Rainforest Shmainforest
| "Rainforest Shmainforest" | |
|---|---|
| South Park episode | |
| Episode no. | Season 3 Episode 1 |
| Directed by | Trey Parker |
| Written by | Trey Parker Matt Stone |
| Production code | 301 |
| Original air date | April 7, 1999 |
| Guest appearance(s) | |
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"Rainforest Shmainforest" is the 32nd episode of Comedy Central's animated series South Park. It originally aired on April 7, 1999. This episode features Jennifer Aniston providing the voice for Miss Stevens. The episode criticizes the American Movement to Save the Rain Forest and, in typical tongue-in-cheek fashion, mocks the manner in which the country of Costa Rica is perceived, and often portrayed (e.g. in domestic entertainment media), by Americans.
This episode was inspired by Trey Parker's personal intense distaste towards rainforests, which he formed after a visit to Costa Rica. Parker explains on the DVD commentary that, at the suggestion of Flea, Parker and his girlfriend went to Costa Rica and hated the area, and that everything Cartman says about the rainforests during the episode is how he (Parker) personally feels.
The episode is also filled with famous environmentalist clichés, such as, "We must take only photos and leave only footprints", "It's more afraid of us than we are of it", and "We have to respect mother nature and she will respect us".
Miss Stevens (voiced by Jennifer Aniston), the leader of the "Getting Gay With Kids" environmentalist choir tour, visits South Park Elementary, trying to recruit more kids to the group. The boys get themselves into trouble after calling the choir names and belittling their cause. They are sent to the office, where Mr. Mackey punishes the boys by forcing them to join the choir, since he happens to be on the board of directors. Kenny is the only one who is happy about it, since he has developed a crush on a girl in the choir named Kelly.
The choir goes to San José, Costa Rica to tour, where Miss Stevens tells Cartman that she plans on changing his views on third-world countries. Upon arriving, Cartman immediately starts to make trouble, including yelling at Costa Ricans, directing everyones attention to prostitutes and commenting that San Jose "smells like ass." The children get to meet the Costa Rican President and do a preview dance routine for some citizens of San Jose (with a pre-recorded song for the kids to lip-sync to), but Miss Stevens is dismayed by Kyle's lack of coordination; Cartman offers the opinion that Kyle cannot dance because he is Jewish and "Jewish people don't have any rhythm". Kyle angrily denies this as a stereotype, but Stan wonders if it is true, making Kyle fear that it is.
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