Adult cartoons have been around for decades. Popular shows like Family Guy and King of the Hill have been around since the late ‘90s. Recently, it’s been catching the attention of teenagers interested in witty humor. I have been a victim of this “trend,” but my focus is on South Park.

South Park is an adult cartoon made originally of stop motion and paper. The creators, Matt Stone and Trey Parker, aired the first episode on Comedy Central in 1997. All 25 seasons follow four third grade boys in Colorado: Eric Cartman, Stan Marsh, Kyle Brovlovski and Kenny McCormick. We get a look at their lives as elementary school children growing up with alcoholic and frankly really sh*tty parents, neighbors, mayors and town folk. Although the show focuses on the main four, we get to see the background of other kids in their class, and even get a lot of episodes focused on their teacher, Mr. Garrison. The character development in this very problematic show is entertaining.

My personal favorite character is either Butters Stotch, a fellow student in the main four’s class, or Randy Marsh, Stan’s dad. Butters is a very innocent, friendly kid who ends up stuck with the wrong group of kids. He’s constantly bullied and picked on by other characters. His parents are very protective and strict and constantly ground him for basically existing. His presence in the show is almost relieving, it gives us a break from the brutal characters and reminds us that these are only third graders. 

Randy, on the other hand, is the complete opposite. He is a middle-aged alcoholic weed farmer who tries too hard to be cool. He has a rocky relationship with basically every other character. His jokes are offensive most of the time, as he can’t filter himself. His part in the show is just an occasional laugh or giggle, his stupidity breaks the tense story line, and every time he’s in an episode, it’s usually a good one.

Although those two are my favorite characters, I love the development of all of them. It has all types of characters, from Kyle, the logical smart one of the group, to Cartman, the offensive one who no one really likes, even though he’s the most dominant character in the series.

Although the show is quite heavy–usually for the wrong reasons–, I think it’s just the right amount. I do think the jokes in the show can definitely upset people and rub some the wrong way, but the way that they’re written to make the characters making these jokes sound stupid is perfect. It’s obvious that this show is filled with stupid white people in a mountain town. We have a few smart characters, like Kyle, Chef, Wendy and some others. These characters respond to these insensitive jokes with a brain and tend to clap back. It’s entertaining to the viewer yet also makes us think about the real world problems. 

There are a lot of episodes in South Park that cover heavy topics, like racism, sexism, anti-semetism, body-shaming, sexualization of kids, society in general and many more. They make them almost educational, even though the characters are portraying these stereotypes. It’s a really smart way to make your characters stupid and still have the audience know how the creators really feel about real world problems. They also make fun of celebrities in entertaining ways, such as making jokes about Kanye, Donald Trump, Oprah, Britney Spears, and some episodes even feature bands like Radiohead.

These gateways to the real world really make you think about how realistic this life is. We get a glimpse of stupid white people–which is always fun–and how they think, all the while still being entertaining enough to have 25 seasons and three movies. I would recommend this show for anyone who enjoys satirical humor, along with more than a few inappropriate jokes.