The Hilarious Way South Park's Creators Keep Track Of The Show's Complicated Lore

With 28 seasons and counting, "South Park" has satirized much of modern society over the course of six U.S. presidential administrations. With over 300 episodes, multiple specials on Paramount+, and even a feature-length film, series creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone have crafted nearly three decades worth of stories within its floating timeline. Given how long the series has been on the air, the lore can grow complicated.

Much like "The Simpsons," which "South Park" lampooned in the Season 6 episode "Simpsons Already Did It," so many stories and certain character dynamics have already been explored in past episodes. Given the sheer volume of content produced, the creators are bound to forget some details. In order to keep track of the complicated lore of South Park, Colo., the duo does not refer to an official behind-the-scenes encyclopedia to track things down, instead perusing online sources such as wikis and fan forums.

Trey Parker and Matt Stone appeared at San Diego Comic-Con in July 2025 for a Hall H panel held the day after their highly-rated season 27 premiere, "Sermon on the Mount," which directly targeted President Donald Trump, aired. When asked about how they keep track of the show's immense canon, Parker addressed that they lean on the internet.

"We can look on any kind of 'South Park' fanbase or whatever, and find, 'Oh yeah, we did that, that's who that kid's mom is,'" Parker explained. "It's like, 'What did his mom do for a living? We'll just go on the internet.'"

Parker and Stone's use of fan forums helps inform their writing process for new episodes that bring back notable elements from years prior. In Season 27, the show brought back Satan as the reluctant lover of their depiction of Trump. The show's latest interpretation of the 47th POTUS is a direct parallel to their depiction of Saddam Hussein, whose real-life likeness was used as a flappy-headed caricature featured most prominently in the 1999 film "South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut." 

That season received scathing responses from the White House, as well as from U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, the latter of whom was skewered for her real-life killing of a family dog.