The Tale of Scrotie McBoogerballs

Last updated

"The Tale of Scrotie McBoogerballs"
South Park episode
Episode no.Season 14
Episode 2
Directed by Trey Parker
Written by
  • Trey Parker
  • Matt Stone
Production code1402
Original air dateMarch 24, 2010 (2010-03-24)
Episode chronology
← Previous
"Sexual Healing"		Next →
"Medicinal Fried Chicken"
South Park season 14
List of episodes

"The Tale of Scrotie McBoogerballs" is the second episode of the fourteenth season of the American animated television series South Park , and the 197th overall episode of the series. It originally aired on Comedy Central in the United States on March 24, 2010. The plot centers upon a prank book manuscript anonymously written by fourth grade classmates Kyle, Stan, Kenny, and Cartman, whose vulgar content nauseates all who read it, but who also laud it as a masterpiece. The prank backfires when classmate Butters, whom the boys convinced is the actual author of the book, is hailed a literary genius, and the book is analyzed for profound subtext that the boys never intended.

Contents

The episode was written and directed by series co-creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone, and was rated TV-MA L in the United States. It serves as a satire of pop culture criticism, and mocks people who find hidden messages in works which are not intended to be analysed. The episode includes other themes, including the lack of interest in reading among American youths, and also mocks the idea that a book alone can inspire someone into committing violent crimes.

The novel The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger plays a major part in the episode, as the South Park boys are inspired to write their own book when they feel Salinger's book does not live up to its controversial reputation. The episode also satirizes actress Sarah Jessica Parker and the Kardashian family.

"The Tale of Scrotie McBoogerballs" received generally positive reviews, with many commentators praising the episode's themes of the over-analysis of works of culture. According to Nielsen Media Research, the episode was seen by 3.24 million viewers. After the episode aired, Kim, Kourtney, and Khloé Kardashian praised their portrayal.

Plot

The fourth grade students of South Park Elementary are assigned to read The Catcher in the Rye, and are excited when Mr. Garrison tells of its controversial history. However, after reading the book, Stan, Kyle, Cartman, and Kenny perceive it to be completely inoffensive and feel that the school has "tricked" them into reading. In response, they decide to write their own novel, The Tale of Scrotie McBoogerballs, with the purpose of being deliberately offensive. Later, Stan's parents find and read the manuscript. Their disgust is such that they cannot read it without vomiting profusely, but they appreciate the quality of its writing and inform the other parents. Fearing that they will be reprimanded, the boys convince Butters that he wrote the book while sleepwalking. Butters believes them because after reading The Catcher in the Rye, he feels as though he has been entering into altered states of consciousness that make him want to kill others, only to find that his intended targets have long been deceased.

Butters confesses to writing the novel, but is surprised at the adults' positive response. To the other boys' anger, a representative from Penguin Books agrees to sign Butters for a book deal. The Tale of Scrotie McBoogerballs becomes a success, to which consumers attest despite vomiting as they read the book. As Butters' success grows, the other boys unsuccessfully campaign to have the book banned. They are annoyed to find readers interpreting passages from the novel as allegories for contentious political issues, which was never their intent. Since Sarah Jessica Parker is routinely mocked in the book, Cartman and Kenny plan to have her killed, assuming that the public reaction and media attention would result in the book's ban. They fit Parker with antlers to disguise her as a moose, before abandoning her in the woods during hunting season.

Butters later writes his own book, The Poop That Took a Pee, which consists solely of simple descriptions of coprophilia juxtaposed with toilet humor. The four boys are convinced that the book will be a failure and publicly expose Butters as a fraud over the first book. Much to their annoyance, however, while readers are not as disgusted by the new book, they nonetheless perceive it as even more profound and continue making their own interpretations. After finishing the book, one crazed reader crashes a taping of Keeping Up with the Kardashians and kills the entire Kardashian family in a mass shooting.

Both The Tale of Scrotie McBoogerballs and The Poop That Took a Pee are banned as a result, and Butters is devastated, mainly because he was a devoted fan of Kim Kardashian. Stan and Kyle suggest that rather than reading books and mindlessly interpreting them, people should simply watch television instead. Cartman also convinces Butters that he was responsible for Parker's death. Butters is initially shocked to learn this but then calms down, saying, "Oh well, at least she was ugly."

