South Park returns this Wednesday, March 17, kicking off its 14th season as the most controversial cartoon on television.
To celebrate the new season, we’re looking back at our 13 favorite South Park catchphrases from over the years. Check them out below, complete with videos of some of South Park’s most classic moments.
Now check out our list of our 13 favorite South Park catchphrases, mmkay?
13. ‘TIMMAY!’ – Timmy
He may not say much, but the wheelchair-bound Timmy knows one important word, and how to use it to communicate a range of complex emotions. Time to celebrate: “TIMMAY!” Unsure and confused: “…Timmuh?” And so forth. Due to his “strange combination of palsy and Tourette’s” (according to the South Park website), Timmy’s enthusiastic self-references somehow never get old.
Watch in action: Episode 404, “Timmy 2000”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Oyt9uMnJ3Y
12. ‘Mmkay?’ – Mr. Mackey
Maybe he developed this tic as a takeoff of his own name, or maybe it came about from years of explaining simple behavioral lessons to children. Either way, no conversation with South Park Elementary counselor Mr. Mackey is complete without an affirmative “mmkay.” Unless that conversation is in Spanish, of course, when he prefers the more appropriate “mmbien.”
Watch in action: Episode 108, “Damien”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yzs5LHIOF90
11.”I’m super cereal.” – Al Gore
This poke at former Vice President Al Gore’s “serious” global warming concerns came from a real-life interview with Oprah in which Gore misunderstood a question about his favorite cereal, but took on a life of its own when South Park creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker invented a new and more terrible threat for Mr. Gore to take on: the terrible ManBearPig, “half man, half bear, half pig.”
Watch in action: Episode 1006, “ManBearPig”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0AW4nSq0hAc
10. ‘Respect my authority!’ – Cartman
Cartman has a tendency to let power go to his head, and so, when he was made a sheriff’s deputy, it was only a matter of time before he abused his “authoritah,” and his citizens, while inventing one of the most imitated South Park catchphrases ever.
Watch in action: Episode 203, “Chickenlover”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HeVzl0CeoJ8
9. ‘Oh my God, they killed Kenny!’ ‘You bastards!’ – Kyle and Stan
It’s a simple fact of the South Park universe that Kenny must die, and someone must be blamed. The most classic South Park catchphrase of them all has been through countless incarnations, including the time when the boys accidentally killed Kenny and were forced to admit, “We’re bastards!”
Watch in action: Episode 107, “Pinkeye”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1kNqjHOdHks
8. ‘That’s ignorant.’ – Mr. Jefferson
When the eccentric “Mr. Jefferson” came to town, Kyle and Stan spared none of their common sense to call out his irresponsible and creepy behavior toward young boys. Shockingly, Mr. Jefferson’s response to their accusations mirrored Michael Jackson’s own defense against similar claims at the time, and so a hilarious (and topical!) catchphrase was born.
Watch in action: Episode 807, “The Jeffersons”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZz0axVISj8
7. ‘W-wow, what a t-terrific audience.’ – Jimmy
The handi-capable Jimmy knows how to work a crowd, even when there’s no one present. Which is why this line has become a permanent part of his stand-up routine, and a bona fide South Park staple.
Watch in action: Episode 702, “Krazy Kripples”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TGiCUDYBWR4
6. ‘You go to hell. You go to hell and you die!’ – Mr. Garrison
Mr. Garrison has gone through a lot over the years. But even while he’s changed sexual orientations, changed sexes, and changed jobs, one thing has remained constant: his go-to insult for anyone who stands in his way.
Watch in action: Episode 214, “Chef Aid”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2X3-Pz44oBM
5. ‘Don’t forget to bring a towel! … You wanna get high?’ – Towelie
He’s a towel who likes to get high. That’s all you need to know.
Watch in action: Episode 508, “Towelie”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a47Fdy2wEgo
4. ‘Ooooh, it’s all…[adjective]-y.’ – Butters
The only thing that makes Butters more anxious than sticking his hand in something “sticky” or “gooey” is not sticking his hand in it and losing the approval of his buddies.
Watch in action: Episode 507, “Proper Condom Use”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7L2pWBGalL4
3. ‘They took ‘er jobs!’ – Pissed Off Rednecks
This battle cry of South Park‘s less literate, more mulleted demographic has, by their own drunken repetition, morphed into something more like a loud, high-pitched rooster impersonation, but lost very little in translation.
Watch in action: Episode 1303, “Margaritaville”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Yrr0Or8O-E
2. ‘That makes me a saaaaad panda!’ – Sexual Harassment Panda
Even if you’ve never seen the infamous Sexual Harassment Panda in action, you’ve probably used or heard this phrase in casual conversation, so quickly and deeply did his catch phrase infiltrate our national subconscious. But, as with so many things, this quip is most hilarious in its original form. Observe:
Watch in action: Episode 306, “Sexual Harassment Panda”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tc7FIaVai0c
1. ‘Screw you guys, I’m going home.’ – Cartman
It’s a catchphrase for the ages: so singular in its petty selfishness, and yet so adaptable to a variety of situations. It’s only fair that Eric Cartman, the king of South Park quips, takes our top spot with his favorite phrase to yell while triumphantly leaving a room. Like a practiced stage actor, he draws out the words as slowly and dramatically as possible before storming out.
Watch in action: Episode 406, “Cartman Joins NAMBLA”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VivctgWpta8
That concludes our list of South Park‘s 13 best catchphrases. Is your favorite included in this list, or did we miss it?
Senior Writer, BuddyTV
Meghan hails from Walla Walla, WA, the proud home of the world’s best sweet onions and Adam West, the original Batman. An avid grammarian and over-analyzer, you can usually find her thinking too hard about plot devices in favorites like The Office, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, and How I Met Your Mother. In her spare time, Meghan enjoys drawing, shopping, trying to be funny (and often failing), and not understanding the whole Twilight thing. She’s got a BA in English and Studio Art from Whitman College, which makes her a professional arguer, daydreamer, and doodler.
