| "Raising the Bar" | |
|---|---|
| South Park episode | |
| Episode no. | Season 16 Episode 9 |
| Directed by | Trey Parker |
| Written by | Trey Parker |
| Production code | 1609 |
| Original air date | October 3, 2012 |
"Raising the Bar" is the ninth episode of the sixteenth season of the American animated satire South Park, and the 232nd episode of the series overall. It premiered on Comedy Central in the United States on October 3, 2012, and is rated TV-MA L. The episode won the 2013 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program.
In the episode, Cartman comes to accept that he is obese. However, rather than resolving to lose weight, he concludes that he is entitled to use a mobility scooter for transportation. This attitude is embraced by other obese people throughout the country, including reality television personality and pageant participant Alana "Honey Boo Boo" Thompson, who is eventually pitted against Cartman in a spaghetti-wrestling match on the White House South Lawn. While Kyle worries that the standards of decency are deteriorating, James Cameron ventures into the ocean depths to find and raise the societal bar to a higher level.[1]