Production and theme

South Park co-creator Trey Parker wrote "The Tale of Scrotie McBoogerballs". TreyParkerHWOFApr2013.jpg
South Park co-creator Trey Parker wrote "The Tale of Scrotie McBoogerballs".

"The Tale of Scrotie McBoogerballs" was written and directed by series co-creator Trey Parker, and was rated TV-MA in the United States. It originally aired on Comedy Central in the United States on March 24, 2010. The episode serves primarily as a satire of pop culture criticism. [1] [2] [3] Although the South Park boys wrote The Tale of Scrotie McBoogerballs simply to shock and offend people, readers delve too deeply into the meaning behind the book, finding hidden allegories and symbolism that the actual authors insist are not present. [4] People with conflicting philosophies, including liberals and conservatives, and pro-choice and pro-life advocates, attempt to claim that the same work conveys and validates their own ideology. [5] The script serves as a criticism of people who take such works of pop culture too seriously. [1] [4] [5] Although this is demonstrated specifically through literary criticism in the episode, the theme can be extended to film criticism and television criticism as well. [2] [5] The episode suggests people are so desperate for inspiration, they are willing to impose their hopes and dreams into works of art, even if they completely lack those qualities. [4] Some commentators thought South Park creators Parker and Matt Stone were implicitly mocking the amount of analysis into deeper meaning South Park itself often receives in its reviews. [2] [5] Others have suggested this over-analysis is a reference to the number of adult themes identified in the Harry Potter and Twilight young adult novel series. [3] [6]

"The Tale of Scrotie McBoogerBalls" portrays young children as almost entirely uninterested in reading. The South Park boys exhibit excitement for their reading assignment only based on the promise of offensive and controversial material in the book. [1] [2] Rather than finding any merit in the book, the boys are angry when they find the material inoffensive, prompting Cartman to declare he has been "tricked" into reading an entire book. Through the rise and fall of Butters' career as an author, the episode also demonstrates the perils of literary success and hoaxes. [1] The episode also lampoons the notion that a book can be identified as the sole reason for a reader to kill somebody, particularly through Butters' reaction to The Tale of Scrotie McBoogerballs. Butters experiences blackouts after reading The Catcher in the Rye and chanting "Kill John Lennon/Ronald Reagan!", until he disappointingly learns they are already dead. Later, a reader of The Poop That Took a Pee murders the Kardashian family. [3]

Cultural references

The Catcher in the Rye, the 1951 novel about teenage confusion and alienation by J.D. Salinger, plays a central role in the episode, which references the controversy that the book had generated in the years since its publication, owing to its risqué elements and use of foul language. Mr. Garrison tells the students the book has only recently been lifted from South Park Elementary's banned books list, a reference to past censorship the book has received in public schools. [1] The episode also refers to the role that the book played in inspiring Mark David Chapman to shoot and kill musician John Lennon, and John Hinckley Jr. to attempt to assassinate former U.S. President Ronald Reagan. Lennon, a former member of The Beatles and long-time peace activist, is referred to by Cartman as "the king of hippies". [1] [3]

The episode also prominently features the Kardashian family, who are the focus of the E! reality series Keeping Up with the Kardashians . Sarah Jessica Parker, an actress mocked on South Park before, is also lampooned in the story. [7]

During one scene, Butters appears on Today , a morning talk show on NBC (referred to as HBC in the episode, but with NBC's peacock logo), to promote his book. Television hosts Matt Lauer and Meredith Vieira are featured in the scene, during which both vomit for a particularly long time in response to some of the more vulgar passages in The Tale of Scrotie McBoogerballs. [1] Morgan Freeman, an actor known for his narration work, conducts a reading in the episode of Butters' second book, The Poop That Took a Pee. [5] Trey Parker provided the voice of Freeman in "The Tale of Scrotie McBoogerballs". [8] During one scene, Butters' father can be seen reading a newspaper with a front-page story about a historic health care bill passing, a reference to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, which was passed and signed the same week the South Park episode first aired. [2]

