Editing South Park (section)

==Development==
[[File:Trey Parker and Matt Stone by Gage Skidmore.jpg|thumb|alt=Two adult males sitting in chairs with their left legs crossed.|''South Park'' creators [[Trey Parker]] (left) and [[Matt Stone]] continue to do most of the writing, directing and voice acting on the show.]]
Parker and Stone met in film class at the [[University of Colorado at Boulder|University of Colorado]] in 1992 and discovered a shared love of [[Monty Python]], which they often cite as one of their primary inspirations.<ref name="montypython">{{cite web|title=Trey Parker & Matt Stone on Monty Python|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=imDdPW6r7U0 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/imDdPW6r7U0| archive-date=2021-12-11 |url-status=live|website=YouTube| date=September 3, 2010 |publisher=The Paley Center for Media|access-date=October 23, 2017}}{{cbignore}}</ref> They created an [[short subject|animated short]] entitled ''[[The Spirit of Christmas (short films)|The Spirit of Christmas]]''.<ref name="fortune" /> The film was created by animating construction paper cutouts with [[stop motion]], and features [[prototype]]s of the main characters of ''South Park'', including a character resembling Cartman but named "Kenny", an unnamed character resembling what is today Kenny, and two near-identical unnamed characters who resemble Stan and Kyle. [[Fox Broadcasting Company]] executive and mutual friend [[Brian Graden]] commissioned Parker and Stone to create a second short film as a video Christmas card. Created in 1995, the second ''The Spirit of Christmas'' short resembled the style of the later series more closely.<ref>{{cite web
 |url=http://www.gazette.uwo.ca/article.cfm?section=Arts&articleID=1811&month=11&day=9&year=2007 
 |title=The evolution of South Park 
 |date=November 9, 2007 |publisher=Western Gazette 
 |access-date=August 9, 2009 |last=Gregoris 
 |first=Michael 
 |url-status=dead 
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110611181531/http://www.gazette.uwo.ca/article.cfm?section=Arts&articleID=1811&month=11&day=9&year=2007 
 |archive-date=June 11, 2011 }}</ref> To differentiate between the two homonymous shorts, the first short is often referred to as ''Jesus vs. Frosty'', and the second short as ''Jesus vs. Santa''. Graden sent copies of the video to several of his friends, and from there it was copied and distributed, including on the internet, where it became one of the first [[viral video]]s.<ref name="fortune" /><ref name="time"/>

As ''Jesus vs. Santa'' became more popular, Parker and Stone began talks of developing the short into a television series about four children residing in a fictional [[Colorado]] town in the real-life [[South Park (Park County, Colorado)|South Park]] basin. Fox eagerly agreed to meet with the duo about the show's premise, having prided itself on edgier products such as [[Cops (TV program)|''Cops'']], ''[[The Simpsons]]'', and ''[[The X-Files]]''. However, during the meeting at the Fox office in [[Century City]], disagreements between the two creators and the network began to arise, mainly over the latter's refusal to air a show that included a supporting talking stool character named [[Mr. Hankey]]. Some executives at [[20th Century Fox Television]] (which was to produce the series) agreed with its then-sister network's stance on Mr. Hankey and repeatedly requested Parker and Stone to remove the character in order for the show to proceed. Refusing to meet their demands, the duo cut ties with Fox and its sister companies all together and began shopping the series somewhere else.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://glamourfame.com/fox-refused-south-park-1997-because-one-character|title=Fox Refused to Take 'South Park' in 1997 Because of One Character, and Something Else as well|work=Glamour Fame|date=September 18, 2019|access-date=October 7, 2019|archive-date=October 7, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191007184100/https://glamourfame.com/fox-refused-south-park-1997-because-one-character|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cinemablend.com/television/2480397/that-time-fox-refused-to-pick-up-south-park-because-of-mr-hankey|title=That Time Fox Refused To Pick Up South Park Because Of Mr. Hankey|last=Ashton|first=Will|work=CinemaBlend|date=September 17, 2019|access-date=October 7, 2019|archive-date=September 23, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190923152455/https://www.cinemablend.com/television/2480397/that-time-fox-refused-to-pick-up-south-park-because-of-mr-hankey|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.eonline.com/news/36709/d-oh-fox-turned-down-south-park|title=D'oh! Fox Turned Down "South Park"?|last=Pride|first=Ray|work=[[E! News]]|date=July 14, 1998|access-date=October 7, 2019|archive-date=October 7, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191007184059/https://www.eonline.com/news/36709/d-oh-fox-turned-down-south-park|url-status=live}}</ref>

The two then entered negotiations with both [[MTV]] and [[Comedy Central]]. Parker preferred the show be produced by Comedy Central, fearing that MTV would turn it into a kids show.<ref name="paulson">{{cite interview|url=http://www.firstamendmentcenter.org/about.aspx?id=12881 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100209001855/http://www.firstamendmentcenter.org/about.aspx?id=12881 |archive-date=February 9, 2010 |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 }}</ref> When Comedy Central executive [[Doug Herzog]] watched the short, he commissioned for it to be developed into a series.<ref name="fortune" /><ref name="nytad">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/27/business/media/27south.html|title='South Park' Creators Win Ad Sharing In Deal|access-date=October 17, 2008|author=Halbfinger, David M.|date=August 27, 2007|work=The New York Times|archive-date=December 12, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201212065427/https://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/27/business/media/27south.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Parker and Stone assembled a small staff and spent three months creating the [[Television pilot|pilot]] episode "[[Cartman Gets an Anal Probe]]".<ref name="apple" /> ''South Park'' was in danger of being canceled before it even aired when the show fared poorly with test audiences, particularly with women. However, the shorts were still gaining more popularity over the Internet, and Comedy Central ordered a run of six episodes.<ref name="mcfarland1" /><ref name="paulson" /> ''South Park'' debuted with "Cartman Gets an Anal Probe" on August 13, 1997.<ref name="seriously227">{{harvnb|Weinstock|Fallows|2008|p=227}}</ref>