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Weight Gain 4000

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"Weight Gain 4000"

South Park episode

The advertisement of the bodybuilding supplement "Weight Gain 4000", which serves as a
commentary on American consumerism

Season 1

Episode no.
Episode 2
Trey Parker

Directed by
Matt Stone
Trey Parker

Written by
Matt Stone
Production code 102
Original air date August 20, 1997
Episode chronology
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"Cartman Gets an Anal Probe" "Volcano"

South Park (season 1)
List of episodes

"Weight Gain 4000" is the second episode of the first season of the American animated television
series South Park. It first aired on Comedy Central in the United States on August 20, 1997.[1] In
the episode, the residents of South Park excitedly prepare for a visit by celebrity Kathie Lee
Gifford, whom the boys' third-grade teacher Mr. Garrison plans to assassinate because of a
childhood grudge. In the meantime, Cartman becomes extremely obese after constantly eating a
bodybuilding supplement called Weight Gain 4000.

The episode was written and directed by series co-founders Trey Parker and Matt Stone. After the
South Park pilot episode, "Cartman Gets an Anal Probe", drew poor test audience results,
Comedy Central requested a script for one more new episode before deciding whether or not to
commit to a full series. The resulting script for "Weight Gain 4000" helped the network decide to
pick up the show. It was the first South Park episode created completely using computers rather
than construction paper.

Although some reviewers criticized the episode for its profanity and other material deemed
offensive at the time of its original broadcast, several others felt "Weight Gain 4000" was a
significant improvement over the pilot, particularly for its satirical element regarding American
consumerism. The episode introduced such recurring characters as Jimbo Kern, Mayor
McDaniels, Bebe Stevens and Clyde Donovan. The show's portrayal of Kathie Lee Gifford was
the first time a celebrity was spoofed in South Park.
Plot[edit]
South Park Elementary teacher Mr. Garrison announces that Cartman has won the school's
"Save Our Fragile Planet" essay contest, much to the anger of his classmate Wendy Testaburger,
who immediately suspects him of cheating. The rest of the town becomes a flurry of excitement
upon learning celebrity television host Kathie Lee Gifford will come to South Park to present
Cartman with an award on national television. Mayor McDaniels plans a big event to showcase
the town, with hopes of furthering her own career. Mr. Garrison directs rehearsals for a play with
the schoolchildren depicting the history of South Park, which is to be shown at the event. Mayor
McDaniels is horrified, however, to learn the historically accurate play includes children playing
pioneers who attack and brutally beat the students portraying Native Americans. Garrison later
gets fired for badmouthing Gifford.

Unbeknownst to the rest of town, Mr. Garrison relives a traumatic childhood memory in which a
young Gifford defeated him in a national talent show. Mr. Garrison is manipulated by his hand
puppet, Mr. Hat, to assassinate Gifford out of revenge. He purchases a large rifle from Jimbo's
gun shop and plots to shoot Gifford. Meanwhile, Cartman is excited to appear on live television,
and Mayor McDaniels instructs him to get into shape for Gifford's visit. Seeing a television
commercial for a bodybuilding supplement called "Weight Gain 4000", Cartman asks his mother
to buy it for him. Cartman becomes extremely fat from the product, although he believes he is in
excellent shape and the excess weight is strictly muscle. Back at the school, Wendy looks
through Mr. Garrison's papers and confirms Cartman indeed cheated on the contest by writing his
name on a copy of Walden by Henry David Thoreau. Wendy also learns about Mr. Garrison's
assassination plan, and enlists the help of her friend Stan to stop him.

Gifford arrives, and most of the town attends the celebratory event, where Chef sings a song to
seduce her. Mr. Garrison takes his position in a tall book depository, but he is frustrated to see
that Gifford is hidden behind a bulletproof glass bubble. Wendy and Stan arrive and try
unsuccessfully to stop Mr. Garrison, saying that they understand his pain, but when Stan
accidentally reignites Garrison's anger, he decides to go through with the assassination. Just as
he is about to fire, Cartman's new immense weight causes the stage to collapse, catapulting
Gifford off it, and causing the bullet to hit Kenny in the head. Kenny is propelled through the air
and impaled on a flagpole. Gifford's bodyguards whisk Gifford away, costing a disappointed
Cartman his chance to be on television. Wendy takes to the stage and reveals that Cartman
cheated on his essay, but the townspeople are too upset about Gifford's departure to care. Mr.
Garrison is taken to a mental hospital, where Mr. Hat is placed into a straitjacket. Mr. Garrison
apologizes to the kids for costing the town a chance to be on television, although Kyle explains to
him that Cartman is now appearing on talk show Geraldo because of his tremendous obesity.
Meanwhile, Chef is lying in bed with Gifford post-coital while watching Geraldo.

