An Elephant Makes Love To A Pig - Cultural References

Cultural References

"An Elephant Makes Love to a Pig" was seen by the writer of The Baltimore Sun Tamara Ikenberg, as both a parody of genetic engineering and a statement against its potential evils, particularly through in its portrayal of the giant mutant Stan wreaking havoc on South Park. This episode marked the first appearances of the characters Shelley Marsh and Stan's mother, Sharon Marsh, as well as that of Dr. Mephisto. Dr. Mephisto is based on Marlon Brando's character Dr. Moreau in the 1996 film, The Island of Dr. Moreau, which is based on the 1896 H.G. Wells novel of the same name. Mephisto is named after Mephistopheles, the demon in the Faust legend. Kevin, the tiny-monkey like companion of Dr. Mephisto, is based on the small creature who resembles and dresses like a miniature version of Brando's character in the 1996 film The Island of Dr. Moreau. The character from that film also inspired Mini-Me, the miniature version of Dr. Evil featured in the Austin Powers films; since "An Elephant Makes Love to a Pig" came out before Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me, Parker and Stone have joked they believe Powers-creator Mike Myers stole the idea for Mini-Me from them.

Elton John, the English singer and songwriter, appears as a guest vocalist for Chef's song, in one of the earliest celebrity spoof appearances on South Park; Trey Parker, who provided the voice for Elton John, said many people thought it was the actual John singing because his impression was so accurate. In another musical reference featured in the episode, several characters claim the real-life Canadian rock group Loverboy wrote a song about the fact that the DNA of an elephant and pig will not splice. "An Elephant Makes Love to a Pig" includes several pop cultural references to films and television shows. The last line in the episode, "That'll do pig," spoken by Cartman, is a reference to the final line of the 1995 film Babe, a movie about a talking pig, which Stone has described as one of his favorite films. When the boys try to tell Officer Barbrady about the clone, he suggests that the boys have seen too many episodes of the X-Files. When Dr. Mephisto finds Stan and the boys, he says "Thank Buddha", a reference to Gautama Buddha, the spiritual teacher who founded the religion Buddhism. In the scene very Pip is introduced, Stan asks Pip about his peculiar name, but Cartman interrupts Pip during his answer. Pip's reply – "my father's family name being Pirrip and my Christian name Phillip, my infant tongue--" – is identical to the opening line of the Charles Dickens novel Great Expectations, which is narrated by its protagonist, Pip. The fourth season episode "Pip" is a parody and comedic retelling of the novel, and stars Pip, who assumes the role of his namesake.