has spawned one of the best Warner Bros. animated movies of all time, but South Park’s very beginnings shaped everything in the series from video games to the politically charged later seasons. So it’s important to remember the forgotten moments that started it all.
10 “I’m Gonna Make Love To You, Woman”
Chef might be one of the worst fictional chefs, but he’s one of the most beloved characters due to the irresponsible advice he gives to the four mischievous kids, whether it’s related to sex, violence, or other adult topics.
However, when Chef really shines is when the character makes best use of Isaac Hayes voicing him as he bursts in to song. It’s in the very first episode when it first happens, and “I’m Gonna Make Love To You, Woman” is one of the first instances that Trey Parker and Matt Stone flexed their musical chops on the series.
9 The Taxi Driver Reference
When it isn’t bullying celebrities or commenting on social issues, South Park is most likely making a movie reference. One of the show’s funniest that has slipped through the cracks is when Mr. Garrison looks at himself in the mirror armed with a machine gun saying, “You looking at me?” over and over. This is clearly parodying the iconic scene in Martin Scorsese’s Taxi Driver, in which Robert De Niro does the exact same thing.
8 Robert Smith Appearing As Himself
Before South Park started taking aim at celebrities, putting musicians and actors in its crosshairs, they actually celebrated celebrities by having guest stars on the show, and musical icon Robert Smith was one of the first. Though The Cure’s lead singer features in “Mecha-Streisand,” the worst episode of the first season, it’s a fun surprise and it paved the way for the future of the show.
7 Jay Leno’s Guest Feature
Though Jay Leno featured in the show as himself in later seasons, his very first appearance was in season one as Mr. Kitty in the season finale, “Cartman’s Mom is a Dirty Slut.” In the show, Mr. Kitty is Cartman’s pet who he relentlessly abuses and leads the cat to a bizarre downward spiral. Though the character has appeared in the show several times since then, the role was taken on by Trey Parker, leading many to forget the character was originally voiced by Leno.
6 Mr. Hankey’s First Appearance
Mr. Hankey was created before the show even began, which is one of the many interesting facts of the first season, and at one point Mr. Hankey was even pegged as the main character of the whole series. Instead, we thankfully just got some hilarious appearances here and there.
Mr. Hankey has made a lot of appearances in the show throughout the past 23 years, but as the unique character has had more prominent features since then, his debut in the first season often goes under the radar.
5 Geraldo Rivera’s Striking Resemblance To Randy
Though they hadn’t quite yet reached the confidence to go all out and mock celebrities to no end, one of the first interpretations of a celebrity was Geraldo Rivera when Cartman was being interviewed by him on his talk show, Geraldo. The character model of Geraldo looked nothing like him in real life, but it did look insanely like Randy, Stan’s dad, who first appears in the episode following the one Geraldo is seen in.
4 George Clooney As Sparky
In what is maybe the strangest guest feature ever, not only will people not remember, but viewers may not have even known about this if they weren’t paying attention. Clooney plays Sparky, Stan’s homosexual dog, and the actor’s role was limited to only dog barks. Clooney has a great relationship with Stone and Parker as he had a role in the movie South Park: Bigger, Longer, & Uncut that actually had proper dialogue.
3 Ned Singing Kumbaya
In another hilarious quasi-musical bit that has become more or less forgotten in recent years due to there being many other more memorable musical moments, Ned singing “Kumbaya” is one of the funniest clips of season one.
Ned has even had other musical moments himself, such as when he sings “O Little Town Of Bethlehem,” but the Vietnam war veteran’s unique take on “Kumbaya” with his electro larynx is hilarious.
2 Its Cheap Art Style
With the title of the first episode being “Cartman Gets An Anal Probe,” it immediately announced the type of humor that would outlast dozens of other animated comedies and became one of the best episodes for fans of Eric Cartman.
But the first episode’s art style was extremely rough around the edges and the stop motion felt extremely choppy. Though many fans believe that’s the aesthetic Stone and Parker were going for, it was actually because it was the cheapest way of creating the show.
1 The Animator’s Hand
One of the most infamous moments of the first season came during one of Chef’s musical numbers. It has been almost forgotten and if viewers so much as blink at the wrong time they’ll miss it. It lasts for just a couple of frames, but a producer’s hand can be seen on the left of the screen, supposedly accidentally captured when working on the stop motion of the show.
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