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Eric Theodore Cartman (commonly referred to simply by his surname Cartman), is one of the four main fictional characters on the animated television series South Park, along with fellow protagonists Stan Marsh, Kyle Broflovski, and Kenny McCormick, though he is often portrayed as the series' main antagonist in opposition of his friends. Cartman is an obese, foul-mouthed, mean-spirited, selfish, and ill-tempered fourth-grader living with his hermaphroditic de facto mother in the fictional town of South Park, Colorado.
He is voiced by series co-creator Trey Parker, and is partially both named after and based on Matt Karpman, a friend of both Parker and series co-creator Matt Stone.
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Quotations
Having discovered the Handicapped Olympics I used to think disabled people were here for my amusement.
Poor people tend to live in clusters.
French people piss me off.
God-damned, I hate that Cochran guy. If he was here in front of me, I'd be like, Ay! You stupid son of a bitch, you d-. I b-. I'ma I'm gonna kick you in the nuts!
Encyclopedia
Eric Theodore Cartman (commonly referred to simply by his surname Cartman), is one of the four main fictional characters on the animated television series South Park, along with fellow protagonists Stan Marsh, Kyle Broflovski, and Kenny McCormick, though he is often portrayed as the series' main antagonist in opposition of his friends. Cartman is an obese, foul-mouthed, mean-spirited, selfish, and ill-tempered fourth-grader living with his hermaphroditic de facto mother in the fictional town of South Park, Colorado.
He is voiced by series co-creator Trey Parker, and is partially both named after and based on Matt Karpman, a friend of both Parker and series co-creator Matt Stone. Stone and Parker have said that, in addition to his namesake, Cartman is largely inspired by All in the Family patriarch Archie Bunker, and creating him 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.
As a result of his popularity amongst the show's fans, his many catchphrases regularly appear in South Park-related merchandise, and, in 2005, Comedy Central ran a three-night marathon of episodes showcasing what voters had deemed to be his "25 greatest moments". He ranked 10th on TV Guide's "Top 50 Greatest Cartoon Characters", 198th on VH1's "200 Greatest Pop Culture Icons", and 19th on Bravo's "100 Greatest TV Characters".
History
The earliest version of Cartman first appeared in a non-speaking role in Jesus vs. Frosty, the first "Spirit of Christmas" short created by Parker and Stone, where a character named "Kenny" and resembling Cartman was killed by an evil snowman. Cartman made his next appearance in the following "Spirit of Christmas" short Jesus vs. Santa, where he first appears as he does in the series and is referred to by name, while his previous moniker is now the name of the show's current-day version of Kenny. Cartman had a major role in the first episode of the series, "Cartman Gets An Anal Probe", and has remained one of the show's most prominent characters ever since.
Character
Cartman is an only child being raised by Liane Cartman, a promiscuous single parent who, despite exhibiting female characteristics and commonly being referred to as "Cartman's mom", is actually an intersexual who fathered Cartman. The identity of Cartman's true birth mother has never been revealed, and the absence of a male father figure has caused Cartman some psychological hardship. Liane spoils Cartman, bends to his persuasion, and contributes to his weight problem by allowing him to eat vast amounts of junk food. Cartman is in denial of his obesity, often reassuring Liane's notion by exclaiming "I'm not fat, I'm big-boned!" He sometimes authoritatively commands his mom to do tasks for him, but more often implores the means of speaking in an ingratiating tone when pleading with her. When neither method works, Cartman resorts to excessive and indecipherable whining. He becomes infuriated with his mom in the rare instances where she resists his demands, one of which to the point where Cartman contemplated murdering her. Cartman has several extended family members, all of whom are obese as well, who reside in Nebraska.
Cartman has a large collection of stuffed animals, the one of which he is most fond of is a frog he refers to as "Clyde Frog". Cartman also plays with a doll he calls "Polly Prissypants", and has an assortment of "Wellington Bear"-themed toys. He finds his cat, Mr. Kitty, to be particularly bothersome, often reacting angrily to its presence. However, he once sheltered the cat from authorities when the town enforced a temporary feline ban. Conversely, he is more tolerant and loving of his own pet pig, Fluffy, though he did strike it after an occurrence in which the pig woke him up.
Cartman thrives on being granted ascendancy over others, and exerts his will by making the demand of "Respect my authority!", accentuating the last syllable of "authority" and pronouncing it uh-thawr-i-tah (IPA: ?'??r?t??). He will often do the same when pronouncing similar words (such as "property") and words ending with the ??r and ??r sounds (such as "here" and "square"). Cartman can also speak fluent Spanish.
Cartman's extreme disdain for hippies (based on his voice actor's real life hatred of hippies), his desire to appear on television, and his avarice are other traits the show has customarily depicted. One of the main catalysts for his greed is his contempt for waiting in lines at a local amusement park, provoking his desire to obtain enough money to buy the park and not allow anyone else entry. His numerous schemes to obtain wealth generally fail, such as when he requested donations under the pretense of a schismatic faith healer, and the time he feigned mental retardation under the false assumption that he could easily win first place at the Special Olympics.
