I missed some episodes recently (obviously). I finally saw the one from last year where Kenny actually (and supposedly finally) dies for real. Then Cartman drank his ashes so he was possessed with Kenny’s spirit.
Now it seems Kenny is just back in corporial form! Was there any explaination? Or am I just mixing up old & new episodes?
::hysterical laughter:: Explanation–Oh, that’s a good one. Next you’ll be discussing plot lines!
I heard he was just off screen for awhile.
No, seriously, someone please answer this. I have been wondering about this too.
In the last episode of season six (Red Sleigh Down, in which Stan, Cartman, Kyle and Jesus must infiltrate Afghanistan in order to rescue Santa after his sleigh is shot down, and Jesus dies in effort.) Kenny just showed up alive and well in the end, without explanation.
As for explanations . . . Trey and Matt supposedly killed Kenny off for good because they were sick of him (Not that his death stopped several season six eps from revolving around him.) and they brought him back because the fans wanted it and because they aren’t sick of him anymore I guess.
He’s survived both season seven episodes so far though, so it would seem the running joke of Kenny dying in every up has been permanently retired. I think having to come up with a way to kill him in every episode was part of why Trey & Matt got so sick of him.
Ok. I’ll give it a go.
Show 7-01 is actually a rerun of show 1-01. Only the boys notice that it’s a rerun and take things in a different tack. I kind of imagine the timeline with a loop in which 7-01 and 1-01 briefly occupy the same space but will now be going off in its own way.
Well, that’s just what happened. They never explained it in any technobabble way if that’s what you’re looking for. Really they just did it and left any explanation up to those who like to find explanations about these kinds of things. And I am one of those and that’s all I could come up with.
Aw crap. I hadn’t seen the last episode of season 6. I didn’t know he had come back then. Ignore my explanation.
I remember some thread earlier in SDMB about Kenny dying for good and someone saying that they’ll probably just bring Kenny back one episode just like that, without any explanations. That seems to be just what they’ve done here.
God I love South Park.
I nearly died laughing at the Ladder To Heaven episode, with the satellite photos of Saddam’s WMD factories in heaven, disguised as clouds and seagulls 
I heard Kenny had been having some problems dealing with his frequent, gruesome deaths. His agent decided to play hardball and Kenny called in “sick” for a while. Negotiations got back on track, he’s got a new contract, and as a result, he’s back on the show.
Some celebs get so full of themselves…
I’m guessing someone in the Comedy Central head office sat Trey and Matt down and explained “Boys, you’re not as hot as you used to be. The movie deals are history, you’re not appearing in magazines, and the phones aren’t ringing. Now’s the time when you need to realize you’re one trick ponies and the only success you’re going to have in this business is giving the fans of your show exactly what they want to see. So knock off the creative difficulties crap or you’ll both wind up in some gutter with John Kricfalusi.”
Googles “John Kricfalusi”
Oh yeah, the Ren and Stimpy guy, I forgot about him.
…but aren’t they gay?
Oh come on, we all know they stole the whole “Kenny dies but comes back” thing from Hans Moleman.