South Park's Next Special Teases An End To Cartman's Oldest (And Most Problematic) Joke

Summary South Park's upcoming special focuses on Cartman's weight, continuing the show's long-standing portrayal of his obesity as tied to his flaws.

Despite mocking new weight loss methods, South Park is unlikely to permanently change Cartman's appearance or underlying character traits.

The show's history of equating Cartman's weight with his villainy suggests The End of Obesity will center on fat-shaming jokes.

As South Park: The End of Obesity’s release date nears, it has become increasingly clear that the outing will center on a controversial trope the show has relied on for years. Since South Park’s inception, Eric Cartman has been a uniquely vile figure. In the show’s early seasons, Cartman was an obnoxious, spoiled child who voiced ignorant, bigoted views. As South Park continued, Cartman’s amoral side became more pronounced and his misdeeds became increasingly extreme. In one particularly infamous season 4 episode, he fed a school bully his own parents after engineering their deaths and grinding their remains into chili.

Coming into South Park season 27, there is no reason to believe Cartman will be any less villainous. His callously evil attitude is central to the character’s appeal, and his outrageous antics are what make him a perennial fan favorite. The next South Park feature-length movie special, The End of Obesity, will center on Cartman. This outing does promise to change one major aspect of the character, and it is an element of Cartman’s persona that has been controversial over the decades. It's also one that recent seasons of South Park have not addressed despite a broader cultural conversation.

South Park’s Next Special Tackles Cartman’s Weight

South Park’s Antihero Has Always Been Overweight

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Since South Park began, Cartman’s weight has been implicitly and explicitly tied to his greed, laziness, gluttony, and other character flaws. South Park doubled down on this as recently as season 19, when his girlfriend Heidi gained weight and became morally repugnant because of dating Cartman. South Park: The End of Obesity promises to address Cartman’s obesity with a promotional teaser trailer that sees a doctor discussing Ozempic with the ten-year-old and his mother. While this development could be positive, Cartman’s South Park character arc means this storyline is unlikely to end with a more positive portrayal of fat characters.

South Park’s use of Cartman’s weight as an indicator of his moral failings dates back to its earliest episodes where he was singled out as the most ignorant, laziest, and most bigoted member of the gang. Since then, Cartman has become more Machiavellian and his behavior has become more evil as his rhetoric becomes increasingly racist and antisemitic. Throughout this time, his weight has been potrayed as a reflection of his unpleasant personality, with comparatively heroic characters like Stan and Kyle mocking his size. South Park: The End Of Obesity might subvert this, but this is unlikely given the show’s history. It's understandable, but unfortunate that Cartman is yet another long-running stereotype of using fatness to symbolize moral decrepitude.

South Park: The End Of Obesity Is Unlikely To Change Cartman’s Weight Permanently

South Park Mocking Ozempic Makes A Big-Picture Change Unlikely

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South Park: The End of Obesity isn’t likely to permanently alter Cartman’s appearance since the special is mocking an infamously dangerous fad. Similarly, it is unlikely that Cartman’s underlying character will change as a result of temporary weight loss, meaning the show will most likely continue to equate his weight with his villainy. Admittedly, South Park season 27’s storylines could surprise viewers by eliminating the link between Cartman’s weight and his repugnant viewers and actions. However, it is more likely that South Park: The End of Obesity will center on jokes at the expense of Ozempic users.