Jewpacabra

{{Infobox television episode | series = [[South Park]] | image = | caption = | season = 16 | episode = 4 | airdate = {{Start date|2012|4|4}} | production = 1604 | director = [[Trey Parker]] | writer = Trey Parker | music = "[[Maniac (Michael Sembello song)|Maniac]]" by [[Michael Sembello]] | guests = | season_article = South Park season 16 | episode_list = List of South Park episodes | prev = [[Faith Hilling]] | next = [[Butterballs (South Park)|Butterballs]] }} "'''Jewpacabra'''" {{IPAc-en|ˈ|dʒ|uː|p|ə|ˈ|k|a:|b|ɹ|ə}} is the fourth episode of the [[South Park season 16|sixteenth season]] of the American animated sitcom ''[[South Park]]'', and the 227th episode of the series overall. It premiered on [[Comedy Central]] in the [[United States]] on April 4, 2012. In this episode, South Park's big Easter [[egg hunt]] is in jeopardy when there are rumors of a dangerous beast lurking in the woods nearby. Cartman tries to warn everyone that their lives are at risk if they participate in the egg hunt. No one believes him until he produces video evidence of the mysterious being.<ref>[https://southpark.cc.com/news/411409/episode-1604-jewpacabra-press-release "Episode 1604 'Jewpacabra' Press Release"]{{dead link|date=July 2024|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}. South Park Studios. April 2, 2012</ref> The episode was written and directed by [[Trey Parker]] and was rated [[TV Parental Guidelines|TV-MA LV]] in the United States.

==Plot== When [[Kyle Broflovski|Kyle]] finds his mother educating [[Cartman]] on [[Passover]], because of a claimed interest in Jewish culture on Cartman's part, Kyle is suspicious. Cartman tells Kyle and his other schoolmates of a blood-sucking creature called "[[chupacabra|Jewpacabra]]" that preys on children, and mentions reports of incidents that he implies are the result of the creature. Kyle denounces this idea, and accuses Cartman of spreading lies, as there is no such creature. Cartman does not relent in his efforts, taking [[Butters Stotch|Butters]] with him to hunt the Jewpacabra, and showing video tape of their efforts to the executives of Sooper Foods, in an attempt to convince them to cancel their Easter egg hunt and let him be the only one allowed to do the Easter egg hunt.

The executives show the video to a team of experts at the [[Cryptozoology|Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization]] (BFRO), who confirm that it is evidence of an actual Jewpacabra, and tell Cartman that the creature will come after him ''because'' he exposed its existence. This frightens Cartman into hiding in a church with [[Token Black|Tolkien]], [[Craig Tucker|Craig]] and Butters, whom Cartman pays $20 to protect him. Cartman is nonetheless abducted by the Sooper Foods executives, who dress him in an Easter bunny costume and chain him to a cement block in a field in order to sacrifice him to the Jewpacabra, which will make the Easter egg hunt possible. When Kyle appears before Cartman, Cartman pleads with him to help him escape, but when Kyle says he will only do so if Cartman admits he lied about the Jewpacabra, Cartman's inability to be honest about what caused his predicament causes Kyle to abandon him. BFRO then see Cartman and think he is a real life "[[Bunny Man|Bunny-Man]]", so they shoot him with a [[tranquilizer]] and hope to make an [[Animal Planet]] program documenting their capture, but instead of taking Cartman as their evidence, they take the gun with which they shot him.

Cartman then experiences a tranquilizer-induced dream. He awakes in [[Ancient Egypt]] amidst a [[Plague of locusts|swarm of locusts]] and [[Plague of frogs|downpour of frogs]]. He asks "his Hebrew friend" Kyle about it, who tells him the [[Plagues of Egypt]] are the result of a cruel and capricious God. He asks his father the [[Pharaoh]] (portrayed as a troubled but fair ruler) for advice, but their conversation (including a musical number) is interrupted by the [[Jews]] beginning to graphically slaughter lambs, so as to avoid the [[tenth plague]]. In abject religious terror, Cartman swears to God that if he is spared, he will become Jewish.

Meanwhile, Kyle has a change of heart and frees the delirious Cartman from his captivity, takes him home, and puts him to bed. When Cartman awakens with no knowledge of how he got home, he classifies the experience as a religious epiphany, and announces to everyone at the Easter egg hunt that he has converted to [[Judaism]]. When he tells everyone that they should convert too by recognizing Jehovah as their true God and [[Judaism's view of Jesus|denying Christ]], the assembled Christians label Cartman as a heathen and return to their hunt. Cartman apologizes to Kyle, saying he now knows what he feels like to be mocked by others for being Jewish, and the two wish each other a Happy [[Passover]]. The camera then pans up to a [[Star of David]] shining at the center of the Sun.

==Critical reaction== Jacob Kleinman of the ''[[International Business Times]]'' thought the episode was generally "solid", though not as funny as [[Faith Hilling|the previous week's episode]]. Kleinman singled out the ancient Egypt sequence as his favorite, and also thought that the manner in which Cartman's Jewpacabra stories backfired on him were "hilarious, historic and extremely shocking".<ref name="ibt">{{cite web|url=https://www.ibtimes.com/new-south-park-episode-jewpacabra-takes-easter-passover-chupacabra-video-434256|title=New South Park Episode 'Jewpacabra' Takes On Easter, Passover, Chupacabra|work=[[International Business Times]]|date=April 5, 2012|author=Kleinman, Jacob|access-date=March 12, 2022}}</ref>

==See also== * [[List of Easter television episodes]]

==References== {{reflist}}

==External links== * [https://www.southparkstudios.com/episodes/f756rp/south-park-jewpacabra-season-16-ep-4 "Jewpacabra"] Full episode at South Park Studios * {{IMDb episode|2128145}}

[[Category:South Park season 16 episodes]] [[Category:Easter television episodes]] [[Category:Passover television episodes]] [[Category:Conversion to Judaism in popular culture]] [[Category:Jewish comedy and humor]] [[Category:Blood libel]] [[Category:Television episodes about dreams]] [[Category:Television episodes about antisemitism]] [[Category:Television episodes about Jews and Judaism]] [[Category:Television episodes set in ancient Egypt]] [[Category:Television episodes pulled from general rotation]]