The animated series South Park is preparing for an unusual rebranding. After winning the Outstanding Animated Program category at the Emmy Awards, show creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone announced they were changing the title of the project to SOUTH AMERICA.
In the statement, the authors explained the decision as a kind of gratitude to Apple and Google corporations for their “bravery and patriotism.” This is a story that has long been discussed in the American media: after President Donald Trump’s order to rename the Gulf of Mexico to the “Gulf of America” (Gulf of America), both technology companies updated the names on their mapping services, adjusting to the administration’s requirements.
Parker and Stone also did not ignore South Park’s parent company, Paramount, calling it Skydance Capitulation. This is a reference to Paramount’s merger with Skydance Media, which was accompanied by a scandal surrounding possible censorship of content under political pressure. Previously, the creators of the show had already been accused of being overly cautious in relation to the current administration, as the studio was afraid of reputational and financial risks.
It is worth recalling that South Park is known for its sharp satire on current political and cultural topics, and the current renaming seems to be a logical continuation of such irony towards corporations that prefer to yield to government pressure instead of taking a principled position.
The 29th season of the cult series starts on September 16 on Comedy Central. New episodes will be available to stream on Paramount+ worldwide, and viewers in the US, Canada and Australia will have access to episodes the very next day after airing.