Production[edit]
South Park co-creators Trey Parker (left) and Matt Stone wrote "Weight Gain 4000" when
Comedy Central executives requested a script for a new episode while considering picking up the
series.

"Weight Gain 4000" was written and directed by series co-creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone. It
was first aired on Comedy Central in the United States on August 20, 1997.[1] The South Park
pilot, "Cartman Gets an Anal Probe", did not do well with test audiences, and Comedy Central
executives were unsure whether they wanted to order any additional episodes. However, they
paid Parker and Stone to write another script when Internet buzz began to generate about the duo
and their work on The Spirit of Christmas, the 1995 animated short film that served as a precursor
to South Park. The network opted not to commit to a full Comedy Central series until they could
read the newly commissioned script. The result was "Weight Gain 4000", which the two South
Park creators wrote while they were working on their 1997 comedy-action film, Orgazmo.

In writing the script, the duo sought to give Comedy Central executives an idea of what the series
would be like and how each show could differ from the others. Parker and Stone also said they
would not write another script until the network signed off on the full show with a season of at
least six episodes. Comedy Central liked the script and agreed to commit to a series. While
"Cartman Gets an Anal Probe" was created almost entirely with construction paper, "Weight Gain
4000" was the first South Park episode made completely using computers.[3] It was created in
little over a month in a studio in Westwood, California, by about 15 animators using
PowerAnimator, the Alias Systems Corporation animation program most commonly known as
"Alias", which would be used in subsequent episodes. In the future, South Park shows would be
created within a week of their broadcast dates and require about 40 animators. "Weight Gain
4000" was animated in chronological order from beginning to end. Although Parker and Stone
sought to improve the details and textures of the characters and overall animation, they also
specifically chose Alias because it would allow the animation to maintain the deliberately crude
visual style they first created with construction paper in The Spirit of Christmas and "Cartman
Gets an Anal Probe".

The South Park creators and animators said they were still developing the characters and trying
to figure out the future direction of the show with "Weight Gain 4000", which was more slow-paced
than the series would eventually become. The 30-page script was shorter than in later episodes,
which would average between 45 to 50 pages. The child protagonists also spoke slower. While
recording their voice performances, the actors read the lines slowly and the dialogue was then
sped up to create the characters' distinctive voices. At that time, Parker and Stone had not
mastered the pace at which they needed to speak. The crowd shots in "Weight Gain 4000" took a
particularly long time to animate due to the large number of people featured, and the animators
were especially proud of the use of depth and motion in the perspective of the crosshairs in Mr.
Garrison's rifle scope as he tried to assassinate Kathie Lee Gifford. Mr. Garrison's hatred for
Gifford was foreshadowed in "Cartman Gets an Anal Probe", where the sentence "I'm not positive,
but I think Cathy [sic] Lee Gifford is much older than she claims to be", can be seen on his
classroom's chalkboard. During a flashback scene in "Weight Gain 4000", an eight-year-old Mr.
Garrison is shown to already be bald on top with gray hair on the side of his ears. This led to an
inconsistency in the first season episode "Cartman's Mom is a Dirty Slut", in which he has a full
head of hair during a flashback.[4]

Themes[edit]
Describing the general tone of the show, Teri Fitsell of The New Zealand Herald explains that
"South Park is a vicious social satire that works by spotlighting not the immorality of these kids but
their amorality, and contrasting it with the conniving hypocrisy of the adults who surround them."[5]
The humor of the show comes from the disparity between the cute appearance of the characters
and their crude behavior.[6][7] However, Parker and Stone said in an early interview that the
show's language is realistic. "There are so many shows where little kids are good and sweet, and
it's just not real  ... Don't people remember what they were like in third grade? We were little
bastards."[8]
Although these elements were established in "Cartman Gets an Anal Probe" and the Spirit of
Christmas precursor cartoons, "Weight Gain 4000" further pushed the conventions of television,
and especially of animated television entertainment. In addition to a continued stream of
profanities and the promiscuous activities of Chef, an elementary school employee, the episode
presents the character of Mr. Garrison as more and more unhinged. Although entrusted with the
care of an elementary school class, Mr. Garrison demonstrates a questionable gender identity,
poor teaching and unusual relationship with his Mr. Hat hand puppet.[9]

