South Park will have a new name starting with Season 29 – new title is a dig at Trump's New America
But it's not the only satirical jab
"South Park" holds nothing sacred – not even its own name. When the 29th season premieres on September 16, the biting animated comedy series will no longer be called "South Park," but "South America." It remains to be seen whether the announced title change is only temporary or permanent. It's also possible that it's just a joke. In any case, the new name "South America" is a clear dig at Donald Trump – though it's not the only satirical jab.
The new "South Park" title was announced with the following words:
"Inspired by the bravery and patriotism of Apple and Google, we are changing the name of South Park to SOUTH AMERICA. We especially want to thank our parent company Paramount -- a Skydance Capitulation."
The renaming to "South America" pokes fun at a recent social media post by Donald Trump. The post suggests that the U.S. state of New Mexico is getting a new name: New America. The name "New Mexico" was simply crossed out and replaced with "New America." The state's governor, Michelle Lujan Grisham, responded promptly and made it clear that the name "New Mexico" is not up for debate. It remains to be seen how far Trump will go with this matter. However, he has already ordered several name changes in the past. He renamed the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America. And recently, he ordered that Lake Ontario be renamed Lake America.
"Inspired by the bravery and patriotism"
The dig at Trump's "New America" is not the only satirical jab of the announcement. What is phrased in a supposedly friendly tone could hardly be meant more mockingly. But what is meant by "Inspired by the bravery and patriotism of Apple and Google"? Here's the background: Digital map services like Apple Maps and Google Maps display the place name changes mandated by Trump for U.S. users. This apparently prompted the creative people behind "South Park" to sarcastically refer to the companies' "bravery and patriotism" in this context.
Last but not least, "South Park" also takes aim at its own bosses writing: "We especially want to thank our parent company Paramount -- a Skydance Capitulation." After all, "South Park" airs on Comedy Central, and Comedy Central is part of the U.S. media conglomerate Paramount Skydance Corporation. Its boss, David Ellison, is in turn considered close to Trump. And so the circle of jabs closes when "Corporation" becomes "Capitulation."
Emmy dig at Trump
"South Park" was already making headlines a few days ago. The reason: the Emmy Awards. At the Creative Arts Emmys, the series won in the Outstanding Animated Program category. "South Park" thus prevailed over other renowned animated series. Also nominated were "Bob's Burgers," "Rick and Morty," "The Simpsons," "Smiling Friends," and "Star Wars: Visions." And "South Park" didn't miss the opportunity to take a swipe at Donald Trump.
In a social media post, the Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program was celebrated with an image showing Trump standing in front of several "South Park" characters with his pants down, holding the award with a beaming smile. And with the following words for the U.S. president, whose "South Park" alter ego was part of the plot in the last season: "You finally got your Emmy." Background: Trump had previously complained that he hadn't received an Emmy for his former reality show "The Apprentice".
Nothing and no one is safe from South Park
Created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone, "South Park" first aired in 1997. Since then, the series has aired 338 episodes. The show centers on elementary school students Stan Marsh, Kyle Broflovski, Eric Cartman, and Kenny McCormick. In addition to the four main characters, the series features numerous supporting characters who help ensure that everyday life in South Park, Colorado, is anything but ordinary. Nothing and no one is safe from the show's humor, which repeatedly pokes fun at politicians, celebrities, and social issues and trends.
The creators, Parker and Stone, also serve as voice actors on "South Park." Over the years, numerous celebrity guest stars have lent their voices to the show. Right from the start, the series managed to secure George Clooney for a tongue-in-cheek guest role: the Hollywood star provided the barking voice of a dog. In later seasons, other big-name stars followed, including Natasha Henstridge, Jay Leno, Jennifer Aniston, and Bill Hader. It will be interesting to see if a few celebrity voices will be heard in "South Park" during the upcoming 29th season as well.