:Eric Cartman

{{Infobox character

| series = South Park

| image = EricCartman.png

| first = Jesus vs. Frosty (1992, short)

| creator = Trey Parker
Matt Stone

| voice = Trey Parker

| designer = Trey Parker
Matt Stone

| full_name = Eric Theodore Cartman

| gender = Male

| occupation = {{plainlist|

Student
Rabbi (South Park: Post COVID)
Unemployed (revised timeline in South Park: Post COVID: The Return of COVID)

}}

| family = {{plainlist|

Liane Cartman (mother)
Jack Tenorman (father)
Scott Tenorman (paternal half-brother)

}}

| children = {{plain list|

Menorah Cartman (alternate future daughter)
Moisha Cartman (alternate future son)
Hackelm Cartman (alternate future son)

}}

| significant_other = Heidi Turner (ex-girlfriend)

| spouse = Yentl Cartman (alternate future wife)

| alias = The Coon

| nationality = American

| lbl23 = Residence

| data23 = South Park, Colorado, United States

}}

Eric Theodore Cartman, commonly referred to as just Cartman,{{cite web|url=https://southpark.cc.com/full-episodes/s02e11-roger-ebert-should-lay-off-the-fatty-foods|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140717051507/http://southpark.cc.com/full-episodes/s02e11-roger-ebert-should-lay-off-the-fatty-foods|url-status=dead|archive-date=July 17, 2014|title=Roger Ebert Should Lay Off the Fatty Foods|date=September 2, 1998|access-date=June 6, 2011}} is a fictional character in the adult animated sitcom South Park, created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone. He is voiced by Parker, and is one of the series' four main characters, alongside Stan Marsh, Kyle Broflovski, and Kenny McCormick. He first appeared with the name Kenny in the short film The Spirit of Christmas (1992), and later appeared in the 1995 film of the same title before debuting in "Cartman Gets an Anal Probe", the first episode of the series, on August 13, 1997.

Cartman is an elementary school student who lives with his single mother, Liane, in the eponymous Colorado town. Cartman is principally characterized by his obesity, his amorality, and his bigoted and especially antisemitic disposition, being described by Parker and Stone as "a little Archie Bunker". In later seasons, particularly following the fifth season episode "Scott Tenorman Must Die" (in which he turns the titular Scott Tenorman's parents into chili, in order to feed it to him as revenge for bullying him), Cartman exhibits increasingly psychopathic and manipulative behavior. The latter is showcased through Cartman's various schemes, the majority of which fail either due to opposition from other characters or Cartman's own hubris, frequently leaving Cartman in complete humiliation.

Cartman is widely considered to be the most popular South Park character, one of the most influential fictional characters of all time, and an American cultural icon.{{cite web|url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=89375695|title=Eric Cartman: America's Favorite Little $@#&*%|work=NPR|date=April 5, 2008|access-date=July 22, 2013|last=Rovner|first=Julie|archive-date=May 24, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220524070427/https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=89375695|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=http://www.askmen.com/top_10/entertainment/top-10-cartman-moments.html|title=Top 10: Cartman Moments|work=AskMen|access-date=July 22, 2013|last=McKee|first=Ryan|archive-date=October 12, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131012013421/http://www.askmen.com/top_10/entertainment/top-10-cartman-moments.html|url-status=dead}} Parker and Stone have stated that he is their favorite character, and the one with whom they most identify. South Park has received both praise and criticism for Cartman's politically incorrect behavior.

Role in ''South Park''

Cartman attends South Park Elementary as part of Mr. Garrison's class. During the first 58 episodes, he and his classmates were in the third grade, before transitioning to the fourth grade during the fourth season. He is the only child of Liane Cartman, a promiscuous single mother. In the episode "Cartman's Mom Is Still a Dirty Slut", Liane is said to be intersex, being both Eric's mother and father.{{cite news| first = Melanie| last = McFarland| title = Oh my God, 'South Park' killed a decade!| work = Seattle Post-Intelligencer| date = September 30, 2006| url = http://www.seattlepi.com/tv/287052_southpark02.html| access-date = May 9, 2009| archive-date = February 27, 2020| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200227122725/https://www.seattlepi.com/ae/tv/article/Oh-my-God-South-Park-killed-a-decade-1216016.php| url-status = live}} This is later revealed to be an elaborate ruse in the fourteenth-season episode "200". In the following episode, "201", it is revealed that Cartman's true biological father is Jack Tenorman, a former player for the Denver Broncos whom he arranged to have killed in "Scott Tenorman Must Die"; Scott Tenorman, Jack's son, is thus revealed to be Cartman's half-brother.{{cite web|url=https://www.avclub.com/south-park-201-1798164797|title=201|last=O'Neal|first=Sean|date=April 21, 2010|work=The A.V. Club|publisher=Onion Inc.|access-date=April 22, 2010|archive-date=April 25, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100425154542/http://www.avclub.com/articles/201%2C40382/|url-status=live}}

Cartman is distinguished from most of the other children by a wider physical appearance,{{cite magazine|author=Jaime J. Weinman |title=South Park grows up |magazine=Maclean's |date=March 12, 2008 |url=http://www.macleans.ca/culture/entertainment/article.jsp?content=20080312_115131_115131&page=2 |access-date=April 30, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090802210052/http://www.macleans.ca/culture/entertainment/article.jsp?content=20080312_115131_115131&page=2 |archive-date=August 2, 2009}} and is subject to ridicule from others for his obesity.{{cite news|author=Ali Asadullah |title=Contemporary Cartoon Conjures Racist Past |publisher=IslamOnline.net |date=November 15, 2001 |url=http://www.islamonline.net/servlet/Satellite?c=Article_C&cid=1158658390218&pagename=Zone-English-ArtCulture%2FACELayout |access-date=May 9, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070317003250/http://www.islamonline.net/servlet/Satellite?c=Article_C&cid=1158658390218&pagename=Zone-English-ArtCulture%2FACELayout |archive-date=March 17, 2007}} He is most commonly portrayed as an antagonist, with most of his actions driving the events of many episodes. Cartman is alienated by the majority of the other children for his strong amorality,{{cite news |author=Jonathan Groce |title=Entertainment and wartime make strange bedfellows |work=The Johns Hopkins News-Letter |date=April 18, 2003 |url=http://www.jhunewsletter.com/2003/04/17/entertainment-and-wartime-make-strange-bedfellows-78555/ |archive-date=December 22, 2017 |access-date=December 19, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171222053349/http://www.jhunewsletter.com/2003/04/17/entertainment-and-wartime-make-strange-bedfellows-78555/ |url-status=live }}{{cite news| author = Dennis Lim| title = Television: Lowbrow and proud of it| newspaper = independent.co.uk| date = March 29, 1998| url = https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/television-lowbrow-and-proud-of-it-1153256.html| access-date = May 9, 2009| archive-date = May 15, 2019| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20190515083355/https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/television-lowbrow-and-proud-of-it-1153256.html| url-status = live}}{{cite news| author = Jesse McKinley| title = Norman Lear Discovers Soul Mates in 'South Park'| newspaper = The New York Times| date = April 10, 2003| url = https://www.nytimes.com/2003/04/10/movies/norman-lear-discovers-soul-mates-in-south-park.html| access-date = May 9, 2009| archive-date = December 10, 2019| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20191210110153/https://www.nytimes.com/2003/04/10/movies/norman-lear-discovers-soul-mates-in-south-park.html| url-status = live}}{{cite magazine| author = Andrew Sullivan| title = South Park and Imus| magazine = The Atlantic| date = April 13, 2007| url = https://www.theatlantic.com/daily-dish/archive/2007/04/south-park-and-imus/229330/| access-date = May 9, 2009| author-link = Andrew Sullivan| archive-date = May 23, 2022| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20220523004043/https://www.theatlantic.com/daily-dish/archive/2007/04/south-park-and-imus/229330/| url-status = live}}Arp and Miller, pp.177–88 but they are occasionally influenced by his manipulation.Arp and Johnson, pp. 213–23

