While South Park season 27’s delays might annoy some longtime fans, but this is hardly the first time that the long-running satirical cartoon has earned the ire of viewers. South Park has been met with controversy since the show began life as a viral e-card that depicted Jesus Christ and Santa Claus doing a bloody battle over who was the guardian of the Christmas spirit.

While South Park season 27.. One infamous episode even managed to offend an entire country’s real-life government, prompting an irritated response from officials after their nation was portrayed in a less-than-flattering light. Season 3’s premiere, “Rainforest Schmainforest,” found few fans in the Costa Rican government.

South Park Season 3, Episode 1 Insulted Costa Rica & The Government Hit Back

"Rainforest Schmainforest” Saw The Show’s Heroes Mock The Island

In "Rainforest Schmainforest,” the South Park gang are forced to a choir and visit San Jose, Costa Rica for a gig. Once they arrive in the country, Cartman infuriates their idealistic teacher, Miss Stevens, by drawing attention to Costa Rica’s poverty and prostitution, as well as mocking the smell of the third-world country. In South Park’s season 3 DVD commentary, co-creator Trey Parker its that many of these comments were inspired by his own disappointment when visiting the island nation. Somewhat surprisingly, the episode didn’t cause much of a stir when “Rainforest Schmainforest” initially aired in early April 1999.

This scathing critique was hardly the first time that South Park had been met with opprobrium.

However, “Rainforest Schmainforest” was at the center of a 2007 controversy when the Costa Rican government took umbrage at South Park's depiction of the country’s struggles. Costa Rican Tourism Minister Carlos Benavides told the French outlet 20 Minutes “We should treat it like the rubbish that a programme of this nature is on a channel designed for people with low education and bad habits.” This scathing critique was hardly the first time that South Park had been met with opprobrium, so it is not surprising that the show’s creators never responded to these comments from Benavides.

South Park’s Costa Rica Feud Was One Of Many Early Controversies

South Park’s Season 3 Premiere Arrived At The Height Of The Show’s Controversy

Only a year before 2007’s controversy, South Park offended Steve Irwin’s widow by portraying the famous Australian conservationist attending a costume party in Hell. Since Irwin was only dead in a matter of weeks, South Park’s gag was singled out as excessively tasteless even by the show’s usual standards. The same year, the show’s biggest controversy ever came about when season 14, episodes 5 and 6, “200 & 201,” featured jokes about depicting the Islamic prophet Muhammad on-screen. This was a significantly bigger controversy than South Park’s earlier fight with the Costa Rican government, but one the show nonetheless weathered.

Source: 20 Minutes