Summer Sucks/Trivia

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"City on the Edge of Forever (Flashbacks)/Trivia"

"Summer Sucks/Trivia"

"Chef's Chocolate Salty Balls/Trivia"

This page contains trivia for "Summer Sucks". 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 is the only episode to date in which the snow has melted in South Park.
• This episode is one of a few times South Park is set during a certain season.
• The episode credits feature the black ash "snow" in the town backdrop in the remastered version as opposed to the regular snow.
• This episode introduces Mr. Twig and marks the departure of Mr. Hat until six episodes later in "Chef Aid".
• In the flashback of the boys as toddlers, their footie pajamas appear to resemble their modern clothes with the exception of Kyle's, who is seen wearing green ones rather than orange ones.
• The Crowd models are recycled from "Big Gay Al's Big Gay Boat Ride".

References to Popular Culture

• This episode is centered around the United States of America's Independence Day, which takes place on July 4.
• When the snow begins to melt around South Park, the music playing in the background is similar to that commonly played in animated specials featuring the Peanuts.
• The boys are disappointed to find that firecrackers are illegal in Colorado. This has been a Colorado state law since 1991.
• The only firework that can be sold in South Park is apparently the Black snake type firework. After lighting the small tablet, the firework starts smoking and an ash resembling a snake is created via intumescent reaction.
• Officer Barbrady is trying to find the "little man in the boat". This is sexual slang for finding the clitoris.
• The Dyno Might Firework company would use Comanche helicopters to light the gigantic snake. The Comanche helicopter was commissioned by the US military and designed by Boeing and Sikorsky. Beginning in 1988, however the program was scrapped in 2004 before any were actually used by the military.
• The mayor hopes that the children will sing "Stars and Stripes Forever", the patriotic American marching song composed by John Philip Sousa in 1869.
• The children apparently play a good rendition of "Mary Had a Little Lamb", a folk song that originated by Sarah Josepha Hale published May 24, 1830.
• The mayor confuses Uncle Sam with Uncle Remus. Uncle Sam is of course the iconic "embodiment" of America, used as an icon for the US government support in conflicts. He was first conceptualized during the War of 1812. Uncle Remus, however, is a fictional character created by journalist/writer Joel Chandler Harris in 1876 and featured in the 1946 Disney feature Song of the South.
• Kyle sings "Dusty the Dirtball", a parody of a popular song titled "Frosty the Snowman" written by Walter "Jack" Rollins and Steve Nelson, and first recorded by Gene Autry and the Cass County Boys in 1950, which inspired the TV holiday special of the same name.
• The conductor has the children try to play Mozart's Symphony No. 5.
• The Mexican firework stand owner is wearing a Menudo T-shirt. Menudo was a Puerto Rican boy band that was popular in the 1970s. The band was the starting point for Latin singer Ricky Martin.
• Jimbo compares himself and Ned to Santa Claus for getting fireworks to American children.
• Mr. Garrison turns on the TV to find that Sheri Lewis and Lamb Chop are on TV. Sheri Lewis is best known for her ventriloquist act with Lamb Chop, she had her own popular PBS children's show Lamb Chop's Play-Along it aired from 1992 to 1997. Lewis died in 1998.
• Cartman confuses the Dog paddle with Doggy style. The Dog Paddle is a form of swimming that is in imitation of a dog or other four legged animal. Doggy style refers to a sexual position where intercourse occurs with one partner on their hands and knees presenting much like a female animal (i.e. a dog) for their mate.
• As the giant snake goes out of control, the children play "Nearer, My God, to Thee", a 19th-century Christian hymn by Sarah Flower Adams, based loosely on Genesis 28:11–19. This is a well known reference for being the song allegedly played by the band aboard the Titanic as it sank.
• There are a group of Mormons performing a Baptism as the snake rampages across America.
• Mr. Garrison has gone to New York to get help from Dr. Katz. Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist was another animated television series that aired on Comedy Central from 1995 to 2002. Coincidentally, a few months later, MAD Magazine would run a dual parody in which Katz, accompanied by son Ben and Ben's girlfriend Laura, sets up shop in South Park. However, only a few days of listening to such head cases as Cartman and Mr. Garrison (while Ben catches Laura in bed with Chef), leave him suddenly nostalgic for the New York practice he left behind, and after a broken pencil starts a chain reaction which results in Kenny's decapitation (though Laura claims to have already killed him twice that morning), he calls his previous clients begging them to take him back.
  • Dr. Katz's appearance has his linework looking wavy. This is referring to the animation style of his show, commonly known as "squigglevision".
• Mr. Hat apparently would fantasize about NFL quarterback Brett Favre.
• After the snake is destroyed and South Park is covered with black ash, everyone's faces are dirtied by black ash and they resemble characters out of a Minstrel show.
• Mr. Twig's shirt features a symbol, which has been historically used to represent homosexuality. It was used in Nazi concentration camp badges to identify male prisoners who were sent there because of their homosexuality. The badge worn by prisoners was a downward pointing pink triangle. Today, the pink triangle symbol has been reclaimed, it is used inverted as an international symbol of the gay pride and gay rights movement.

