I Rewatched South Park's First Christmas Special For The First Time In Years, And Was Shocked By All The Ways The Show Has Changed

South Park recently wrapped up its latest run with a Christmas episode, which got me thinking about all the times the irreverent Comedy Central series has acknowledged the holiday over the years. With no word on when or if the show will appear on the 2026 TV schedule, I got a little nostalgic and pulled up the first holiday special with my Paramount+ subscription.

Watching "Mr. Hankey, The Christmas Poo," was a shock to the system. Not because it was overtly traumatizing, but because I hadn't quite realized just how much this comedy has changed since 1997. After a bit of thought, of course it has, and all long-running animated shows do, but it didn't make these key things I noticed any less jarring to experience.

The Special Is Loaded With Musical Numbers

Music has always been a part of South Park, but this episode reminded me how the earlier seasons and some of the best episodes of the franchise have leaned on musical numbers. This episode is stacked with singing from start to finish, from Chef singing one of his classical sexual tunes, to that iconic diddy in which Cartman sang about Kyle's mom.

New South Park occasionally has singing, but I guarantee it's been a good while since we've seen seven musical numbers in one adventure. I'd love to see the writing team get back to that in future stories, even if not consistently. I'm sure fans would love to get another musical episode in an upcoming season, especially with the litany of current events it could be centered around.

Randy Marsh Is Barely A Presence In The Episode

When CinemaBlend did a ranked list of the best South Park characters of all time, Randy Marsh was ranked second, just behind Eric Cartman. The ranking is deserved, as there's no shortage of Randy antics that aren't part of the most memorable moments of the show. Personally, I always loved the storyline where he was secretly the pop artist Lorde, and I still chuckle about it from time to time.

If readers were to travel back in time and show that ranking list to someone watching Season 1, however, they'd be so confused. Randy is hardly in "Mr. Hankey, The Christmas Poo" at all, and the couple of lines that he has are more or less filler. There's no joke behind either line. It's just to move the plot along.

It's a shame, really, because I feel like a Randy subplot would add a lot to this quality South Park episode. The whole thing had me thinking about some sort of Back To The Future subplot in which modern Randy would have to stand in for classic Randy, and how differently he'd react to all the chaos unfolding all around him. Just a thought for the writers' room if they're cooking up ideas for the next batch of stories.

Cartman Has Catchphrases

I was on the lookout for this one going into the episode, thanks to the recent South Park episode with the AI videos. This is the perfect opportunity to say "Simpsons did it first," because I can't help but notice the parallels between the evolution of Bart Simpson and Eric Cartman in their early years. Both were overwhelmingly favored by the fans, and both were given some of the most outlandish scenarios as well as a series of catch phrases.

These days, Eric Cartman is far less likely to talk about Cheesy Poofs or say "Screw you guys, I'm going home." Spoiler alert: he says one of those in this episode, but I don't want to spoil which for those who haven't watched yet.

I think it's fair to say that South Park is better off with how Eric Cartman is now than it was in the early days. Part of this is, no doubt, thanks to the series' evolution and a more experienced writing staff, and maybe even a better budget to hire other talented writers. Basically, what I'm saying is that we've come a long way since the early days of Cartman, and we don't need to backpedal into those glory days.

Overall, The Episode Holds Up

For all the things that have changed with South Park, its ability to entertain has not. "Mr. Hankey, The Christmas Poo," is still a delightful Christmas movie, and for what it's worth, the message of the episode is still relevant today.

The entire episode centers on the town's effort to make the holiday as secular as possible, removing all imagery that any group may find offensive. Meanwhile, Kyle is bummed out as the only Jewish kid in his friend group, while the rest of his friends get to celebrate the fun of Christmas, he's left on the sidelines, unable to take part.

Fortunately, or unfortunately, Kyle meets Mr. Hankey, the Christmas Poo, and can get the Christmas spirit through his new fecal friend. Unfortunately, many around town begin to think that Kyle is crazy, and he's committed to an asylum ahead of the holiday pageant. Fortunately, he's exonerated by the end, and the entire town celebrates the arrival of Mr. Hankey and embraces the differences in how we all celebrate the holiday season.

Is it the best Christmas special South Park has ever done? I had to rewatch "Woodland Critter Christmas" after to be sure, and I can definitely say, no. That episode still reigns supreme, but this one is certainly up there and worth a watch before the holidays are over for those who have Paramount+ to check it out. I'll also say the latest season's Christmas special is one for the books, and it's worth a watch.

With no solid return date for South Park to Comedy Central just yet, it's the perfect time to jump back into the series and enjoy all the episodes on Paramount+. In fact, one can make an evening out of watching all the holiday specials, but maybe make sure the kids aren't around to take it all in as well.