South Park Trolls Scientology, Trump, and More with Mobile Billboards

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    Source: Comedy Central / Via: www.hollywoodreporter.com

  • South Park, now in its 20th season, has not lost its edge. From its early roots as a fertile ground for butt jokes to its recent handling of the national anthem controversy, the show keeps evolving and pushing the envelope. This week, that envelope-pushing made its way into the real world.

    According to the Hollywood Reporter, the show’s promoters put up promotional billboards in important — often controversial — locations all around the country.

    The locations included the Facebook HQ in Silicon Valley, the Lincoln Memorial and the White House in Washington, D.C., and Trump Tower (Trump’s campaign headquarters) and Hillary Clinton’s New York headquarters in New York City. Each billboard was different, focusing on a moment of the show’s history featuring that location. For example, the Church of Scientology billboard featured a screenshot from the legendary “Trapped in the Closet” episode, and the Lincoln Memorial featured the scene from “Super Best Friends” in which the living statue of Abraham Lincoln is assassinated by the living statue of John Wilkes Booth.

    In three different locations, the White House, the Lincoln Memorial, and the Church of Scientology in LA, the billboard was asked to move, as the stunt publicity did not go over well.

    Walter Levitt, the Chief Marketing Officer for Comedy Central and who helped to put up the billboards, told the Hollywood Reporter:

    ”We knew it was risky. We knew some locations might not be pleased to have us there, but we thought this would be the perfect way to celebrate the series has covered in its 19 seasons. In some cases, the locals were not pleased to have us outside their locations and asked us to leave, but that was all expected, and we completely understand why.”

    The full list of billboard locations includes South Park, Colorado (yes, it’s a real town) and the Casa Bonita, Mormon Church Headquarters in Salt Lake City, the Lincoln Memorial and the White House in D.C., Facebook headquarters in Silicon Valley, Trump Tower and Hillary Clinton’s NY Headquarters in NYC, the Church of Scientology, Whole Foods, PF Changs, Hooters, and KFC in LA, and the Canadian Border in Buffalo.

    What do you think? What would be an interesting way for your favorite show to advertise? Let us know in the comments or @WhatsTrending on Twitter.

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