Though Cartman has shared an enmity with all three of his friends, his rivalry with Stan and Kyle has progressed significantly during the show's run, with Cartman routinely exposing them to physical endangerment. Cartman, a staunch antisemite, reflects most of his hatred towards the Jewish Kyle, such as deliberately infecting him with HIV ("Tonsil Trouble").{{cite web|url=http://tv.ign.com/articles/859/859352p1.html|title='Tonsil Trouble' Review|website=IGN|access-date=October 12, 2009|archive-date=August 1, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120801084410/http://tv.ign.com/articles/859/859352p1.html|url-status=live}} Kyle occasionally exhibits similar behavior in such episodes as "Fatbeard", wherein Kyle encourages Cartman to travel to Somalia, hoping he will be killed.{{Cite news |last=O'Neal |first=Sean |title=South Park: Season 13: Episode 7: "Fatbeard" |work=The A.V. Club |date=April 22, 2009 |url=https://www.avclub.com/south-park-fatbeard-1798206093 |access-date=April 23, 2009}}

His rivalry with the other characters stems from opposition with their personalities. Where Kyle is restrained by firm morals, Cartman indulges in sadistic hedonism. He revealed that he hated Kenny the most in the episode "Jakovasaurs". He has on numerous occasions made fun of Kenny for being poor.{{cite news|url=https://www.cbr.com/south-park-cartman-nastiest-jabs-karma-kenny/|title=South Park: Cartman's Nastiest Jabs at Kenny Resulted in Dark (Yet Hilarious) Karma|first=Renaldo|last=Matadeen|publisher=CBR.com|date=February 23, 2022|accessdate=September 29, 2022|archive-date=September 30, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220930011355/https://www.cbr.com/south-park-cartman-nastiest-jabs-karma-kenny/|url-status=live}} In "Kenny Dies", Cartman takes advantage of his declining health to get a ban on stem cell research lifted in order to construct his own Shakey's Pizza restaurant out of fetus stem cells. However, Cartman also implies that Kenny is his best friend, making their relationship unclear.{{cite news| last = Dominic| first = Serene| title = Cheap Trick vs. All Four Original Members of Asia!: 'Don't Cry' if Mommy & Daddy just seem a little weird over who to 'Surrender' the fun money to this weekend!| work = Detroit Metro Times| date = July 4, 2007| url = https://m.metrotimes.com/detroit/cheap-trick-vs-all-four-original-members-of-asia/Content?oid=2187709| accessdate = March 6, 2022| archive-date = March 6, 2022| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20220306221718/https://m.metrotimes.com/detroit/cheap-trick-vs-all-four-original-members-of-asia/Content?oid=2187709| url-status = live}}{{Cite web|url=http://www.ign.com/articles/2008/01/18/classic-south-park-jakovasaurs-review|title=Classic South Park: "Jakovasaurs" Review|last=Fickett|first=Travis|date=January 17, 2008|website=IGN|access-date=December 11, 2016}}

Kyle is sometimes an enthusiastic participant in Cartman's schemes and he is sometimes seen treating Kyle well, although this is generally to put aside their hatred momentarily for a common goal or for manipulation.e.g. "Wing", "Crack Baby Athletic Association" Parker and Stone have compared the relationship to that between Archie Bunker and Michael Stivic on All in the Family. Kyle has a tendency to make what he thinks are safe bets with Cartman, often losing these bets when the improbable actions promised by Cartman are accomplished. Cartman's motivation in this regard is not only monetary gain, but an obsession with beating Kyle, a fixation that ultimately plays a major part in a subplot to the three-part "Imaginationland". This obsession has been shown to overshadow other goals Cartman wishes to achieve. Cartman has a high sadistic streak towards Kyle, and has repeatedly expressed desire in seeing him suffer,e.g "Fat Butt and Pancake Head" often to extremes.e.g "Humancentipad", "Ginger Cow"

In "You're Getting Old", it is suggested that Kyle and Cartman may be developing a genuine friendship, possibly due to the void left by Stan's apparent departure. This relationship ends in "Ass Burgers", however, due to Kyle finding out how Cartman was producing his hamburgers. Cartman's resentment of Stan is at times reserved for when Cartman actively proclaims his hatred for both Stan and Kyle as a duo, and his contempt for Stan as an individual is usually due to his annoyance with Stan's sensitivity, affection for animals, and relationship with Wendy Testaburger.Arp and Jacoby, pp. 58–65

Despite being intolerant of other cultures, Cartman displays an aptitude for learning foreign languages. He knows German, and once uses this knowledge to impersonate Adolf Hitler while promoting the extermination of Jews to an oblivious audience that did not speak German,{{Cite web|url=https://screenrant.com/south-park-cartman-darkest-storylines/|title=South Park: Eric Cartman's 10 Darkest Storylines|date=October 24, 2019|website=ScreenRant|access-date=March 10, 2022|archive-date=March 10, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220310021810/https://screenrant.com/south-park-cartman-darkest-storylines/|url-status=live}} and in interactions with Mexican laborers, such as the episode "My Future Self n' Me", seems to speak at least conversational Spanish.{{Cite web |title=South Park: The Complete Sixth Season DVD Review |work=IGN |date=February 26, 2009 |last=Schorn |first=Peter |url=http://www.ign.com/articles/2005/10/14/south-park-the-complete-sixth-season |accessdate=January 25, 2017 |archive-date=February 5, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170205103538/http://www.ign.com/articles/2005/10/14/south-park-the-complete-sixth-season |url-status=live }} This is in service of a running joke in which Cartman displays incredible aptitude at quickly learning almost any topic in service of his schemes, despite being an awful student in a school environment and displaying extreme ignorance about subjects that do not immediately interest him.

Conversely, in "Major Boobage", Cartman shelters the town's cats when they are outlawed;Fickett, Travis (March 27, 2008). [http://tv.ign.com/articles/862/862445p1.html "South Park: 'Major Boobage' Review"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120808215143/http://tv.ign.com/articles/862/862445p1.html |date=August 8, 2012 }}. IGN. outside of episodes that take place in alternate timelines, this is the only multi-scene plotline in which Cartman acts in a traditionally moral way without any ulterior motive being indicated on-screen.

Cartman will use an awkward pause during a conversation as an opportunity to casually remind Kenny that he hates him.{{cite news| author = Jamey Codding| title = Bullz-Eye's All-Time Best Cartoon Characters| publisher = Bullz-Eye.com| date = January 28, 2006| url = http://www.bullz-eye.com/entertainment/features/2006/best_cartoon_characters.htm| access-date = May 11, 2009| archive-date = September 19, 2009| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090919140708/http://www.bullz-eye.com/entertainment/features/2006/best_cartoon_characters.htm| url-status = dead}} Cartman's mischievous treatment of Butters, and the relationship the duo shares, has received significant focus in the more recent seasons of the series. This reflects Parker's interest, as the scenes between the two are the ones he most enjoys writing.{{cite news| author = Dudley Price| title = Butters one of 'South Park' creator Trey Parker's favorite characters.| publisher = The America's Intelligence Wire| date = December 18, 2003| url = http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-19761309_ITM| access-date = May 9, 2009| archive-date = July 20, 2012| archive-url = https://archive.today/20120720045843/http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-19761309_ITM| url-status = live}}

Several episodes concern Cartman's greed and his get-rich-quick schemes, although his numerous attempts to attain wealth generally fail. His extreme disdain for hippies serves to satirize the counterculture of the 1960s and its influence in contemporary society, reflecting Parker's real-life antipathy towards hippies.{{cite web|url=https://southpark.cc.com/fans/behind/interviews.php?interview=25|title=An interview with Matt Stone|publisher=www.southparkstudios.com/|access-date=February 16, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081219061433/http://www.southparkstudios.com/fans/behind/interviews.php?interview=25|archive-date=December 19, 2008|url-status=dead}} Though the role is customarily taken by Stan or Kyle, Cartman will occasionally be the one to reflect on the lessons learned during the course of an episode with a speech that often begins with "You know, I've learned something today...".{{cite web|url=http://www.cs.berkeley.edu/~smaji/southpark.html |title=List of "I've learned something today" quotes including relevant episode citations |access-date=September 28, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090627134449/http://www.cs.berkeley.edu/~smaji/southpark.html |archive-date=June 27, 2009}}

