Editing South Park (section)

===Setting and characters===
{{Main|List of South Park characters|l1=List of ''South Park'' characters}}
''South Park'' centers around four boys: [[Stan Marsh]], [[Kyle Broflovski]], [[Eric Cartman]] and [[Kenny McCormick]]. The boys live in the [[List of fictional towns in animation|fictional small town]] of South Park, located within the real-life [[South Park (Park County, Colorado)|South Park basin]] in the [[Rocky Mountains]] of central [[Colorado]],<ref name="statesman">{{cite news|first=Eric|last= Griffiths|title=Young offenders|work=[[New Statesman]]|date=June 21, 2007|url=http://www.newstatesman.com/books/2007/06/south-park-sex-studies|access-date=February 21, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210627133812/https://www.newstatesman.com/books/2007/06/south-park-sex-studies|archive-date=June 27, 2021|url-status=dead}}</ref> approximately a one-hour drive from [[Denver]].<ref>{{cite episode|title=[[City People]]|series=South Park|season=25|number=3|airdate=February 16, 2022|network=[[Comedy Central]]|quote=We're up in the mountains, about an hour from Denver.}}</ref> The town is also home to an assortment of other characters, including [[List of students at South Park Elementary|students]], [[List of South Park families|families]], [[List of staff at South Park Elementary|elementary school staff]], and other [[List of South Park residents|various residents]].<ref name="nytimesmorals">{{cite news|last=Heffernan|first=Virginia|title=Critic's Notebook; What? Morals in 'South Park'?|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=April 28, 2004|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2004/04/28/arts/critic-s-notebook-what-morals-in-south-park.html?pagewanted=all|access-date=January 17, 2012|archive-date=November 16, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181116002847/https://www.nytimes.com/2004/04/28/arts/critic-s-notebook-what-morals-in-south-park.html?pagewanted=all|url-status=live}}</ref> Prominent settings include South Park Elementary, various neighborhoods and the surrounding mountain range, actual Colorado landmarks, and the businesses along the town's main street, all of which are based on the appearance of similar locations in [[Fairplay, Colorado]].<ref name="statesman"/><ref name="nytimesmorals"/> As one of the few television programs set in the [[Mountain states|Mountain West]] region that takes place outside the urban core of Denver, ''South Park'' frequently features the unique culture of the region, including cattle ranchers, Old West theme parks, snowy climates, mountaineering, [[Mormons]], real-life Colorado locations such as [[Casa Bonita]] and [[Cave of the Winds (Colorado)|Cave of the Winds]], and many other regionally specific characteristics.

Stan is portrayed as an average American boy; however, he has many mishaps throughout the series. In the first 22 seasons, Stan lived in South Park, but in the episodes during and after [[South Park season 22|season 22]], Stan resided in Tegridy Farms. Kyle is [[American Jews|Jewish]], and his portrayal as one of the few such people in South Park is often dealt with satirically.<ref name="growsup2">{{cite magazine |author=Jaime J. Weinman |date=March 12, 2008 |title=South Park grows up |url=http://www.macleans.ca/culture/entertainment/article.jsp?content=20080312_115131_115131 |magazine=Maclean's |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080321172805/http://www.macleans.ca/culture/entertainment/article.jsp?content=20080312_115131_115131 |archive-date=March 21, 2008 |access-date=October 24, 2010}}</ref> Stan is modeled after Parker, while Kyle is modeled after Stone. They are best friends, and their friendship, symbolically intended to reflect Parker and Stone's friendship,<ref name="time">{{cite news|author1=Jeffrey Ressner  |author2=James Collins |name-list-style=amp |title=Gross And Grosser|magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]]|date=March 23, 1998|url=https://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,988028-2,00.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090821033347/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,988028,00.html|archive-date=August 21, 2009|url-status=live  |access-date=February 21, 2022}}</ref> is a common topic throughout the series. Cartman (as he is commonly referred to) is amoral and increasingly [[psychopathy|psychopathic]], and is commonly portrayed as an [[antagonist]]. His staunch [[antisemitism]] has resulted in a progressive rivalry with Kyle.<ref name="growsup2" /><ref name="NPR">{{cite web|url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=89375695|title=Eric Cartman: America's Favorite Little $@#&*%|access-date=October 25, 2008|last=Rovner|first=Julie|date=April 5, 2008|work=[[NPR]]|archive-date=May 24, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220524070427/https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=89375695|url-status=live}}</ref> Kenny, who comes from a poor family, tightly wears his [[parka]] hood to the point where it obscures most of his face and muffles his speech. During the first five seasons, Kenny died in almost every episode before reappearing in the next with no definite explanation. He was killed off in the [[South Park (season 5)|fifth season]] episode "[[Kenny Dies]]", before being reintroduced in the sixth season finale, "[[Red Sleigh Down]]". Since then, Kenny is depicted as dying sporadically. During the first 58 episodes, the children were in the [[third grade]]. During the [[South Park (season 4)|fourth season]], they entered the [[fourth grade]], where they have remained ever since.<ref name="faq-11jan2005">{{cite web|url=https://southpark.cc.com/fans/faq/354077 |title=FAQ: When will the boys be in the fifth grades? |date=January 11, 2005 |publisher=Comedy Central |access-date=January 4, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120308071721/http://www.southparkstudios.com/fans/faq/354077 |archive-date=March 8, 2012 }}</ref><ref name="faq-8oct2008">{{cite web|url=https://southpark.cc.com/fans/faq/354892 |title=FAQ: Are the boys still in 4th grade? |date=October 8, 2008 |publisher=Comedy Central |access-date=January 4, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120308071258/http://www.southparkstudios.com/fans/faq/354892 |archive-date=March 8, 2012 }}</ref>

Plots are often set in motion by events, ranging from the fairly typical to the supernatural and extraordinary, which frequently happen in the town.<ref name="whois">{{cite web|url=http://www.jewishaz.com/jewishnews/980522/kyle.shtml |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120815135956/http://www.jewishaz.com/jewishnews/980522/kyle.shtml |archive-date=August 15, 2012 |title=Who is Andrew Philip Kyle? |access-date=February 4, 2009 |author=Raphael, Rebecca |date=May 22, 1998 |work=[[New Voices (magazine)|New Voices]] |url-status=dead }}</ref> The boys often act as the voice of reason when these events cause panic or incongruous behavior among the adult populace, who are customarily depicted as irrational, gullible, and prone to overreaction.<ref name="statesman"/><ref name="cornell">{{cite news|author=William Cohen |title=Respect Its Authoritah! |work=[[The Cornell Review]] |date=November 4, 2005 |url=http://www.cornellamerican.com/article/109/print/ |archive-url=https://archive.today/20100129195812/http://www.cornellamerican.com/article/109/print/ |archive-date=January 29, 2010 |access-date=May 5, 2009 |url-status=dead }}</ref> They are frequently confused by the contradictory and hypocritical behavior of their parents and other adults, and often perceive them as having distorted views on morality and society.<ref name="nytimesmorals"/><ref name="tvamerica">{{cite news|author=Randy Fallows|title=The Theology of South Park|publisher=The Institute for the Study of American Popular Culture|date=January 2002|url=http://www.americanpopularculture.com/archive/tv/theology_southpark.htm|access-date=May 3, 2009|archive-date=May 13, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190513135108/http://www.americanpopularculture.com/archive/tv/theology_southpark.htm|url-status=live}}</ref>