Go Fund Yourself

Last updated
"Go Fund Yourself"
South Park episode
Episode no.Season 18
Episode 1
Directed by Trey Parker
Written byTrey Parker
Production code1801
Original air dateSeptember 24, 2014 (2014-09-24)
Guest appearance
Episode chronology
← Previous
"The Hobbit"		Next →
"Gluten Free Ebola"
South Park season 18
List of episodes

"Go Fund Yourself" is the first episode in the eighteenth season of the American animated television series South Park . The 248th episode of the series overall, it was written and directed by series co-creator Trey Parker. The episode premiered on Comedy Central in the United States on September 24, 2014. In the episode, Stan, Kyle, Cartman, Kenny, and Butters decide to create a startup company funded through Kickstarter so that they never have to work again. While choosing a name, they realize that the Washington Redskins American football team has lost its trademark [1] on "Redskins" because it is racially disparaging to Native Americans, so they decide to use that name for their company. The new company receives enough money for the boys to live luxuriously without doing any work, until the football team destroys Kickstarter's servers during a raid, preventing the boys from accessing their startup company page and receiving their money.

Contents

The episode received positive reviews from critics. National Football League (NFL) commissioner Roger Goodell appears as himself via archive sound.

Plot

Stan, Kyle, Cartman, Kenny, and Butters decide to leave school and get rich quick by creating a start-up company through crowdfunding website Kickstarter, but have a hard time getting a name that is not already taken. When Cartman finds out that the Washington Redskins football team has lost the trademark to their team name, he suggests using it for their company. This angers Washington team owner Daniel Snyder, who tries to blackball Cartman. With ISIS supporting them, Kyle and Stan leave to form their own startup company, which Stan eventually also quits.

Snyder, increasingly frustrated, asks other NFL owners to use their connections to have Cartman change his company's logo. Cartman responds by adding hand-drawn breasts, testicles and a penis to the Redskins logo. This leads to Snyder and his team to break into Kickstarter headquarters and burn it to the ground. Cartman, Kyle, and Stan lose the money from their Kickstarter projects, but reconcile and refurbish their company into a replacement for Kickstarter to make money off their clients. Everything goes well for the boys until the Redskins' game against the Dallas Cowboys when Snyder himself is forced to play in place of his disillusioned team and is severely injured. Taking pity on the team owner, the townspeople form a mob against the boys' company (including ISIS), threatening to boycott them unless the boys change the name and go back to school.

Production

Washington Redskins owner Daniel Snyder is mocked in the episode for his stance on maintaining his franchise's team name Daniel Snyder.jpg
Washington Redskins owner Daniel Snyder is mocked in the episode for his stance on maintaining his franchise's team name

Trey Parker and Matt Stone wanted to spoof the Washington Redskins name controversy, thinking that the controversy would be "the big issue" in the National Football League that season. Several scenes were complete and it was decided that this would be the first episode of the season. However, around a week before air, the Ray Rice domestic violence incident happened. Parker and Stone felt that this complicated matters; they felt the Redskins controversy wasn't the big story anymore and if they aired the episode as is, people would wonder why they didn't spoof Ray Rice in an episode about the NFL. As a result, much of the episode was modified trying to find a way to fit this story in. Eventually, Parker and Stone settled on referencing the Rice incident rather than making it a major theme, and finishing the episode how they originally intended, focusing on the Redskins and Kickstarter. [2]

The episode was originally titled "Piling on", alluding to the fact that "everyone was talking about" the NFL and a South Park episode about it would be "piling it on". [2]

Parker originally drew the penis and breasts on a Redskins logo on a whiteboard in the writers room for fun. Everybody thought it was genius and it provided inspiration to finish the episode. [2]

The scene in which the Redskins owner sheds a tear while looking towards the camera is a parody of the famous 1970s commercial "Keep America Beautiful", which features "The Crying Indian". To make the owner's head turn towards the camera in a way that mimics the ad campaign, the animators needed to build a series of special head poses. [3]

Promotion

To promote the episode, Comedy Central purchased commercial time on Fox owned-and-operated station WTTG in Washington, D.C. while it aired the Redskins' game against the Philadelphia Eagles on September 21, 2014. [4] The teaser features Snyder, head coach Jay Gruden and quarterback Robert Griffin III confronting Cartman about using the Washington Redskins name. However, it was Kirk Cousins who appeared in the actual episode to reflect the fact he had replaced Griffin on the field while the latter recovered from an ankle injury. [5]

Reception

The episode received a B− rating from The A.V. Club 's Eric Thurm. Thurm praised the episode's parody of recent controversy in the NFL, but also criticized its startup satire for "happening at the basest level possible". [6] IGN 's Max Nicholson gave the episode a score of 8 out of 10 and called it "an enjoyable half-hour of TV", particularly commending the prevalent cultural references. [7]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eric Cartman</span> South Park character

