Original air date: 11/2/2011
After Cartman is blamed for keeping down his gym class, the other kids start a 'Class War', the 99% against the 1%. And even as Cartman is accused of being uncool for still playing with his toys, those very toys are being mutilated and murdered in the most indescribable ways. What kind of monster would do such a thing to innocent cuddly toys?
"1%" contains examples of:
- Arc Welding: The Fifth Graders, who were the main suspects in the murder of Cartman's toys, start their own protest against the Fourth Graders and fight Jimmy and Butters when they take offense.
- Bait-and-Switch: Cartman notes the error in Polly Prissypants' plan. That if he must get rid of all of his dolls then her plan won't work..."...nobody would possibly blame Token for all this because in today's day and age you can't blame a black person for anything."
- Break the Haughty: Cartman, thanks to his classmates and, well... himself...
- Comically Missing the Point: The Presidential Fitness advisor claims "as far as we're concerned", the South Park Elementary kids are all a bunch of fat fucking pigs. Principal Victoria asks if he can change his vocabulary. He changes it to "as far as the board is concerned", they're all a bunch of fat fucking pigs. He repeats it later when Butters and Jimmy visit his office and he states that he can't exclude Cartman from the average because that'd make the child feel "like a retard".
- Cute and Psycho: Apparently, Polly Prissypants. Cartman envisions her as being defensive enough of Cartman's image that she kills the other toys for holding him back (torturously and elaborately at that) and then intends to run away with him and frame Tolkien for all the murders. When Cartman points out the (non-sensical) fatal error in her logic, she chooses suicide.Cartman: *appalled* They were your friends!
"Polly Prissypants": *snaps* THEY WERE HOLDING YOU BACK! - Downer Ending: Cartman ends up killing Polly Prissypants after it turns out he killed his dolls through her while Stan, Kyle, Tolkien and Kenny look on, dumbfounded, and the 99% rally fails to achieve anything beyond devolving into class warfare.
- Dramatic Irony: Kyle, Stan and Kenny ask a group of the fifth graders if they burnt Cartman's house down, which they refuse to either confirm or deny. Of course, it's made obvious to the viewer by this point that Cartman himself did it.
- Epic Fail: Cartman did so poorly on the fitness test that he single-handedly cost the entire school a passing grade.
- Everyone Has Standards: Stan and Kyle confront the Fifth Graders about what's been happening to Cartman because they think they're the ones who are messing with his stuff. Stan understands that they're pissed at Cartman but felt that the fire in his bedroom was taking it too far because Cartman might have actually died. Of course, it turns out it wasn't them, but Cartman himself, who was destroying his toys.
- Growing Up Sucks: After being made fun of for playing with dolls and being told to grow up, Cartman "kills" his toys.
- Here We Go Again!: The episode ends with a policeman informing the news reporter that another group of protesters are "occupying" Macaroni Grill.Reporter: Aw hell yeah! I'll occupy me some goat cheese peppadew peppers!
- Insane Troll Logic: Cartman is so messed up that the only way his brain could conceive the idea of getting rid of his toys is by viciously mutilating them and pretending that someone else is "murdering" them.
- You could also interpret it as Cartman having one final, glorious and dramatic game with his toys - which is still kind of messed up.
- For some reason, the Presidential Fitness Test advisor claims the South Park children are ALL fat even after acknowledging that it was only one student (guess who?) that brought down their health score average.
- I Reject Your Reality: It's entirely possible Cartman actually thought his toys were real people and that he wasn't just pretending someone else was destroying them.
- Jerkass Has a Point: While Stan may've been harsh to Cartman in the beginning of the episode, he isn't wrong to tell him it was his fault for having the school to do more P.E. classes.
- Killed Off for Real: Clyde Frog, Peter Panda, Muscleman Marc, Rumpertumpskin, and Polly Prissypants; we never see them again in the show.
- Laser-Guided Karma: More and more fifth graders begin to join Butters and Jimmy's 99% rally in front of the Colorado Regional Office where the Smug Snake test advisor works, meaning he can't even leave the building without them chasing him down.
- Mourning an Object: After Clyde Frog was killed, Cartman puts out an entire funeral for him in his backyard. The students who are invited, however, show no sympathy whatsoever and only came for the $5, in which Cartman replies they've been donated to the Clyde Frog foundation. This causes them to leave in anger having wasted their time.Kyle: Shut the hell up, Cartman!Cartman: Got something to say, Kyle?!Kyle: How do you murder a stuffed animal?Cartman: How do you murder a stuffed animal? You tell us, Kyle!
- My God, What Have I Done?: Subtle, but Kyle acknowledges that telling Cartman to grow up led to him "getting rid of his stuffed animals".
- Never My Fault:
- All the kids in school are understandably pissed off at Cartman because his poor health brought the entire school average down so they have to take extra P.E. classes, but he thinks they're just mad at him because they don't want to be mad at President Obama.
- When Butters and Jimmy mention to the advisor that the kids are getting closer and closer to rioting due to how transparently flawed his scoring system is, he asks them what they expect him to do.
- Not What It Looks Like: The Fifth Graders, furious with Cartman's antics, vow to do something about it. That something? The 83% Movement.
- Reaction Shot: Kyle and Stan exchange glances when the advisor tells the school they scored the lowest fitness results in the country, both immediately knowing that Cartman is to blame.
- Red Herring: The Fifth Graders. They make it very clear that they want Cartman punished for bringing down the fitness average and forcing the rest of the school to take extra P.E. classes, and when the other boys question their involvement in the murder of Cartman's toys, they don't deny it and say they're planning "something big". Turns out, not only did they not destroy the toys, but their big plan had nothing to do with Cartman.
- The Reveal: Polly Prissypants (in reality Cartman) was the one who destroyed Cartman's toys.
- Riddle for the Ages: Exactly how Cartman managed to burn his house down isn't shown on-screen.
- Shoot the Dog: Cartman shoots Polly Prissypants per "her" request.
- Shout-Out
- Cartman finding Muscleman Marc boiling in a pot resembles the "bunny boiler" scene from Fatal Attraction.
- The entirety of the murder plot concerning Cartman's toys seems, surprisingly enough, based off Umineko: When They Cry.
- Sympathy for the Devil: Kyle and Stan feel somewhat bad for Cartman after his punishments start getting disproportionate, even though he (unsuccessfully) tried to start a smear campaign against the former.
- Take That!:
- South Park proceeds to tear up both sides of the 99% / 1% rally. Making the 1% personified as one who deserves it (Cartman) and making the 99% well meaning but poorly executed protesters that forgot what they were protesting about.
- Yet another one at Michael Moore. Evidently, after nearly a decade after Bowling for Columbine, Trey and Matt are still angry at Moore.
- Understatement: Liane Cartman tells Tolkien's parents, after they watch Cartman argue with and then shoot his Polly Prissypants doll, that he tends to be "A little dramatic." Not even she believes what she just said.
- Villainy-Free Villain: While the Presidential Fitness advisor is a considerably very light antagonist by South Park standards, it's clear that we're meant to not like him. He makes the entire school alternate recesses over one kid with an abysmal fitness score just cause, and condescendingly mocks them to their faces. We do get the occasional funny moment from him when he calls the fourth grade the "Fatty Boombalatty" and "Boom Boom Chubby Choom Choom" class behind their back, though.
- Wham Shot: Two-fold after Rumpertumpskin blows up - the reveal of Polly Prissypants (armed with a gun) sitting in a chair in the background... and Cartman voicing her.