Character

=Creation and design=

Image:CartmanWithoutHat.jpg

A precursor to Cartman first appeared in the first The Spirit of Christmas short, dubbed Jesus vs. Frosty, created by Parker and Stone in 1992 while they were students at the University of Colorado. In the short, the character resembling Cartman was named "Kenny", and a variation of the catchphrase "Oh my God, they killed Kenny!" was exclaimed when this character was killed by an evil snowman. The character was composed of construction paper cutouts and animated through the use of stop motion.{{cite news | author = Matt Cheplic | title = 'As Crappy As Possible': The Method Behind the Madness of South Park | publisher = Penton Media | date = May 1, 1998 | url = http://www.creativeplanetnetwork.com/news/news-articles/crappy-possible-method-behind-madness-south-park/382927/ | access-date = April 28, 2009 | archive-date = December 22, 2015 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151222091538/http://www.creativeplanetnetwork.com/news/news-articles/crappy-possible-method-behind-madness-south-park/382927 | url-status = live }} When commissioned three years later by friend Brian Graden to create another short as a video Christmas card that he could send to friends, Parker and Stone created another similarly-animated The Spirit of Christmas short, dubbed Jesus vs. Santa.{{cite web|url=http://www.vh1.com/press/bios/brian_graden.jhtml |title=Brian Graden's Bio |publisher=VH1.com |access-date=January 10, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080120161058/http://www.vh1.com/press/bios/brian_graden.jhtml |archive-date=January 20, 2008}} In this short, his character first appears as he does in the series, and is given the name "Cartman", while the character of Kenny appears as the character is depicted today and given Cartman's moniker from the previous short. Cartman next appeared on August 13, 1997, when South Park debuted on Comedy Central with the episode "Cartman Gets an Anal Probe".

In keeping with the show's animation style, Cartman is composed of simple geometrical shapes and primary colors.{{cite news|author=Abbie Bernstein |title=South Park – Volume 2 |publisher=AVRev.com |date=October 27, 1998 |url=http://www.avrev.com/dvd-movie-disc-reviews/tv-shows/south-park-volume-2.html |access-date=April 30, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130515045446/http://www.avrev.com/dvd-movie-disc-reviews/tv-shows/south-park-volume-2.html |archive-date=May 15, 2013}} He is not offered the same free range of motion associated with hand-drawn characters; his character is mostly shown from one direction, and his movements intentionally jerky. Ever since the show's second episode, "Weight Gain 4000" (season one, 1997), Cartman, like all other characters on the show, has been animated with computer software, though he is portrayed to give the impression that the show still utilizes its original technique.

Cartman is usually depicted wearing winter attire which consists of a red coat, brown pants, yellow gloves/mittens, and a yellow-brimmed turquoise knit cap tapered with a yellow pom-pom. He has parted brown hair, and he is seen without his hat more often than the other characters with distinctive headwear. As he is overweight, his body is wider and his hands noticeably larger than those of the other children, and his head is more elliptical. An additional curved line on his lower face represents a double chin.

Parker adduced that he came up with the voice of Cartman while he and Stone were in film class, where they would speak in high-pitched childish voices, which was quite irksome to their film teachers. They would naturally reproduce these voices in the initial seasons of South Park.{{Cite web|title=Making Fun Of Everyone On 'South Park'|url=https://www.wbur.org/npr/127210540/story.php|access-date=April 6, 2021|website=wbur.org|archive-date=September 28, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210928161934/https://www.wbur.org/npr/127210540/story.php|url-status=dead}}{{Citation|title=South Park - Season 24 - TV Series|url=https://southpark.cc.com/seasons/south-park|access-date=April 6, 2021|archive-date=June 27, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210627175917/https://southpark.cc.com/seasons/south-park|url-status=live}} Although he had originally voiced Cartman without any computer manipulation, Parker now does so by speaking within his normal vocal range with a childlike inflection. The recorded audio is then edited with Pro Tools, and the pitch is altered to make the voice sound like that of a fourth grader.{{cite web|author=Stephanie Jorgl |title=South Park: Where The Sound Ain't No Joke! |publisher=Digizine |year=2005 |url=http://www2.digidesign.com/digizine/dz_Q105/features/cover_story/index.cfm?pagenum=2 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20131130070727/http://www2.digidesign.com/digizine/dz_Q105/features/cover_story/index.cfm?pagenum=2 |url-status=dead |archive-date=November 30, 2013 |access-date=April 30, 2009}}{{cite web | title = South Park FAQ | url = http://www.southparkstudios.com/fans/faq/archives.php?month=2&year=2009 | date = February 10, 2009 | publisher = South Park Studios | access-date = April 30, 2009 | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090511145241/http://www.southparkstudios.com/fans/faq/archives.php?month=2&year=2009 | archive-date = May 11, 2009}}{{cite web|title=40 Questions |url=http://treyparker.info/archives_spstudios.htm |date=October 4, 2001 |publisher=South Park Studios |access-date=January 30, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101129004417/http://treyparker.info/archives_spstudios.htm |archive-date=November 29, 2010}} Parker says to achieve the effect of Cartman's voice, he simply uses the same technique when voicing Stan while "adding a lot of fat to it".{{cite news|title=Yahoo! Internet Life |publisher=treyparker.info (transcribed from yahoo.com) |year=1998 |url=http://treyparker.info/archives_yahoo_98.htm |access-date=May 9, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101129005316/http://treyparker.info/archives_yahoo_98.htm |archive-date=November 29, 2010}}

=Development=

File:TreyParkerHWOFApr2013.jpg.]]

Cartman is partially named after and based on Matt Karpman, a high school classmate of Parker who remains a friend of both Parker and Stone.{{cite web|url=https://southpark.cc.com/fans/faq/archives.php?id=11264|title=FAQ Archives|access-date=May 9, 2009|publisher=South Park Studios|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080408072434/http://www.southparkstudios.com/fans/faq/archives.php?id=11264|archive-date=April 8, 2008}} Cartman is also inspired to some degree by All in the Family patriarch Archie Bunker, who is himself inspired by Alf Garnett from Till Death Us Do Part, the original British version of All in the Family. Parker and Stone are reportedly big fans of All in the Family. They alleged in 2008 that creating Cartman as a "little eight-year-old fat kid" made it easier for the two to portray a Bunker-like character after the introduction of political correctness to late-20th century television.{{cite web |url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=89375695 |title=Eric Cartman: America's Favorite Little $@#&*% |access-date=October 25, 2008 |last=Rovner |first=Julie |date=April 5, 2008 |work=NPR |archive-date=May 24, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220524070427/https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=89375695 |url-status=live }}{{cite interview|url=http://www.firstamendmentcenter.org/about.aspx?id=12881 |title=Matt Stone, Trey Parker, Larry Divney 'Speaking Freely' transcript |access-date=February 8, 2007 |date=March 1, 2002 |subject=Trey Parker |subject2=Matt Stone |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100209001855/http://www.firstamendmentcenter.org/about.aspx?id=12881 |archive-date=February 9, 2010}} While developing the character, Parker noted that everyone either remembers "an annoying fat kid in their pasts", or "they were the annoying fat kid".{{cite web|title=Yahoo! Chat |publisher=treyparker.info (transcribed from yahoo.com) |date=June 28, 1999 |url=http://treyparker.info/archives_transcripts_yahoo_28jun99.htm |access-date=May 9, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101129011634/http://treyparker.info/archives_transcripts_yahoo_28jun99.htm |archive-date=November 29, 2010}} Stone has observed that "kids are not nice, innocent, flower-loving little rainbow children ... they don't have any kind of social tact or etiquette, they're just complete little raging bastards".

