What number of occasions has Kenny McCormick died in South Park?

One of many first operating gags on Matt Stone and Trey Parker’s animated sitcom “South Park” was the repeated, comical demise of Kenny McCormick. Kenny (Stone) was finest associates with Stan (Parker), Kyle (additionally Stone), and Cartman (additionally Parker), and he gave the impression to be essentially the most… worldly of the 4. Kenny’s face was often lined largely by an outsized orange coat, and all of his dialogue was muffled and incomprehensible. It could later be established that Kenny was extremely poor and appeared to know way more about intercourse, medicine, and crime than an eight-year-old ought to.

In the course of the present’s first six seasons, from 1997 to 2002, Kenny died in nearly each episode. Kenny’s deaths have been often very demonstrative, with the younger boy being impaled on a flagpole or lower in half by a chainsaw. When Kenny was dying, one in every of his associates would reply briefly: “Oh my God, they killed Kenny!” (with one other responding “You bastard!”). Kenny’s demise and reactive line of dialogue originated in Stone and Parker’s 1992 brief “Jesus vs. Frosty”, in addition to their way more intelligent 1995 brief “The Spirit of Christmas”. Kenny’s demise was an affordable and surprising technique to get laughs, and it was principally efficient. So as to add to the disappointment of Kenny’s many disappearances, his corpse was usually seen being pecked at by rats.

Kenny was additionally miraculously resurrected at the beginning of every episode, usually with none fanfare. Typically he would simply seem out of nowhere. Then, like clockwork, he would die once more. Nobody appears to keep in mind that he had died a number of occasions earlier than.

Ultimately, Stone and Parker stopped killing Kenny, and the character now lives till the top of most “South Park” episodes. This, after all, begs the query: what number of occasions has Kenny died? Luckily, we now have entry to those figures.

As talked about, Kenny was dying usually throughout the first six seasons of “South Park.” He was spared in “Mr. Hankey the Christmas Poo” (December 17, 1997) as a gesture of Christmas mercy, however he was murdered pretty usually past that.

Certainly, Kenny typically died a number of occasions in an episode. In “Pinkeye” (October 29, 1997), Kenny died when a satellite tv for pc fell on him. Whereas he was embalmed, a Worcestershire sauce incident introduced him again to life as a zombie. Kyle then ended up sawing the zombie Kenny in half, killing him once more. In an epilogue, Kenny dug his grave once more, solely to have his tombstone fall on prime of him. Then a aircraft crashed into him. Recall that in 1997, a sure type of “shock” humor was simply beginning to turn into trendy (largely due to the success of “South Park”) and plenty of comedians started telling jokes that pushed the tropes worn-out Nineteen Eighties sitcoms to the acute. Kenny’s demise was meant to be fanciful and surprising in its informal violence.

The continuity of Kenny’s demise is intentionally performed out usually. Typically Kenny’s demise is a giant deal and the characters mourn his loss. Different occasions, it is so mundane that Stan and Kyle nearly sigh their “They killed Kenny” line and stroll away like nothing occurred. Within the episode “Summer season Sucks” (June 24, 1998), there’s a flashback to when Kenny was in kindergarten, and he dies within the flashback. Nonetheless, he’s advantageous within the current.

Counting all of the a number of deaths within the first six seasons of “South Park,” Kenny died or was killed 98 occasions. This does not depend the deaths Kenny suffers within the sequence’ title sequence, as it will be tough to depend them accurately.

In the 1999 feature film “South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut”, Kenny dies early within the movie when he by accident catches fireplace after igniting his personal flatulence. On the hospital, the physician (George Clooney) by accident replaces his coronary heart with a baked potato and he dies on the working desk. The movie, nonetheless, follows Kenny to Hell, the place he befriends Devil (Parker) and consoles the Darkish Lord over his abusive relationship with Saddam Hussein (Stone). Kenny returns to Earth briefly throughout the movie’s climax, bids farewell to his associates, and ascends to heaven. That counts as two deaths.

As talked about, “South Park” started as a Christmas brief, and a personality resembling Kenny is killed in “Jesus vs. Frosty.” (The character referred to as Kenny on this brief resembles the eventual Cartman.) Within the 1995 follow-up, Kenny was accurately named and he additionally died when Santa by accident killed him with a psychic blast.

There have additionally been, all through its historical past, quite a few unique bumpers, brief movies, specials, and commercials directed by Stone and Parker, and Kenny died in a lot of them. These have been made for “The Tonight Present”, the MTV Film Awards, the film “The Aristocrats” and different comparable particular occasions. In all the shorts and specials, roughly 22 in whole, Kenny died an extra 14 occasions. Jay Leno’s chin even killed him as soon as.

If one wished to be significantly liberal, one might additionally embrace the few “South Park” video video games, all made with the participation of Stone and Parker. Kenny, throughout the online game tales, noticed himself one other 14 occasions. 98 (TV sequence) + 14 (specials and shorts) + 14 (video video games) + 2 (the film) = 128. Kenny has died a complete of 128 occasions. Once more, this does not depend the title sequence from seasons 7-11 the place he was killed off by Demise. If desired, add these further 71 cases, making a complete of 199.

After some time, Matt Stone and Trey Parker started to tire of killing Kenny and even took his demise very significantly within the episode “Kenny Dies” (December 5, 2001). Kenny was hospitalized after being identified with muscular dystrophy, and his associates needed to take care of the disappointment of shedding a pal. Tragically, Stan was out of the room when Kenny walked by, and Kenny’s final phrases have been “The place’s Stan?” Stan turned deeply depressed after this.

On a DVD commentary observe, Parker and Stone defined that Kenny had turn into an excessive amount of of a comic book e-book “prop” and that his demise was turning into tedious for them to jot down time and again. That they had additionally turn into followers of newer characters like Butters (Stone) and Tweek (Stone) and wished to provide them extra display screen time. After “Kenny Dies”, Kenny was absent from the sequence for a lot of the present’s sixth season. He has basically remained lifeless, aside from just a few appearances as a ghost. Within the sixth season finale, “Crimson Sleigh Down” (December 11, 2002), Kenny was introduced again formally (once more, with none fanfare), and he has remained alive (for essentially the most half) ever since.

Cheekily, Stone and Parker determined, a number of years later, to canonically clarify why Kenny died so many occasions. In “Cartman Joins NAMBLA” (June 21, 2000), Kenny dies, however his dad and mom give beginning to slightly brother… whom in addition they title Kenny. Nonetheless, the occasions of the episode “Mysterion Rises” (November 3, 2010) contradict this rationalization. On this episode, it’s defined that Kenny’s dad and mom belonged to a cult that worshiped the powerful Lovecraftian elder god Cthulhu. Kenny, due to their participation, turned cursed, even condemned to die day by day, solely to get up, absolutely clothed, the subsequent morning. The curse of immortality additionally implied that anybody who witnessed his demise would overlook it. Kenny can be stabbed to demise on this episode. No person remembers it.