# "South Park" Question About Character's Mouths **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 20, 2008, 6:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/south-park-question-about-characters-mouths/478042 "2008-12-20T06:07:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2008, 6:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/south-park-question-about-characters-mouths/478042/1 "2008-12-20T06:07:35Z")
I just started watching South Park in reruns, and I noticed that some characters have mouths that are in effect the top and bottom parts of the heads moving totally seperate from each other. Like Kyle’s brother Ike has this. Is there a reason for this? I realize the animation is very simple on purpose, but I was wondering why some characters like Ike and Terrence and Phillip have the odd mouths ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2008, 6:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/south-park-question-about-characters-mouths/478042/2 "2008-12-20T06:11:39Z")
Those characters that have the heads you describe are Canadian. ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2008, 6:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/south-park-question-about-characters-mouths/478042/3 "2008-12-20T06:18:39Z")
> [@garygnu](#): > > Those characters that have the heads you describe are Canadian. Except for Saddam Hussein. ---
**Author:** ![Art\_Rock](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/art_rock/32/525_2.png) [@Art\_Rock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Art_Rock)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2008, 6:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/south-park-question-about-characters-mouths/478042/4 "2008-12-20T06:21:15Z")
Saddam was the boss of Canada in one episode. Related question though: why are Canadians depicted this way? ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2008, 6:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/south-park-question-about-characters-mouths/478042/5 "2008-12-20T06:45:47Z")
> [@Art\_Rock](#): > > Saddam was the boss of Canada in one episode. > > Related question though: why are Canadians depicted this way? According to Wikipedia, there are a couple of theories originating with the creation of [Terrance and Phillip.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terrence_and_phillip#Terrance_and_Phillip_as_a_satire) They were created as a response to complaints that South Park was nothing but fart jokes and crude animation. Parker and Stone created them to demonstrate what a show that had only fart jokes and even cruder animation would look like. The fact that Terrance and Phillip are Canadian is likely to be a reference to the circle-shaped characters in [Břetislav Pojar’s](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B%C5%99etislav_Pojar) Canadian animated short [Balablok](http://www3.nfb.ca/animation/objanim/en/films/film.php?sort=director&director=Pojar%252C+Bretislav&id=10784). ---
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2008, 7:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/south-park-question-about-characters-mouths/478042/6 "2008-12-20T07:28:44Z")
> [@Art\_Rock](#): > > Related question though: why are Canadians depicted this way? So they are easily identifiable and different from everyone else. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2008, 10:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/south-park-question-about-characters-mouths/478042/7 "2008-12-20T10:17:06Z")
> [@](#): > > Like Kyle’s brother Ike has this. > > … > Those characters that have the heads you describe are Canadian. Ike is adopted, by the way. There was an episode where his Canadian parents turned up wanting to reclaim him. That’s why he has a Canadian head. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2008, 12:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/south-park-question-about-characters-mouths/478042/8 "2008-12-20T12:19:04Z")
Originally Terrance and Phillip were supposed to be an animated TV show, hence their crude style. But eventually all Canadians were shown to look the same as them, so I think that idea went out the window early on. Then again, that doesn’t explain Ike, who was portrayed that way in the very first episode, so maybe I’m incorrect. ---
**Author:** ![Jman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jman/32/4416_2.png) [@Jman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jman)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2008, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/south-park-question-about-characters-mouths/478042/9 "2008-12-20T16:51:34Z")
GuanoLad, read the post above yours…Ike is an adopted Canadian boy. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2008, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/south-park-question-about-characters-mouths/478042/10 "2008-12-20T17:17:14Z")
Because, according to Mrs. Broflovski, Canadians have “big flapping heads.” ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2008, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/south-park-question-about-characters-mouths/478042/11 "2008-12-20T17:20:02Z")
> [@Jman](#): > > GuanoLad, read the post above yours…Ike is an adopted Canadian boy. I think what **GuanoLad** was getting at was that Ike had a flappy head before it was established (in the show) that that’s how Canadians looked. ---