In the season five (2001) episode "Scott Tenorman Must Die", Cartman is tricked into buying the pubic hair of a local ninth-grader named Scott Tenorman for $16.12. He then successfully executes an elaborate scheme to publicly humiliate Scott in front of his favorite band Radiohead, by getting Scott's parents killed and then tricking Scott into eating them.{{cite news|author=Melanie McFarland|title=Social satire keeps 'South Park' fans coming back for a gasp, and a laugh|work=Seattle Post-Intelligencer|date=October 2, 2006|url=http://www.seattlepi.com/tv/287050_tv02.html|access-date=May 12, 2009|archive-date=September 15, 2012|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120915113720/http://www.seattlepi.com/tv/287050_tv02.html|url-status=live}} The show's writers debated during production of the episode whether the incident would be "a step too far, even for Cartman". Parker felt that the act could sufficiently be the culmination of Cartman's sociopathic behavior, and would "[set] a new bar" by portraying Cartman as being capable of performing anything short of murder.{{cite AV media|last1=Parker|first1=Trey|last2=Stone|first2=Matt|title=Audio commentary for "Scott Tenorman Must Die"|work=South Park – The Hits: Volume 1|year=2006|medium=DVD|publisher=Paramount Home Entertainment}}{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1rKIFr-2CaU| archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211107/1rKIFr-2CaU| archive-date=November 7, 2021 | url-status=live|title=Creating the incorrigible Cartman|work=60 Minutes|publisher=CBS News|date=September 25, 2011}}{{cbignore}}{{cite AV media|last1=Parker|first1=Trey|last2=Stone|first2=Matt|title= Audio commentary for "Scott Tenorman Must Die"|work=South Park – The Complete Fifth Season|year=2005|medium=DVD|publisher=Paramount Home Entertainment}} Fans reacted by ranking it as Cartman's "greatest moment" in a 2005 poll on Comedy Central's website.{{cite web|url=http://www.comedycentral.com/events/south_park/cartman_25/index.jhtml|title=Comedy Central voting page for Cartman's 25 Greatest South Park Moments|access-date=December 20, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071211024032/http://www.comedycentral.com/events/south_park/cartman_25/index.jhtml|archive-date=December 11, 2007}} It is later revealed in the season fourteen episode "201" that Jack Tenorman, Scott's father, was a football player for the Denver Broncos who impregnated Cartman's mom, therefore making him Cartman's father too.{{cite episode|title=201|series=South Park|date=April 21, 2010|network=Comedy Central}}

Parker and Stone, despite being the basis for Stan and Kyle, insist that Cartman is their favorite character, and the one with whom they identify the most.{{cite AV media|last1=Parker|first1=Trey|last2=Stone|first2=Matt|title=Goin' Down to South Park|medium=Television documentary|publisher=Comedy Central}}

=Personality and traits=

{{Quote box

| quote = There's a big part of me that's Eric Cartman. He's both of our dark sides, the things we'd never say.

| source = Trey Parker[https://huffingtonpost.com/2010/02/25/matt-stone-trey-parker-ar_n_475744.html Matt Stone & Trey Parker Are Not Your Political Allies (No Matter What You Believe)] by Alex Leo, The Huffington Post, February 25, 2010

| width = 30%

| align = right

}}

Cartman uses profanity (as do his friends) to provide a means for Parker and Stone to portray how they believe young boys really talk when they are alone.{{cite web| author=Jake Trapper and Dan Morris| title=Secrets of 'South Park'| work=ABC News| date=September 22, 2006| url=https://abcnews.go.com/Nightline/Entertainment/Story?id=2479197&page=4| access-date=April 18, 2009| archive-date=March 19, 2022| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220319073834/https://abcnews.go.com/Nightline/Entertainment/Story?id=2479197&page=4| url-status=live}} According to Parker, Cartman does not possess the "underlying sweetness" of the show's other child characters. Cartman is shown at times to be completely amoral and remorseless. Cartman, as with Stan Marsh and Kyle Broflovski, is amused by bodily functions and toilet humor,{{cite news|author1=Jeffrey Ressner|author2=James Collins| title = Gross And Grosser | magazine = Time | date = March 23, 1998 | url = http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,988028,00.html | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090821033347/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,988028,00.html | url-status = dead | archive-date = August 21, 2009 | access-date = April 28, 2009}} and his favorite television personalities are Terrance and Phillip, a Canadian duo whose comedy routines on their show-within-the-show revolve substantially around fart jokes.

Cartman is sensitive and in denial about his obesity. He often reasserts Liane's notion by exclaiming "I'm not fat, I'm big-boned!" and will just as often either threaten to bring harm to anyone who mocks his weight or curse them out in aggravation. He has also had people killed due to his insecurity; for example, after his psychiatrist mocked his weight, Cartman framed the man as a pedophile to his wife, causing her to commit suicide.{{Cite episode |title=T.M.I. |episode-link=T.M.I. (South Park) |series=South Park |series-link=South Park |last=Parker |first=Trey |author-link=Trey Parker |network=Comedy Central |date=2011-05-18 |season=15 |number=4}} He views himself as more mature than his fellow friends and classmates, and often grows impatient with their company; despite claiming to be more mature, he will often break down crying childishly and pathetically whenever he feels defeated. This often leads to loud arguments, which in earlier seasons typically end with Cartman peevishly saying "Screw you guys ... I'm going home!" and then leaving. In an action King's College philosophy professor David Kyle Johnson describes as "directed either toward accomplishing his own happiness or the unhappiness of others", Cartman often feigns actual friendship with his classmates when needing a favor. The lack of a true father figure in his life, and Liane's promiscuity and drug use have caused repressed psychological hardship in Cartman's life. As a parent, Liane often spoils Cartman,{{cite news|author=David Horowitz |title=Why Gore would censor "South Park" |work=Salon.com |date=July 19, 1999 |url=http://www.salon.com/news/col/horo/1999/07/19/south_park/index2.html |access-date=May 12, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091121035850/http://www.salon.com/news/col/horo/1999/07/19/south_park/index2.html |archive-date=November 21, 2009}}{{cite news|author=Joan Oleck |title='South Park': Canny bait-and-switch |work=BusinessWeek |date=April 27, 1998 |url=http://www.businessweek.com/archives/1998/b3575069.arc.htm |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130118183134/http://www.businessweek.com/archives/1998/b3575069.arc.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=January 18, 2013 |access-date=May 12, 2009}} and is largely ineffectual as a disciplinarian.{{cite news|author=Virginia Heffernan |title=What? Morals in 'South Park'? |newspaper=The New York Times |date=April 28, 2004 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2004/04/28/arts/television/28SOUT.html?ei=5007&en=9cf4a2bb20610253&ex=1398484800&partner=USERLAND&pagewanted=all&position |access-date=July 8, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090803023224/http://www.nytimes.com/2004/04/28/arts/television/28SOUT.html?ei=5007&en=9cf4a2bb20610253&ex=1398484800&partner=USERLAND&pagewanted=all&position |archive-date=August 3, 2009}} Cartman sometimes commands his mom to do tasks for him, but more often resorts to pleading with her in an ingratiating tone. When neither method works, he resorts to excessive and indecipherable whining, to which Liane usually succumbs.{{cite news| author= Nick Lezard| author-link= Nicholas Lezard| title= Cartman, a true hero of our age| newspaper= independent.co.uk| date= August 27, 1999| url= https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/cartman-a-true-hero-of-our-age-1115522.html| access-date= May 9, 2009| archive-date= June 7, 2009| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090607100430/http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/cartman-a-true-hero-of-our-age-1115522.html| url-status= live}} Parker has noted that this is the primary cause for Cartman's behavior, stating that Cartman is "just a product of his environment".

