20 Mind-Blowing Facts You Didn't Know About South Park
1. Eric Cartman Was Inspired By Archie Bunker
Eric Cartman is one of the most horrible, nasty, racist, all around terrible people in television history, and he was actually inspired by another famous character who fits that same description: All In The Family's Archie Bunker.
Archie was a notorious bigot on that series whose opinions were contrasted with that of the more liberal Mike, and South Park creates a similar relationship between Cartman and Kyle. Parker and Stone have also said that they were big All In The Family Fans, and they were wondering if anyone would be able to get away with writing a character like that in modern times. They thought about it and realized that the only way to do it would be if the character was an eight-year-old kid.
This allowed them to explore a character who is just an absolutely vile bigot, but by making him an innocent looking child, it's an easier pill for the public to swallow. Throughout the series, Cartman has been responsible for murder, animal abuse, forced cannibalism, drug possession, theft, armed robbery, arson, hate crimes, grave robbing, kidnapping, breaking and entering, identity theft, embezzlement, child abuse, torture, and rape. Needless to say, they took it further than the All in the Family writers would have ever dreamed of.
Which of these is your favourite? Have any of your own to share? Let us know down in the comments.