Eric Theodore Cartman, commonly referred to by his last name, is a fictional character in the adult animated sitcom South Park, created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone. He is voiced by Parker, and is one of the series' four main characters, alongside Stan Marsh, Kyle Broflovski, and Kenny McCormick. He first appeared with the name Kenny in the short film The Spirit of Christmas (1992), and later appeared in the 1995 film of the same title before debuting in "Cartman Gets an Anal Probe", the first episode of the series, on August 13, 1997.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Good Times with Weapons</span> 1st episode of the 8th season of South Park

"Good Times with Weapons" is the first episode of the eighth season of the American animated series South Park and the 112th episode of the series. It originally aired on March 17, 2004. In the episode, the boys are transformed into Japanese warriors after they buy martial arts weapons at a local market. Their sworn enemy, Professor Chaos, confronts them and a highly stylized battle ensues. The episode's animation routinely switches from the usual cutout-and-solid-color style to a highly stylized anime theme.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Simpsons Already Did It</span> 7th episode of the 6th season of South Park

"Simpsons Already Did It" is the seventh episode of the sixth season of the American animated television series South Park and the 86th episode of the series overall. It originally aired on Comedy Central in the United States on June 26, 2002. In the episode, which continues on from the events of the previous episode "Professor Chaos," Butters thinks up a series of schemes to take over the world, but realizes that each one has already been performed on the show The Simpsons. Meanwhile, Ms. Choksondik dies and Cartman, Kyle and Stan think that they are responsible.

"Casa Bonita" is the eleventh episode of the seventh season of the American animated television series South Park, and the 107th episode of the series overall. It first aired on Comedy Central in the United States on November 12, 2003. In the episode, Cartman misleads Butters into going missing in order to gain an invitation to Kyle's birthday party. The titular restaurant in the episode is based on the real-life Casa Bonita, a Mexican-themed restaurant in Lakewood, Colorado.

"The Red Badge of Gayness" is the fourteenth episode of the third season of the animated television series South Park and the 45th episode of the series overall. It originally aired on November 24, 1999. In the episode, the boys participate in the South Park Civil War reenactment. To win a bet, Cartman convinces the reenactors to try and alter history and leads them throughout the United States. The episode's name is a reference to the war novel The Red Badge of Courage, and parodies Ken Burns' documentary miniseries The Civil War and the 1993 film Gettysburg.

"Rainforest Shmainforest" is the third season premiere of Comedy Central's animated series South Park. It originally aired on April 7, 1999 and is the 32nd episode overall. This episode features Jennifer Aniston providing the voice for Miss Stevens. The episode criticizes the American Movement to Save the Rain Forest and mocks Costa Rica. The episode's title includes a shm-reduplication.

"Super Best Friends" is the third episode of the fifth season of the American animated television series South Park and the 68th episode of the series overall. Going by production order, it is the 4th episode of Season 5 instead of the 3rd. It first aired on Comedy Central in the United States on July 4, 2001. In the episode, Stan, Kyle, Cartman and Kenny discover the magician David Blaine performing in South Park and decide to join his cult, the Blaintologists. Stan quickly finds out that the Blaintologists are not as nice as everyone thinks and tries to convince the other boys that they have been brainwashed. Teaming up with Jesus, Stan calls upon the Super Best Friends, a parody of the Super Friends, to destroy Blaine and thwart the mass suicide pact he has launched.

"Jared Has Aides" is the first episode of the sixth season of the adult American animated television series South Park, and the 80th episode of the series overall. It first aired on Comedy Central in the United States on March 6, 2002. In the episode, weight loss advocate and Subway spokesman Jared Fogle incurs the wrath of South Park after he announces that he lost weight because he has aides. This leads Cartman, Kyle and Stan to try to use Butters as their own advocate for City Wok. The episode also parodies the film Philadelphia.

"Chef Goes Nanners" is the seventh episode of the fourth season of the animated television series South Park, and the 55th episode of the series overall. It is eighth in production order. "Chef Goes Nanners" originally aired in the United States on Comedy Central on July 5, 2000.

"Ginger Kids" is the eleventh episode in the ninth season of the American animated television series South Park. The 136th episode of the series overall, it first aired on Comedy Central in the United States on November 9, 2005. In the episode, Eric Cartman is led to think he has contracted a mysterious and sudden onset of "gingervitus". To stop being ridiculed for his fake red hair, light skin and freckles, he rallies all the ginger kids everywhere to fight against the persecution and rise up to become the master race he believes they are intended to be.

"Free Willzyx" is the thirteenth episode in the ninth season of the American animated television series South Park. The 138th overall episode, it originally aired on Comedy Central in the United States on November 30, 2005. In the episode, which parodies the film Free Willy, Kyle, Stan, Cartman and Kenny go to an amusement park, where aquarium employees prank them into thinking the orca Jambu is telling them he needs to be sent back to the Moon where he truly belongs or else he will die; the prank backfires as the boys embark on a misguided mission to set him free.

"Cartoon Wars Part I" is the third episode in the tenth season of the American animated television series South Park. The 142nd episode of the series overall, it first aired on Comedy Central in the United States on April 5, 2006. It is the first part of a two-episode story-arc, which concludes with "Cartoon Wars Part II". In the episode, it is announced that a Family Guy episode will air with the Islamic prophet Muhammad as a character, leaving the whole of the United States fearing for their lives. Cartman apparently believes that the episode is offensive to Muslims and decides to go to Hollywood to try to get the episode pulled.