{{blockquote|We always had this thing where Cartman's mother was so sweet—she was always so sweet to him and giving him whatever he wanted. And I don't know if it's worse in L.A. than most places in the country—I hope so—but [we've met] so many parents who were just so desperately trying to be friends to their kids. And it was the thing we really picked up on. And it was just like, 'These [people] are making these really evil kids'.
– Trey Parker, discussing Liane's role in shaping Cartman's personality in an interview with NPR}}

Cartman thrives on achieving ascendancy over others,Arp and White, pp. 66–76 and exerts his will by demagoguery and by demanding that others "Respect my authoritah!" Cartman has several times declared that his dream is getting "Ten million dollars", and that if he got it he would be "so happy". He has shown initiative in taking a businesslike approach to earning money, starting his own "hippie control" and "parental revenge" operations, as well as a Christian Rock and a boy band, a basketball team of crack babies (parody of the NCAA) and his own church.{{cite news|author=Amber Conrad |title=25 Things I Learned About Business from "South Park" |publisher=InsideCRM |date=June 3, 2008|url=http://www.insidecrm.com/features/south-park-business-lessons-060308/ |access-date=May 5, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090318170003/http://www.insidecrm.com/features/south-park-business-lessons-060308/ |archive-date=March 18, 2009}}

Cartman's anti-Semitism, while mostly limited to mocking Kyle, culminates in the season eight episode "The Passion of the Jew". In the episode, Cartman, after watching The Passion of the Christ numerous times, deifies the film's director, Mel Gibson, and starts an official Gibson fan club, praising Gibson for "trying to express—through cinema—the horror and filthiness of the common Jew".{{cite news| author = Max Gross| title = 'The Passion of the Christ' Fuels Antisemitism—on 'South Park'| work = The Jewish Daily Forward| date = April 9, 2004| url = http://www.forward.com/articles/5445/| access-date = May 9, 2009| archive-date = June 6, 2011| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110606013626/http://www.forward.com/articles/5445/| url-status = live}} Cartman's interpretation of the film influences him to dress up as Adolf Hitler and lead other fan club members (who are oblivious of Cartman's actual intentions) in a failed effort to engage in a systematic genocide of the Jews similar to that of the Final Solution. In the season 10 episode "Smug Alert!", Cartman anonymously saves Kyle's life in an effort to get him and his family to return to South Park from San Francisco, revealing that he craves the animosity shared between the two.{{cite web|author=Eric Goldman |title=TV Review: This week's target? Hybrid drivers. |website=IGN |date=March 30, 2006 |url=http://movies.ign.com/articles/699/699373p1.html |access-date=May 3, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100426025359/http://movies.ign.com/articles/699/699373p1.html |archive-date=April 26, 2010}} Cartman later directs the "evil god" Cthulhu to destroy "most of the synagogues" during the season 14 episode "Coon vs. Coon and Friends".{{cite episode|title=Coon vs. Coon and Friends|series=South Park|author=Trey Parker|network=Comedy Central|airdate=November 10, 2010|season=14}}

Upon hearing his classmates tell him that they hold him in the lowest regard possible and that they could not possibly think any worse of him, a stubborn Cartman misinterprets this act as their attempt to make him feel better, and convinces himself that everyone thinks he is the "coolest kid in school". In the season 13 (2009) episode "Fishsticks", Cartman subconsciously believes that he helped in creating a joke that quickly becomes a nationwide sensation, despite the fact that the character Jimmy Valmer writes the joke without any assistance. Carlos Delgado of If Magazine noted this as "Cartman being so egotistical that he manipulates the past to serve his own purposes".{{cite news|last=Delgado |first=Carlos |title=TV Review: South Park – Season 13 – 'Fishsticks' |work=If Magazine |date=April 9, 2009 |url=http://www.ifmagazine.com/review.asp?article=3168 |access-date=April 10, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091015113520/http://www.ifmagazine.com/review.asp?article=3168 |archive-date=October 15, 2009}}

Though he is commonly portrayed as having a chauvinist disrespect for foreign cultures, Cartman is shown at least twice ("My Future Self n' Me" and "Pandemic") to be able to speak fluent Spanish (and German).{{Cite web|url=https://southpark.cc.com/episodes/xfaqzg/south-park-my-future-self-n-me-season-6-ep-16|title=South Park - My Future Self n' Me|date=December 4, 2002|website=South Park United States|access-date=March 10, 2022|archive-date=March 19, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220319073835/https://southpark.cc.com/episodes/xfaqzg/south-park-my-future-self-n-me-season-6-ep-16|url-status=live}}

Cultural impact

Cartman is a South Park fan favorite, and is often described as the most famous character from the series as well as having a significant influence on comedy and culture.{{cite news | author = Jeremy Thomas | title = South Park: The Cult of Cartman – Revelations DVD Review | publisher = 411mania.com | date = October 20, 2008 | url = http://www.411mania.com/movies/dvd_reviews/88174/South-Park:-The-Cult-of-Cartman---Revelations-DVD-Review.htm | access-date = May 11, 2009 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20081021143638/http://www.411mania.com/movies/dvd_reviews/88174/South-Park:-The-Cult-of-Cartman---Revelations-DVD-Review.htm | archive-date = October 21, 2008 | url-status = dead}}{{cite news|author=Hemant Tavathia |title=Music and Entertainment 2: South Park Hits 100 |publisher=Kidsnewsroom.org |date=April 11, 2003 |url=http://www.kidsnewsroom.org/newsissues/041103/index.asp?page=Music2 |access-date=May 11, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070208125207/http://www.kidsnewsroom.org/newsissues/041103/index.asp?page=Music2 |archive-date=February 8, 2007}} With a headline to their online written version of a radio report, NPR declared Cartman as "America's Favorite Little $@#&*%". "Respect my authoritah!" and "Screw you guys ... I'm going home!" became catchphrases and, during the show's earlier seasons, were highly popular in the lexicon of viewers.{{cite news |last1=DeCeglie|first1=Anthony|last2=Blake|first2=Sarah| title = TV comedy sends WA students 'Jonah' | work = The Sunday Times | date = September 14, 2007 | url= https://www.smh.com.au/articles/2002/12/27/1040511174507.html | access-date = May 9, 2009}}{{cite news|last=Diaz|first=Glenn L.|title=Old and New 'South Park'|publisher=BuddyTV|date=January 22, 2009|url=http://www.buddytv.com/articles/south-park/old-and-new-south-park-25870.aspx|access-date=May 9, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090302082642/http://www.buddytv.com/articles/south-park/old-and-new-south-park-25870.aspx|archive-date=March 2, 2009|url-status=dead}} His eccentric enunciation of "Hey!" was included in the 2002 edition of The Oxford Dictionary of Catchphrases.{{cite news | author = David Dale| title = The Oxford Dictionary of Catchphrases | work = The Sydney Morning Herald | date = December 28, 2002 | url= https://www.smh.com.au/articles/2002/12/27/1040511174507.html | access-date = May 9, 2009}} Stone has said that when fans recognize him or Parker, the fans will usually do their imitation of Cartman, or, in Parker's case, request that he do Cartman's voice.{{cite news|author=Page 2 Staff |title=Matt Stone |publisher=ESPN |date=March 13, 2002 |url=https://www.espn.com/espn/print?id=1350858&type=page2Story |access-date=May 5, 2009 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131109224708/http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/print?id=1350858&type=page2Story |archive-date=November 9, 2013}}

In 2005, Comedy Central ran a three-night marathon of episodes showcasing what voters had deemed to be his "25 greatest moments". A two-disc DVD collection entitled "The Cult of Cartman", which Comedy Central described as "12 classic episodes with Cartman at his very worst!", was released in 2008.{{cite news| author = David Lambert| title = Join the Cult of Cartman this October| publisher = TVShowsOnDVD.com| date = July 14, 2008| url = http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/South-Park-Cult-of-Cartman/10055| access-date = May 9, 2009| url-status = dead| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090523102724/http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/South-Park-Cult-of-Cartman/10055| archive-date = May 23, 2009}}

