CRIKEY!

For the Halloween episode of 'South Park', Satan is throwing the world's biggest Halloween costume party, and no one is getting in without a blue wrist band. Unfortunately, even Satan can't plan for everything as a religious organization and the antics of the most notorious serial killers of all time might ruin his good time.
(Ted Bundy, Jeffrey Dahmer, and John Wayne Gacy were dressed up as the Three Stooges.)

Also at the party were Princess Diana, Hitler, and Ghandi. Also some priests with little boys on leashes.

[information... information... information from TV.com]

You'd think the viewing public would at least be offended by the presence of Diana, or maybe the priests.

But nooooooo! They saved their scorn for a different target.....

From Radio Telefis Eirann:

A new sketch in the television cartoon 'South Park', which mocks recently deceased television star Steve Irwin, has sparked outrage. The sketch, which is part of the Halloween episode of the show, depicts the entertainer at a party which is being hosted by Satan, with a stingray barb poking from his chest.

Here's the the transcript of that scene:

Satan's minion: Satan, we have a problem. One of the guests has turned up in a crocodile hunter costume, and it's really offending some of the other guests!
Satan: Oh jeez (Walks across the party to a guest in a crocodile hunter outfit) Erm, er, dude, the whole crocodile hunter thing, it's just not cool. He like only died a few weeks ago! You're gonna have to go.
Steve Irwin: But Satan it's me, Steve Irwin! I am the crocodile hunter!
Satan: Oh, oh. Then no costume, man, you gotta leave!
Steve Irwin: (Being dragged away) Wait no! I thought we were friends.

Again from RTE:

The 'Crocodile Hunter' star died last month when he was pierced in the chest with a stingray's barb. He was filming an underwater documentary at the time.

According to ITV, John Beyer of TV watchdog Mediawatch said: "This is such bad taste and the makers of 'South Park' should review their decision to show it. Steve's family are still grieving."

However the show's creators responded to criticisms by saying: "We have offended people in the past and probably will again. We know that regular watchers will not be shocked.''

From the BBC Online:

Comedy Central said: "The South Park guys do inappropriate things all the time...Their goal is to make people laugh, not to offend people."

Tony Fox of Comedy Central said: "We recognise that they [the South Park creators] do a lot of provocative things - is this one of them, probably yes. "They are largely free to do what they like in terms of creativity and kinds of subject matter, and this is perhaps just another example of that."

But Mr Beyer said of the Mr Irwin sketch: "Mr Irwin's family are obviously still grieving about their tragic loss and it seems inappropriate to me that South Park should be trying to make some capital out of it.

"To lampoon somebody's death like that is unacceptable, and so soon after the event is grossly insensitive and shows a great deal of disrespect for his family."

Am I bovvered? Nah. After ten years of 'South Park', I would have been only surprised by the fact that it took them until now to do it, if it weren't timed to be broadcast so close to Halloween.

No matter what I may think of what really happens in the Afterlife, "One Step Beyond", in the Tooniverse, this scene actually took place.

I would think those Steve Irwin defenders would be pleased by the sketch. After all, Satan threw him out, so he's free now to go to Heaven, right?

Some people are never satisfied.....

BCnU!
Tele-Toby