The Pandemic Special/Trivia

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"The Pandemic Special/Trivia"

"South ParQ Vaccination Special/Trivia"

This page contains trivia for "The Pandemic Special". 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.

References to COVID-19

• The Disclaimer at the beginning of the episode is altered to replace "due to its content" with "due to COVID-19".
• Randy's stand imitates roadside COVID-19 testing.
• The economic impact and the death toll are referenced as Randy walks through South Park.
• The general populous being for or against the wearing of masks is referenced as well as their improper use by some people.
• A theory that bats may have caused the COVID-19 outbreak is referenced.
  • The Pangolin that becomes the focus of the episode is a real mammal. Its appearance references another theory that the illegal medicine trade of pangolin scales could be the cause of the pandemic.
• Some of the closure of major chains in South Park such as Red Robin was a reference to the closures of many major chains in the United States caused by the economic crisis during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Cartman attending class via Zoom conferences references students having to attend classes online during the pandemic.
• Stan expressing his concern about Butters' mental health references the effects that the lockdown has on mental health. It has been especially hard on children who are being kept in and away from their classmates and friends, leading to reports of depression, abuse at home, and even suicide.

• The police claiming that COVID-19 was the reason why Tolkien is in the hospital, despite Stan pointing out that the cops shot him, and then claim it was "COVID-related" is a reference to claims that COVID-19 deaths are being inflated by the CDC and local health officials. There have been reports of death certificates falsely stating COVID-19 as a cause of death in incidents involving gunshots, serious underlying health conditions, or motorcycle crashes.
  • The gunshots that were targeted on Tolkien is another reference to George Floyd's death by police, which was allegedly caused by racism, by kneeing on his neck choking him to death.

Trivia

• This episode does not play the South Park Theme, instead of having a brief "South Park Pandemic Special" title card about three minutes in.
  • This was the first time since "Pip" that this was done in an episode.
• The bloody text on Mickey Mouse's package containing a bloody heart that says "You're Dead" has a similar font as in South Park: The Fractured But Whole's game over screen.
• The episode is sometimes shortened as Pandemic Special.
• During the scene where Randy and Sharon were in their car, Stan and Shelley were in the backseats when the scene was shown in the trailer for this episode, However, they do not appear in the finished episode, Randy was also supposed to say "Wha?" after Sharon calls him a child after making a special off of the pandemic as seen in the episode's trailer, but he never said it in the finished episode.
• Detective Harris mentioning that the Park County Police Force has lost most of their funding and then warns them to not shoot anyone is a reference to the "Defund the police" movement that has gained widespread attention following the George Floyd protests and the shootings of several African-Americans during police altercations.
• This episode had been nominated an Emmy in 2021 for Outstanding Animated Program
• This episode marks a simulcast program being aired for the first time on MTV and MTV2. Season 25 also followed a similar path with it's first episode.
• This episode became available to stream on HBO Max 24 hours after its premiere.
• The tanks, artillery pieces, and armored vehicles used by the SPPD are a reference to the militarization of police in the United States.
• There is an adult woman in the Zoom conference with the name "Annie Knitts". Either Annie's mother has the same name, or her mom simply did not change her screen name.
• The grunt Tolkien makes when he is shot is the same as the one he made in "Cartman's Silly Hate Crime 2000".
• The sign located at Tegridy Farms that says "Closed due to fires", and the fires breaking out all over Tegridy Farms are references to the Western U.S. wildfires that broke out in August 2020.
• Carol's screen name is "ipad 494732". Presumably, she does not know how to change the name.
• When Butters is going insane and throwing a fit in the cafeteria, his ears can be seen. He is the only student whose ears can be seen with his mask, as the rest of the kids' are covered by their hair.
• Parts of a few characters' names are revealed in this episode:
  • Mr. Turner's first name is revealed to be "Thomas", as mentioned by Randy.
  • Red's last name is revealed to be "McArthur"; she is seen zooming with her parents who have the name 'Mr. and Mrs. McArthur' while talking to her and in other scenes.
    • Red's mother also has her first name revealed as "Moira", though she was called Sarah in South Park: The Fractured But Whole
  • Mrs. Preston's first name is revealed to be "Sue" on Zoom.
  • Mr. Anderson's first name is revealed to be "Millard" on Zoom.
  • The name of the Nose-Picker Girl's father is revealed to be "Greg Tustin" on Zoom.
• This was the only South Park episode to air in 2020.
• This episode reveals that Stotch parents’ hatred of visiting non-essential businesses.

