The creators of the hit animated series South Park have announced a tongue-in-cheek name change, renaming the long-running show as “South America” in an apparent dig at US President Donald Trump’s recent efforts to rename geographic landmarks.According to BBC and CNN, co-creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker announced the rebrand with a statement saying it was “inspired by the bravery and patriotism of Apple and Google”, referring to the tech giants adopting Trump’s preferred names for some geographic features on their US-based map services.The announcement came shortly after Trump appeared to suggest renaming New Mexico as “New America” in a series of posts on social media.Days earlier, he had signed an executive order seeking to rename Lake Ontario as “Lake America”.Trump had previously ordered the Gulf of Mexico to be referred to as the “Gulf of America” in the US. Google and Apple subsequently adopted the new name for users of their US-based map services, while other countries continued to use the traditional name.Mocking the development, Stone and Parker said: “We especially want to thank our parent company Paramount – a Skydance Capitulation.”The satirical rebrand was announced as South Park, which debuted in 1997, entered its 29th season. The show has frequently targeted Trump and his administration, with the president and his supporters repeatedly criticising its portrayal of him.The announcement also followed the show’s latest Emmy win for Outstanding Animated Program. The official South Park social media account subsequently shared an image depicting a fictionalised Trump holding an Emmy award.It remains unclear whether “South America” will be a permanent name change or simply part of the show’s ongoing satire.The new season of South Park is scheduled to premiere on September 16 on Comedy Central, with episodes also available on Paramount+ in several markets.
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