Hooked on Monkey Fonics
| "Hooked on Monkey Fonics" | |
|---|---|
| South Park episode | |
| Episode no. | Season 3 Episode 12 |
| Directed by | Trey Parker |
| Written by | Trey Parker |
| Featured music | "Holy Diver" by Dio |
| Production code | 313 |
| Original air date | November 10, 1999 |
"Hooked on Monkey Fonics" is episode 12 of season 3 and the 43rd overall episode of Comedy Central's animated series South Park. It originally aired on November 10, 1999. It features issues of homeschooling and phonics, a method of teaching children to read. This is the final episode of South Park to feature the voice talents of Mary Kay Bergman, who committed suicide the day after the episode aired. The final episode to use her dialogue was "Starvin' Marvin in Space" which ended production shortly before her death.
In preparation for a spelling bee, Cartman's mother buys him a "Hooked on Monkey Fonics" system that features an actual live monkey playing the drums to keep with the beat of spelling and sounding out the words. After spelling a couple of words, Cartman believes he will have a chance to win the spelling bee. While at the spelling bee, the children face stiff competition from two homeschooled children, Rebecca and Mark Cotswalds. Cartman asks the monkey to help him spell his word, chair, but Phonics Monkey is masturbating, and Cartman misspells it as "C-H-A-R-E"; angered, he runs off to chase the monkey. In the final round, Kyle is unable to spell his word, "Kroxldyphivc" (which in reality isn't an actual word), correctly and Rebecca and Mark are declared the champions. Although Kyle is annoyed at having been beaten, he ends up developing a crush on Rebecca.
Mark becomes intrigued by the interactions he sees between Cartman, Kyle, and Stan, and begs his father to be allowed to attend public school. His father objects due to how dangerous public schools can be, but reluctantly relents. At the school, Mark, placed in a largely protective hamster ball by his overpossesive/overprotective father, is tormented for his attitude and superior knowledge, and ends up duct taped to a bench by the other boys. This prompts Mark's father to speak with the adults in Skeeter's Bar and Cocktails about the incident and the fact that Kyle has become smitten with Rebecca and should stop pursuing her. The adults are quick to dislike him as much as the kids dislike Mark; after learning that he does not drink beer but prefers wine coolers, they proceed to duct tape Mark's father to one of the bar's benches.
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