In a 1999 poll conducted by NatWest Bank, eight and nine-year-old children in the United Kingdom voted Cartman as their favorite personality. This drew the concern of several parent councils who were expecting a character from a television show aimed at children to top the list, to which Stone responded by claiming the results of the poll were "upsetting to people who have an idyllic vision of what kids are like".{{cite news | title = Cartman top with kids | publisher = BBC | date = August 26, 1999 | url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/low/entertainment/430977.stm | access-date = May 9, 2009 | archive-date = February 13, 2021 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210213052216/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/430977.stm | url-status = live }}

While some in the Jewish community have praised the show's depiction of Cartman holding an anti-Semitic attitude towards Kyle as a means of accurately portraying what it is like for a young Jew to have to endure prejudice,{{cite news|author=Robert Bolton |title=The Media Report: South Park |publisher=Australian Broadcasting Corporation |date=July 23, 1998 |url=http://www.abc.net.au/rn/talks/8.30/mediarpt/mstories/mr980723.htm |access-date=May 5, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050311041603/http://www.abc.net.au/rn/talks/8.30/mediarpt/mstories/mr980723.htm |archive-date=March 11, 2005}} other Jews have blamed South Park and Cartman for having found themselves surrounded by "acceptable racism".{{cite news | author = David Margolis | title = Anti-Semitism in the playground | newspaper = independent.co.uk | date = February 1, 1999 | url = https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/antisemitism-in-the-playground-1067983.html | access-date = May 9, 2009 | archive-date = February 4, 2015 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150204040005/http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/antisemitism-in-the-playground-1067983.html | url-status = live }} On November 20, 2008, a Facebook group titled "National Kick a Ginger Day, are you going to do it?" surfaced, suggesting abuse towards redheads. Thousands of internet users signed up as a member of the group, and reports of a feared increase of bullying of red-headed students across Canada soon followed. The group's administrator, a 14-year-old from Vancouver Island, said the group was only intended as a joke, and apologized for the offense it caused. The group was inspired by the season nine (2005) episode "Ginger Kids", in which Cartman incites prejudice towards those with red hair, pale skin, and freckles, a group he calls "Gingers" and claims are inherently evil and without souls. {{cite news|url=http://www.canada.com/topics/news/story.html?id=49022ee5-66d1-46e0-a057-7707de6e140b |title=RCMP investigating Facebook group over 'Kick a Ginger' day |last=Barber |first=Mike |author2=Catherine Rolfsen |date=November 20, 2008 |publisher=Canada.com |access-date=November 23, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081211010429/http://www.canada.com/topics/news/story.html?id=49022ee5-66d1-46e0-a057-7707de6e140b |archive-date=December 11, 2008}}

File:Supercon Retro Sunday FLOOR SHOTS - IMG 3189 (34317393572).jpg

Other characters commonly express lessons learned from the antagonistic actions Cartman commonly provokes; this has resulted in these characters giving their opinions on issues such as hate crime legislation,{{cite news | author = Frank Rich | title = Conservatives ♥ 'South Park' | work = The New York Times | date = May 1, 2005 | url = https://www.nytimes.com/2005/05/01/opinion/01rich.html | access-date = May 3, 2009 | archive-date = January 8, 2015 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150108083620/http://www.nytimes.com/2005/05/01/opinion/01rich.html | url-status = live }} civil liberties,{{cite news| author = Brian C. Anderson| title = We're Not Losing the Culture Wars Anymore| publisher = Manhattan Institute| year = 2003| url = http://www.city-journal.org/html/13_4_were_not_losing.html| access-date = May 3, 2009| archive-date = January 18, 2016| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160118080938/http://www.city-journal.org/html/13_4_were_not_losing.html| url-status = dead}} excessive religious devotion,Arp, pp. 40–54 the stem cell controversy, anabolic steroid use,{{cite news|author=David Kuhn |title=Steroids sour fun of Olympics |work=The Daily Pennsylvanian |date=July 22, 2004 |url=http://media.www.dailypennsylvanian.com/media/storage/paper882/news/2004/07/22/Sports/David.Kuhn.Steroids.Sour.Fun.Of.Olympics-2151098.shtml |access-date=May 9, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081104232914/http://media.www.dailypennsylvanian.com/media/storage/paper882/news/2004/07/22/Sports/David.Kuhn.Steroids.Sour.Fun.Of.Olympics-2151098.shtml |archive-date=November 4, 2008}} the "right to die" debate,{{cite news | author = Frazier Moore | title = Loud and lewd but sweet underneath | work = The Age | date = December 14, 2006 | url = http://www.theage.com.au/news/tv--radio/loud-and-lewd-but-sweet-underneath/2006/12/13/1165685687176.html?page=2 | access-date = May 9, 2009 | archive-date = May 11, 2011 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110511220852/http://www.theage.com.au/news/tv--radio/loud-and-lewd-but-sweet-underneath/2006/12/13/1165685687176.html?page=2 | url-status = live }} and prejudice. In the season 10 (2006) episode "Cartoon Wars Part II", Cartman, planning to exploit the public's fear of terrorism, seeks to get the Fox television series Family Guy, a program he despises, permanently removed from the airwaves when Fox plans to air an episode despite its inclusion of a cartoon likeness of Muhammad. This leads Kyle to give a short speech about the ethics of censorship,{{cite magazine|author=Jaime J. Weinman |title=South Park grows up |magazine=Maclean's |date=March 12, 2008 |url=http://www.macleans.ca/culture/entertainment/article.jsp?content=20080312_115131_115131&page=1 |access-date=May 5, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090719082617/http://www.macleans.ca/culture/entertainment/article.jsp?content=20080312_115131_115131&page=1 |archive-date=July 19, 2009}} which reiterates Parker and Stone's sentiments of "Either it's all okay, or none of it is" in regards to whether any subject should remain off-limits to satire.{{cite news| author = Thomas H. Maugh II| title = South Park duo criticise network| work = BBC News| date = April 14, 2006| url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/4909820.stm| access-date = May 3, 2009| archive-date = April 17, 2010| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100417131113/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/4909820.stm| url-status = live}} Both Cartman's commentary and the commentary resulting in response to his actions have been interpreted as statements Parker and Stone are attempting to make to the viewing public, and these opinions have been subject to much critical analysis in the media and literary world.Fallows and Weinstock, p. 165