"Weight Gain 4000" served as a commentary on American consumerism, the equation of personal
happiness with consumption and the purchase of material possessions. This satire is particularly
demonstrated by Cartman's blind faith in the Weight Gain 4000 bodybuilding supplement product
despite strong evidence that the product fails at its primary function. Specifically, the product
promises to build muscle, and Cartman believes it has fulfilled this function even after he only
becomes extremely overweight.[10][11] This blind faith is also illustrated by the complete disregard
Cartman demonstrates for warnings that Weight Gain 4000 carries a risk of permanent damage to
the liver and kidneys. The tremendous amount of product Cartman buys is further indicative of
American purchasing habits.[10]

Cartman's impulse to buy a bodybuilding supplement based on a single commercial has been
described as a satire of the concept of "identity shopping". The concept involves the obtaining of
an identity through what one owns, wears or buys, just as Cartman seeks to remake himself as a
bodybuilder by buying Weight Gain 4000.[12] "Weight Gain 4000" also satirizes the obsession with
celebrity prevalent among most Americans, particularly through the town's overly enthusiastic
reaction to Kathie Lee Gifford's appearance.[11] Additionally, Anglican theologian Paul F. M. Zahl
has suggested Cartman's addiction to food in the episode, combined with his blind faith in the
Weight Gain 4000 supplement and his insistence to "follow your dreams", reflects the idea that
many people falsely cling to the notion of free will when they in fact lack any self-control
whatsoever. Zahl wrote, "The two writers of South Park see through the myth of 'free will.'"[13]

Cultural references and impact[edit]

Kathie Lee Gifford's bulletproof vehicle from "Weight Gain 4000" (below) was based on the
popemobile (above), the vehicle used to transport the Pope.

"Weight Gain 4000" introduced several characters who would maintain important recurring roles
throughout the rest of the series. Among them were Jimbo Kern, Mayor McDaniels, and Wendy's
best friend Bebe Stevens. It also introduces Clyde Donovan, a student from Mr. Garrison's class
who would eventually play significant roles in future seasons, although he was not identified by
name.[4] The characters demonstrate the wide range of often-extreme personalities among the
adult residents of South Park, as well as serving as individual satires. McDaniels, who imagines
herself an instant star upon being seen on television with Gifford, is portrayed as more caring
about her own fame than the needs of her constituents,[14] and the neglect with which Jimbo sells
a gun to an obviously unstable Mr. Garrison serves as a satire of gun control. Jimbo and his friend
Ned (who was not introduced until "Volcano") were inspired by caricatures Parker used to draw
during high school. In creating McDaniels, Parker and Stone envisioned a sophisticated mayor
who was convinced she was better than the other residents of South Park. The episode also
marked the first reference to Jesus and Pals, the public-access television talk show hosted by
Jesus Christ. The fictional show is mentioned twice in the background during commercials on
television sets, although footage from the show itself is not shown until "Big Gay Al's Big Gay
Boat Ride" later in the season.[4] Jesus and Pals, and the idea of Jesus as a South Park resident,
are references to the original The Spirit of Christmas cartoon. Debbie Liebling, who served as a
South Park producer at the time of the episode's broadcast, said the inclusion of a television show
hosted by Jesus helped convey for audiences the idea of South Park as a place where "anything
can happen".[15]

Kathie Lee Gifford, then a television hostess on the morning talk show Live with Regis and Kathie
Lee, was the first of many celebrities to be spoofed in a South Park episode.[16] The South Park
creators said they chose Gifford completely at random, not based on any particular reason or
distaste for her. Shortly after "Weight Gain 4000" aired, the tabloid The Globe hired Suzen
Johnson to film herself seducing Frank Gifford, Kathie Lee's husband, for a newspaper story. The
incident was the first of what Parker and Stone called the "South Park Curse", in which something
tragic or embarrassing supposedly happens to a celebrity shortly before or after they were
featured in South Park. Actress Karri Turner provided the voice of Gifford in "Weight Gain 4000",
marking her first and only guest appearance on South Park.[17] Gifford appears at a parade
hidden inside a bulletproof glass bubble. The bubble was inspired by an appearance Pope John
Paul II made in the Popemobile during a trip to Denver, which was attended by Parker and Stone.
They thought the design of the Popemobile, which has a bulletproof booth built into the back of a
modified truck, was "hilarious". The design of the trophy that Gifford was to give to Cartman is a
reference to Parker and Stone's 1997 film Orgazmo.[18]

