Pinkeye (South Park)

"Pinkeye"
South Park episode
Episode no.Season 1
Episode 7
Directed byTrey Parker
Matt Stone
Written byTrey Parker
Matt Stone
Philip Stark
Featured music"It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year"
Production code107
Original air dateOctober 29, 1997 (1997-10-29)
Episode chronology
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South Park season 1
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"Pinkeye" is the seventh episode of the first season of the American animated television series South Park. It first aired on Comedy Central in the United States on October 29, 1997. In the episode, Kenny is killed and brought back to life as a zombie through a freak accident, terrorizing South Park residents who believe that the rise of the living dead is an epidemic of "pinkeye".

The episode was written by series creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone along with Philip Stark, and was the first of a new slate of episodes Parker and Stone made after Comedy Central agreed to pick up the show full-time. The duo was not happy with the episode, particularly the ending, and were surprised by the positive response it received from fans. Parker said he also wanted the episode to convey in part that Halloween is a positive holiday for children and adults.

"Pinkeye" received generally positive reviews, and has been described as one of the classic episodes of South Park. It was viewed in 1.75 million households when it first aired, an unusually high amount for Comedy Central at the time. The episode introduced the recurring character Principal Victoria. When Cartman dresses as Adolf Hitler, Victoria removes Cartman's costume and attempts to dress him as a ghost, but inadvertently makes Cartman resemble a member of the Ku Klux Klan. This initially worried Comedy Central executives, but the negative feedback received was minimal.