"ManBearPig" is the sixth episode in the tenth season of the American animated television series South Park. The 145th episode of the series overall, it first aired on Comedy Central in the United States on April 26, 2006. In the episode, Al Gore visits South Park to warn everyone about a creature called ManBearPig, an allegory for global warming. Gore then gets Stan, Kyle, Cartman, and Kenny trapped inside the Cave of the Winds.

"Mystery of the Urinal Deuce" is the ninth episode in the tenth season of the American animated television series South Park. The 148th episode of the series overall, it first aired on Comedy Central in the United States on October 11, 2006. The episode focuses on the 9/11 conspiracy theories, and was written by series co-creator Trey Parker. In the episode, Mr. Mackey is determined to find out who defecated in the urinal, while Cartman manages to link it to 9/11. This causes Stan and Kyle to find the truth behind this terrible event in history.

"Gluten Free Ebola" is the second episode in the eighteenth season of the American animated television series South Park. The 249th overall episode, it was written and directed by series co-creator Trey Parker. The episode premiered on Comedy Central in the United States on October 1, 2014. The episode lampoons the trend of the gluten-free diet lifestyle and the constant changes recommended to the Western pattern diet and the current food guide.

"The Cissy" is the third episode in the eighteenth season of the American animated television series South Park. The 250th overall episode, it was written and directed by series co-creator Trey Parker. The episode premiered on Comedy Central in the United States on October 8, 2014. The episode explores the controversial subculture of transgender individuals and gender identity. Musician Sia is featured as the AutoTuned voice of Randy Marsh, who is revealed to be the musician Lorde.

"Grounded Vindaloop" is the seventh episode in the eighteenth season of the American animated television series South Park. The 254th episode overall, it was written and directed by series co-creator and co-star Trey Parker. The episode premiered on Comedy Central in the United States on November 12, 2014. The episode lampoons virtual reality headsets including the Oculus Rift using various science-fiction movie references, and customer service call centers.

"Cock Magic" is the eighth episode in the eighteenth season of the American animated television series South Park. The 255th overall episode, it was written and directed by series co-creator and co-star Trey Parker. The episode premiered on Comedy Central in the United States on November 19, 2014. The episode lampoons the popularity of the collectible card game Magic: The Gathering using double entendres of various sexual innuendo, women's sports, and cockfighting versus the stand for animal rights.

"#REHASH" is the ninth episode in the eighteenth season of the American animated television series South Park. The 256th overall episode, it was written and directed by series co-creator and co-star Trey Parker. The episode premiered on Comedy Central in the United States on December 3, 2014. The episode is part one of the two-part season finale. The episode lampoons the popularity of Internet Let's Play celebrities and the phenomena of Internet trending topics that lack actual relevance. The episode also references and intertwines multiple elements from previous episodes in the eighteenth season of South Park. YouTuber PewDiePie plays himself in this episode.

"#HappyHolograms" is the tenth and final episode in the eighteenth season of the American animated television series South Park. The 257th episode overall, it was written and directed by series co-creator and co-star Trey Parker. The episode premiered on Comedy Central in the United States on December 10, 2014. It is the second part of the two-part season finale which began with the previous episode, "#REHASH". The episode makes multiple references to earlier episodes over the season, as well as to previous seasons, while mainly lampooning the trend of culture constantly making trending topics with no actual relevance. It also lampoons news events such as the death of Eric Garner, the shooting of Michael Brown, the sexual assault allegations against Bill Cosby, the use of celebrity holograms, and generationism. YouTuber PewDiePie appears as himself, continuing his story line from the previous episode.

References

  1. ↑ "Proceeding Number 92046185: Amanda Blackhorse, Marcus Briggs-Cloud, Philip Gover, Jillian Pappan, and Courtney Tsotigh v. Pro-Football, Inc.". United States Patent and Trademark Office. June 18, 2014. Retrieved October 18, 2014.
  2. 1 2 3 Parker, Trey; Stone, Matt (September 24 – December 10, 2014). "Gluten Free Ebola". South Park: Season 18 . South Park . Comedy Central.
  3. ↑ "Fan Question: Was that scene with Dan Snyder crying a parody of something?". South Park Studios (October 3, 2014). Retrieved February 5, 2016.
  4. ↑ Jue, Teresa (September 22, 2014). "South Park Criticizes Washington Redskins Owner with Scathing Promo". Entertainment Weekly . Retrieved March 20, 2022.
  5. ↑ "South Park 'Benches' RG3 for Kirk Cousins, Takes Down NFL in Season Debut (Video)". New England Sports Network. September 25, 2014.
  6. ↑ Thurm, Eric (September 24, 2014). "South Park: "Go Fund Yourself"". The A.V. Club . Retrieved March 20, 2022.
  7. ↑ Nicholson, Max (September 24, 2014). "South Park: "Go Fund Yourself" Review". IGN .

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.