The book South Park and Philosophy: You Know, I Learned Something Today includes an essay in which Johnson uses Cartman's actions and behavior as examples when discussing the logical problem of moral evil,[http://www.blackwellpublishing.com/book.asp?ref=9781405161602&site=1 South Park and Philosophy: You Know, I Learned Something Today] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070901034507/http://www.blackwellpublishing.com/book.asp?ref=9781405161602&site=1 |date=September 1, 2007}}, Blackwell Publishing, Series: The Blackwell Philosophy and Pop Culture Series, Retrieved January 21, 2008 and another essay by College of Staten Island professor Mark D. White cited the season two (1998) episode "Chickenlover", in which Cartman is temporarily granted law enforcement powers, in its discussion regarding the command theory of law and what obligates a citizen to obey the law. Essays in the books South Park and Philosophy: Bigger, Longer, and More Penetrating, Blame Canada! South Park and Contemporary Culture, and Taking South Park Seriously have also analyzed Cartman's perspectives within the framework of popular philosophical, theological, political, and social concepts.{{cite book | editor-last = Hanley | editor-first = Richard | title = South Park and Philosophy: Bigger, Longer, and More Penetrating | publisher = Open Court | date = March 8, 2007 | isbn = 978-0-8126-9613-4}}{{cite book | last = Johnson-Woods | first = Toni | title = Blame Canada! South Park and Contemporary Culture | publisher = Continuum International Publishing Group | date = January 30, 2007 | isbn = 978-0-8264-1731-2 | url-access = registration | url = https://archive.org/details/blamecanada00toni}} Parker and Stone downplay the show's alignment with any particular political affiliation, and deny having a political agenda when creating an episode.{{cite news| author = John Tierney| title = South Park Refugees| work = The New York Times| date = August 29, 2006| url = https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9A06E4DC113EF93AA1575BC0A9609C8B63| access-date = May 3, 2009| archive-date = May 11, 2011| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110511120400/http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9A06E4DC113EF93AA1575BC0A9609C8B63| url-status = live}}{{cite news| author = Lynn Barker | title = Trey Parker and Matt Stone: The "South Park" Guys, Uncut| publisher = TeenHollywood.com |date = October 14, 2004| url= http://www.teenhollywood.com/printerversion.asp?r=81433| access-date = May 3, 2009}} {{Dead link|date=September 2010|bot=H3llBot}} In response to the focus on elements of satire in South Park, Parker has said that the main goal of the show is to portray Cartman and his friends as "kids just being kids" as a means of accurately showcasing "what it's like to be in [elementary school] in America".{{cite news| author = Saunders| title = At 10, 'South Park' still bites| work = Rocky Mountain News| date = July 17, 2006| url = http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/spotlight_columnists/article/0,2777,DRMN_23962_4848796,00.html| access-date = May 3, 2009| url-status = dead| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070104070024/http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/spotlight_columnists/article/0%2C2777%2CDRMN_23962_4848796%2C00.html| archive-date = January 4, 2007}}{{cite web|url=http://drbmk.com/parker-and-stone-interview-at-10th-season-premiere|title=Parker and stone interview at 10th season premiere – Drugs are bad mkay- A south park fan site|access-date=December 30, 2016|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151222134846/http://drbmk.com/parker-and-stone-interview-at-10th-season-premiere/|archive-date=December 22, 2015}}

=Recognition=

TV Guide ranked Cartman at number 10 on their 2002 list of the "Top 50 Greatest Cartoon Characters",{{cite news|url=http://archives.cnn.com/2002/SHOWBIZ/TV/07/30/cartoon.characters.list/ |title=TV Guide's 50 greatest cartoon characters of all time |access-date=August 25, 2007 |date=July 30, 2002 |publisher=CNN |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070320230753/http://archives.cnn.com/2002/SHOWBIZ/TV/07/30/cartoon.characters.list/ |archive-date=March 20, 2007}} 24th on TV Guide's "25 Greatest TV Villains", 198th on VH1's "200 Greatest Pop Culture Icons",{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=b1ruwF6xYNIC&q=eric+cartman&pg=PA144 | title=From Abba to Zoom: A Pop Culture Encyclopedia of the Late 20th | location=Kansas City, Missouri | publisher=Andrews McMeel Publishing, LLC | year=2005 | isbn=0-7407-5118-2 | oclc=57316726 | first=David|last=Mansour}} and 19th on Bravo's "100 Greatest TV Characters" television special in 2004.{{cite web|url=http://www.bravoprofiles.com/The_100_Greatest_TV_Characters/index.shtml |title=The 100 Greatest TV Characters |publisher=Bravo |access-date=August 25, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090507184134/http://www.bravoprofiles.com/The_100_Greatest_TV_Characters/index.shtml |archive-date=May 7, 2009}} When declaring him the second-scariest character on television (behind only Mr. Burns of The Simpsons) in 2005, MSNBC's Brian Bellmont described Cartman as a "bundle of pure, unadulterated evil all wrapped up in a fat—er, big-boned—cartoony package" who "takes a feral delight in his evildoing".{{cite news| author = Brian Bellmont| title = TV's top 10 scariest characters| work = Today.com| date = November 1, 2005| url = https://www.today.com/popculture/tv-s-top-10-scariest-characters-wbna9699636| access-date = May 9, 2009| archive-date = March 19, 2022| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20220319073834/https://www.today.com/popculture/tv-s-top-10-scariest-characters-wbna9699636| url-status = live}} In 2014, IGN ranked Cartman first place on their list of "The Top 25 South Park Characters", commenting that he was "the obvious choice" of number one and that "sometimes the obvious choice is also the right one". The website stated that despite Cartman being "one of the worst human beings in the history of fiction ... he's the most loathsome character we've ever loved." IGN concluded by calling him "the biggest contribution to the world of animated characters that South Park has made – and that's saying something."{{cite web| author1 = Ramsey Isler| author2 = Jesse Schedeen| title = The Top 25 South Park Characters| page = 5| website = IGN| date = February 28, 2014| url = https://ign.com/articles/2014/03/01/top-25-south-park-characters?page=5| access-date = March 19, 2014| archive-date = March 6, 2014| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140306032237/http://www.ign.com/articles/2014/03/01/top-25-south-park-characters?page=5| url-status = live}} In 2020, Paste ranked Cartman as #17 of their "The 50 Best Cartoon Characters of All Time".{{Cite web|url=https://www.pastemagazine.com/tv/the-50-best-cartoon-characters-of-all-time/|title=The 50 Best Cartoon Characters of All Time|date=May 10, 2010|website=Paste|access-date=March 10, 2022|archive-date=April 4, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220404051515/https://www.pastemagazine.com/tv/the-50-best-cartoon-characters-of-all-time/|url-status=dead}}

