Tom's Rhinoplasty - Production

Production

"Tom's Rhinoplasty" was written by and directed by South Park co-creator Trey Parker. It first aired on Comedy Central in the United States on February 11, 1998. It is considered the show's first Valentine's Day episode, since it came out three days before Valentine's Day and involved semi-romantic plot-lines. Natasha Henstridge makes a guest appearance as substitute teacher Ms. Ellen, marking the first time celebrity guest who had a major role in an episode. George Clooney previously made a guest appearance in "Big Gay Al's Big Gay Boat Ride", but only voiced the throwaway role of Sparky the Dog, which was limited entirely to dog barks. Following the success of "Mr. Hankey, the Christmas Poo", a large number of celebrities started contacting Comedy Central with the hopes of making guest appearances in South Park episodes, allowing Parker and Stone to practically take their pick of guest stars. Parker asked for Henstridge solely because he found her attractive in Species, the 1995 science fiction horror film in which she starred. Henstridge was nervous performing the role because she had never conducted a voice over performance before. Henstridge was credited as "The Chick from Species" in the opening credits.

"Tom's Rhinoplasty" marked the first time a real photographic image of a person's head (in this case David Hasselhoff) was superimposed over a cartoon body, a practice which would become common throughout the series, such as the character of Saddam Hussein in the film South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut. Parker said the technology was not previously available in the earliest episodes of the series. Comedy Central was required to pay royalties to the photographer of the picture used for Hasselhoff's head, but was not required to pay Hasselhoff himself. "Tom's Rhinoplasty" displayed notable improvements in South Park's animation, which was gradually improving throughout the first season and settling into the defined look the series has maintained throughout the years. One of the exterior scenes in "Tom's Rhinoplasty" featured the first perspective angle of a street, which were previously only shown sideways or straight angles. Additionally, the simulated rain during a scene with Wendy watching Ms. Ellen and Stan from outside a restaurant was far more sophisticated than any such animation in previous episodes.

Chef sings a song called "No Substitute" to Ms. Ellen in an attempt to woo her. The brief song was later expanded and included in Chef Aid: The South Park Album, a South Park soundtrack released in 1998. "No Substitute" was performed by Isaac Hayes and was written by Parker, Stone and Bruce Howell, a South Park composer and producer. During one montage scene in "Tom's Rhinoplasty", a jealous Wendy recalls memories of her relationship with Stan while a sad song plays in the background. The song is performed by actress Courtney Ford, who appeared as an extra in the 1998 comedy film BASEketball, which starred Parker and Stone. Like Henstridge, Parker asked Ford to appear in the episode because he found her attractive. The Indigo Girls-style song in "Tom's Rhinoplasty" was written and sung by Toddy Walters, who played protagonist Polly Pry in Trey Parker's 1996 film, Cannibal! The Musical. The song is called "I Love Domestic Chores", and was written "as sort of a lesbian anthem".

During one scene, Wendy tells Stan that she smelled Ms. Ellen taking a "smelly dump" in the bathroom in an attempt to make him less attracted to her. In the original script, Wendy originally told Stan that she had a yeast infection, but Comedy Central censors made Parker and Stone change the line. Parker and Stone said although the network typically provides great leniency in permitting obscene jokes, they often object to lines about women's hygiene problems. During a cafeteria scene, a boy visible at a lunch table in the background looks exactly like Craig Tucker, but the color of his hat has been changed to make him appear to be a different character. The idea of Ms. Ellen taking one of the children to dinner came from Parker's real-life experiences. At his school, the children were able to have lunch with the teacher and principal if they were awarded "Student of the Week". Parker said he went on one of the lunches once and found the experience "really, really creepy" because he had the impression the teacher and principal were having a romantic affair.

Parker and Stone had trouble deciding how to end "Tom's Rhinoplasty" in a way that would bring everything back to normal in South Park. Originally, the episode ended with Ms. Ellen being taken away by the Iraqi soldiers, leaving the impression that she was in fact an Iraqi fugitive. They ultimately decided this was a poor way to end the show, so they recast the ending to make Ms. Ellen an innocent woman who was framed by Wendy. Parker and Stone also struggled with how to make Mr. Garrison decide he wanted his old nose back. It was only a few days before the episode aired that these final decisions about the ending were made.