**Author:** ![Jayn\_Newell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Jayn\_Newell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jayn_Newell)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2008, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/south-park-question-about-characters-mouths/478042/12 "2008-12-20T17:22:42Z")
> [@Tengu](#): > > Except for Saddam Hussein. Or anyone else where they use a photo for the head. It was established pretty early on that Ike was Canadian. I can’t remember if T&P showed up before or after that though. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2008, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/south-park-question-about-characters-mouths/478042/13 "2008-12-20T23:15:46Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > I think what **GuanoLad** was getting at was that Ike had a flappy head before it was established (in the show) that that’s how Canadians looked. Indeedly do, that was my point. I have never listened to the commentary on the DVDs so perhaps all this speculation has been confirmed by Matt and Trey. ---
**Author:** ![Icerigger](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/icerigger/32/432_2.png) [@Icerigger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Icerigger)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2008, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/south-park-question-about-characters-mouths/478042/14 "2008-12-21T00:12:02Z")
Another question if I may, what’s with the **“Braniff, I believe it”** at the end of the credits? I know Braniff was an airline that went under but what does that have to do with South Park. ---
**Author:** ![Fenris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fenris/32/498_2.png) [@Fenris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fenris)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2008, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/south-park-question-about-characters-mouths/478042/15 "2008-12-21T00:47:54Z")
> [@Jayn\_Newell](#): > > Or anyone else where they use a photo for the head. > > It was established pretty early on that Ike was Canadian. I can’t remember if T&P showed up before or after that though. Ike had a flappy head in the first episode (“Cartman Gets An Anal Probe”) and IIRC it was established he was adopted in that episode too. So maybe the flappy head thing was just to make him look different from the rest of the family. Terrance and Phillip showed up about 6 episodes later. ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2008, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/south-park-question-about-characters-mouths/478042/16 "2008-12-21T00:56:35Z")
> [@Fenris](#): > > Ike had a flappy head in the first episode (“Cartman Gets An Anal Probe”) and IIRC it was established he was adopted in that episode too. So maybe the flappy head thing was just to make him look different from the rest of the family. > > Terrance and Phillip showed up about 6 episodes later. I thought it wasn’t established till the episode in which Ike has his bris. ---
**Author:** ![sqweels](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f19dbf/32.png) [@sqweels](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sqweels)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2008, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/south-park-question-about-characters-mouths/478042/17 "2008-12-21T04:43:53Z")
Maybe it’s just a coincidence that the same ultra-crude animation technique used for the cartoon-within-a-cartoon Terrence & Philip as with the toddler Ike, and later it was decided that this was a common characteristic of being Canadian. ---
**Author:** ![clayton\_e](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c57346/32.png) [@clayton\_e](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clayton_e)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2008, 5:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/south-park-question-about-characters-mouths/478042/18 "2008-12-21T05:09:25Z")
And what’s with the eyes? I know that its quoted in one of the South Park Movie song or something about “Beady Eyes”, but again, I think that’s a reference to the fact they were already doing it in their animation. ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2008, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/south-park-question-about-characters-mouths/478042/19 "2008-12-21T22:52:18Z")
> [@Icerigger](#): > > Another question if I may, what’s with the **“Braniff, I believe it”** at the end of the credits? I know Braniff was an airline that went under but what does that have to do with South Park. [Halfway down on this page](http://www.spscriptorium.com/SPinfo/SPStudiosFAQ3.htm). ---
**Author:** ![Jayn\_Newell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Jayn\_Newell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jayn_Newell)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2008, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/south-park-question-about-characters-mouths/478042/20 "2008-12-21T22:56:15Z")
> [@Freudian\_Slit](#): > > I thought it wasn’t established till the episode in which Ike has his bris. Me too, but I thought that was in the first season. It was the forth episode of the second. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/south-park-question-about-characters-mouths/478042.md?page=2)