In other media

Cartman has a major role in South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut,{{cite news|url=http://film.guardian.co.uk/News_Story/Critic_Review/Guardian_review/0,,77038,00.html|title=South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut | Reviews | guardian.co.uk Film|date=August 27, 1999|work=guardian.co.uk|access-date=July 24, 2009|last=Pulver|first=Andrew|archive-date=May 28, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080528053325/http://film.guardian.co.uk/News_Story/Critic_Review/Guardian_review/0,,77038,00.html|url-status=live}} the full-length film based on the series, and appeared on the film's soundtrack singing the same musical numbers performed in the movie.{{cite web|url=http://www.discogs.com/Various-Music-From-And-Inspired-By-The-Motion-Picture-South-Park-Bigger-Longer-Uncut/release/1396078|title=Various – Music From And Inspired By The Motion Picture South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut|date=December 7, 1999|publisher=www.discogs.com|access-date=July 24, 2009|archive-date=February 14, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090214004646/http://www.discogs.com/Various-Music-From-And-Inspired-By-The-Motion-Picture-South-Park-Bigger-Longer-Uncut/release/1396078|url-status=live}} As a tribute to the Dead Parrot sketch, a short that features Cartman attempting to return a dead Kenny to a shop run by Kyle aired during a 1999 BBC television special commemorating the 30th anniversary of Monty Python's Flying Circus.{{cite web|url=http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?sf=3&set_id=1&click_id=3&art_id=qw939324300430R131|title=News – Pythons cut train crash from funny show|publisher=www.iol.co.za|access-date=August 1, 2009}} Cartman is also featured in the documentary film The Aristocrats, telling his version of the film's titular joke to Stan, Kyle, and Kenny,{{cite web |title=HBO Documentary Films: The Aristocrats |url=http://www.hbo.com/docs/programs/aristocrats/synopsis.html |publisher=HBO |access-date=March 27, 2009 |archive-date=April 26, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090426054948/http://www.hbo.com/docs/programs/aristocrats/synopsis.html |url-status=dead }} and in "The Gauntlet", a short spoofing both Gladiator and Battlefield Earth that aired during the 2000 MTV Movie Awards.{{cite news|last=Ortega|first=Tony|title=Sympathy For The Devil: Tory Bezazian was a veteran Scientologist who loved going after church critics. Until she met the darkest detractor of all.|work=New Times Los Angeles|date=September 27, 2001}}{{cite video | people=Trey Parker, Matt Stone|date=2000|title=The Gauntlet |medium=Television special|publisher=MTV, Comedy Central}} Short that aired during the 2000 MTV Movie Awards
Cartman is a central character in South Park: Post COVID, the first television special made for Paramount+. In the special, which takes place 40 years after the events of the series, Cartman is depicted as having converted to Orthodox Judaism, becoming a rabbi with a wife and three children, much to the chagrin of Kyle.{{Cite web|date=November 26, 2021|title=South Park Post-Covid's take on adult Cartman has fans in utter shock|url=https://www.thefocus.news/tv/south-park-adult-cartman/|access-date=November 29, 2021|website=The Focus|archive-date=November 29, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211129131557/https://www.thefocus.news/tv/south-park-adult-cartman/|url-status=dead}}
Cartman returns in the follow-up special South Park: Post COVID: The Return of COVID. In it, Cartman has thoroughly convinced his family that Kyle is out to break them apart on the grounds of being anti-Jewish (in reality, Kyle intends to go back in time to try and alter the events of the COVID outbreak and Cartman is concerned that this will cost him his family). In retaliation, Cartman organizes a rebellion group consisting of Butters, Clyde and Scott Malkinson with the sole purpose of going back in time and killing him. After a brief altercation with Kyle himself, Cartman changes his mind about the plan and kills an adult Clyde in the past, who volunteered to attempt to kill Kyle, allowing Stan and Kyle to help their younger selves save their friendship before the pandemic kicked off. In the now-altered future, Cartman is shown to be alcoholic, homeless, and bitter.https://amp/s/www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-features/south-park-fans-struggling-cartman-future-1235064319/amp/{{Dead link|date=January 2022 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes}}
For their 2007 Snakes & Arrows tour, the rock band Rush commissioned a short, video introduction for the song "Tom Sawyer". Cartman, dressed in a long wig to look like singer Geddy Lee, sings his own, personal, version of the song's lyrics prompting the usual outrage from Kyle. The video can be seen on the band's Snakes & Arrows concert video.{{cite web|url=https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001G5ZKZS|title=Amazon.com: RUSH: Snakes & Arrows Live: RUSH: Movies & TV|website=Amazon|date=November 24, 2008|access-date=December 30, 2016|archive-date=February 10, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210210222112/http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001G5ZKZS|url-status=live}}
In 2002, Cartman became the main protagonist of a series of promotional videos for the Los Angeles Kings of the NHL, which are played on the big-screen TVs inside of Staples Center where the character ridicules the mascots of rival teams and reacts to various aspects of the game.{{cite web|url=https://southpark.cc.com/news/2002/may|title=May 2002 Press Releases|date=May 29, 2002|publisher=South Park Studios|access-date=January 15, 2010|last=Riess|first=Breayle|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110508104949/http://www.southparkstudios.com/news/2002/may|archive-date=May 8, 2011}}
Short clips of Cartman introducing the starting lineup for the University of Colorado football team were featured during ABC's coverage of the 2007 match-up between the University of Colorado and the University of Nebraska.{{cite web|url=http://www.cubuffs.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=600&ATCLID=1325618|title=Colorado Beats Huskers to Become Bowl Eligible|date=November 23, 2007|publisher=University of Colorado|access-date=January 17, 2010|archive-date=May 10, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110510224023/http://www.cubuffs.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=600&ATCLID=1325618|url-status=live}}
In 2008, Parker, as Cartman, gave answers to a Proust Questionnaire conducted by Julie Rovner of NPR.
Parker performs as Cartman on tracks for Chef Aid: The South Park Album and Mr. Hankey's Christmas Classics.{{cite magazine|url=https://ew.com/article/1999/01/08/psycho-music-and-inspired-motion-picture/|title=Shower Hooks|date=January 8, 1999|magazine=Entertainment Weekly|access-date=July 24, 2009|last=Browne|first=David|archive-date=December 17, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201217154324/https://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,273973,00.html|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=http://jam.canoe.ca/Music/Artists/H/Hayes_Isaac/1998/11/27/745908.html|title="Chef" hayes cooks crazy stew|publisher=jam.canoe.ca|access-date=July 24, 2009|last=Nazareth|first=Errol|url-status=usurped|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120916043148/http://jam.canoe.ca/Music/Artists/H/Hayes_Isaac/1998/11/27/745908.html|archive-date=September 16, 2012}}{{cite web|url=http://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/1999-12-23/music/various-artists/|title=Mr. Hankey's Christmas Classics|date=December 23, 1999|website=Phoenix New Times|access-date=July 24, 2009|last=Moorhead|first=M.V.|archive-date=May 11, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110511175421/http://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/1999-12-23/music/various-artists/|url-status=dead}} Cartman also appears in six South Park-related video games: In South Park, Cartman is controlled by the player through the first-person shooter mode who attempts to ward off enemies from terrorizing the town of South Park.{{cite web |first=Christopher Michael |last=Baker |title=South Park – Overview |url=http://allgame.com/game.php?id=19249 |work=Allgame |access-date=July 16, 2009 |archive-date=December 10, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141210201415/http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=19249 |url-status=dead}} In South Park: Chef's Luv Shack, a user has the option of playing as Cartman when participating in the game's several "minigames" based on other popular arcade games.{{cite web|url=http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=2100 |title=Review: South Park: Chef's Luv Shack |publisher=ComputerAndVideoGames.com |access-date=July 19, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070330000425/http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=2100 |archive-date=March 30, 2007}} In the racing game South Park Rally, a user can race as Cartman against other users playing as other characters, while choosing to place him in any of a variety of vehicles.{{cite web|url=http://uk.dreamcast.ign.com/articles/133/133474p1.html|title=South Park Rally Preview|website=IGN|access-date=July 19, 2009|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110713004750/http://uk.dreamcast.ign.com/articles/133/133474p1.html|archive-date=July 13, 2011}} In South Park Let's Go Tower Defense Play!, Cartman can be selected as a playable character used to establish a tower defense against the game's antagonists.{{cite web|url=http://uk.xboxlive.ign.com/articles/103/1031444p1.html|title=South Park Let's Go Tower Defense Play Review|last=Brudvig|first=Erik|date=October 6, 2009|work=IGN |access-date=October 10, 2009|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091010182058/http://uk.xboxlive.ign.com/articles/103/1031444p1.html|archive-date=October 10, 2009}} In South Park: The Stick of Truth, Cartman is the leader of one of two tribes in South Park, at war over the Stick of Truth.{{cite web |last=Cook |first=Dave |url=https://www.vg247.com/2014/03/04/south-park-the-stick-of-truth-is-the-funniest-episode-in-years/ |title=South Park: The Stick of Truth is the funniest episode in years |website=VG247 |date=March 4, 2014 |access-date=January 25, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150909011327/http://www.vg247.com/2014/03/04/south-park-the-stick-of-truth-is-the-funniest-episode-in-years/ |archive-date=September 9, 2015 |url-status=dead}} He plays a similar role in this game's superhero themed sequel, South Park: The Fractured but Whole, where he leads the Coon & Friends team.{{cite news |first=Michael |last=Thomsen |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/comic-riffs/wp/2017/10/23/south-park-the-fractured-but-whole-is-a-game-thats-too-eager-to-laugh-at-cruelty/ |title='South Park: The Fractured but Whole' is a game that's too eager to laugh at cruelty |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=October 23, 2017 |access-date=November 2, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171108185939/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/comic-riffs/wp/2017/10/23/south-park-the-fractured-but-whole-is-a-game-thats-too-eager-to-laugh-at-cruelty/ |archive-date=November 8, 2017 |url-status=live}}

References

=Bibliography=

{{cite book | editor-last = Arp | editor-first = Robert | editor-last2= Jacoby |editor-first2=Henry |editor-last3=Johnson |editor-first3=David Kyle |display-authors=etal | title = South Park and Philosophy: You Know, I Learned Something Today | publisher = Blackwell Publishing (The Blackwell Philosophy & Pop Culture Series) | year = 2006 | isbn = 978-1-4051-6160-2}}
{{cite book | editor-last = Weinstock | editor-first = Jeffrey Andrew |last=Fallows |first=Randall |chapter= South Park Heretics | title = Taking South Park Seriously | publisher = State University of New York Press | year = 2008 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=H7OEFij0QkgC | isbn = 978-0-7914-7566-9}}