Release and reception

In its original American broadcast on March 24, 2010, "The Tale of Scrotie McBoogerballs" was watched by 3.24 million viewers, according to the Nielsen Media Research, making it the most watched cable television show of the night. The episode received an overall 1.9 rating/3 share. Among viewers between ages 18 and 49, it received a 1.8 rating/5 share, and among male viewers between 18 and 34, it received a 3.5 rating/12 share. [9] As a result of the episode, the phrase "Scrotie McBoogerballs" was the top trending topic for March 25 on the social networking and microblogging website Twitter. [10] "The Tale of Scrotie McBoogerballs", along with the thirteen other episodes from South Park's fourteenth season, was released on a three-disc DVD set and two-disc Blu-ray set in the United States on April 26, 2011. [11] The episode was also released on the two-disc DVD collection A Little Box of Butters. [12]

It was classic South Park. Smart, crude, and hilarious. With one episode, there is a renewed sense of hope that season fourteen will live up to the expectations set before it. ... It's pure gold, South Park style.

Carlos Delgado
iF Magazine [4]

"The Tale of Scrotie McBoogerballs" received generally positive reviews. Carlos Delgado of iF Magazine called the episode a potential classic and a "phenomenal follow up showing" to the season premiere "Sexual Healing", which he did not enjoy. Delgado said the script was intelligent and praised the theme of over-analyzing art. He also praised the vomiting jokes and said he could not remember the last time he laughed so hard during a South Park episode. [4] Entertainment Weekly television columnist Ken Tucker said it was better than the season premiere, which he also praised. Tucker particularly enjoyed the satire of pop culture criticism, and wrote, "I'd compare the Scrotie episode to the work of Rabelais, Henry Miller, and Dennis Cooper, but then I'd be part of the boys' satire, wouldn't I?" [1]

TV Fanatic said the episode was not as strong as previous seasons, but an improvement over "Sexual Healing". The site praised the emphasis on Butters and the pop culture references to The Catcher in the Rye, John Lennon, Sarah Jessica Parker and "the useless Kardashian Klan". [3] The A.V. Club writer Sean O'Neal said he "chuckled a few times", but found the vomit jokes acted like a substitute for "actual dialogue". However, O'Neal praised the satire of people looking too deeply into the meaning of meaningless art, and how easily that theme can be applied to South Park itself. [5] Not all reviews were entirely positive. Ramsey Isler of IGN said Butters was "awesome, as usual", and thought the jokes about the Kardashians were funny, but that the positive elements of the episode were "not enough to balance out the failures". He particularly criticized the Sarah Jessica Parker jokes as "flat and random", and the constant vomiting as "just one long-running 'joke' that was just plain awful". [2]

The day after "The Tale of Scrotie McBoogerballs" aired, members of the Kardashian family responded positively to their portrayal and on-screen deaths. On her blog, Kim Kardashian wrote that the family found the episode very funny and were honored to be featured in the episode. She wrote, "We were all dying when we saw this clip from South Park that aired last night... literally, LOL. They killed us all!!!" [13] [14] She also wrote, "I managed to survive the longest... of course!" [13] [14] Kourtney Kardashian joked on her Twitter page, "How rude! Southpark!!", [13] Khloé Kardashian wrote she did not know about her appearance on the show until she suddenly received numerous messages on her Twitter page. Khloé also said she found the scene funny, and laughed at how unattractively she and her sisters were portrayed, although she said the Bruce Jenner cartoon looked very realistic. She wrote, "Even though we all weren't portrayed as the most attractive South Park characters, I was still so flattered since I love that show haha." [15]

Related Research Articles

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

Eric Theodore Cartman, commonly referred to mononymously 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">Kenny McCormick</span> Fictional character in South Park

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Butters Stotch</span> Fictional character from South Park

Leopold "Butters" Stotch is a fictional character in the adult animated television series South Park. He is loosely based on co-producer Eric Stough and his voice is provided by co-creator Matt Stone. He is a student at South Park Elementary School.

<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.

"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.

The 1951 novel The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger has had a lasting influence as it remains both a bestseller and a frequently challenged book. Numerous works in popular culture have referenced the novel. Factors contributing to the novel's mystique and impact include its portrayal of protagonist Holden Caulfield; its tone of sincerity; its themes of familial neglect, tension between teens and society, and rebellion; its previous banned status; and Salinger's reclusiveness. The Catcher in the Rye has inspired "rewrites" which have been said to form their own genre. On the other hand, there are examples of similarities between the novel and other works that were not intended by their authors, which suggests that the novel is "present, at least spiritually, in ... any story line that involves quirky young people struggling to find their places in a society prone to reward conformity and condemn individuality."

