Wendy Testaburger | |
---|---|
South Park character | |
First appearance | Jesus vs. Santa (short, 1995) |
Created by | Trey Parker Matt Stone |
Designed by | Trey Parker Matt Stone |
Voiced by | Karri Turner (unaired pilot) Mary Kay Bergman (1997–1999) Eliza Schneider (1999–2003) Mona Marshall (2003–2004) April Stewart (2004–present) |
In-universe information | |
Full name | Wendy Testaburger |
Aliases | Call Girl Wendyl |
Gender | Female Gender-Fluid (South Park: The Fractured but Whole) Trans Male (The Cissy) |
Occupation | Elementary school student Harvard University professor (future) |
Family | Mr. Testaburger (father) Alexis Testaburger (mother) |
Significant other | Stan Marsh (on-again, off-again boyfriend; lovers in the future) Darwin (ex-future husband) |
Relatives | Grandma Testaburger (grandmother; deceased) |
Education | South Park Elementary |
Residence | South Park, Colorado, United States |
Wendy Testaburger is a fictional character in the adult animated television series South Park . She is the primary female character in the show, and has an on-again, off-again relationship with her boyfriend Stan Marsh. Being more intelligent and mature than most children her age, Wendy finds expression in her activism, environmentalism and feminism. Wendy debuted as a nameless background character in Trey Parker and Matt Stone's 1995 college short film The Spirit of Christmas , and made her first appearance on television when South Park initially premiered on Comedy Central on August 13, 1997, with the episode "Cartman Gets an Anal Probe". She is currently voiced by April Stewart, and has previously been voiced by three different voice actors in the show's run: Mary Kay Bergman, Eliza Schneider, and Mona Marshall.
In South Park's first 19 seasons, Wendy attends South Park Elementary as a third-then fourth-grade student of Mr. Garrison's class – a position of his which is then replaced by Mrs. Nelson after Garrison becomes the 45th President of the United States starting with season 19 onward. She resides in South Park, Colorado as the only child and daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Testaburger. In the episode "Tom's Rhinoplasty", it is revealed by Principal Victoria that her grandmother died during the events of the episode, in reference to the scene in the 1986 John Hughes film Ferris Bueller's Day Off , where the nurse informs Sloane of the same news. During the show's first 58 episodes – "Cartman Gets an Anal Probe" to the season 4 episode "Fourth Grade" – Wendy is a third-grade student in Mr. Garrison's class. Starting with the aforementioned "Fourth Grade", Wendy's grade, along with all the other major child characters', transfers to the fourth and remains as such due to the floating timeline of the series.
In the future, beginning with the film South Park: Post Covid , Wendy now had a husband named Darwin. At the end of the film South Park: Post Covid: The Return of Covid , she reunites with Stan, hinting at a future relationship.
In the 1995 short The Spirit of Christmas and South Park's debut episode, "Cartman Gets an Anal Probe", Wendy is composed of construction paper and animated through the use of stop motion. Starting with "Weight Gain 4000" onwards, she is animated via computer software, though her appearance is portrayed to give the impression that the show still uses its construction paper technique. In tradition of the show's animation style, Wendy is composed of simple geometrical shapes and colors, and she is not offered the same free range associated with most hand-drawn characters; her character is typically shown from one angle and animated in an intentionally crude fashion. [1] [2]
Wendy is usually depicted wearing winter attire consisting of a light purple jacket, yellow pants, navy blue gloves/mittens, and a pink beret. In the rare instances where Wendy is seen without her hat, she has long black hair with uneven bangs. While Mary Kay Bergman, Eliza Schneider and Mona Marshall originally voiced Wendy without any computer manipulation, April Stewart now speaks within her normal vocal range while adding a childlike inflection. The recorded audio is then edited with Pro Tools, and the pitch is altered to make the voice sound more like that of a fourth grader. [3]
Fellow co-creator Stone has stated that Wendy's name is based on that of Wendy Westaburger, the wife of a friend from his childhood. [4]
Wendy first appeared in the 1995 sequel to Stone and Parker's 1992 film The Spirit of Christmas, Jesus vs. Santa, which was developed after Fox executive Brian Graden paid Stone and Parker $1,000 to make another animated short as a video Christmas card that he could send to friends. In turn, the duo created the aforementioned sequel. [5] [6]
Wendy is portrayed as more level-headed and mature than her peers, often getting good grades and protesting world issues. For example, in the episode "Breast Cancer Show Ever" she writes an essay in regards to breast cancer and expresses her condolences to the disease's patients. However, Wendy is also shown to be rather narcissistic, especially when confronted with a female who she perceives to be higher than her in the social hierarchy. Examples of this can be found in the episode "Bebe's Boobs Destroy Society", in which the attention Bebe is receiving from boys prompts Wendy to get breast enhancement surgery, as well as in the episode "Tom's Rhinoplasty", in which Wendy pays to have an attractive new teacher killed.
