Raising the Bar/Trivia

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This page contains trivia for "Raising the Bar". Remember, trivia must be factual, provable, and it is always best to cite your source for not-so-obvious trivia. If you would like to dispute a trivia point, please discuss it in the talk page.

Trivia

• This episode won an Emmy in 2013 for 'Outstanding Animated Program'.
• In the creator's commentary, Trey Parker mentions that the idea for this episode came from an article about Disneyland and people on mobility scooters. The article was in reference to the new Cars Land section at Disney California Adventure, where the line entrances were expanded to accommodate those on mobility scooters so they could be in the same line as other guests. Previously, those on scooters were allowed to bypass longer lines and moved into a shorter queue. He and Matt Stone then joke about how some people were now upset at the change, before pointing out how many lazy fat people would take advantage and use the scooter instead of letting those who truly needed have it.
• When Cartman is trying to access Kyle's bathroom for the first time in his mobility scooter, there is a picture of Kyle without his hat.
• The references to Here Comes Honey Boo Boo are due, in part, to its season finale beating the ratings for South Park's season premiere. This is supported by Eric Cartman being indignant that Here Comes Honey Boo Boo broke the ratings for his show, Fatty Doo Doo.
• Various insurance providers, including Medicare, that provide coverage for motorized convenience chairs have been scammed by those wanting a free one for convenience.
  • Also addressed is how many use them regularly in supermarkets whether they need them or not.
• Kyle breaks the fourth wall when he tells Stan that "We lowered the bar, a long time ago."
• Randy Newman's "Fatty Doo Doo" theme song has the lyric, "White President, Black President I don't care", referencing his satirical song titled "I'm Dreaming", having the lyric "I'm dreaming of a white president." The lyric also references, at the time, the 2012 presidential election.
• Token says that Here Comes Honey Boo Boo! airs on The Learning Channel. Although that's its original name, it has gone by the initials TLC since 1998 and hasn't aimed to be educational.
• University of Colorado Boulder is shown again, this is where Trey Parker and Matt Stone met. Previously it was seen in "Crack Baby Athletic Association".

References to Popular Culture

• One of the major elements of the episode is director James Cameron and several films that he has directed are referenced:
  • The film Aliens is referenced when James Cameron says, "We're in the pipe, five by five."
  • The line in the James Cameron song "No budget too steep" is a reference to Cameron setting record-high budgets on his movies such as Terminator 2: Judgment Day, Titanic, and Avatar.
  • His struggle to raise the bar as he screams “Goddammit, you bitch!” is a reference to The Abyss.
  • James Cameron remarks about how he will be filming Avatar 2, which will be partly filmed underwater.
  • On March 26, 2012, James Cameron set the record for the deepest solo dive in a submersible when he explored the Mariana Trench in the Deepsea Challenger.
  • James Cameron exploring the ocean floor to raise the bar is a reference to his passion for deep-sea exploration, which is also seen in several of his films such as The Abyss, Titanic and Sanctum.
  • In a 2014 AMA (Ask Me Anything) thread on Reddit, Cameron thought his portrayal in the episode was funny.
• This episode contains several references to the reality TV series Here Comes Honey Boo Boo on TLC.
  • In the commentary for this episode, Trey mentions that he only knew a little bit about Honey Boo Boo from another show, while Matt did not even know about the show until he received an e-mail about how the show was beating South Park, as it was airing at the same time on Wednesday nights.
  • The real June Shannon later commented that she did not like her and her family portrayal on South Park, calling it "Trashy".
• Musician Randy Newman has worked for Disney/Pixar for a majority of their movies.
• Michelle Obama is an outspoken advocate on obesity and health issues in the United States with her Let's Move! campaign.
• The introduction to the speech from Michelle Obama refers to her campaign against childhood obesity.
• The episode's title has several references:
  • The idiom, "Raise the bar" which means to raise the standards of quality for something.
  • The 1980 film Raise the Titanic
  • James Cameron's films noteworthy for "raising the bar" on modern film making.
  • James Cameron's obsession with the Titanic and deep-sea exploration.
• Candy Corn Oreos are a real product made by Nabisco/Kraft.
• After Kyle suggests that Cartman learn to pick his scooter if it is tipped over, Cartman mentions British singer Adele. At the time this episode aired, she was known for having a curvier figure compared to other young women in the music industry. Though in recent years, she has lost a significant amount of weight.
• Cartman’s voice-over monologue about “being treated differently” and the corresponding music is a reference to Bruce Springsteen’s “Streets of Philadelphia”, a song written for the 1992 film Philadelphia.

Continuity

• Wall-Mart has been rebuilt after being destroyed in "Something Wall-Mart This Way Comes".
  • however the Wall-Mart scene may not be happening in South Park, even the kids overthrowing the convenience chair are completely unknown.
• This episode shows that Kyle can be deceived into doing something immoral by money, also seen in the Season Fifteen episode, "Crack Baby Athletic Association".
• This is the second time we see South Park Elementary's new gym uniform, though it seems that Kenny McCormick still couldn't afford one.
• Despite being Canadian, James Cameron is presented as a normal character lacking the flapping heads or beady eyes that Canadians on South Park typically display. This was the same case for Justin Bieber in "Coon vs. Coon & Friends", Edge in "W.T.F." and others.
• At the beginning of the episode, the boys are looking for a catcher's mitt for Cartman, even though they established in "The Losing Edge" that they hate playing baseball.
• The Terrance and Phillip episode, "I Fart Huckabees", can be seen during the "Here Comes Fatty Doo Doo" theme song. The last time it was shown during "Canada on Strike".

Goofs

• At the beginning of Honey Boo-Boo's interview, it shows her name and age in the bottom left corner showing that she's seven, but then later in the interview she states that she's six.
• Michelle Obama calls Cartman 'Fatty Poo-Poo' instead of 'Fatty Doo-Doo' right before the fight.