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Eric Cartman

Eric Theodore Cartman,commonly referred to by his family name, Cartman, is one of the four main fictional characters in the animated series South Park, which also includes Stan, Kyle, and Kenny. He is voiced by the series co-creator Trey Parker. In the original "The Spirit of Christmas (Jesus vs. Frosty)" short, he is referred to as "Kenny."

Characterization

Cartman is portrayed as both the "fat kid" and the antihero of the South Park gang. His personality has noticeably changed over the course of the series. While always self-centered and bigoted, he was more of a mean-spirited characterization of adolescence in the earlier seasons, with little psychological (in logic) or ethical grounding in life. As the series progressed his personality became more aggressive and cunning, evolving into conduct disorder, that would likely be categorized as antisocial personality disorder were he over the age of 18, by the fifth season; in the premiere episode, Cartman masterminds the murder of a boy's parents in order to feed them to the boy. His bigotry visibly morphs into racial hatred and theorizing, and, while it is not presented as being overtly fascist, the dirty hippy and evangelical attitudes to capitalism are taken as corruptions of the racial ideal, and hence open to exploitation. His abilities to manipulate other people into doing what he wants have become keener, along with his overall intelligence. His descent into sadism is usually accepted as being brought about in the famous and very dark episode "Scott Tenorman Must Die", in which he develops a fierce obsession with - and later exacts revenge upon - a 9th grader who cheated him out of $16.12. The episode was ranked by fans as the greatest of his top twenty-five moments in a range vote on Comedy Central's website.

Cartman has a rivalry with Kyle, whom he views as inferior because Kyle is Jewish. His lazy and rude, antisemitic behavior towards Kyle often provokes a large argument, to which in the earlier seasons Cartman replied "Screw you guys, I'm going home!"; later his comeback to Kyle's criticisms was "Shut up you Jew!!" or similar invective. Though fights between the two have become a centerpiece of the show, their default relationship is "friend", however uncomfortable they may be with that. Cartman is nearly always the aggressor, yet he rarely brings the matter to fisticuffs, something which Kyle is more apt to do. It is also notable that both Cartman and Kyle have saved the other's life, Kyle in the episode Trapper Keeper after Cartman's title item turns him into a monstrous blob similar to Tetsuo in Akira and in ManBearPig when he pulls Cartman (who has been incapacitated by consuming a large amount of treasure) to safety from a flooding cave. Cartman has also saved Kyle's life on two occasions: once in Smug Alert, when Kyle is incapacitated both by LSD and the titular smug and Cartman transports him and his family to safety. The other is in the Imaginationland series, when he revives Kyle after it appears Kyle has lost his heart beat. Though the reasons behind his rescues are selfish - in Smug Alert because he realizes he needs Kyle around to mock, and in Imaginationland because he desperately wishes Kyle to uphold his end of a bet - Cartman's rescues are arguably more noble. In Smug Alert, he urges Butters, the only other person to know of Cartman's heroism, to keep quiet.

He is generally abrasive to Stan and Kenny - Kenny for being poor and Stan for being a "pussy" - though the two of them are far more tolerant of the anti-social side of his personality. It has been suggested that Kenny and Cartman are best friends. This seems to be confirmed in episodes like Kenny Dies and Best Friends Forever, though in the latter Kenny says in his will that he never liked Cartman and believes he will die "alone" and friendless. Still, the two can be seen alone together without Stan and Kyle, and Kenny is often the only one to laugh at Cartman's jokes. Stan is typically tolerant of Cartman, even on occasions when he is making fun of Kyle. In an apparent show of affection, Cartman tells him that he "still hates him less than Kyle" in the episode Trapped in the Closet.

Overall Cartman only ever incurs his friend's wrath after saying something completely inappropriate or extremely cruel/outrageous, such as when he screamed at Token for being black when he formed the Christian rock band Faith+1. Other times he has always screamed "I thought you guys were my friends! I guess I thought wrong!", only to receive "Yeah dude, you were wrong." from Kyle. Nonetheless, Cartman's friendships with many of the South Park children seem to have not wavered. However, it seems at the beginning of each new episode Cartman has healed the rift from the previous episode, as his friends are seen to talk with him without Cartman having to start the conversation himself.

