ManBearPig
Template:Infobox South Park episode "ManBearPig" is episode 1006 (#145) of Comedy Central's South Park which originally aired on April 26, 2006. It revolves around the hunt for an imaginary and elusive "ManBearPig" as a spoof of Al Gore's fight for global warming awareness.
Plot
Al Gore visits South Park Elementary, and talks about the terrible ManBearPig, who roams the Earth. ManBearPig is “half-man, half-bear and half-pig”. Stan's Dad says the former VP is desperate for attention; Stan feels sorry for him because he has no friends. Al Gore begins pestering Stan and when Gore breaks down on the phone, Stan agrees to go to a meeting. Al Gore declares that ManBearPig is hiding in the Cave of the Winds, and when he explains that he will excuse the children from school, they agree to go with him. The children are extremely nervous about going to see the infamous man bear pig. They are not only nervous, but extremely pressured as well.
In the cave, Al Gore forces the kids to follow him off the path and begins shooting wildly with a shotgun, causing a cave-in that leaves the kids trapped in the caverns, and allowing Gore to exit the cave safely. While there, the boys search for a way out, and Cartman discovers a small cavern filled with what appears to be gold, pearls, and other treasures, but is later revealed to be worthless. He keeps the others from locating it, and starts swallowing the presumed treasure piece by piece.
Meanwhile, a rescue team has been assembled to find the boys, despite Al Gore's pleas that the caves should be filled with molten lead in order to kill ManBearPig regardless of the children. He then diverts the flow of a nearby stream in order to cause a flood that fills the cavern in an attempt to kill the monster.
The boys meanwhile believe that Cartman — bloated with fake gold and jewels — is ill, and try to find a way out, carrying him. The cave soon floods, and Kyle risks his life to get Cartman to safety. The boys manage to escape just as a memorial is being held for them. They scream at Al Gore for using ManBearPig to get attention. When Cartman defecates all the gold they scream at him too. At the end of the episode, Al Gore dons a superhero cape and exclaims his intention to make a film starring himself.
Trivia
- The boys visit the Cave of the Winds, which is an attraction near Colorado Springs. This is the second episode based around a visit to a real-life Colorado location after Casa Bonita.
- The fictional Al Gore's insistence about the existence of the clearly non-existent ManBearPig are a reference to the politician's extensive campaign to raise awareness for global warming. Gore's Film An Inconvenient Truth, which is part of that campaign, is hinted at at the end of the episode.
- Al Gore uses the word “serial” in place of “serious(ly)” in the episode. This is in reference to his gaffe on The Oprah Winfrey Show when he was asked for his favorite cereal and his answer was “Oprah”, mistaking the word “cereal” for “serial”. [1]
- He also frequently exits scenes exclaiming “Excelsior!” in reference to Stan Lee.
- In Al Gore's base of operations, a box bearing the Apple logo can be seen in the background. This is most likely a nod to the fact that Gore is a part of the board of directors of Apple.
- Al Gore laughed off his sensationalized depiction in this episode, calling the creators “nuts”: “Their comic sensibility is aimed at a different demographic than the one I inhabit, but I still find a lot of what they do hilarious.” [2]
- The term "ManBearPig" has become a political neologism that skeptics on conservative political blogs frequently use in place of "global warming." Sometimes "ManBearPig" is also used as a substitute for Al Gore himself.