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Of all the great things about television, the greatest is that it’s on every single day. TV history is being made, day in and day out, in ways big and small. In an effort to better appreciate this history, we’re taking a look back, every day, at one particular TV milestone.
IMPORTANT DATE IN TV HISTORY: December 17, 1997
PROGRAM ORIGINALLY AIRED ON THIS DATE: South Park, “Mr. Hankey the Christmas Poo” (Season 1, Episode 9). [Watch it on Hulu.]
WHY IT’S IMPORTANT: It’s a testament to how immediately South Park emblazoned itself upon American culture that by its 9th episode ever there was already anticipation for their holiday-themed episode. And no matter what kind of irreverent spin on the Christmas season you might have imagined that Trey Parker and Matt Stone would cook up, it probably didn’t include a magical piece of poop saving the holidays for the outcast Kyle, the only Jew he knows on Christmas.
Yet there it was. “Mr. Hankey the Christmas Poo.” Which is the episode’s official title despite the opening sequence that sees “The South Park Christmas Special” superimposed on a stage set up to look very much like the stage in A Charlie Brown Christmas. Stan even calls for a spotlight and begins reciting a Bible verse, much like Linus, before Mr. Garrison interrupts and we become a regular ol’ foul-mouthed South Park episode again. Except it’s actually not a typical South Park episode. It’s halfway a musical, for one thing. Nothing approaching the virtuosity that would be on display in South Park: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut, but this episode definitely allowed Parker and Stone to dip their toe into the musical pond. Kyle sings about being a lonely Jew on Christmas. Mr. Hankey gets both a Christmas carol of his own AND lunatic out-of-the-box madcap number.
It’s all in terribly bad taste, of course. Poo-smeared characters and all. And because it’s South Park, there’s also a wide-streak of anti-PC backlash preoccupying the proceedings. The “War on Christmas” wasn’t a term yet in 1997, but if it was, Parker and Stone sure would have made good soldiers in the fight against it. But there’s also a definite spirit of generosity in this episode. Something that’s far more unique to the early seasons of the show. Kyle is granted sympathy as the Linus of his crew (Mr. Hankey is actually more of a Great Pumpkin analogue than anything in A Charlie Brown Christmas). Even Kenny gets to survive an episode for the first time in the show’s run. Happy Holidays to all, and a hidey-ho to everyone!
[You can watch South Park‘s “Mr. Hankey the Christmas Poo” on Hulu.]