The American animated sitcom South Park has covered and satirized a large number of topics over the course of its run. South Park Studio's use of computer animation allows it to edit episodes in days, quickly commenting on recent events, including Elián González, 2000 U.S. presidential election, the capture of Saddam Hussein, and the elections of both Barack Obama and Donald Trump. The creators also have engendered a mix of socially liberal and fiscally conservative viewpoints, espousing a libertarian ideology in both real life and on the show. However, the show's creators call themselves "equal opportunity offenders", and reject the notion that they are trying to put forth any consistent ideological agenda through the show.

"Make Love, Not Warcraft" is the eighth episode in the tenth season of the American animated television series South Park. The 147th episode overall, it first aired on Comedy Central in the United States on October 4, 2006. In the episode, named in a play on words after the 1960s counterculture slogan "Make love, not war", Cartman, Kyle, Stan, and Kenny enjoy playing the popular massively multiplayer online role-playing game World of Warcraft. When a high-level player goes around killing other players in the game, they start playing the game every day to try to stop him. The episode was written and directed by series co-creator Trey Parker. In 2015, he and co-creator Matt Stone listed it as their third-favorite episode of the series.

"Eat, Pray, Queef" is the fourth episode of the thirteenth season of the American animated television series South Park. The 185th overall episode of the series, it originally aired on Comedy Central in the United States on April 1, 2009. In the episode, the men and boys of South Park became infuriated when the fart-joke oriented Terrance and Phillip show is replaced with the Queef Sisters, a show devoted to queef jokes. The women and girls of South Park accuse them of holding a sexist double standard when it comes to women queefing and men farting.

"W.T.F." is the 10th episode of the 13th season of the American animated television series South Park. The 191st overall episode of the series, it originally aired on Comedy Central in the United States on October 21, 2009. In the episode, the South Park boys form their own backyard wrestling league, drawing droves of fans more interested in the acting and scripted dramatic storylines than athletic elements.

"Whale Whores" is the eleventh episode of the thirteenth season of the American animated television series South Park. The 192nd overall episode of the series, it aired on Comedy Central in the United States on October 28, 2009. In the episode, Stan joins an anti-whaling crew in order to save dolphins and whales from Japanese whalers.

"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.

<i>South Park</i> season 14 Season of television series

The fourteenth season of the American animated television series South Park began airing in the United States on Comedy Central between March 17, 2010, and November 17, 2010. The season was headed by the series creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone, who served as executive producers along with Anne Garefino. The season continued to focus on the exploits of protagonists Stan, Kyle, Cartman, Kenny, and Butters in the fictional Colorado mountain town of South Park.

"Sexual Healing" is the fourteenth season premiere of the American animated television series South Park, and the 196th overall episode of the series. It originally aired on Comedy Central in the United States on March 17, 2010, and on Comedy Central UK on March 19, 2010. The title of the episode is derived from the song of the same name by soul singer Marvin Gaye. In the episode, the sex scandal of golf pro Tiger Woods has the media and public frantic to determine why rich and successful men would suddenly crave sex with multiple partners. Meanwhile, schools are screened for the condition and Kyle, Kenny, and Butters are diagnosed with sexual addiction.

"Medicinal Fried Chicken" is the third episode of the fourteenth season of the American animated television series South Park, and the 198th episode of the series overall. It originally aired on Comedy Central in the United States on March 31, 2010. In the episode, the South Park KFC is replaced by a medical marijuana dispensary, and Cartman gets involved in black market selling the KFC chicken. Meanwhile, Randy Marsh gets a medical referral for marijuana by giving himself testicular cancer, which makes his testicles grow to grotesquely huge proportions.

"200" is the fifth episode of the fourteenth season of the American animated television series South Park, and the 200th overall episode of the series, hence the name. It originally aired on Comedy Central in the United States on April 14, 2010. In the episode, Tom Cruise and all other celebrities who have been mocked by residents of South Park in the past plan to file a class action lawsuit against the town, but Cruise promises to end the lawsuit if the town can get the Islamic prophet Muhammad to meet him.

