Jimbo Kern is Stan Marsh's maternal uncle, a Vietnam veteran, and an avid gun enthusiast. He first appears in the Season One episode, "Weight Gain 4000".
Background[]
Vietnam War[]
Jimbo was a helicopter pilot in the Vietnam War where he met his lifelong buddy, Ned Gerblanski. However, his memory of the events are heavily distorted. When he relates his memories to the boys for their history assignment, he recalls that there were amusement park rides and that he and Ned defeated the entire Viet Cong by themselves, and then riding away on a white stallion.
Mr. Garrison does not believe the boys' story, thinking that they made it up, and gives them detention. Mr. Garrison also hints that he was in Vietnam himself. However, a cameraman who was also a Vietnam veteran appeared to share memories of amusement park rides as well, implying that while some of Jimbo's story was fabricated (him and Ned winning the war single handedly) other aspects of his retelling was truthful.
In South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut, and "The Red Badge of Gayness", Jimbo is also shown to be known for his guerrilla tactics.
Hunting[]
Jimbo is best known for being a hunter. Most of his episodes circle around him hunting with his ever-present life partner, Ned. Jimbo is often shown carrying a rifle.
In "Volcano", Jimbo revealed that because there was a law issued, which forbade the killing of an animal unless in self-defense, he and Ned would always say, "It's coming right for us!" before killing an animal. However, in "The Mexican Staring Frog of Southern Sri Lanka", it was revealed that hunters were no longer allowed to exploit this loophole. Instead, he would say, "We need to kill them to thin out their numbers", under the pretense that they were culling animals in order to prevent overpopulation.
Jimbo also runs the local gun shop. This was first shown in "Weight Gain 4000", when he sold Mr. Garrison and Mr. Hat a gun to shoot Kathie Lee Gifford with.
Television Show[]
Jimbo and Ned also co-host a TV show called Huntin' and Killin'. It is first featured in "The Mexican Staring Frog of Southern Sri Lanka", in which Jimbo and Ned get into a ratings war against Jesus and Pals. Huntin' and Killin pulled in about twenty-four viewers, beating Jesus and Pals by about two viewers.
The show has not been mentioned since that episode, but one of its episodes can be heard on Cartman's TV in "Hooked on Monkey Fonics".
Cannibalism[]
In "Cartman's Mom is Still a Dirty Slut" he and Ned, the mayor, Officer Barbrady, Mr. Garrison and Mr. Hat, the film producer, his assistant, and actor Eric Roberts all got snowbound. After a while, they got hungry, and Jimbo said they would have to eat each other since there was no other food available. They started with Eric Roberts, and eventually ate the film producer and his assistant. Curiously, this does not seem to have affected Jimbo or Ned, and they have simply moved on with their lives.
Sexuality[]
Jimbo's sexual orientation remains ambiguous. Jimbo has never been married, and his only companion is his lifelong partner Ned, who in "Jakovasaurs" is shown walking around Jimbo's house wearing skimpy underpants and an open short red dressing gown, which Jimbo seems entirely comfortable with. In the Season Five premiere "It Hits the Fan", Jimbo is able to say "fag" without being censored, heavily implying that he is gay. In "Two Guys Naked in a Hot Tub" he admits that "everyone is a little gay."
However, in "Goobacks", he is reluctant to participate in a gay orgy in order to prevent the people of the future from ever existing. In "Cartman's Mom is a Dirty Slut", it is revealed that he had sexual relations with Liane Cartman (but so did Mr. Garrison). In "South Park is Gay!", he is caught in the metrosexual craze, and explains to Mr. Garrison that he is not gay. In "Scott Tenorman Must Die", he and Ned got excited when Mrs. Tenorman was taking off her bra.
The confusion surrounding Jimbo's sexuality may be a reflection of his own confusion; he identifies with a very stereotypically heterosexual and macho culture, which he may find hard to reconcile with his homo/bisexuality. He may also be confused himself about his sexuality. Unlike Ned, no one has said anything about him having any relationships, in the past or present. He seemingly is homosexual, but not many events about his sexuality have happened, so it’s not completely clear.
