The Secrets of
'Mr. Hankey, the Christmas Poo'

by Wild Willie Westwood, with sources from all over the Web

That Baby Jesus fetus is just a doll. No umbilical cord. Stan must be jealous, though, as Kyle had an excellent view…

Kenny must have gotten permission to wear a white parka exactly like his orange one when he was chosen to play the angel.

Kenny is down from the manger roof by the time Kyle's mom says "Our family doesn't celebrate Christmas".

Kyle's mom is rather upset about Kyle playing Joseph, since Joseph, Mary and Jesus were all Jewish. This is because Joseph is seen in a Christian light, which is quite different from the Jewish one. Kyle's mom is upset because Joseph is seen as the guardian of a Messiah the Jews just don't believe in, and so no Jew could rightly play Joseph's role. But she refers to the wrong Joseph. Joseph of Arimathea didn't enter Jesus' life until Jesus begins His ministry.

When the kids rush out into the falling snow, Wendy is right behind Kenny, only her beret is gone and her hair is red.

Those coil-spring hobby horses in the playground are all elephants, so coil-spring hobby elephants.

We get to catch a glimpse of Kenny's mouth and tongue when he spits out the bird dropping. The editing just wasn't fast enough.

I'm a Jew on Christmas

  1. Sounds a bit like "Sometimes It's Hard to Be a Woman"..as well as a few other songs…
  2. My friends won't let me join in any games - Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer: They never let poor Rudolph join in any raindeer games. Kyle was referring to Christmas games, though I don't know of any.
  3. the "VISIT SANTA!" from The Spirit of Christmas stand has been restored.
  4. South Park Mall is an open-air mall. Well, a little too open…
  5. The first family Kyle passes by is Pip's family.
  6. The second family Kyle passes by is the Stevens family seen in "Volcano," but in that episode they appeared in Lava And You, a volcano safety film made in 1952.
Kyle and Mr. Hankey
  1. There's a painting of a dreidel character hanging on the wall.
  2. There's no such thing as Mr. Hankey - before something can be believed in, it must be denied. A common device in movies and in scientific and doctrinal development.
  3. Normally there are seven candlesticks on a menorah, but during Channukah, a menorah with nine candlesticks is used - the central one for the service candle, and the other eight for the eight days of Temple Dedication. Six of the 8 candles were lit, meaning that this was the sixth day of Channukah, which was not possible in 1997. Christmas came before the first day of Channukah that year.
  4. When Ike hits the table, he goes "ow!" as the Menorah falls on him, then says "uh oh, on flame?" when he's on fire.
  5. Mr. Hankey is an original creation: Trey Parker's father created Mr. Hankey to prompt Trey to flush the toilet when he was three. If he didn't flush, guess who would come out to haunt him… Seems to me like Mr. Hankey was originally the toilet paper the poo was on, rather than the poo itself. Toilet tissue - tissue - hanky (paper handkerchief).
  6. Mr. Hankey leaves poo on everything he touches, yet his gloves and hat stay clean the entire episode.
  7. Mr. Hankey is sort of like Kyle's guardian angel: Kyle, you should put on socks, your gonna catch a cold
  8. Some scatological observations - replace a positive word Mr. Hankey says with shit, and you may come up with more of these:
    "Gosh Kyle, you look swell" = "Gosh Kyle, you look like shit"
    "You smell an awful lot like flowers" = "You smell an awful lot like shit"
    "Not real, well shucks..." = "Not reall, well shit..."
    "Can I sing this jolly Christmas song?" = "Can I sing this shitty Christmas song?"
    "Aw gee, that's too bad" = "Aw shit, that's too bad"
    "Golly, that isn't very nice" = "Shit, that isn't very nice"
    "Gosh, it sure does smell nice and flowery" = "Gosh it sure does smell nice and shitty"

Can we get rid of all the Mexicans? - Until now there hasn't been a Mexican to get rid of in all of South Park. Come on!

Cartman gets to see some Tree Huggers finally, but doesn't say anything to them.

When they are taking down bad decorations, some guy on the roof rips off Santa's head and throws it down below

The UltraVibe Pleasure 2000 - Cartman thinks hes getting his mom's vibrator, of course.

There are biohazard AND nuclear radiation signs in the "research center." Some of the people's offensiveness indicator lights are different colors. The woman at far left must be pretty tense. The test hadn't yet begun when she responded to "Computer." And the researcher is one of the Mayor's aides.

Cartman's "Kyle's Mom is a Stupid Bitch in D minor" isn't in D minor, but his grades usually hover around D minus, which explains the D minor.

Kyle and the Counselor

  1. Evidently, Kyle had time to clean the poo off his gloves before seeing the counselor. Still…
  2. The counselor has a certificate, and a picture of himself (what's wrong with that?) in his office. He will eventually replace Mr. Garrison as the one the kids go to for help with all kinds of problems.
  3. I don't know why the guidance counselor at school put Kyle on Prozac. Kyle didn't seem depressed, and besides, a "certified counselor" can't prescribe psychotropic medications unless he's a psychiatrist...
  4. The counselor says "you sick little monkey" - a line often used in Ren and Stimpy.

There's a catatonic kid by the front door as the kids walk into the mental house.

Second verse, same as the first - from Herman's Hermits I'm Henry VIII, I Am, when Kyle sings the dreidel song.

The Nonoffensive, Nondenominational School Play

  1. Before the play begins a star is visible before the curtain, but when Kenny goes to take it down, it is shown behind the curtain, with the shark tank and ladder. Who moved it?
  2. When Kenny climbs the ladder it has 12 rungs, the sixth one being broken. From the air, though, it has eight rungs, the fifth one being broken. That's the one he's standing on when he looks down at the shark.
  3. Chef sings a reworked version of his first song from Cartman gets an Anal Probe.
  4. What's the shark for the third Act for?
  5. Faith makes the impossible happen: kids start saying they believe in Mr. Hankey, so he appears. This is true of Santa, Frosty, etc.

Mr. Hankey as Peter Pan - Chef recognizes Mr. Hankey as the poo that, according to the boys, Kyle kept seeing everywhere he went. Then Chef and Mr. Hankey greet each other as old friends do.

The Mr. Hankey Construction Set looks more than a bit like Mr. Potato Head. It is voiced over by the announcer for Terrance and Phillip.

After Mr. Hankey comes out of his box on stage, he fails to leave stains wherever he walks...only when he kisses Kyle.

Stan says "dude, this is pretty fucked up right here" - just like in the Spirit of Christmas. Catchphrase?

  1. Mr. Pirrip, on Mr. Hankey:
    Sometimes he's corny, sometimes he's nutty - nuts and corn are not digestible, and so pass through.
    Sometimes he's brown or greenish-brown - the color of poo.
    If you eat fiber on Christmas Eve, he might come to your town - Fiber helps you go.

You know, I learned something today. I learned that Jewish people are okay. - What? Stan's best friend of at least two years is Jewish and now he learns this?

Last but not least.... KENNY LIVES !!!

Jesus is celebrating his birthday alone, yet the entire season is dedicated to him. His birthday table is the one seen in paintings of the Last Supper. Indeed, his studio bears some resemblance to the Upper Room.