Continuity

• This episode reveals that Pip Pirrip's parents are dead. This idea is later reused in "Pip", when Pip visits his parents' graves at the beginning.
• Mr. Garrison tells the "unidentified prank caller" to "Go to hell! You go to hell and you die!" a line he told Kyle in "Cartman Gets an Anal Probe".

Goofs

• When Cartman says "screw you guys I’m going home" at Stu's firework booth, Kenny has crossed eyes for a split second.
• When the boys call Chef for help, he hangs up the phone and continues singing. Even though the phone is hung up, the boys can hear him singing on the other end.
• The sauna that Mr. Hat and Brett Favre share is said to be located in Green Bay, Wisconsin. Despite this, mountains can be seen outside the sauna even though Green Bay does not have any in real life.
• The poster in Mr. Garrison's classroom says a boy named 'Jon' is missing. But when 'Jon' is found after the snow melts, his parents call him Kevin.
• When the whole class runs outside leaving school, Red is shown in Wendy Testaburger's clothes. A similar error would be present in "Hooked on Monkey Fonics" and "Mr. Hankey, the Christmas Poo".
• On the remastered HD version, the mayor saying "shits" when the orchestra plays poorly is bleeped, but Mr. Garrison exclaiming "Shit!" after the kids (except Pip) leave the classroom was not bleeped.
• The snake is claimed to be over half a mile in diameter, and twenty stories high. However, when compared to the people standing around it, its size appears only about 20 feet high and much less than half a mile.

Kenny's Death

• While the snake grows bigger it attacks the orchestra. Everyone jumps off the stage except for Kenny. It is too late for Kenny to get off so he is thrown off the stage by the snake and lands next to the bleachers where the snake knocks the bleachers over and crushes him, followed by an "Oh my God, they killed Kenny!" by Stan, and then a "You Bastards!" by Kyle, as usual. Another death happens, as well. There was a flashback of the boys younger, playing with firecrackers. Kenny held onto his too long, and his head blew off, resulting in rats eating the corpse, as well as the famous phrase. Stan exclaims, "Oh, that's killed Kenny!" followed by Kyle's "'Oo bastards!"

Hidden Visitor(s)

Visitor at the public swimming pool.

• A visitor is seen swimming in the pool.

Dubbing Changes

International Titles

Language	Title	Translation
Czech	Léto je na hovno	Summer sucks
Finnish	Mäntti kesä	Nice summer
French	L'été, ça craint	Summer sucks
German	Tote Hose	Nothing is going on
Hungarian	A nyár egy szívás	Summer sucks
Italian	Un'estate da schifo	A crappy summer
Japanese	花火禁止でスネスネスネーク (Hanabi kinshi de sunesunesunēku)	No fireworks with sna-sna-snake
Latvian	Vasara sūkā	Summer sucks
Mandarin Chinese	夏天真討厭 (Xiàtiān zhēn tǎoyàn)	Summer is so annoying
Polish	Lato ssie pałę	Summer sucks
Portuguese (Brazil)	O verão enche	The summer fills
Russian	Лето — отстой (Leto — otstoy)	Summer sucks
Spanish (Latin America)	El verano apesta	Summer sucks
Spanish (Spain)	Verano de Mierda	Shitty summer
Ukrainian	Літо - відстій (Lito - vidstiy)	Summer Sucks

