The animated comedy South Park premiered on Comedy Central in 1997 and immediately became one of the most controversial programs in television (see entry under 1940s—TV and Radio in volume 3) history. Created by Trey Parker (1969–) and Matt Stone (1971–), the series depicts the raunchy and bizarre adventures of a group of third graders living in South Park, Colorado. The main characters (all voiced by Stone and Parker) include Stan Marsh, Kyle Broslovski, Kenny McCormick, and Eric Cartman. The youngsters swear constantly, delight in coarse behavior, and disrespect adult authority. The program's profane humor is contrasted by its simplistic animation style that resembles paper cutouts.

South Park was a huge hit with teens, "twentysomethings," and even children. Many parents criticized the series for encouraging profanity and raunchiness in their kids. Despite vocal opposition, the series remained enormously popular and spawned a mountain of merchandise. Its memorable catch-phrase "They...