Chef's Chocolate Salty Balls/Trivia

Trivia

 * This episode was the last to feature the town as a backdrop in the closing credits. From "Chickenpox" onwards the credits are played over a black screen. This stays in the same way until the season ten episode "Smug Alert!".
 * Instead of an instrumental version of the theme song at the end they have Chef's song "Chocolate Salty Balls"
 * This is the First time Mr. Hankey is seen when it is not Christmas. The second being "201".
 * There are many sexual references concerning Chef and his Chocolate Salty Balls.
 * The Comedy Central 2000 Logo use the Transmitter audio since "Ike's Wee Wee".
 * In the scene where Cartman gets sent to the Principal's office, the poster on Mr. Garrison's desk changes from a poster with various leaves and the word 'Leafs' to a poster with a giraffe.

References to Popular Culture

 * This episode is a giant commentary on the Sundance Film Festival and it's chairperson Robert Redford which happens every year in Park City, Utah. It claims to be an independent film festival, however over the years it's been transformed into a big Hollywood event. Matt Stone and Trey Parker have some personal history with Sundance: They attempted to get their first film Cannibal! The Musical to screen there and it was rejected. According to Lloyd Kaufman founder of Troma Entertainment (Who releases Cannibal!) Stone and Parker rented out some space and screened their movie in Park City the year they were rejected. This apparently inspired Troma to start Tromadance that also happened every year next to Sundance in Park City until most recently when soaring costs and restrictive advertising campaigns (in place to eek out competition) Tromadance was moved to New Jersey.
 * According to Robert Redford, people who come to Sundance go to see Liam Neeson. Academy award nominee Liam Neeson is probably best known for his roles in Schindler's List and Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace.
 * Stan hopes they don't play that "lame ass Godzilla movie again" at the South Park Film Festival. Stan is referring to the 1998 American remake of Godzilla. It came out a few months before this episode aired, and it was panned by critics for everything from its ridiculous amounts of cross promotion, sloppy continuity, etc.
 * Stan next confuses independent films with the 1996 science fiction film Independence Day, which was also panned by critics for focusing too many on special effects and not on the plot.
 * Celebrity name droppings by producers on their cell phones: One mentions that he wants to work with actress Demi Moore, while the other says that director/producer Steven Spielberg can kiss his ass.
 * While taking a crap, Kyle is singing the 1972 Johnny Nash song I Can See Clearly Now from the album of the same name.
 * People are disappointed by the arrival of Fred Savage. Savage was a child actor best known for his role in the Wonder Years. When this episode aired, Savage's fame had faded into obscurity.
 * The boys think the only format that could possibly capture Cartman's ass is IMAX. The standard IMAX screen is 22 × 16.1 m (72 × 52.8 ft).
 * While the boys are searching for Mr. Hankey in the sewers, Cartman is frustrated and asks the others if they look like the The Goonies. The Goonies is a 1985 adventure film following a group of boys who go searching for a lost pirate treasure.
 * A director mistakes Kyle for Leonardo Di Caprio. There is no visible resemblance, but Leonardo Di Caprio is an actor who was popular at the time this episode aired due to his role in the 1997 James Cameron film Titanic.
 * The assembled producers believe that Mr. Hankey's troubles could be the next Free Willy. Free Willy was a 1993 film about a boy who helps free a whale named Willy from captivity.
 * Celebrities brainstormed to be in the Mr. Hankey Story: Harrison Ford, Keanu Reeves and Matt Damon. During the time this episode aired Ford was featured in the film Air Force One, Reeves was in The Devil's Advocate, and Damon was in Saving Private Ryan.
 * The Hollywood Planet restaurant that is being installed in South Park is a parody of the Planet Hollywood restaurant franchise. It was first launched in 1991 and was financially backed by Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Demi Moore, and Bruce Willis.
 * Kyle and Mr. Hankey's exchange where Kyle decides to bring Mr. Hankey out into the open to prove that he is real is a parody of a similar scene from 1969 Christmas special Frosty the Snowman.
 * The film "Mr. Hankey and Me" supposedly stars academy award winning actor Tom Hanks, the film is a parody of the 1993 film Philadelphia wherein Hanks plays the role of Andrew Beckett who is dying of AIDS/HIV.
 * As Mr. Hankey is "dying" his last words are "There is another Skywalker", this is a reference to the Star Wars film Return of the Jedi. There is a scene where as Yoda is dying, he tells Luke Skywalker that he has another sibling, who turns out to be Princess Leia.
 * The Mister Hankey song that plays, all be it in a slower sadder rendition than the episode Mr. Hankey the Christmas Poo' is done in the theme of many old Ranken/Bass Christmas specials, notably the aforementioned Frosty the Snowman.
 * When Fred Savage throws Mr. Hankey against a wall, he says "I have had enough of you!" in a similar way to the way James Kirk said it in Star Trek III as he kicked the Klingon Kruge off a cliff and into a lava flow.
 * When Mr. Hankey drowns the film festival organizers in poo he it is done in a direct parody of a scene from the 1940 Disney film Fantasia. It features a scene where Mickey Mouse, a wizards apprentice attempts to mop the floors of his masters chambers by enchanting a mop to come to life, it leads to a big flood which Mickey tries to control with magic, much in the way Mr. Hankey is controlling the torrent of poo.
 * After finishing drowning Robert Redford in feces, Mr. Hankey says "Golly, I guess I don't know my own strength". He says it in the same manner as Bullwinkle Moose on the The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show cartoon series (1959–1964). One regular occurring segment would feature Bullwinkle attempting to pull a rabbit out of his hat. The running gag would be he would pull some wild animal (lion, tiger etc.) and quickly shove it back into the hat before it can attack him, to which he would respond "I guess I don't know my own strength."

Hidden Visitor(s)
Three visitors can be found in this episode:
 * At the "Bijou" on the 2nd row from the back, behind the man with the cowboy hat.
 * Rushing out of the theater with the others at the end of "Me and Mr.Hankey."
 * In the same row mentioned above but behind the person to his left.

Kenny's Death

 * Kenny is trampled by a crowd leaving a theater. Stan and Kyle are not present; instead, a moviegoer says, "Oh my God, I found a penny!", and his friend replies, "You bastard!"