‘South Park’ Has a Long History of Inserting Real Fans into Episodes

Unless you’re a politician, an annoying celebrity or a rock star with the power to transform into a Streisand-battling Kaiju, chances are you’ll never be immortalized in an episode of South Park. 

But there is one way that it could happen. South Park Studios recently announced a “Become a Permanent Resident of South Park!” contest. One lucky winner will get the “opportunity to be animated into a custom South Park character and appear in the new 2025 season.” 

Fans can enter the contest by donating to The SoCal Fire Fund. “A majority of our crew and the South Park production studio are in Los Angeles,” a statement from the show reads, “and several people were directly impacted by the fires in Pasadena, Altadena and Palisades, which makes your and donations even more meaningful. This cause means a lot to us — and so do the fans who have ed us all these years. We can’t wait to see one of you in the show.”

This won’t actually be the first time that South Park has given a fan the 2D animation treatment either. For starters, in 2003, a random kid named “Alex Glick” showed up and even delivered the episode’s ultimate moral, before breaking the fourth wall and revealing that he was there to do the “guest voice thingy.” According to South Park Studios, Glick “was the highest bidder at a charity auction” to “benefit AIDS research” and won a “guest spot on the show.”

Then, in 2009, they held a “Become A South Park Citizen” sweepstakes, with the winner getting to appear in the 14th season premiere. Again, rather than try to hide the winner in the background, the victorious fan, Mathew Klinner, got to be front-and-center, this time in the episode’s opening credit sequence. He’s the random guy smiling and waving with Stan, Kyle, Cartman and Kenny — much to the confusion of fans watching the show now.

Then, in 2017, Trey Parker and Matt Stone offered up a South Park cameo/“eternal life” in order to raise money for NEXT for AUTISM.

The winner, “Hugh,” showed up in two episodes, and his animated avatar even got to host a symposium on ManBearPig.

And in 2020, a teenager battling brain cancer named Sef Furman showed up in South Park’s Pandemic Special, thanks to the Make-A-Wish Foundation. He can be seen Zooming with Cartman and his friends in the episode, which aired just two months before Furman ed away.

There’s still time to enter the latest contest, or just become famous enough to get mocked by South Park for free.