ManBearPig
| "ManBearPig" | |||
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| South Park episode | |||
 Al Gore showing a drawing of ManBearPig to the school. |
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| Episode no. | Season 10 Episode 6 |
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| Directed by | Trey Parker | ||
| Written by | Trey Parker | ||
| Production code | 1006 | ||
| Original air date | April 23, 2006 | ||
| Episode chronology | |||
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"ManBearPig" is the sixth episode of the tenth season of the American animated sitcom South Park. It first aired on Comedy Central in the United States on April 26, 2006. In the episode, Al Gore visits South Park to warn everyone about a fictional monster called ManBearPig, which he insists is real. On a trip to the Cave of the Winds, Gore thinks he hears ManBearPig and ends up getting Stan, Kyle, Cartman and Kenny trapped inside the caves.
The episode was written and directed by series co-creator Trey Parker and is rated TV-MA in the United States. It parodies the film An Inconvenient Truth, and mocks Al Gore's belief in global warming, equating it to his belief in a mythical beast.[1][2]
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[edit] Plot
Former U.S. Vice President Al Gore visits South Park Elementary School and warns the school's students about the terrible ManBearPig, a scary monster which is "half man, half bear and half pig" and roams the Earth attacking humans for no reason at all. He also demands throughout the episode that people will take him "serial" or "cereal", which he uses in place of the word "serious[ly]", referencing a real-life appearance made by Gore on The Oprah Winfrey Show before the episode aired, where he misunderstood a question regarding his favorite cereal.[3]
Later, the boys' basketball game is interrupted by another visit from Gore, who is poorly disguised as the ManBearPig and claims to be "trying to spread ManBearPig awareness". Stan's father Randy picks up the boys to drive them home, proclaiming that Gore is just desperate for attention, because he has no friends. Al Gore phones Stan in the middle of the night inviting him to a ManBearPig meeting and convinces Stan to attend out of sympathy for Gore not having any friends. Stan and his friends go to the meeting where Gore states that "MBP" is hiding in the Cave of the Winds. The boys are persuaded to go when Gore guarantees them a day off school.
In the cave, Gore first starts asking the tour guide illogical questions and annoying the group. Gore forces the boys to follow him off the tour path to find ManBearPig. He begins firing a shotgun wildly after mistaking wind for ManBearPig, causing a cave-in that leaves the boys trapped in the caverns while Gore and all the other tourists evacuate the cave only moments before rocks come down, sealing off the cave entrance. Gore claims ManBearPig caused the cave-in and that the monster is still at large. While the boys search for a way out of the cave, Cartman discovers a small cavern filled with what appears to be a hoard of treasure. He hides the loot from the other boys and starts swallowing the treasure piece-by-piece to smuggle it out of the cave.
A rescue team has been assembled outside the cave to find the boys, while Gore whines about killing ManBearPig. Gore later diverts the flow of a nearby stream in order to cause a flood which fills the cavern in an attempt to kill the still-unseen monster. Meanwhile, the boys think that Cartman, bloated with gold and jewels, has become severely ill, and carry him while trying to find a way out of the cave. As the cave floods, Kyle risks his life to get Cartman to safety. The boys manage to escape just as a memorial service is being held for them. Gore is secretly celebrating having "killed" ManBearPig, believing that he is a hero. When Gore claims he rescued them, Stan yells at him and calls him a loser. Cartman tries to walk away, but he does not get far before he begins painfully defecating pieces of treasure. It is revealed to Cartman that the treasure was a prop used for tourist photo ops and is only worth about $14. While Cartman continues to expel more treasure in pain, Gore explains his intention is to make a film starring himself. He ties a cape onto himself and "flies" away, exclaiming "Excelsior!" (the catchphrase of Marvel Comics' Stan Lee).
[edit] Continuity
ManBearPig, as well as his foil, Al Gore, appears in the South Park Season 11 episodes "Imaginationland Episode II" and "Imaginationland Episode III".
[edit] References in other media
On April 1, 2008 biotechnology news website Think Gene carried an April Fools Day story about the creation of a human-bear-pig chimera, complete with a picture and scientific description of the genes involved. The story concluded with "Al Gore could not be reached for comment".[4]
In the Season 10 DVD commentary, the creators talk about An Inconvenient Truth, Al Gore's documentary film. Matt Stone states that Gore's movie should not have won the Academy Award for Best Documentary, charging "It wasn't a documentary. It was a PowerPoint presentation."
Marine Observation post ManBearPig in Treekha Nawa, Afghanistan is named after the fictional creature.[5]
In a November 7, 2008 interview on Current TV, Gore was asked about spreading "ManBearPig awareness", and he laughingly replied that he found it "unbelievable" how many comments he received from the episode.[6]
The Nintendo DS Game Scribblenauts, as well as its sequels, Super Scribblenauts, Scribblenauts Remix, and Scribblenauts Unlimited, contain the object "MANBEARPIG", which can be ridden or carried, depending on its size.
[edit] References
- ^ John Kenneth Muir (1 May 2007). TV Year, Volume 1: The Prime Time 2005-2006 Season. Applause Theatre & Cinema Books. p. 282. ISBN 978-1-55783-684-7. Retrieved 20 November 2012.
- ^ "Turn down the volume and we might listen". The Sydney Morning Herald. 2006-11-09. Retrieved 2012-11-20.
- ^ Ferraro, Thomas (11 September 2000). "Gore shows his lighter side on 'Oprah'". Boston.com. Associated Press.
- ^ Hill, Josh (2008-04-01). "Scientists successfully create human-bear-pig chimera". Think Gene. Retrieved 2008-04-03.
- ^ Chivers, C. J. (2010-02-01). "As Marines Move In, the Taliban Fight a Shadowy War". The New York Times. Retrieved 2010-02-01.
- ^ "Current Presents Digg Dialogg: Al Gore on ManBearPig". Current TV. November 7, 2008. Retrieved February 28, 2011.
[edit] External links
- "ManBearPig" episode at South Park Studios
- "ManBearPig" in South Park's episode guide at South Park Studios
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