Common

• All mentions of "Stars and Stripes Forever" are replaced with the general term of "the national anthem" in the Brazilian Portuguese, Cantonese, Czech, French, German, Hungarian, Italian (2nd) and Ukrainian dubs.
• When the mayor's aide suggests using the South Park Elementary orchestra for the event, he brings up their performance of other songs in the following dubs:
  • French: "Il était une bergère" (lit. "There was a shepherdess"), a 17th-century French song.
  • German: "Hänschen klein" (lit. "Little Hans"), a late 19th-century German nursery song.
  • Hungarian: An unspecified song featuring a fictional character named Miki Manó (lit. "Mickey the Elf") by Hungarian country band 100 Folk Celsius.
  • Mandarin Chinese: "My Heart Will Go On" by Celine Dion.
  • Ukrainian: "Two Funny Geese" (Два веселі гусі, Dva veseli husi), an Ukrainian folk song.
• While describing to Dr. Katz on what Mr. Hat would pretend to be, Mr. Garrison quotes Mr. Hat in a sauna with different products in the following dubs:
  • French: Beer
  • Hungarian: Vaseline
  • Italian (2nd): Irish whiskey
  • Mandarin Chinese: Baby oil
  • Ukrainian: Sour cream
• In the German and Hungarian dubs, Mr. Garrison names "a group of soccer players" in a sauna with Mr. Hat instead of Brett Favre.

Cantonese

• The episode revolves around the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests.
• The flamethrowers used to light the giant black snake parody the AK-47 rifle.
• The death toll reported outside the City Hall is increased from 3,000 to 30,000.

Czech

• Kenny's line just before he is killed by the giant snake is removed, and replaced with Cartman screaming "Rychle dělejte něco!" ("Do something quickly!").

French

• When asking for a firework at the Mexican store, Jimbo quotes "fue(go) de artificio" over "fireworko".
• Instead of informing the media that the Mayor "is having her period", the aides reply that she is "indisposed".

Hungarian

• Ned does not roll his 'R's while saying "spectacularrrr".
• Upon returning to South Park, Chef does not specify the country which he had traveled to.

Italian (2nd)

• Changes to the Spanish conversation with the Mexican proprietor:
  • The proprietor's line of "¿Necesita usted un cohete grande?" is changed to "¿Necesita petardito grande?".
  • Ned's line of "No moleste el gato spectacularrrr" is changed to "Sí, más grande espectacularrrr" ("Yes, the biggest spectacular").
• As Jimbo brings the rockets to Stan and Kyle, he greets the boys with the correct translation of "Buenos dias, chicos."

Mandarin Chinese

• The episode revolves around the Mid-Autumn Festival.
• The model of helicopter required to carry the giant black snake is not specified.
• Instead of expressing disappointment, Mr. Romero is pleased when he hears that Cartman is not present for the school band's rehearsal.
• While attempting to buy fireworks from the proprietor, Jimbo is required to say a password for authentication.
• Jimbo identifies the rocket which he acquired from the proprietor as a Soviet-era missile.
• When Mayor McDaniels queries on the song which the school band is playing, Ted replies that it is titled "别在伤口撒尿" (Pinyin: Bié zài shāngkǒu sāniào, lit. "Don't rub pee in the wound"), parodying the song "Don't Rub Salt In The Wound" by Taiwanese singer A-Mei.
• When the boys begin to play "Nearer, My God, to Thee", the crowd could still be heard screaming in the background, resulting in the music being delayed and not in sync with the playing band.
• Utah is literally labelled as an "unknown location".
• Brett Favre is dubbed as Hong Kong actor Nicholas Tse.

Spanish (Latin America)

• When asking for a firework at the Mexican store, Jimbo uses the correct translation with "petardo".
• The background noises as the boys are playing "Nearer, My God, to Thee" are removed.

Ukrainian

• While the giant black snake is going out of control, the second man's line of "It's out of control!" is played with a female voice.