They've gone after Tom Cruise and Mel Gibson but now the guys behind South Park are facing real anger for "poking" fun at freshly-dead reality TV martyr Steve Irwin and sending him to Hell-- with the stingray barb still poking out of his chest.
South Park satirists Trey Parker and Matt Stone have gone after Irwin before. Back in 1999, showed him terrorizing animals before being hired by the government to track down an ice man.
But they really went and done it this week. The latest episode is causing real outrage on Comedy Central's South Park message board, and phony outrage in British and Australian newspapers that will spread through American talk radio today now that the story's hit The Drudge Report (that's where most of those talkers get their topics).
So what's the big deal? We'll save the spoiler details for after the jump:
The Hell On Earth 2006 episode shows Satan hosting a Halloween party, with hundreds of celebrities, including Princess Di, Notorious B.I.G., and Adolph Hitler. Satan gets complaints from his guests that someone is dressed up as Irwin. Irwin then tries to convince Satan it's really him.
The "controversy" is being trumped up in the British papers, where they get worked up over this kind of thing, and in Australia, where Steve Irwin really wasn't half as popular as he remains over here. They're less worked up over Irwin being in Hell, than by the "stingray still being attached to Irwin's bloodstained trademark khaki shirt.
"Grossly insensitive?" "Bad taste?" "Unacceptable?" as a British broadcasting watchdog declared? Or just plain funny?
Tvgasm-ers?
And in a related story that only soundslike a parody, Irwin's daughter, Bindi, who had been all set to jump right into a new TV series, announced yesterday she's launching her first DVD, Bindi Kidfitness, next month, featuring singing and dancing by Bindi and her sidekicks, the Crocmen--and an appearance by her dad.
Comments (24)
Crikey! (RIP)
I guess they'll no anything for a laugh, but not at the expense of our lovable croc hunter.
Not. Cool.
1 of 24 | Posted by Court_Love | Posted on October 27, 2006 10:37 AM
that's do not no.
2 of 24 | Posted by Court_Love | Posted on October 27, 2006 10:38 AM
Ah, the glory of South Park. They've said repeatedly in the past that the ultimate goal is to offend everyone some how at some point. This should take care of a great number of people.
It is awful, but I still laughed.
3 of 24 | Posted by mountain_girl | Posted on October 27, 2006 10:49 AM
I agree, mountain_girl. This is no worse than a lot of other stuff they've done. The guys enjoy pissing people off. They get off on it (ooh, mental image of PR's Vincent). Of course it's awful but, thank husband, funny as "hell".
4 of 24 | Posted by zevonia | Posted on October 27, 2006 10:59 AM
I thought it was funny. Then again, I think prank flash is awesome.
5 of 24 | Posted by JohnEDowney | Posted on October 27, 2006 11:36 AM
Satan told Steve Irwin (who he thought was someone dressed as Steve Irwin) that "dude, it's just too soon". Hilarious. Then when he realized it was the real Steve, he dismissed him from the party because he was not in costume. Also hilarious.
6 of 24 | Posted by Trent880 | Posted on October 27, 2006 11:47 AM
It was freaking hilarious.
It's funny how that moron Steve Irwin gets everyones panties in a bunch when they had the catholic leadres walking around with naked kids on leashes and no one batted an eye.
I love South park.
7 of 24 | Posted by EdHill | Posted on October 27, 2006 11:48 AM
EdHill, why don't you call up Irwin's wife and kids, say the same thing, and see if it's still funny.
8 of 24 | Posted by NB | Posted on October 27, 2006 12:37 PM
Hell is a special place in south park. Certainly the "cool" place to be in their cosmic view.
It was a pretty tame scene, and it was pretty funny. The croc hunter didn't seem to take himself seriously while he was kicking. Why start now?
9 of 24 | Posted by grandemocha | Posted on October 27, 2006 12:46 PM
Ahh, I too wish for the classic Steve Irwin South Park, when he was alive, happy, and jamming his thumb up animals buttholes to piss them off.