Health[]
In "The Pandemic Special", Jimbo falls gravely ill from COVID-19. It is mentioned that he has alcoholism when Randy says his obesity and alcoholism would have made him very ill anyway. Randy attempts to cure him by giving marijuana contaminated with his semen. He gets better and Sharon brings him back to Tegridy Farms. However, he soon grows a mustache after smoking the marijuana and falls ill again. However, in "South ParQ Vaccination Special", he is seen to have fully recovered.
Criminal Record[]
- Bombing: Attempts to bomb Middle Park Cowboys in "Big Gay Al's Big Gay Boat Ride".
- Smuggling: In "Summer Sucks", after fireworks have been banned in Colorado, he and Ned go to Mexico to smuggle fireworks into the country.
- Cannibalism: In "Cartman's Mom is Still a Dirty Slut", he ate people.
- Felony Escape: Following their arrest in "Summer Sucks", he and Ned escape a Texas prison.
- Arson: In "Something Wall-Mart This Way Comes", he burns down 2 stores: Wall-Mart and Jim's Drugs.
- Riot: In "The Red Badge of Gayness", he is the secondary leader of Cartman's army of drunken Confederate reenactors, which starts a riot countrywide.
- False imprisonment: In "Hooked on Monkey Fonics", Jimbo was one of many adults/parents who helped duct tape Mr. Cotswolds to a bench, and later, a flagpole.
Quotes[]
- "It's comin' right for us!"
- "Kyle, Kyle, he's our man! If he can't win it... I'm out 50 bucks."
- "I can't wait to see what you kill next!"
- "No nephew of mine is gonna be a tree-hugger!"
Appearance[]
He wears an orange hat, orange shirt, green vest, and brown trousers. Underneath his hat he is nearly bald, but what little hair he has is light brown. He is overweight and has a double chin. His jawline is very broad and square.
Jimbo was given an updated look in "Night of the Living Homeless"; his jacket was shaded around the edges of the pockets. In "South Park is Gay!", Jimbo shaved his head; however, it is likely his hair has since grown back, since the "metrosexual" fad faded near the end of the aforementioned episode.
Jimbo, along with Ned, Chef, and Skeeter's Friends are the only adult characters on the show that have black rectangular eyebrows. He is also one of the few adults who does not have a nose.
He somewhat resembles Looney Tunes character Elmer Fudd.
- To see images of Jimbo Kern, visit Jimbo Kern/Gallery.
Personality[]
Although Jimbo generally seems amiable, he occasionally has streaks of madness, such as when he saw Kenny McCormick as a platypus in "Damien". Though the platypus stood on two legs, was dressed like Kenny, and was indoors with the other children, he shot him immediately.
He tried to kill him again in "Cripple Fight". Timmy had given Jimmy Valmer an orange parka to make him look like Kenny, in hopes that this would kill him. One of the obstacles he narrowly escaped was Jimbo, who says "Look! There's Kenny! Get him!" and fires, before taking a closer look and saying "Oh wait, that's not him!".
He also directed the other men in South Park on how to bully Mr. Cotswolds in "Hooked on Monkey Fonics". He likes the idea of being Stan's "cool uncle". He took him hunting, openly swears in front of him and the boys, and offers them alcohol in "Volcano".
Although he has good technical knowledge, having been a pilot and being able to operate many different weapons, he is frequently shown to be quite dimwitted; for example, being unable to tell the difference between Cartman and Scuzzlebutt in "Volcano", thinking that a plastic frog was a deadly animal "The Mexican Staring Frog of Southern Sri Lanka", thus causing Ned to go into a coma, and repeatedly forgetting to lie to checkpoint controllers when smuggling in Mexican fireworks "Summer Sucks".
Family[]
Sharon Marsh[]
Jimbo and Sharon do not interact much, but when they do, they seem to be on good terms. In "The Pandemic Special", she seemed to care a lot for Jimbo while he was battling COVID-19.
Randy Marsh[]
Randy is Jimbo's brother-in-law; they appear to have a decently friendly relationship, often drinking together and talking about their interests.
Stan Marsh[]
Jimbo cares for his nephew, but he gets frustrated by Stan's animal-loving nature. In "Volcano", Jimbo seemed to give up on Stan because he refused to shoot anything. All the same, at the end of the episode when Stan shot the Scuzzlebutt, Jimbo still got upset and explained that one should not shoot just anything, especially not when it just saved your life. He then tells Stan that he'll always be his nephew, and he'll always love him, even if he is a sissy.
