With nearly 19 seasons under its belt, it feels like South Park has always been a part of us. Who else can we count on to take on Donald Trump, Yelp, Tom Brady, and more in just one season? We didn’t always have the show to champion against the douches of the world, but where did it come from?
South Park started as just some simple Christmas shorts from the minds of Trey Parker and Matt Stone. The first one, titled “The Spirit Of Christmas” (or “Jesus Vs. Frosty“), looked a lot like a crappier version of the show now, with early drafts of the main characters created with construction paper and glue. The pair created the video after college, and it revolved around a battle between Jesus and an evil Frosty the Snowman. While The Simpsons had The Tracey Ullman Show to find an audience, “The Spirit Of Christmas” found its way to Parker and Stone’s friend Brian Graden, a Fox executive. Graden commissioned a second short for an e-Christmas card, and the video went viral. It had a higher production value, and this time it featured Jesus taking on Santa and the first of many deaths of Kenny. And the rest is profane, turd-filled history. Clips from the second short would later be used in the fourth season episode “A Very Crappy Christmas”.
Had you seen the original Christmas shorts before? And, what’s your favorite South Park episode?