Due to her liberal views, Wendy frequently comes into conflict with Eric Cartman. For instance, in the aforementioned "Breast Cancer Show Ever", Wendy engages in a violent fight with Cartman due to his mockery of the subject of breast cancer.
Wendy tends to be outcast by her girlfriends for not giving into peer pressure: In "Stupid Spoiled Whore Video Playset", she refuses to participate in the trend of emulating notorious celebrity Paris Hilton, deeming her a bad influence towards the female youth, which leads to betrayal by her female peers.
One of Wendy's most defining traits over the course of the series is her on-again, off-again relationship with Stan Marsh. Despite the problematic elements of their relationship, Stan is still shown to have feelings for Wendy whenever the two break up; in the episode "Raisins", he is left devastated for weeks after she dumps him in favor of Tolkien Black and joins an alliance of goth children as a result. The two reconcile their relationship at the end of "The List". After a second breakup (initiated by Stan in "Go Fund Yourself") and reconciliation during Season 18, she breaks up with him a third time at the end of "Skank Hunt" after giving in to pressure from her girlfriends.
In the video game South Park: The Fractured but Whole , Wendy and Stan are shown together as their respective superhero alter egos, Call Girl and Toolshed, with flirtatious dialogue. Wendy and Stan resume their relationship at the end of "Deep Learning".
Time featured Wendy on a list entitled "The Top 26 Best Female TV Cartoon Characters". [7] IGN ranked the character #22 on "The Top 25 Best South Park Characters" and described her as the "Courtney Love of the series" stating that "if she wasn't the girlfriend of someone important, we probably wouldn't have initially paid any attention to her at all." [8] PasteMagazine ranked her at #12 on a list entitled "The Top 20 Best South Park Characters" and praised her for her oppositions of the politically incorrect portrayal of society. [9] TVOvermind ranked her #8 on a list entitled "Ten of the Best Non-Lead South Park Characters", praising her utilization of realism and political voice-of-reason, also criticizing her lack of prominence in the more recent seasons of South Park. [10]
Wendy appears in many South Park-related media and merchandise, such as its 1999 musical comedy adaptation South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut and its video games South Park the Video Game , South Park Rally , South Park: The Stick of Truth , and played a significant role in South Park: The Fractured but Whole . [11]
Eric Theodore Cartman, commonly referred to as just Cartman, 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.
Kenneth "Kenny" McCormick is a fictional character and one of the four main protagonists in the adult animated sitcom South Park, alongside Stan Marsh, Kyle Broflovski, and Eric Cartman. His often muffled and incomprehensible speech—the result of his parka hood covering his mouth—is provided by co-creator Matt Stone. After early appearances in The Spirit of Christmas shorts in 1992 and 1995, Kenny appeared in South Park television episodes beginning August 13, 1997, as well as the 1999 feature film South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut, where his uncovered face and voice were first revealed.
Kyle Broflovski is a fictional character in the adult animated sitcom South Park. He is voiced by and loosely based on series co-creator Matt Stone. Kyle is one of the series' four central characters, along with his friends Stan Marsh, Kenny McCormick, and Eric Cartman. He debuted on television when South Park first aired on August 13, 1997, after having first appeared in The Spirit of Christmas shorts created by Stone and long-time collaborator Trey Parker in 1992 and 1995.
Stanley "Stan" Marsh is a fictional character in the adult animated television series South Park. He is voiced by and loosely based on series co-creator Trey Parker. Stan is one of the series' four central characters, along with Kyle Broflovski, Eric Cartman, and Kenny McCormick. He debuted on television when South Park first aired on August 13, 1997, after having first appeared in The Spirit of Christmas shorts created by Parker and long-time collaborator Matt Stone in 1992 and 1995.
"Cartman Gets an Anal Probe" is the series premiere of the American animated television series South Park. It originally aired on Comedy Central in the United States on August 13, 1997. The episode introduces child protagonists Eric Cartman, Kyle Broflovski, Stanley "Stan" Marsh and Kenneth "Kenny" McCormick, who attempt to rescue Kyle's adopted brother Ike from being abducted by aliens.
