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Revision as of 06:26, 14 May 2007
 | It has been suggested that South Park opening sequence be merged into this article. (Discuss) Proposed since May 2007. |
South Park is an American animated series. Its theme music is performed by Primus and has various opening credits.
Disclaimer
At the start of nearly every episode is the fake disclaimer which states that the program has characters based on real people, and should not be viewed by anyone. This features at the start of all episodes, except various such as Asspen and Pip.
The disclaimer was reformatted in Korn's Groovy Pirate Ghost Mystery into the sleaker one seen today (pictured).
Theme Music
The theme music is performed by Primus, sang by Les Claypool. It was originally meant to be rather slow and dull but was released more sped up. The old theme, without lyrics is used as the show's closing theme. However when the boys entered 4th Grade, the opening switched to a more hip-hop version remixed by Paul Robb. From season six onwards, it changed to an even faster version with a more Western theme. In season 10 the title music was changed to "Whamola" by Colonel Les Claypool's Fearless Flying Frog Brigade, from the album Purple Onion. The lyrics have remained the same throughout the series, with the notable exception of Kenny's lines varying from season to season.
Kenny's lines in the song, like the rest of his speech in the show, are muffled by his parka hood, which covers his entire face except for his eyes. However, Kenny's lines have been revealed by South Park Studios. In seasons 1-2, he says "I love girls with big fat titties, I love girls with deep vaginas," in seasons 3-5, he says "I have got a 10-inch penis, use your mouth if you want to clean it." From season 7 to the first half of season 10, Kenny says "Some day I'll be old enough to stick my dick in Britney's butt." The current lines are not known at this time. An official FAQ confirmed the lines would not yet be revealed, even though they sound something like "I would like to stick my finger in to ??'s-possible Ashlee Simpson's-pussy.
The general unintelligibility of Kenny's lines has helped them avoid being censored by television networks on a number of occasions, although the gist can usually be understood. It is sometimes easy to comprehend the lines, given the context in which they are delivered. The syndicated versions of the show usually do censor Kenny's vulgar lines.
Title Sequences
Type one
It started off with the boys' heads connecting onto their bodies and the scenery sliding in. The boys then get on the school bus on their way to school while events and characters can be seen in the background. After a series has been shown clips from that series would be put in, and by the final time it was used it was packed with lots of clips. If there is a guest star, a jagged shape appears which spins stating the name of the voice artist and who they are playing. It appears when the bus sinks off in the horizon.
The unaired pilot episode, "Cartman Gets an Anal Probe", features a slower tune and part of the credits.
There are many hidden features to this sequence, such as Damien in the back seat of the bus just as the kids get on, Starvin' Marvin in Officer Barbrady's police car and Kevin, Dr. Mephisto's assistant, in the back of Chef's car, all of these things in the opening credits at the end of Season 2.
Type Two
When the boys entered 4th Grade, the heads falling out the sky onto their bodies started, but then the music slows down. The South Park sign moves into the background, and then a huge explosion blasts the boys and the sign away. Then, a huge spinning object, shaped like a stereo, appears saying "4th Grade". It then shows 3D images of the boys rotating as they sing their lines, in between, clips are shown (mainly explosive ones) and words flash along the bottom of the screen saying things like "More explosions!" and "Smarter", "Faster" and "Improved walk cycles". Instead of the crowd scene, a 3D image of Timmy rotates and there is live footage of a man jumping over a car in an explosion. For the special guest stars, the jagged object appears in the part before Kenny's 3D image appears, but spins faster.
Type Three
In season six, the show was given a new title sequence. It starts off with live footage of animation director Eric Stough's hands cutting out the characters and gluing them down on top of clips, which would change every season. After Kenny died, Timmy was cut out, but after he returned it was Kenny instead. A joke in the titles shows a pair of scissors knocking Kenny's head off after he has been cut out. For special guest stars, the jagged object appears, spinning rather quickly.
This opening sequence, if played in slow-motion contains episode scenes featuring extreme nudity and sexual scenes compared to the first two (example: while each of the boys are assembled by the hands, skin that resembles his penis or anus (flashed in a nanosecond) are exposed. This is partially the reason why stations in syndication show a different sequence.
In the second half of season 10, after episode 1008, the background music to the theme tune has changed (they are now using "Whamola", another song by Les Claypool (of Primus), but with his other band "Les Claypool's Frog Brigade"), but the lyrics still stay the same (apart from Kenny's lyrics).
Halloween Version
For the first three halloween specials, the titles are the type one style, it starts off with the heads falling out the sky, Stan's head is a pumpkin though and as the backdrop shifts in, a lightning bolt shoots across the scene. While this happens, instead of the usual opening segment of music a scream is heard. The Primus singer is now a skeleton with a smashed guitar. The bus says "HAPPY HALLOWEEN" on it instead and all female characters are shown as witches. Instead of Jesus floating into the sky, a witch does. The alien family is replaced with a cemetery and the school is a haunted house. Finally the South Park sign is a tombstone which a bat hits. The most recent halloween episode, Hell on Earth 2006, did not feature a different version of the opening credits.
Syndication
Episodes aired in syndication feature a completely different opening sequence which blends elements from all three previous incarnations and features the sound effect of a cash-register right before the lyrics begin (a reference to the fact that the show's distributors, producers, and creators stand to make more money from the syndication airings). This sequence resembles many of the elements in the first one, since the third opening sequence contains too much nudity to be shown on broadcast television.
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