| "An Elephant Makes Love to a Pig" | |
|---|---|
| South Park episode | |
| Episode no. | Season 1 Episode 5 |
| Directed by | Trey Parker (uncredited) |
| Written by | Trey Parker Matt Stone Dan Sterling |
| Production code | 105 |
| Original air date | September 10, 1997[1] |
"An Elephant Makes Love to a Pig" is the fifth episode of the first season of the American animated television series South Park. It first aired on Comedy Central in the United States on September 10, 1997. In the episode, the boys of South Park try to force Kyle Broflovski's pet elephant to crossbreed with Eric Cartman's pet pig for a class project on genetic engineering. Meanwhile, Stan Marsh tries to deal with his elder sister Shelley, who keeps beating him up.
This episode was written by series creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone along with Dan Sterling. "An Elephant Makes Love to a Pig" episode served as both a parody of genetic engineering and a statement against its potential evils. The scenes of Stan getting beat up by his sister were inspired by Parker's real-life childhood experiences with his own sister, who is also named Shelley.
"An Elephant Makes Love to a Pig" was met with generally positive reviews, and has been described as one of the most popular early South Park episodes. Several commentators praised its satirical elements with regard to genetic engineering. The episode marked the first appearance of Shelley Marsh, Stan's mother Sharon Marsh (at the time named Carol), the mad scientist Dr. Alphonse Mephesto, who was inspired by the title character of the 1996 film, The Island of Dr. Moreau, as well as revealing that Randy Marsh is Stan's father.