He has shown an initiative in taking a businesslike approach to earning money, starting his own "hippie control", and "parental revenge" operations. Cartman has also proven a knack for bargaining, serving as negotiator for his and his friends' snow-shoveling venture, and mediating relentlessly with potential buyers of fetuses he intended to sell for stem cell research. "My Future Self n' Me" involves Cartman getting a visit from his future self, who is the the lean, successful CEO of a time travel company, but his visit to Cartman alters the past, thereby changing Cartman's future self into an obese plumber.
In the season five episode "Scott Tenorman Must Die", Cartman, feeling cheated out of $16.12 by a local ninth-grader named Scott Tenorman, successfully executed an elaborate scheme to publicly humiliate Scott in front of his favorite band, but not before tricking him into eating his own recently deceased parents. The show's writers debated during production of the episode as to whether or not 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. Fans reacted by ranking it as Cartman's "greatest moment" in a poll on Comedy Central's website.
Appearance
In tradition with the show's animation style, Cartman is composed of simple geometrical shapes, and isn't offered the same free range of motion associated with hand-drawn characters. As he is overweight, his body is wider and his head is animated in a more elliptical shape in contrast to the circular-shaped heads of the other children on the show. An additional curved line is drawn on his lower face to give the impression of a double chin. In the show's earliest episodes, he was composed of construction paper cutouts and animated through the use of stop motion. Cartman is now animated with computer software, though he is portrayed to give the impression that the show still utilizes its original technique.
Cartman usually wears a red coat, brown pants, yellow gloves/mittens, and a yellow-brimmed turquoise knit cap tapered with a yellow pom-pon. He has parted brown hair, and, more often than the other children on the show with distinctive head wear, he is seen without his hat. Other characters on the show have stated that Cartman bears a resemblance to Marlon Brando and Dakota Fanning.
Relationships and friends
Cartman views himself as more mature than his fellow friends and classmates, and often grows impatient with their company. This would often lead to loud arguments, which in earlier seasons typically ended with Cartman peevishly saying "Screw you guys... I'm going home!" upon leaving. In return, other children are alienated by Cartman's insensitive, racist, lazy, misogynistic, wildly insecure, and bigoted behavior, but are occasionally influenced by his obtrusive, manipulative, and propagandist antics. Responding with the simple line "Because I/we hate you" as an explanation, classmates typically refuse if Cartman asks them for a favor. Fearing for his reputation after badly losing a fight to Wendy Testaburger, Cartman received several assurances from numerous classmates that their opinion of him was already at the point where it could not have gotten any lower. A stubborn Cartman misinterpreted this act as their attempt to make him feel better, and obstinately convinced himself that everyone thought he was the "coolest kid in school". Nevertheless, the series has continued to show Cartman and the other kids in his class mutually socializing with and tolerating each other.
Kyle
The enmity between Cartman and Kyle has been in the show from the start, but has become significantly more pronounced as the series has progressed. Cartman holds an anti-Semitic attitude towards Kyle, whereas Kyle makes cracks at Cartman's weight and is horrified and disgusted with Cartman's overall personality and behavior. The two have been involved in a handful of physical altercations, some of which consist of Kyle lightly striking Cartman once, which promptly sends Cartman off crying. Kyle has a tendency to make what he thinks are safe bets with Cartman, and often loses these bets when the improbable actions promised by Cartman are accomplished. Cartman sometimes indulges more in constantly reminding Kyle of the results of the bet than he does in the money itself. Cartman anonymously saved Kyle's life, in the process revealing that he craves the animosity shared between the two.
Kenny
Cartman often teases Kenny about his poverty, with the latter usually reacting angrily. Kenny wrote in his will that he did not like Cartman, but "felt sorry" for him. However, it has been indicated that Kenny and Cartman consider themselves to be friends, as the two have been seen at play solely with each other. The two are often the only ones to laugh at the other's comments or antics, and often conspire to perform practical jokes.
Stan
Cartman's resentment of Stan is usually reserved for when Cartman proudly exclaims his hatred for both Stan and Kyle as a duo, and his contempt for Stan as an individual doesn't run as deeply as it does for Kyle. Cartman resents and often insults Stan's sensitivity, soft spot for animals, and the relationship Stan shares with Wendy. Stan, in return, usually sides with Kyle and makes fun of Cartman's weight. However, the two are generally seen as enjoying themselves during the few times they are shown socializing both solely with one another, or as part of a group before an argument erupts between Cartman and Kyle.
Butters
Butters is one of the few children on the show to refer to Cartman by his first name, Eric. Their relationship has received significant focus in the more recent seasons of the series, and is mostly limited to Cartman's mischievous treatment of Butters. While Butters sleeps, Cartman is fond of performing degrading acts upon him, including urinating on him and wiping feces across his upper lip. These acts, and the numerous other large pranks Cartman has played on Butters have occasionally been met with retaliation by Butters. Despite this, Butters is willing to maintain a friendship, and in a few cases has taken on the role of Cartman's sidekick, assisting him in his endeavors.
External links
- - Official site
- Article on South Park wiki
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