“Respect my authority!”
“Screw you guys, I’m going home.”
“Sweeet.”
“I’m not fat, I’m big boned!”

These are just a few of the phrases uttered by one of the most foul-mouthed characters ever to grace our television screens. NPR called him, “America’s favorite little $@#&*%,” but you can just call him Cartman. Eric Cartman.

When South Park debuted on August 13, 1997, no one had ever seen anything like it from an animated series. Created by Matt Stone and Trey Parker (who also does the voice of Cartman), the series takes place in the fictional town of South Park, Colorado, and follows the adventures of Stan, Kyle, Kenny, and of course, Cartman.

Quickly establishing himself as a fan-favorite, Eric Cartman has burrowed his way into the psyche of American culture like no other brat has done before.

Described as a little Archie Bunker, Eric Cartman is best known for being politically incorrect, a Jew-basher, an entrepreneur, and a con-artist. When he’s not making fun of those around him, Cartman tends to be on the receiving end of his friends jokes, but don’t get me wrong; he can take it as well as dish it. Sometimes.

Many have called him racist for his anti-Semitic remarks towards his friend, Kyle, but there are those in the Jewish community that say Eric is a true depiction of what it’s like for a young Jew to grow up in today’s society. Regardless, he’s always at the heart of controversy when it comes to racial debates and how people are perceived on television, and he’s not even real!

He is certainly the most well known character on the show, and is constantly popping up on the charts. He’s been on TV Guide’s ‘Top 50 Greatest Cartoon Characters,’ VH1’s ‘200 Greatest Pop Culture Icons,’ and Bravo’s ‘100 Greatest TV Characters.’ In 2008, The Cult of Cartman was released, a 2-disc DVD set of some of his greatest moments.

With South Park still on the air, we can look forward to hearing more from our favorite, foul-mouthed youngster for some time. Love him or hate him, you cannot deny the fact that Eric Cartman truly is a TV Icon.

“BEEFCAKE!”