Unnamed Members[]
- In "Cartman's Mom is a Dirty Slut", Jimbo's father that he took the latter fishing when he was younger.
- In "Chef Goes Nanners", Jimbo's grandfather was among the fourteen founders of South Park who travelled from the East Coast in 1867.
Interactions[]
Ned Gerblanski[]
Jimbo and Ned met while deployed in Vietnam. They soon formed a solid friendship, and are almost always seen together. They share each other's enthusiasm for firearms and hunting. It is not known if their relationship is entirely platonic, as they both live together and neither are married (although Ned used to have a wife). Ned is also seen walking around immodestly dressed in Jimbo's house in "Jakovasaurs". In South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut, they work together to fight and hunt animals.
The Boys[]
Jimbo takes the boys on a hunting trip in "Volcano". He warms especially to Kenny, whom he makes his honorary nephew. He usually tries to be helpful towards the boys in later episodes. He tends to get along with Cartman as well, teaming up with him during the airsoft match in "Help, My Teenager Hates Me!" However, in "Bebe's Boobs Destroy Society", he becomes annoyed when the boys throw a rock at his truck.
Kenny McCormick[]
As of "Volcano", he became Jimbo's honorary nephew due to the fact that he enjoyed hunting animals and shooting or bombing them as he did. However, shortly thereafter, Ned accidentally shot Kenny dead. He also enjoyed guzzling down alcohol and gasoline.
However, in later episodes, Jimbo has (sometimes successfully) attempted to kill Kenny on several occasions. In "Damien", he sees Kenny in the form of a duck-billed platypus and immediately opens fire on him. In "Cripple Fight", Jimbo shouts, "There he is, shoot him!" when he sees Jimmy in the orange parka Kenny always wears. Exactly why Jimbo attempted to kill Kenny in this instance is not known.
Timmy Burch[]
In "Helen Keller! The Musical" Jimbo almost shot a runaway Gobbles, who at the time belonged to Timmy. Timmy came to Gobbles' rescue just as Jimbo was about to shoot him and jumped in his way, causing Timmy to take the bullet instead. Luckily, Timmy was left merely wounded, and to make it up to him, Jimbo went with Timmy to the fourth graders' Thanksgiving play to shoot the turkey that replaced Gobbles.
Video Games[]
South Park Let's Go Tower Defense Play![]
Jimbo plays a major role in the game South Park Let's Go Tower Defense Play! alongside Ned Gerblanski, hunting out at Stark's Pond when it is attacked by Jakovasaurs and other enemies. He and his partner both function as powered-up 'fiery-works' towers, but without costing the player any money. Neither character is playable, however, and it is unknown if the game is canon.
South Park: The Stick of Truth[]
Jimbo has his store in the northwest corner of South Park, right next to Skeeter's bar. In addition to selling the player a number of high-level weapons, he also gives the player a quest to hunt down a bunch of rare wild creatures for rewards.
South Park: The Fractured But Whole[]
In the Peppermint Hippo Lost & Found mission, Jimbo reveals that he had left his wallet back in The Peppermint Hippo. Retrieving it and coming back to him will unlock the Ham Radio (the summon) and the ability to take a selfie with him.
South Park: Phone Destroyer[]
Hunter Jimbo is a 4-Cost Rare Tank of the Adventure theme that sees Jimbo with a brown vest instead of a green one and without wearing his hat. He gives the nearest Ranged unit a buff to their Attack whenever he attacks, which was later nerfed to last temporarily. His shotgun can hit flying enemies, as well as target multiple enemies like Swarms all at once.
South Park: Snow Day![]
In The Test of Strength chapter, multiple townsfolk surround Jimbo and Ned outside the former's store, demanding for supplies amid the blizzard in South Park. The New Kid approaches Jimbo, who then assigns them to retrieve several items from nearby. At the end of the chapter, Jimbo pulls out his gun on the townsfolk on site, attempting to drive them away.
Trivia[]
- Jimbo drives a Hummer H1.
- Jimbo Kern and Ned Gerblanski were inspired by characters Trey Parker drew while in high school.[3]
- South Park's supervising technical director during Season One and Season Two is referred to as "Uncle Jimbo" Valladao, in the credits.
