Editing Eric Cartman (section)

===Development===
[[File:TreyParkerHWOFApr2013.jpg|right|thumb|200px|Cartman is voiced by series co-creator [[Trey Parker]].]]
Cartman is partially named after and based on Matt Karpman, a high school classmate of Parker who remains a friend of both Parker and Stone.<ref name=karpmancartman>{{cite web|url=https://southpark.cc.com/fans/faq/archives.php?id=11264|title=FAQ Archives|access-date=May 9, 2009|publisher=South Park Studios|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080408072434/http://www.southparkstudios.com/fans/faq/archives.php?id=11264|archive-date=April 8, 2008}}</ref> Cartman is also inspired to some degree by ''[[All in the Family]]'' patriarch [[Archie Bunker]], who is himself inspired by [[Alf Garnett]] from ''[[Till Death Us Do Part]]'', the original British version of ''All in the Family''. Parker and Stone are reportedly big fans of ''All in the Family''. They alleged in 2008 that creating Cartman as a "little eight-year-old fat kid" made it easier for the two to portray a Bunker-like character after the introduction of [[political correctness]] to late-20th century television.<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=[[National Public Radio|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><ref>{{cite interview|url=http://www.firstamendmentcenter.org/about.aspx?id=12881 |title=Matt Stone, Trey Parker, Larry Divney 'Speaking Freely' transcript |access-date=February 8, 2007 |date=March 1, 2002 |subject=Trey Parker |subject2=Matt Stone |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100209001855/http://www.firstamendmentcenter.org/about.aspx?id=12881 |archive-date=February 9, 2010}}</ref> While developing the character, Parker noted that everyone either remembers "an annoying fat kid in their pasts", or "they were the annoying fat kid".<ref>{{cite web|title=Yahoo! Chat |publisher=treyparker.info (transcribed from yahoo.com) |date=June 28, 1999 |url=http://treyparker.info/archives_transcripts_yahoo_28jun99.htm |access-date=May 9, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101129011634/http://treyparker.info/archives_transcripts_yahoo_28jun99.htm |archive-date=November 29, 2010}}</ref> Stone has observed that "kids are not nice, innocent, flower-loving little rainbow children&nbsp;... they don't have any kind of social tact or etiquette, they're just complete little raging bastards".<ref name="lowbrow"/>

In the [[South Park (season 5)|season five]] (2001) episode "[[Scott Tenorman Must Die]]", Cartman is tricked into buying the [[pubic hair]] of a local ninth-grader named Scott Tenorman for $16.12. He then successfully executes an elaborate scheme to publicly humiliate Scott in front of his favorite band [[Radiohead]], by getting Scott's parents killed and then tricking Scott into eating them.<ref name="mcfarland2">{{cite news|author=Melanie McFarland|title=Social satire keeps 'South Park' fans coming back for a gasp, and a laugh|work=Seattle Post-Intelligencer|date=October 2, 2006|url=http://www.seattlepi.com/tv/287050_tv02.html|access-date=May 12, 2009|archive-date=September 15, 2012|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120915113720/http://www.seattlepi.com/tv/287050_tv02.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The show's writers debated during production of the episode whether the incident would be "a step too far, even for Cartman".<ref name="NPR"/> Parker felt that the act could sufficiently be the culmination of Cartman's [[sociopath]]ic behavior, and would "[set] a new bar" by portraying Cartman as being capable of performing anything short of murder.<ref name="NPR"/><ref name="hitscommentary">{{cite AV media|last1=Parker|first1=Trey|last2=Stone|first2=Matt|title=Audio commentary for "Scott Tenorman Must Die"|work=South Park – The Hits: Volume 1|year=2006|medium=DVD|publisher=Paramount Home Entertainment}}</ref><ref name="60minutes_cartman">{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1rKIFr-2CaU| archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211107/1rKIFr-2CaU| archive-date=November 7, 2021 | url-status=live|title=Creating the incorrigible Cartman|work=[[60 Minutes]]|publisher=[[CBS News]]|date=September 25, 2011}}{{cbignore}}</ref><ref name="commentary">{{cite AV media|last1=Parker|first1=Trey|last2=Stone|first2=Matt|title= Audio commentary for "Scott Tenorman Must Die"|work=South Park – The Complete Fifth Season|year=2005|medium=DVD|publisher=Paramount Home Entertainment}}</ref> Fans reacted by ranking it as Cartman's "greatest moment" in a 2005 poll on [[Comedy Central]]'s website.<ref name="cartman25">{{cite web|url=http://www.comedycentral.com/events/south_park/cartman_25/index.jhtml|title=Comedy Central voting page for Cartman's 25 Greatest South Park Moments|access-date=December 20, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071211024032/http://www.comedycentral.com/events/south_park/cartman_25/index.jhtml|archive-date=December 11, 2007}}</ref> It is later revealed in the [[South Park (season 14)|season fourteen]] episode "[[201 (South Park)|201]]" that Jack Tenorman, Scott's father, was a [[American football|football]] player for the [[Denver Broncos]] who impregnated Cartman's mom, therefore making him Cartman's father too.<ref>{{cite episode|title=[[201 (South Park)|201]]|series=[[South Park]]|date=April 21, 2010|network=[[Comedy Central]]}}</ref>

Parker and Stone, despite being the basis for Stan and Kyle, insist that Cartman is their favorite character, and the one with whom they identify the most.<ref name="NPR"/><ref name="goin down">{{cite AV media|last1=Parker|first1=Trey|last2=Stone|first2=Matt|title=Goin' Down to South Park|medium=Television documentary|publisher=Comedy Central}}</ref>