South Park changes name to "South America": Parker and Stone's satire against Trump

Creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone have announced that, ahead of the twenty-ninth season, the cartoon will change its name to "South America". It is the latest dig at the US president, who has renamed Lake Ontario "Lake America" ​​and plans to transform New Mexico into "New America". Also in the crosshairs are Apple and Google, who have adjusted the maps, and Paramount itself

South Park changes its name. Ahead of the twenty-ninth season, creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone have announced that their animated series will be called "South America": a new dig at US President Donald Trump and his campaign to add the word "America" ​​to the names of places and geographical references. The announcement arrived on social media on Tuesday, with promotional material in which the word "America" ​​replaces "Park" in the show's historic logo.

"Inspired by the courage of Apple and Google"

In the press release, the two authors explained the choice in deliberately sarcastic tones: "Inspired by the courage and patriotism of Apple and Google, we change the name of South Park to South America". The reference is to the two tech companies that have adapted their map apps to the decisions of the American administration. Parker and Stone didn't spare the parent company either: "We want to especially thank our parent company Paramount – a Skydance Capitulation," they added, playing on the name of the Skydance group with which Paramount merged.

Trump's campaign on names

The provocation comes as Trump multiplies initiatives to rename geographical places in a patriotic way. The president recently announced that his administration would name Lake Ontario "Lake America," a decision linked to the trade dispute with Canada. Previously Trump had already renamed the Gulf of Mexico "Gulf of America", a move later implemented on Google and Apple maps. In recent days he also released a series of images on social media in which New Mexico appeared renamed "New America". While the president can rename some geographic features, such as bodies of water, he does not have the power to change the name of a state.

The feud with the White House

This isn't the first time the show has targeted the president. The series has repeatedly lampooned the administration since Trump's return to the White House. In one episode of the twenty-seventh season, a parody character of the president was shown in a red-light relationship with Satan and depicted with tiny genitals; the same run of episodes included a mock PSA in which a digitally reconstructed Trump appeared naked. After it aired, the White House reacted with a statement in which it branded the series irrelevant for over twenty years. A few days ago, after winning an Emmy for the season dedicated to Trump, the show's official account relaunched the controversy by publishing an image of the president with his pants down.

What is South Park

South Park is one of the longest-running and most irreverent animated series on American television. Created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone, it debuted on Comedy Central on August 13, 1997 and tells the story of four sharp-tongued kids in a fictional Colorado mountain town. Over the years the show has built its fame on the ferocious satire of American politics and society, without sparing any side. The series won the Emmy for Outstanding Animated Program five times.