The line "Beefcake", which Eric Cartman enthusiastically screams after hearing it on a Weight
Gain 4000 commercial, became a well-known catchphrase following the episode's broadcast,[19]
[20]
and clothing items with Cartman shouting the line became very popular.[21] One of the earliest
and largest South Park fan sites was called www.beef-cake.com. Matt Stone and site creator
Taison Tan decided to shut the site down in April 2001 when the official site South Park Studios
launched.[22][23] South Park: Chef's Luv Shack, a 1999 video game from developer Acclaim,
included a mini-game called "Beefcake", in which players control a Cartman character who moves
back and forth between the screen eating cans of Weight Gain 4000 that are thrown down at him.
The salesmen from "Weight Gain 4000" are featured as antagonists in the mini-game.[24] The
"beefcake" commercial featured in the episode is also briefly seen in the third season episode
"Two Guys Naked in a Hot Tub", when Stan is quickly flipping through channels on his television.
[25]

Release and reception[edit]

When "Weight Gain 4000" was released, many writers in the mainstream media were still
debating the longevity and overall quality of South Park. With the series still in its earliest stages,
the episode continued to shock many with its frequent use of profanities by children and the
apparent instability of school teacher Mr. Garrison.[9] Audiences were especially shocked by the
violence depicted among children during a South Park history play, which included the use of
guns and portrayed the bloody slaughter of Native Americans at the hands of white settlers.
Audiences were also shocked and offended by Chef's sexually suggestive song about Gifford.
Nevertheless, several reviewers declared "Weight Gain 4000" a significant improvement over the
pilot, "Cartman Gets an Anal Probe", and felt it went in a much more satirical direction.[10][11]

"Just when I thought 'Cartman' assayed about one-third wit to two-thirds Butt-head
sniggering, "Weight Gain 4000" proved that South Park could be a very funny show
 after all."

Tom Shales,

The Washington Post[11]

Jeff Simon of The Buffalo News, who did not like "Cartman Gets an Anal Probe", felt "Weight Gain
4000" proved the series could be funny. He specifically complimented the episode's commentary
on American consumerism. Simon wrote, "It's all very bitter social satire, and if it weren't on
Comedy Central, believe me, no one in networkland would think it ready for prime time. And you
know what else? It's funny."[10] Likewise, The Washington Post critic Tom Shales strongly
criticized "Cartman Gets an Anal Probe", but said the second episode was funny and included
"cleverly intertwined" plot-lines. Shales said, "[It] suggests the show may be an attempt at satire
and not just poopy humor ... Yes, it's still sick and still twisted, but somehow this episode at least
appears to have some comic ingenuity behind it, whereas the first was just a smutfest."[11] In
2006, "Weight Gain 4000" was identified by Winnipeg Free Press as one of the ten most
memorable South Park episodes,[16] and ranked twelfth in a list of the top 25 greatest Cartman
moments, as determined by voters on the Comedy Central website.[26] The Daily Record in
Scotland listed the episode's ending, and the "Beefcake!" line, as one of the six most memorable
moments in the series.[27]

"Weight Gain 4000" was released, alongside five other episodes, in a three-VHS set on May 5,
1998, marking the first time South Park was made available on video. It was released on the
"Volume II" video, along with "Big Gay Al's Big Gay Boat Ride"; other featured episodes included
"Cartman Gets an Anal Probe", "Volcano", "An Elephant Makes Love to a Pig" and "Death".[28]
"Weight Gain 4000", along with the other 12 episodes from the first season, was also included in
the DVD release "South Park: The Complete First Season", which was released on November 12,
2002.[29] Parker and Stone recorded commentary tracks for each episode, but they were not
included with the DVDs due to "standards" issues with some of the statements. They refused to
allow the tracks to be edited and censored, so they were released in a CD separately from the
DVDs.[30][31] In 2008, the duo made "Weight Gain 4000" and all other South Park episodes
available to watch for free on the show's official website, "South Park Studios".[32]

References[edit]

