Introduction
Elon Musk, the brilliant business magnate, inventor and engineer, is beloved by many people around the world. Apart from his legendary feats as CEO and founder of Tesla, SpaceX and The Boring Company, he has also made a brief but remarkable appearance in one of America’s most popular and influential adult cartoon series: South Park. But what is the story behind this unlikely union? How did a world-renowned real-life maker of miracles come to land in an animated and goofy version of Colorado?
To answer these questions and more, this article delves deeper into Elon Musk’s South Park cameo, exploring the backstory behind this unlikely collaboration and giving readers an overview of the episode itself and its aftermath.
Background Information
Elon Musk made his South Park debut in Season 19, Episode 6. Aired on December 7th, 2016, this episode was called “Franchise Prequel” and was based around the “members-only” Grillsteaks restaurant chain owned by South Park’s wealthiest resident, Mr. Garrison. It was a popular installment in South Park’s long-running series, featuring notable guest stars like Jay Leno, Jimmy Kimmel and Kanye West.
Musk personally asked South Park’s writers, Trey Parker and Matt Stone, to appear in the show. An email he sent in February 2016 was ultimately crucial in bringing Elon to South Park. The letter was as follows:- “I have something that might be interesting for you. I don’t know if you guys have thought about it, but I’ve got some technology that might be useful for South Park.”
The Episode
When we finally do get an on-screen glimpse of Elon Musk in the episode, he is seen in a “futuristic-looking laboratory,” where he introduces a new technology that could potentially benefit South Park. This turns out to be a form of motion capture technology that would allow characters in the show to be animated in real-time. After a brief demonstration of the tech and its potential applications, Elon admits to the characters that the money he’s asking them for the technology was to fly him to Mars.
Elon’s appearance in this episode strikes a balance between amusement and reverence. Musk is portrayed as both an intelligent scientist and a bit of a buffoon. Though the episode pokes fun at Elon’s eccentricity, it also pays homage to Musk’s ambitious nature, intelligence, and wit. His character reveals that he enjoys the process of tinkering and inventing, and that he has “always been a fan of South Park.”
Criticism and Response
In the days after the episode aired, Musk was met with mixed reactions. Some praised Musk’s appearance, while others were less impressed, criticizing his portrayal as “oversimplified.” Others argued that Elon Musk was the perfect guest star for South Park, noting that the episode showed a different, more playful side to the entrepreneur.
Elon, himself, responded to the episode with a positive attitude, tweeting that he thought it was “pretty good,” further adding that “it’s hard to do something new and clever in South Park [as] they’ve done so much good stuff before.”
The Aftermath
Since then, Elon Musk has become somewhat of an icon in the South Park universe, often being referenced in jokes and parodies. He was even name-dropped in the South Park movie, “South Park: The Fractured But Whole” as a possible alien who could be played by the protagonist in multiplayer mode.
In addition to that, Elon Musk is also being depicted as a character in a new adult comedy game being developed by the South Park team. Titled “South Park: The Elon Musk Story”, the game will track the life and achievements of the renowned billionaire and focus heavily on his South Park debut.
Conclusion
Elon Musk’s brief but memorable appearance on South Park was an unlikely and interesting collaboration between a real-life visionary and the residents of Colorado’s fictional mountain town. It was an amusing move from the visionary, who was willing to poke fun at himself and his eccentric lifestyle, while still managing to pay homage to his intelligence and ambition. In the years since his appearance, Musk’s role on the show has only grown, with references to Tesla, space exploration, and tech innovation becoming a commonplace occurrence in South Park.
Recognition
Despite the mixed reactions to his South Park debut, Elon Musk’s appearance was well-received by the general public and was even nominated for an Emmy in 2017. It was one of the most popular episodes of the season, and the cameo helped propel South Park to new heights in the ratings.
More importantly, however, Elon Musk’s appearance on South Park was a testament to his fame, success, and overall influence. Despite his chagrin, he was welcomed to South Park with open arms and recognized as an entertaining and respected guest star.
The Boring Company
Elon Musk’s influence on South Park wasn’t just seen in his brief appearance. In 2018, The Boring Company, Musk’s tunneling excavation company, formed a partnership with the show that allowed the mundane task of digging tunnels to become the focus of several amusing jokes. In one episode, a tunneling project is launched and named “The Boring Company”, as a sly reference to Musk’s company. In another, Elon Musk is shown in a flashback to be the mastermind behind a plan to dig a subway line beneath South Park.
The partnership was beneficial not just to South Park, but to The Boring Company and Musk as well. The Boring Company received a great deal of publicity and the South Park team gained a reliable digging partner. For Musk, the partnership was not only a way of advertising his company, but also an opportunity to be showcased in an entertaining and lighthearted setting.
References
Since first appearing on South Park, Elon Musk references have been increasingly featured in the show. In Season 21, Elon Musk was listed as the president of Mars and made a guest appearance at a fundraiser. And in the latest season, Season 24, one character ironically refers to Musk’s involvement in the Tesla Cybertruck saying: “You should take notes if you want to be as cool as Elon Musk.” Other references were seen in the video game South Park: The Stick of Truth, where the player can find a book called “My Life as a CEO with Elon Musk.”