10 of 24 | Posted by J Unit | Posted on October 27, 2006 12:51 PM
Freaking Ghandi was in hell too, but people are bitching about Steve Irwin? And, yeah, the priests had naked kids on leashes.
This is what South Park does. I guess I like cringe humor because I don't see the problem.
11 of 24 | Posted by pbjunkie | Posted on October 27, 2006 12:52 PM
I don't care that he was in hell or about the 'costume'..at any other time period it would be hiliarious. But it really was too soon to do something like this, especially knowing that this had to have been done really close to his death for production purposes and stuff.
12 of 24 | Posted by criscogirl | Posted on October 27, 2006 1:06 PM
We've got Ghandi and Princess Di in hell, too. There were priests with kids on leashes and Jeffery Dohmer was doin' a dead guy's intestines. Yet Steve Irwin was the offensive bit in that episode?
Besides, who would watch South Park if it didn't offend everyone?
13 of 24 | Posted by mesha | Posted on October 27, 2006 1:11 PM
she's launching her first DVD, Bindi Kidfitness, next month, featuring, which features singing and dancing by Bindi and her sidekicks, the Crocmen--and an appearance by her dad.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++
I think Irwin was sick of work and the only acceptable way to spunge off his daughter was to fake his own death......
Tyler Durden
14 of 24 | Posted by zezita | Posted on October 27, 2006 1:12 PM
It's South Park.
hb
15 of 24 | Posted by HoneyBunny | Posted on October 27, 2006 1:19 PM
The funniest part about the whole joke is that the people at satans costume party were complaining that someone was dressed up as a dead Steve Irwin. Satan goes over and says “Hey man. Its just…too soon”. But then he finds out it’s the real Steve Irwin. That in conjunction with this thread makes the joke that much funnier.
16 of 24 | Posted by EdHill | Posted on October 27, 2006 1:27 PM
are you freaking kidding me? I agree with some of the other posters here....Princess Di, Ghandi, kids on leashes....that's OK but Steve Irwin is not??? PULLLLEEAAASE!!!!
Damn, even I wanted to go to Satan's birthday party!!!! It looked awesome. Not to mention the Acura Cake.
What the hell is everyone so up in arms about? You KNOW there will be some real Steve Irwin costumes out there this Halloween. I remember the "Roy" Costume was a big hit after he got attacked by that white tiger.
17 of 24 | Posted by anniedawg25 | Posted on October 27, 2006 6:33 PM
Obviously none of you (or the people who are so outraged) watch South Park on a regular basis. I'm not even sure Tabloid Baby can read so I'm not offended by them missing this fact either.
If you did watch South Park besides the times it makes the news, you would know that in their world, only Mormons go to heaven.
I don't think he was Mormon so it's time to leave Matt and Trey alone. Be proud of them for continuing a plot line unlike so many other shows out there!
18 of 24 | Posted by squeegie | Posted on October 27, 2006 7:02 PM
"I'm not even sure Tabloid Baby can read"
=)
19 of 24 | Posted by tvtvtv | Posted on October 28, 2006 9:00 AM
Hey if we can't read, how would we be able to post all these great stories that squeegie can set us straight on?
And squeegie, if you can read, you should read the book, Tabloid Baby. It's about television!
And hey, tvtvtv, that's not very funnyfunnyfunny!
20 of 24 | Posted by Tabloid Baby | Posted on October 29, 2006 10:21 AM
Just when I thought a comment thread could unravel without a dig at TB. But hey, it went 18 comments before the dam broke. Ha!
21 of 24 | Posted by watcher | Posted on October 29, 2006 1:00 PM
Too soon? They did an episode on Terri Schaivo almost a week after she died. Like HB said, IT'S SOUTH PARK.
22 of 24 | Posted by BethW | Posted on October 29, 2006 2:53 PM
South Park offensive? Gee, what are the odds...
23 of 24 | Posted by zengolfguy | Posted on October 30, 2006 7:59 AM
But NB (#8) -- this all serves to remind us of Bindi's new TV show and assorted merch that will undoubtedly be pushed. So they may be okay with this.
24 of 24 | Posted by c-rock | Posted on October 30, 2006 10:09 AM