- Jimbo, Ned, Jesus, and Barbrady are the only adult characters in South Park with an unseen nose. In earlier episodes, he did sometimes have a nose, but only when his head is in profile view.
- Season Fifteen is the first season not to feature Jimbo.
- Despite Matt Stone mentioning offhand in an interview that Jimbo was Randy's half-brother, he is finally confirmed in canon to be Sharon's brother in "The Pandemic Special".
- This implies that Sharon's maiden name was Kern before she married Randy, though it is also possible that Jimbo is Sharon's maternal half-brother as it was previously established that Sharon's maiden name was Kimble in "My Future Self n' Me". This last name discrepancy could also just be a continuity error.
Prominence[]
Jimbo's role is one of those which has diminished greatly since the beginning. In the first several seasons, he had an average of three or four prominent roles per season. Around the seventh season and onward, his importance faded to the point at which he now gets to have about 1 or two prominent appearances each season. He made a temporary comeback in Season 10, though, when his level of prominence equaled three episodes once more.
- "Weight Gain 4000" - Jimbo's first appearance. Jimbo sells Mr. Garrison a gun to shoot Kathie Lee Gifford with.
- "Volcano" - Jimbo and Ned take the boys on a hunting trip.
- "Big Gay Al's Big Gay Boat Ride" - Jimbo and Ned sabotage the opposing football team's mascot.
- "An Elephant Makes Love to a Pig" - Jimbo and Mr. Garrison blame Stan for the damage his clone caused, believing it was him, and threaten to tell his father. later, they are both seen outside the window of the Marsh Residence, talking to Stan's parents.
- "Pinkeye" - Jimbo and Ned can be seen on top of a building shooting the zombies.
- "Starvin' Marvin" - Seen with the residents of South Park fighting off the mutant turkeys.
- "Mr. Hankey, the Christmas Poo"
- "Damien" - Bets on Satan.
- "Mecha-Streisand" - Seen at his store where he sees Mecha-Streisand shows up to destroy the town.
- "Cartman's Mom is a Dirty Slut" - Jimbo and Ned are considered as potential fathers of Cartman.
- "1998 New Year's Countdown" - He appears in the New Year's Countdown and wishes everyone a Happy New Year.
- "Terrance and Phillip in Not Without My Anus" - Seen in the previously segment.
- "Cartman's Mom is Still a Dirty Slut" - Jimbo, Ned, and several other people get trapped in the filming studios due to a heavy snowstorm outside and resort to cannibalism to survive.
- "Ike's Wee Wee" - Gets infuriated when Mr. Mackey accidentally bumps into him.
- "Conjoined Fetus Lady" - Seen at the City Hall dinner where he informs the crowd that the South Park Cow's dodgeball team made it to the world championship.
- "The Mexican Staring Frog of Southern Sri Lanka" - Jimbo's television series rivals against Jesus and Pals.
- "City on the Edge of Forever (Flashbacks)" - He appears in the boy's flashbacks from previous episodes.
- "Summer Sucks" - Jimbo and Ned try to smuggle fireworks from Mexico after South Park bans them.
- "Chef's Chocolate Salty Balls" - Appears in the film festival audience.
- "Cow Days" - Jimbo tries to find out who stole the cow clock on "Cow Day".
- "Spontaneous Combustion" (cameo) - Seen in the South Park Church.
- "Jakovasaurs" - Jimbo, Ned, and the boys discover a near-extinct species known as "Jakovasaurs" and help it repopulate.
- "Tweek vs. Craig" - Jimbo and Ned teach Tweek how to box.
- "Sexual Harassment Panda" - Seen in the crowd.
- "Two Guys Naked in a Hot Tub" Seen at Mr. Mackey's party.
- "Chinpokomon" - Seen at City Hall complaining about Chinpokomon with the other adults.
- "Korn's Groovy Pirate Ghost Mystery" - Seen at the South Park Docks complaining about how the horror house wasn't a whore house.
- "Hooked on Monkey Fonics" - Bets on Kyle.
- "The Red Badge of Gayness" - Jimbo and Ned participate in the war reenactment.
- "Are You There God? It's Me, Jesus" - Seen at Jesus' house where he, along with the rest of the town, want to see God.