1. ^ Jump up to: a b "South Park Season 1 Episodes". South Park Studios. Archived from the
original on March 14, 2016. Retrieved March 6, 2016.
2. ^ Trey Parker, Matt Stone (2003). South Park: The Complete First Season: "Cartman Gets
an Anal Probe" (CD audio commentary). Comedy Central.
3. ^ Jump up to: a b c Stall, Sam (2009). The South Park Episode Guide: Volume 1, Seasons
1–5. New York City: Running Press. p. 13. ISBN 978-0-7624-3561-6.
4. ^ Fitsell, Teri (1999-08-08). "Not in front of the children...". The New Zealand Herald.
5. ^ Martin, Rick (1997-07-21). ""Peanuts" Gone Wrong". Newsweek. Retrieved 2009-11-22.
6. ^ Lowry, Brian (1997-08-13). "Out of the mouths of babes..." Los Angeles Times. Archived
from the original on 2012-07-09. Retrieved 2009-11-22.
7. ^ Owen, Rob (1997-08-12). "'South Park' is Sure to Make Parents Cringe". Times Union.
8. ^ Jump up to: a b Booker, M. Keith (2006). Drawn to Television: Prime-Time Animation from
The Flintstones to Family Guy. Westport, Connecticut: Praeger Publishers. p. 130. ISBN 0-
275-99019-2.
 9. ^ Jump up to: a b c d Simon, Jeff (1997-08-03). "Who's really the butt of all cable jokes?".
The Buffalo News. New York. p. 2Tv.
10. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e Shales, Tom (1997-08-14). "Cartoon "South Park" tries to go from
crude to guilty pleasure". The Washington Post. p. D8.
11. ^ Dalton, Mary M.; Linder, Laura R. (2005). The Sitcom Reader: America Viewed and
Skewed. Albany, New York: State University of New York Press. p. 194. ISBN 0-7914-6570-
5.
12. ^ Zahl, Paul F.M. (2007). Grace in Practice. Grand Rapids, Michigan: William B. Eerdmans
Publishing Company. p. 110. ISBN 978-0-8028-2897-2.
13. ^ Shales, Tom (1997-08-13). ""South Park" Falls Flatulent". The Washington Post. p. C01.
14. ^ Danielsen, Shane (1997-12-29). "That's not all, folks". The Australian. p. 14.
15. ^ Jump up to: a b "Politically incorrect comedy, heeeeerrre!". Winnipeg Free Press. Canada.
2006-11-19. p. D5.
16. ^ Riggs, Thomas (2007). Contemporary Theatre, Film & Television. Farmington Hills,
Michigan: Gale Cengage. p. 338. ISBN 978-0-7876-9045-8.
17. ^ "Fan Question: Is that an Orgazmo trophy in "Weight Gain 4000"?" Archived 2016-07-13
at the Wayback Machine. Comedy Central (May 6, 2015). Retrieved March 8, 2016.
18. ^ Vognar, Chris (1998-02-01). "Brats entertainment; South Park' creators potty hardy on
Comedy Central show". The Dallas Morning News. p. 1C.
19. ^ Harris, Ed (1999-08-31). "The Joys of Modern Life 60: Eric Cartman". The Independent.
London. p. 8.
20. ^ Duffy, Mike (1998-01-15). "Oh my...they created a monster! Comedy Central's 'South Park'
is smarter than it looks – and the biggest new hit of the year". The Kansas City Star. p. E1.
21. ^ "Why did Beef-Cake.com shut down?". South Park Studios. 2001-04-22. Archived from
the original on 2009-04-10. Retrieved 2009-04-05.
22. ^ "Why isn't there any video downloads for "chickenpox?" That's the best episode!".
Comedy Central. 2003-08-22. Archived from the original on 2008-04-04. Retrieved 2009-
04-05.
23. ^ "Acclaim Invites South Park Fans To Party In "Chef's Luv Shack" Video Game". Glen
Cove, New York: Business Wire. 1999-06-23. Archived from the original on 2013-10-05.
Retrieved 2009-03-20.
24. ^ "FAQ – South Park Studios – July 2009". South Park Studios (Official). 2009-07-14.
Archived from the original on 2009-08-04. Retrieved 2009-08-30.
25. ^ "Cartman's 25 Greatest South Park Episodes". Comedy Central. Archived from the
original on June 29, 2008. Retrieved 2009-04-06.
26. ^ "Six of the best: South Park moments". The Daily Record. Scotland. 2009-04-16.
27. ^ "Comedy Central's South Park – Three Collectible Videos Available For The First Time
With Made-For-Video Footage Featuring Creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone". Business
Wire. Burbank, California. 1998-03-26.
28. ^ Lawson, Terry (2002-11-12). "4-disc "Rings" could take up a whole weekend". Detroit Free
Press. Detroit, Michigan.
29. ^ Owen, Rob (2002-11-22). ""South Park" warped and worthy". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. p. 39.
30. ^ Pratt, Doug (2005). Doug Pratt's DVD: Movies, Television, Music, Art, Adult, and More!.
UNET 2 Corporation. p. 1123. ISBN 1-932916-01-6.
31. ^ "Sweet, "South Park" is free online". The Boston Globe. New York City, New York. 2008-
03-26. Archived from the original on 2022-02-21. Retrieved 2009-10-25.

External links[edit]
"Weight Gain 4000" Full Episode at South Park Studios
"Weight Gain 4000" at IMDb