"Weight Gain 4000" is the third episode of the first season of the American animated television series South Park. It first aired on Comedy Central in the United States on August 27, 1997. In the episode, the residents of South Park excitedly prepare for a visit by celebrity Kathie Lee Gifford, whom the boys' third-grade teacher Mr. Garrison plans to assassinate because of a childhood grudge. In the meantime, Cartman becomes extremely obese after constantly eating a bodybuilding supplement called Weight Gain 4000.
"Pinkeye" is the seventh episode of the first season of the American animated television series South Park. It first aired on Comedy Central in the United States on October 29, 1997. In the episode, Kenny is killed and brought back to life as a zombie through a freak accident, terrorizing South Park residents who believe that the rise of the living dead is an epidemic of "pinkeye".
"Bebe's Boobs Destroy Society" is the tenth episode of the sixth season of South Park, originally aired on July 17, 2002. In the episode, Bebe Stevens's breasts begin to develop, and the boys are suddenly drawn to her even though they had no interest in her before. The episode focuses on and satirizes men's fascination over women's breasts.
"Tom's Rhinoplasty" is the eleventh episode of the first season of the American animated television series South Park. It originally aired on Comedy Central in the United States on February 11, 1998. In the episode, Stan Marsh, Kyle Broflovski, Eric Cartman, and Kenny McCormick become infatuated with the new substitute teacher Ms. Ellen, which highly aggravates Stan's girlfriend Wendy Testaburger. Meanwhile, Mr. Garrison gets a nose job that makes him resemble actor David Hasselhoff.
"Mecha-Streisand" is the twelfth and penultimate episode of the first season of the American animated television series South Park. It originally aired on Comedy Central in the United States on February 18, 1998. In the episode, Barbra Streisand obtains the Diamond of Pantheos from Stan, Cartman, Kyle and Kenny, and transforms into a giant mechanical dinosaur called Mecha-Streisand. She is ultimately defeated by The Cure frontman Robert Smith, who himself transforms into a giant moth monster.
"Marjorine" is the ninth episode in the ninth season of the American animated television series South Park. The 134th episode of the series overall, it originally aired on Comedy Central in the United States on October 26, 2005.
"Korn's Groovy Pirate Ghost Mystery" is the 10th-aired and the 12th-produced episode of the third season of the animated television series South Park. It originally aired on October 27, 1999. The episode is themed around Halloween and includes a parody of the animated series Scooby-Doo.
Liane Cartman, formerly known as Carol Cartman, is a fictional character in the adult animated television series South Park. She is the single mother of main character Eric, who raises him in the fictional town of South Park, Colorado. Liane is considered one of the more prominent parents of all the South Park parents, as she makes many appearances throughout the series.
The first season of the animated television series South Park aired on Comedy Central from August 13, 1997 to February 25, 1998. The creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone wrote most of the season's episodes; Dan Sterling, Philip Stark and David Goodman were credited with writing five episodes. The narrative revolves around four children—Stan Marsh, Kyle Broflovski, Eric Cartman and Kenny McCormick—and their unusual experiences in the titular mountain town.
"Mr. Hankey's Christmas Classics" is the fifteenth episode of the third season of the animated television series South Park and the 46th episode of the series overall. An album of the same name consisting of versions of songs from the show as well as a number of additional songs was released the week prior to the episode's original air date, December 1, 1999.
"Breast Cancer Show Ever" is the ninth episode in the twelfth season of the American animated television series South Park, and the 176th episode of the series overall. It originally aired on Comedy Central in the United States on October 15, 2008. The episode was written and directed by series co-creator Trey Parker. In the episode, Eric Cartman's disrespectful behavior puts him on the wrong side of Wendy Testaburger when he mocks her presentation on breast cancer awareness, which leads to Wendy threatening to beat him up after school. The episode was rated TV-MA L in the United States.
The Spirit of Christmas is the title given to two adult stop motion animated short films created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone. The two films were released at different periods—the first in 1992, and the second in 1995—and form the basis for the animated series South Park, the latter short featuring more established depictions of the series' setting and characters. To differentiate between them, the respective films have been retroactively referred to as Jesus vs. Frosty and Jesus vs. Santa. A clip of both films appears on two respective billboards during the opening sequence for South Park's first four seasons.
"Dances with Smurfs" is the thirteenth episode of the thirteenth season of the American animated television series South Park. The 194th overall episode of the series, it originally aired on Comedy Central in the United States on November 11, 2009. In the episode, Eric Cartman becomes the reader of the elementary school announcements, and starts making politically charged accusations against student body president Wendy Testaburger. The episode was written and directed by series co-creator Trey Parker, and was rated TV-MA L in the United States.