Hate is often used loosely to describe others' feelings towards Cartman. Kyle, along with several more minor characters typically refuse if Cartman asks them a favor, responding with the simple line, "Because I hate you," or a similar variation when Cartman asks them why, a reason that he typically accepts.

Concept and creation

According to creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone, they thought it might be impossible to put a character like Archie Bunker on late-20th century television but decided that it might be allowed if he was an animated nine-year-old boy. Thus, Cartman was born.

Friendship with Stan

Out of Stan Kyle and Kenny, Stan would be Cartmans best friend out of the lot but always while Kyle's not around. Stan never seems to bother Cartman that much at all, but while there's a brawl from him and Kyle, it pisses him off when Stan takes Kyle's side. It seems to Cartman that he seems to tease Stan the least, only sometimes when he acts like a pussy.

Friendship with Kenny

Kenny's a sort of average friend for Cartman's sense of humor, often teasing him about how poor his family is and never really says anything when Kenny dies. Whenever Cartman is in an argument with Kyle he'll ask Kenny if it's right or wrong. Normally it's wrong and Kyle's right. He understands what Kenny is saying, even though Kenny always has his hood over his head, covering his mouth, but never mocks it. Cartman does show a little reaction to when Kenny dies, "Most of the time" He has a sort of worried face.

Friendship with Butters

Cartman and Butters get along well. He never starts and argument with him, never disses him for his bad habits, they stay at each others' houses, and Butters would be the first person that Cartman would ask for help. In the 2 Part episode Go God Go, Cartman asks Butters to help freeze him 3 weeks into the future, so he can finally get a Wii video game console. Butters normally sticks up for Cartman when he's there arguing with Kyle. In the episode Cartman Sucks, Kyle, Kenny and Stan say they think Cartman must be gay for sucking Butters' dick and taking a picture and showing it to people. While trying to reverse what he did Butters didn't even notice and went to a special Camp where they "pray the gay away".

Catchphrases

Aside from Cartman's recurring antisemetic comments towards Jews, one of his favorite catch phrases is "Screw you guys, I'm going home". When opposed to ideas by the other boys, to Kyle he often says "Shut your Jew mouth". Upon winning or beating somebody in a challenge Cartman will give a signature laugh "Nah nah nah nah naah nah, heh heh heh heh hehh heh!" One of Cartman's most famous phrases , when he is attempting to exert his will upon others, is to say, "Respect my authority", pronounced "mah authoritah", in his southern accent. When called fat, he often replies by stating, "I'm not fat, I'm big boned! Additionally, whenever he asks his mom to do something for him, in many cases an outrageous request such as signing him up for the Special Olympics despite his lack of a disability, he will try to put a thin sugar-coat on the request, and after being denied, say, "But, Mooooom!"

In popular culture

Cartman was placed tenth on TV Guide's 2002 list of the "Top 50 Greatest Cartoon Characters". In 2003, he was chosen as one of "VH1's 200 Greatest Pop Culture Icons", at number 198.

In 2005, Cartman was ranked number nineteen on Bravo's 100 Greatest TV Characters.

Between late 1998 and early 1999, World Wrestling Federation wrestler John Tenta was given the gimmick and name "Golga" which involved him wearing South Park t-shirts and carrying a Cartman doll to the ring.

Cartman's " You Will Respect My Authoritah!" scene in the "Chickenlover" episode May 20, 1998. appeared on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart.

ABC used Cartman to introduce the starting line-ups of a Colorado Buffaloes game on November 24, 2007. Cartman also appears on screen between play at Los Angeles Kings games.

In the Powerpuff Girls episode "Imaginary Fiend", when Blossom was tripped and landed in the coat rack, she ended up dressed like Cartman. She also said "Uh he tripped me, seriously".
Cartman's head can be seen in the Head Museum in Futurama: Bender's Big Score and on a T-shirt worn by Bart Simpson in The Bart Book.