- "Chef Goes Nanners" - Jimbo and Ned try to get the South Park flag to remain the same.
- "Do the Handicapped Go to Hell?" - Seen at the church.
- "Probably"
- "Helen Keller! The Musical" - Unsuccessfully tries to shoot Gobbles, and successfully shoots a performing turkey.
- "It Hits the Fan" - During a debate with Mr. Garrison, Jimbo says "fag" uncensored.
- "Cripple Fight" - Tries to shoot Jimmy who is wearing Kenny's trademark parka.
- "Super Best Friends" - Jimbo participates in one of David Blaine's magic tricks.
- "Scott Tenorman Must Die" - Jimbo and Ned help Cartman spy on the Tenormans.
- "Cartmanland" - Seen with Ned at the bank, looking at Eric's money.
- "The Entity" - Seen at IT Dealership where he wants to order a theft alarm for his IT.
- "Here Comes the Neighborhood" - Jimbo and the other men in South Park try to get rid of the rich, black residents.
- "Jared Has Aides" - Appears in the angry mob chasing Jared Fogle.
- "The New Terrance and Phillip Movie Trailer" - Appears in the bar watching Russell Crowe Fightin' Around The World with Ned, Herbert Garrison and Mr. Hat.
- "Professor Chaos" - He was one out of six possible South Park residences who was said to be killed off.
- "Bebe's Boobs Destroy Society" - Jimbo and Ned drive their van and get mad at the boys for throwing rocks at it.
- "A Ladder to Heaven" - Jimbo is touched when he sees Stan, Kyle, and Cartman build a ladder to heaven to see their dead friend Kenny.
- "Red Sleigh Down" - Seen at the Christmas tree lighting with Ned.
- "I'm a Little Bit Country" - Jimbo is a pro-war fighter and is seen in the audience singing the reprise of "Bleeding Heart Rock Protest Song vs. Pro War Country Song" at the end.
- "Red Man's Greed" - Forced to move out of South Park with everyone else in town.
- "South Park is Gay!" - Seen as part of the metrosexual crowd along with other townspeople.
- "Casa Bonita" - Not seen in the episode, but mentioned by Cartman when he goes to hide Butters in Jimbo's bomb shelter.
- "Butt Out" - He appears with the mob outside the Big Tobacco Co. factory.
- "You Got F'd in the A" - He is at the hospital to see Randy.
- "Goobacks" - Does not want to participate in the gay orgy to prevent people from the future from ever existing.
- "Douche and Turd" - Seen at Stan's banishment.
- "Something Wall-Mart This Way Comes" - Seen shopping at Wall-Mart.
- "Die Hippie, Die" - Seen at the town meeting.
- "The Losing Edge" - Seen at Whistlin' Willy's.
- "Two Days Before the Day After Tomorrow" - Seen taking refuge at the Park County Community Center. He is accused by Stephen Stotch for causing global warming.
- "The Return of Chef"- Seen at Chef's funeral.
- "Smug Alert!" - Blames his nephew Stan for causing South Park to be polluted with smug.
- "Cartoon Wars Part I" - Seen in the crowd at the town's meeting.
- "Mystery of the Urinal Deuce" - Seen at the South Park PTA meeting.
- "Miss Teacher Bangs a Boy" - Jimbo admires the beauty of Ms. Stevenson.
- "With Apologies to Jesse Jackson" - Seen with the citizens of South Park watching Wheel of Fortune at Skeeter's Bar and Cocktails.
- "Night of the Living Homeless" - Jimbo becomes a fugitive of the homeless people. His clothing appearance was modified.
- "More Crap" - Jimbo supports his half-brother, Randy, in the crapping competition.
- "Britney's New Look" - Seen taking photos of Britney Spears along with many other people.
- "Major Boobage" - Watches the fight between Kenny & Gerald.
- "Over Logging" - Attends Randy's speech in City Hall.
- "Eat, Pray, Queef" - Seen among the male singers performing "Queef Free".
- "Pinewood Derby" - Seen among the residents at the end of the alien test.
- "The F Word" - Attends a court session involving the boys.
- "Sexual Healing" - Seen attending Kenny's funeral.
- "Medicinal Fried Chicken" - He and Ned get cancer in order to acquire a prescription to smoke marijuana legally.
