Ike's Wee Wee - Broadcast, Reception, and Impact

Broadcast, Reception, and Impact

Two episodes preceded "Ike's Wee Wee" in the second season of the show. The episode scheduled for April 1, 1998 promised to resolve the cliffhanger ending of the first season finale, "Cartman's Mom Is a Dirty Slut", regarding the identity of Cartman's father, but was in fact an April Fools' Day joke: "Terrance and Phillip in Not Without My Anus", an entire episode revolving around the two titular characters. The April 1 day episode was supposed to be a one-off, with the rest of the season starting in May. However, following overwhelmingly negative fan reaction, the episode resolving the Cartman's father storyline, "Cartman's Mom Is Still a Dirty Slut", was moved from its planned May 20 air date to April 22. "Ike's Wee Wee" then kicked off a 6-episode run of the season when it was broadcast on Comedy Central in the United States on May 20, 1998.

" 'Ike's Wee-Wee' was subtle and low-key -- proof that deep in its mischievous little heart 'South Park' is a show with sweet, kind moments sandwiched between scatological humor that also has a point."

"Ike's Wee Wee" was met with favorable reviews. Critics especially praised the episode for its touching moments, in contrast with the off-color humor often employed in the series. In his review of the episode in the Chicago Tribune, Allan Johnson praised the episode, especially in comparison with the first two episodes of the season, and wrote that "'Ike's Wee Wee' ranks with some of the better episodes of 'South Park.'" Upon the series reaching its 100th episode in 2003, the same writer also listed "Ike's Wee Wee" as one of the "top 10 episodes that have made one of the most provocative comedies on TV." A South Park review in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette said about the series that "n the midst of all this potty-mouthed humor, there are moments that are downright touching", and particularly highlighted the ending of "Ike's Wee Wee" as an example, explaining that "all's well in the end, and Kyle and the boys learn a lesson about family values that even Dan Quayle would approve of." In 2000, visitors of the Comedy Central website chose "Ike's Wee Wee" as their favorite episode during a voting called "South Park e-Lections", held around the time of the United States presidential election that year.

Mr. Mackey's line "drugs are bad, m'kay?" has entered popular culture. The Eminem song "The Kids" – which is featured on the B-side of the single "The Way I Am" and the clean version of The Marshall Mathers LP – is thematically about drug use, and makes numerous references to South Park and impressions of the show's characters, including an impression of Mr. Mackey's voice and the repetition of his line. The song "Hip Hop Quotables" by Ludacris, from his album Chicken-n-Beer, also contains the line. In 2008, the line was referenced in the dissenting opinion of a judge, in a case of the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. Also, in a 2010 marijuana-related court case at the Maryland Court of Appeals, Judge Clayton Greene, Jr. referenced the episode in his dissenting opinion, calling Mr. Mackey's words "immortal". In 2011, during a judiciary committee hearing about a marijuana-related bill in Denver, Colorado, a representative showed off a potential packaging for edible marijuana products. According to a group called the Cannabis Therapy Institute, the label on the package, which bore the placeholder text "Legal and governmentally approved statement describing that pot is bad, M-ok", was a reference to the South Park episode. Comedy Central sells a poker chip-shaped keychain that bears Mr. Mackey's picture, along with his famous line.