References to Popular Culture

• The song that plays when the cops begin pursuing the kids after they escaped from the school is "Kickstart My Heart" by Mötley Crüe.
• The music that plays during the montage of the police watching over the kids at South Park Elementary during quarantine is "Coming to L.A." from the soundtrack of the 1988 film They Live.
• The Walt Disney Animation studio where Mickey Mouse worked was located in Burbank, California.
• The Academy Awards seen in Mickey Mouse's office is a reference to the 80 Academy Awards won by Walt Disney Pictures so far.
• In Mickey Mouse's office, there are various references to Disney, Star Wars films, and characters:
  • A poster of Mickey Mouse in his Sorcerer's Apprentice outfit from 1940 animated film, Fantasia.
  • A Baby Yoda figurine.
  • A Mickey Mouse figurine.
  • A poster of Uniters of the Universe, which is a parody of Guardians of the Galaxy.
  • A poster of the 2013 animated film, Frozen.
  • A First Order Stormtrooper helmet.
  • A model of the Millennium Falcon.
• Mickey is heard screaming over the telephone in his office about various references to Disneyland's struggle to the pandemic and The Mandalorian :
  • "Then sell fucking Epcot Center! If we can't get people on the rides, then sell the fucking thing!" This is a reference to Disneyland struggling to sustain its business because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • "No, no, no, I said more Mandalorian!" This is a reference to people anticipating for the second season of The Mandalorian.
• At one point, Randy accuses Mickey Mouse of making "a deal with the devil when you sold your Mulan shit to China". This is a reference to the 2020 live-action film Mulan, which has come under heavy criticism regarding controversies involving filming in Xinjiang Province, which is known for violating human rights and two of its main actors (Liu Yifei and Donnie Yen) supporting China and the Hong Kong police during the Hong Kong protests.
• Disneyland being deserted and only attended by Mickey Mouse is a reference to the COVID-19 response taken by Disney Parks, Experiences and Products, who is responsible for the management in Disneyland Resort theme parks.
• The Build-A-Bear Workshop makes an appearance in the episode.

Continuity

• This is the second time that the show has shown Cartman's love of not needing to attend school, the first time being when he asked to be homeschooled in "Hooked on Monkey Fonics"
• This is the second time that Tolkien has been shot since "World War Zimmerman".
  • He was also shot at in South Park: The Fractured But Whole, but the bullet missed him.
• This episode marks the return of the Grim Reaper Death after having appeared in the eponymous episode in Season One, not counting video games and any cameo appearances.
• There are flashbacks of Randy Marsh and Mickey Mouse from the Season 23 episode "Band in China".
  • However, the various Disney, Marvel, Star Wars characters, and NBA basketball players who appeared at the baggage claim in "Band in China" were replaced with ordinary passengers.
• When Cartman is brought into the classroom by the cops, he squeals like a pig just like he did in the Season Twenty-Three episode "Shots!!!"
• This episode marks Dr. Doctor's first appearance since being absent from the show since "You're Not Yelping", and only his second speaking appearance since "Medicinal Fried Chicken".

The Super Best Friends on Stan's lunchbox

• During the scene where Randy is gloating about the cause not being a bat, Stan is holding a lunchbox depicting the Super Best Friends, including uncensored Muhammad. On the Paramount+ version of this episode, the lunchbox art is modified.
• Randy appears to have dyed his mustache black and shaven his beard after the events of Season Twenty-Three's "Christmas Snow".
• A poster in the school gym reads "Beat the Bobcats!!!" The Westchester Bobcats played the South Park Cows in "Elementary School Musical".

Kenny's Death

• Kenny is shot to death by the police force during the riots. This is Kenny's first death since the Season Twenty-Two episode "Bike Parade" and his first on-screen death since the Season Seventeen episode "Titties and Dragons".

Hidden Visitors

• While Mayor McDaniels is observing the riots throughout South Park from her office, a Visitor with a mustache is seen running for a split second behind the wrecked car in between two blue-colored buildings below. This episode marks the return of this trope since Season Fifteen's "You're Getting Old".

Goofs

• Cartman's PC does not appear to have a camera, yet he still appears with a webcam. This is also the case with other PCs of the same model throughout the special.
• When Cartman and his classmates joined the Zoom session, a female student called her teacher "Mrs. Stevens" even though her name displays "Mrs. Nelson".
• As Cartman leaves the same Zoom session, Mrs. Nelson asks Wendy to read some grammar examples, but on Cartman's screen, Kyle is seen speaking instead.
• When the boy with brown hair and red shirt is building the snowman, he has his mask on. However, after the cops order him to get back to quarantine, his mask has mysteriously disappeared. It reappears once more when he gets shot to death.
• In the screenshot of Mr. Mackey facing the parents in an argument for the first time, the image of Sheila appears to have protruded out of her chat window.
• The radio at the end mentions that South Park is under lockdown "for the unforeseeable future." The correct phrase is "foreseeable future," although this could be a pun, pointing out that the future seemed extremely "unforeseeable" at the time that this episode aired. However, the first COVID-19 vaccines were approved a month or two after this special aired.
• In the parent-teacher Zoom conference, Bebe's father has the display name of "Mr. Stephens". Bebe, on the other hand, retained the last name "Stevens" during her class conference.
• Harrison Yates once again introduces himself as "Detective Harris", the name that has been used for him in scripts for many years, rather than the official name Harrison Yates which is still used interchangeably with it.
• During the overhead shot of the kids sleeping in the gym, the position of the kids changes when it zooms up on Stan.
• When Stan Marsh was crying in the Build-A-Bear Workshop, his mask is moving, but does not make any noise while crying.

Dubbing Changes

International Titles

Language	Title	Translation
Czech	Pandemický speciál	The Pandemic Special
French	Spécial Pandémie	The Pandemic Special
German	Das Pandemie-Special	The Pandemic Special
Hungarian	Járványügyi különkiadás	The Pandemic Special
Polish	Pandemia	Pandemic
Portuguese (Brazil)	Especial da Pandemia	Pandemic Special
Spanish	Especial Pandemia	Pandemic Special
Ukrainian	Пандемічний спецвипуск (Pandemichnyy spetsvypusk)	Pandemic Special