"Funnybot" is the second episode of the fifteenth season of the American animated television series South Park, and the 211th episode of the series overall. "Funnybot" premiered in the United States on Comedy Central on May 4, 2011, the first time a South Park episode has premiered in May since season 10's "Tsst" in 2006. "Funnybot" was written and directed by series co-creator Trey Parker and was rated TV-MA in the United States.

"The Last of the Meheecans" is the ninth episode of the fifteenth season of the American animated television series South Park, and the 218th episode of the series overall. It first aired on Comedy Central in the United States on October 12, 2011. In the episode, what begins as an innocent game between the boys turns serious when Cartman joins the U.S. Border Patrol.

"Reverse Cowgirl" is the first episode of the sixteenth season of the American animated sitcom South Park, and the 224th episode of the series overall. It premiered on Comedy Central in the United States on March 14, 2012. In the episode, a nationwide catastrophe occurs after Clyde's mother is killed because Clyde forgot to put the toilet seat down.

"The Hobbit" is the tenth and final episode in the seventeenth season of the American animated television series South Park. The 247th episode of the series overall, it premiered on Comedy Central in the United States on December 11, 2013. The story centers upon Wendy Testaburger's attempts to raise awareness of media impact on body image, which leads to a crusade by rapper Kanye West to convince the world that his then-fiancée, Kim Kardashian, is not a hobbit. The episode received largely positive reviews from critics, who praised Wendy's story arc and the return of West.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Tucker, Ken (2010-03-25). "'South Park' and 'The Tale of Scrotie McBoogerBalls': Writing a bestseller, killing the Kardashians". Entertainment Weekly . Archived from the original on 2018-06-09. Retrieved 2022-03-12.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Isler, Ramsey (March 25, 2010). "South Park: "The Tale of Scrotie McBoogerballs" Review". IGN . Retrieved March 12, 2022.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Hochberger, Eric (March 25, 2010). "South Park Review: "The Tale of Scrotie McBoogerballs"". TV Fanatic. Retrieved March 26, 2010.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Delgado, Carlos (March 25, 2010). "TV Review: South Park – Season 14 – 'The Tale of Scrotie McBoogerballs'". iF Magazine.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 O'Neal, Sean (March 24, 2010). "South Park: "The Tale of Scrotie McBoogerballs". The A.V. Club . Retrieved March 12, 2022.
  6. ↑ "Scrotie McBoogerballs: A New Literary Classic". Zimbio. March 25, 2010. Retrieved March 12, 2022.
  7. ↑ "South Park calls Sarah Jessica Parker a 'transvestite donkey witch'". Metro . March 25, 2010. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved March 26, 2010.
  8. ↑ "FAQ". South Park Studios. April 26, 2010. Archived from the original on September 15, 2010. Retrieved May 3, 2010.
  9. ↑ Seidman, Robert (March 25, 2010). "More Good Numbers for "South Park" + "Ugly Americans" and Other Wednesday Cable Finals". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on July 31, 2012. Retrieved March 26, 2010.
  10. ↑ Woods, Tamara (March 25, 2010). "South Park Episode Scrotie McBoogerballs Trending Twitter Gives Lessons On Books". IndyPosted. Archived from the original on March 29, 2010. Retrieved March 26, 2010.
  11. ↑ Lambert, David (July 2, 2011). "South Park - 'The Complete 14th Season' Formally Announced; Seems it Really IS Complete!". TVShowsOnDVD. Archived from the original on September 19, 2012. Retrieved February 12, 2011.
  12. ↑ "South Park: A Little Box of Butters". DVD Talk.
  13. 1 2 3 "Kim Kardashian "Honored" to Be Killed on South Park". Us Weekly . March 26, 2010. Retrieved March 12, 2022.
  14. 1 2 Kardashian, Kim (March 25, 2010). "South Park Wiped Out the Kardashians". Kim Kardashian official web site. Archived from the original on March 29, 2010. Retrieved March 26, 2010.
  15. ↑ Kardashian, Khloé (March 25, 2010). "Spoiler Alert: Kardashians Killed on South Park!!". Khloé Kardashian official web site. Archived from the original on March 28, 2010. Retrieved March 26, 2010.
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.