- "You Have 0 Friends" (mentioned)
- "200" - Seen at the town's meeting.
- "201" - Tells Cartman that his father is a Denver Bronco.
- "It's a Jersey Thing" - Fights against the Jerseyites trying to take over South Park.
- "Reverse Cowgirl" - Seen at the Park County Community Center meeting.
- "I Should Have Never Gone Ziplining" - Seen driving the boys to Backcountry Adventures.
- "Insecurity" - Jimbo is among the adult males that rally to get rid of the UPS man.
- "A Scause For Applause" - Seen in the background while Jesus Christ gives his speech.
- "World War Zimmerman" - Jimbo sells Eric Cartman a rifle.
- "Gluten Free Ebola" - He is seen at the gluten presentation.
- "Handicar" - Tells everyone in Skeeter's Bar and Cocktails that they need to watch the news.
- "The Magic Bush" - He is shown on the news, outraged at a police drone shooting down a Neighborhood Watch drone.
- "Cock Magic" - Watching the Cock Magic fights with Ned at City Wok.
- "Where My Country Gone?" - Part of Mr. Garrison's presidential campaign.
- "Member Berries" - Talks about the 2016 upcoming presidential election.
- "Skank Hunt" - Seen at the girl's volleyball game where he bets that Nichole wont sit down for the national anthem.
- "Douche and a Danish" - Chasing after Mr. Garrison.
- "Not Funny" - Seen at Harrison Yates' press conference about TrollTrace.com.
- "Holiday Special" - Seen during Randy's speech near the school.
- "Splatty Tomato" - Informs Randy that they caught President Garrison.
- "A Boy And A Priest" - Goes to church.
- "The Problem with a Poo" - Watches Mr. Hankey leave South Park.
- "The Scoots" - Berates Stephen Stotch for pretending to trick or treat to protect his house.
- "Time To Get Cereal" - Hunts on Tegridy Farms with Ned, who is taken away by ManBearPig.
- "Nobody Got Cereal?" - Watches Satan dying. Later, he is seen in front of Park County Courthouse, waiting for Stan's verdict on the negotiation with ManBearPig.
- "Unfulfilled" - Seen protesting against Amazon on the customer's side.
- "Bike Parade" - Seen watching the bike parade with Ned.
- "Mexican Joker" - Seen as one of the people growing their weed.
- "Band in China" - Seen at Autumn Fest.
- "Shots!!!" - Seen at the PTA meeting.
- "Let Them Eat Goo" - Seen at the town meeting.
- "Christmas Snow" - Seen with some townspeople at the supermarket.
- "The Pandemic Special" - Falls gravely ill from COVID-19 and is hospitalized.
- "South ParQ Vaccination Special" - Is seen among numerous citizens of South Park in various scenes.
- "Pajama Day" - Seen in his gun shop on Pajama Day.
- "City People" - Guides the volunteers of the Chamber of Commerce into shooting up the Black Residence, crowded with City People.
- "Help, My Teenager Hates Me!" - Helps the boys defeat Teenagers in Airsoft.
- "Japanese Toilet" - Attends Stan's speech outside of City Hall.
- "DikinBaus Hot Dogs" - He congrats Cartman for opening DikinBaus Hot Dogs.
Movies[]
- South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut - Seen with the army and fighting in the war.
- South Park: Post Covid - Seen at the Shady Acres retirement home.
- South Park: Post Covid: The Return of Covid - Seen in a Zoom conference, celebrating Stan's birthday and later at Shelley's funeral.
- South Park: Joining the Panderverse - Seen in his version of (universe 216-B) along with the Ned of the same universe.
References[]
- ↑ Summer Sucks
- ↑ "South Park" Volcano (TV episode 1997). IMDb.com.
- ↑ Trey Parker, Matt Stone. (2003). South Park: The Complete First Season: "Weight Gain 4000" (Audio commentary) [CD]. Comedy Central.
South Park families | |
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Main characters' families Other characters' families |
Kern / Kimble / Marsh Family | |
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Jimbo Kern | Aunt Flo Kimble | Marvin Marsh | Grandma Marsh | Randy Marsh | Sharon Marsh | Shelley Marsh | Stan Marsh | Sparky |