Ginger Kids
| "Ginger Kids" |
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"Ginger Kids" is episode 136 of the Comedy Central series South Park. It aired on November 9, 2005.
Plot summary
In a class presentation, Cartman argues that "gingers" - people with red hair, freckles, and pale skin - are creepy, look funny, have no souls, have no friends and are evil. He explains they suffer from "gingervitis" and that their light skin comes from their lack of a soul. He also argues that they cannot stand the sun, and that Kyle, who has auburn hair - but not light skin and freckles - is a "daywalker". His speech encourages other students to discriminate against gingers, and Kyle decides to make his own presentation about the genetic causes of ginger traits. Kyle interviews a family with ginger children, and it soon becomes apparent that although Cartman's prejudiced ideas about gingers are untrue, the fact remains that the general public, even their own parents, carry a similar bigoted hatred and intolerance toward them. Kyle's status as a "daywalker" prevents anybody from listening, though, so he, Stan and Kenny agree that Cartman needs to be taught a lesson. They get together in the night to dye Cartman's hair red, bleach his skin a lighter hue, and give him henna freckles, to make him "ginger", after which, Cartman begins to be discriminated against by the kids he influenced by his speech. However, Cartman becomes a leader of the "Ginger Separatist Movement", initially demanding to be treated like everyone else.
Cartman's movement quickly becomes violent and Hitler-esque in tone. He begins to preach that gingers are, in fact, the "chosen race" and orders the eradication of all non-gingers from the earth. Following Cartman's orders, the gingers abduct as many of South Park's children as they can, including Stan and Kyle, then bring them to their meeting place, the Sunset Room at the Airport Hilton, to throw them all into a pit of lava.
Kyle is chosen as the first to die, but before the gingers throw him into the lava, he whispers to Cartman that he has merely been modified to look ginger, and Cartman is shocked. He then tells his followers that he has suddenly had an epiphany and now realizes that everybody has to get along. As the other children are freed, Kyle mutters to Cartman that he is a manipulative jerk. Cartman (for once) agrees, and calls Kyle an idiot, but doesn't care as long as he isn't killed by the people of his movement.
Popular culture references
- When concluding his first speech, Cartman says "If you think that the ginger problem is not a serious one", then shows a picture of Carrot Top and finishes his sentence with "Think again".
- The ginger kids appearing at a window is a reference to the TV adaptation of the Stephen King book 'Salem's Lot.
- The term "Daywalker" is a reference to the Marvel comics character Blade.
- When Cartman wakes up, before he realizes he is now ginger, as he walks across the hall to the bathroom, he sings "Lucille" by Kenny Rogers.
- The nagging hotel clerk at the gingers' hotel convention meeting is a reference to The Witches.
- In the playground scene, when Cartman and the ginger kids shout "Better red than dead", it is a parody of the anti-Communist slogan "Better dead than red", which was used by Americans in the Cold War.
- When the ginger kids appear at night, scare off several children in South Park and two of them lock themselves in to escape, it is a reference to Michael Jackson's music video "Thriller".
- Trey Parker references his recent marriage to Emma Sugiyama in this episode when the ginger's Father tells Kyle the only way to prevent ginger children is to marry an Asian. Trey specifically references himself with the line "I know a guy who's marrying a Japanese woman very soon for just that reason".