Editing Kenny McCormick (section)

===Personality and traits===
While most child characters on the show are foul-mouthed, Kenny is often even more risqué with his dialogue.<ref name=bbc>{{cite news|title=Cartman top with kids|publisher=BBC|date=August 26, 1999|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/low/entertainment/430977.stm|access-date=May 5, 2009|archive-date=February 13, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210213052216/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/430977.stm|url-status=live}}</ref> Parker and Stone state that they depict Kenny and his friends in this manner in order to display how young boys really talk when they are alone.<ref name=avr/><ref name=abc4>{{cite web|author=Jake Trapper and Dan Morris|title=Secrets of 'South Park'|publisher=[[ABC News (United States)|ABC News]]|date=September 22, 2006|url=https://abcnews.go.com/Nightline/Entertainment/Story?id=2479197&page=4|access-date=April 18, 2009|archive-date=March 19, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220319073834/https://abcnews.go.com/Nightline/Entertainment/Story?id=2479197&page=4|url-status=live}}</ref> While Kenny is often cynical and profane, Parker notes that there nonetheless is an "underlying sweetness" aspect to the character,<ref name=loudlewd>{{cite news|author=Frazier Moore|title=Loud and lewd but sweet underneath|work=[[The Age]]|date=December 14, 2006|url=http://www.theage.com.au/news/tv--radio/loud-and-lewd-but-sweet-underneath/2006/12/13/1165685687176.html?page=2|access-date=May 9, 2009|archive-date=May 11, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110511220852/http://www.theage.com.au/news/tv--radio/loud-and-lewd-but-sweet-underneath/2006/12/13/1165685687176.html?page=2|url-status=live}}</ref> and ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'' magazine described Kenny and his friends as "sometimes cruel but with a core of innocence".<ref name=time/> He is amused by [[toilet humor]] and bodily functions,<ref name=time/> and his favorite television personalities are [[Terrance and Phillip]], a Canadian duo whose comedy routines on their show-within-the-show revolve substantially around fart jokes. Kenny is shown to desire intercourse in the episode "The Ring", when Kenny gets a girlfriend and is overjoyed to find out that she has a reputation as a slut. Kenny is also lecherous,<ref name=sfrubin/> and often portrayed as being eager to do and say disgusting things in an attempt to impress others or earn money.<ref name=goindown/> Conversely, his alter-ego Mysterion is seemingly mature, principled, and serious-minded, the only exception being one instance in "Mysterion Rises" in which he takes delight in irritating Cartman. As Mysterion, he convinces his parents to take better care of themselves and their children, as seen by their reaction when he questions them about the cult of Cthulhu. He also uses his disguise to protect his sister Karen (who refers to Mysterion as her "guardian angel"), as revealed in "[[The Poor Kid]]"; however, in all of his guises, Kenny is depicted as being uncommonly [[Altruism|selfless]], dying for the sake of others and spending all of his time working so he could buy his little sister a doll.<ref>{{cite web |author=Isler, Ramsey |url=http://m.ie.ign.com/articles/1212761 |title=South Park: 'The Poor Kid' Review |work=[[IGN]] |date=November 17, 2011 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120502182657/http://m.ign.com/articles/2011/11/17/south-park-the-poor-kid-review |archivedate=2012-05-02}}</ref><ref>{{cite episode|title=Trey Parker & Matt Stone|series=[[The Daily Show with Jon Stewart]]|airdate=June 15, 2011|network=[[Comedy Central]]|url=http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/wed-june-15-2011/trey-parker---matt-stone|access-date=March 10, 2022|archive-date=January 22, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140122195046/http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/wed-june-15-2011/trey-parker---matt-stone|url-status=live}}</ref>

In the trilogy of episodes "[[Black Friday (South Park)|Black Friday]]", "[[A Song of Ass and Fire]]" and "[[Titties and Dragons]]", in which the boys play-act characters from the TV series ''[[Game of Thrones]]'', Kenny [[Cross-dressing|cross-dresses]] as a fantasy-style princess with a wig and dress similar to the video game character [[Princess Zelda]], and becomes a Japanese-speaking [[Moe (slang)|moe]] [[anime]] character at one point. When Cartman complains, "You're never going to be a real [[princess]]", Princess Kenny responds (via her translator, Stan) angrily to Cartman, calling him a "ball-licking [[lesbian]]".<ref>{{cite web|last=McGee|first=Ryan|title=Black Friday|url=https://www.avclub.com/south-park-black-friday-1798178674|publisher=[[The A.V. Club]]|date=November 13, 2013|access-date=June 21, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite video |people=[[Trey Parker|Parker, Trey]]; [[Matt Stone|Stone, Matt]] |date=2014 |title=South Park season 17 DVD commentary for the episode "A Song of Ass and Fire" |medium=DVD |publisher=[[Comedy Central]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Nicholson|first=Max|title=Let the Red (Robin) Wedding commence|url=http://www.ign.com/articles/2013/12/05/south-park-titties-and-dragons-review|website=[[IGN]]|date=December 5, 2013|accessdate=December 5, 2013|archive-date=December 6, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131206050653/http://www.ign.com/articles/2013/12/05/south-park-titties-and-dragons-review|url-status=live}}</ref>

This portrayal continues in the video game ''[[South Park: The Stick of Truth]]'' where Cartman notes that playing a "chick" is "just how [Kenny] seems to be rolling right now". Kenny's sister also refers to Kenny as a girl, if you talk to her in the McCormick house. Throughout the game, Kenny posts 'status updates' referring to herself as "the cutest of them all".<ref name=DailyTelegraph>{{cite news |first=Hannah |last=Dwan |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/gaming/reviews/south-park-fractured-whole-review-round-critics-saying/ |title=South Park: The Fractured But Whole review round up – What the critics are saying |newspaper=[[The Daily Telegraph]] |date=October 16, 2017 |access-date=November 4, 2017 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20171104122020/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/gaming/reviews/south-park-fractured-whole-review-round-critics-saying/ |archive-date=November 4, 2017 |url-status=live |df=mdy-all}}</ref>