(Season 1 Episode 000A)
We begin with the first little construction paper cut-out project that would later become South Park, “The Spirit of Christmas,” labeled as Jesus v.s. Frosty on some websites. It’s my firm belief that you should always begin with the very beginning, if you can. (actually, that’s the main reason i haven’t watched doctor who!)
meet me passed the title card, and we shall begin.
Trigger Warnings for Episode: Death Mentions, Onscreen Death, Evil Snowmen, Monsters in Disguise, Child Endangerment, Swearing
Trigger Warnings for Review: Death Mentions, Onscreen Death, Evil Snowmen, Monsters in Disguise, Child Endangerment, Swearing
we begin with our main characters singing a “Frosty the Snowman” as they build their own little snowman. When the boy who would later become known as Kyle tries to put a tophat on the snowman, the boy who would later be Stan tells him not to, because he thinks it’ll come to life. he then explains that his sister put a hat on a snowman and it “came to life and tried to kill her!”
‘kyle’ and the boy in the orange coat proceed to decide “fuck him, let’s do it anyway”, and everyone besides stan goes back to singing as they put the hat on the innocent pile of snow.
needless to say, this was a bad decision.
the snowman comes to life and tries to kill them, just like ‘stan’ predicted. it proceeds to grow long, octopus-like tentacles and capture the fat boy in the red coat.
interesting to note here: the character whose design would later be used for Eric Cartman is actually Kenny in this short, and the boy in the orange coat- the later design for kenny- is not given a name.
frosty tosses “Kenny” to the ground like a wet paper towel, killing him in the process and prompting ‘kyle’ to scream the words that would later live on in infamy:
“Oh, my god! Frosty killed Kenny!”
‘stan’ scolds ‘kyle’ with a swear-heavy I Told You So. after a short argument, ‘stan’ sees Santa Claus in the distance and runs over to him for help. the children try to explain what happened, and santa then replies,
“did he look something like this?”
it takes the children a moment to realize it’s the evil snowman in disguise, and as they try to run away, the boy in the orange coat is grabbed and hucked to his death, right next to “kenny”.
“you know, i don’t think that was the real santa claus!”
“oh, noo shit, sherlock!”
at this point ‘kyle’ and ‘stan’ are the last remaining kids, and ‘stan’ points out that thanks to ‘kyle’ putting the hat on the snowman, there’s nobody to help them and there won’t be any christmas. ‘kyle’ replies “oh, christ,” which makes them both realize there’s one last person to turn to - Jesus.
‘stan‘ tries to approach him humbly, but ‘kyle’ starts explaining everything, using a generous amount of swears in the process, for which ‘stan’ scolds him. Jesus ignores them, making a b-line for Frosty and attacking him with a throw of his halo. the hat comes off of frosty, forcing him to fall apart and lose all power. the snowman is defeated.
the episode ends with something that would become very typical for south park, an “i learned something today” speech. i shall simply transcribe it here.
Kyle: but you know? i learned something today.
Stan: yeah. don’t put the magic hat on frosty.
Kyle: no, i learned about the true spirit of christmas.
Stan: really?
Kyle: yeah! Christmas isn’t about frosty, or santa...
Stan: you’re right! it’s about Jesus!
Kyle: No, it’s not even about jesus either!
Stan: well then, what’s it all about?
Kyle: ... Presents!
'stan’ then decides that they should go home, because he knows where his parents HIDE his presents. they leave their friends’ dead bodies lying there in the snow, and the end card shows with a deer checking out the bodies before jumping away, the end of ‘frosty the snowman’ being sung by some unseen narrator.
so, what was the point of all this?
nothing, really. unlike the show it would lead to, this little short has no real message, unless you count the little joke lesson at the end. it’s simply a fun little holiday short made by two guys that would soon spark a sequel, and eventually, a tv show. Jesus v.s. Frosty is a cute, silly little gem from a long time ago, and it’s an enormously important part of the south park history.
frankly, i probably didn’t need to start with this, but that is my policy. hopefully these reviews, much like the show they’re about, will get more interesting as we continue! until next time, have a safe night.
In this blog, i will be reviewing episodes of South Park in order, movie included, and The Stick of Truth and The Fractured But Whole when their place in the timeline comes. I will be searching for the overall message, general political stances, balance between humor and seriousness, character development, and any changes in continuity or opinion. some episodes will be easier to tackle than others, but they will all be important.
my own opinions are likely to slip in, and it should be noted that i am well aware my interpretation is not universal. with that said, i hope you enjoy dissecting south park.
