South Park has existed since at least the Depression.
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression that took place during the 1930s . South Park . Parker and Stone developed the show from The Spirit of Christmas , two consecutive animated shorts created in 1992 and 1995 . It debuted in August 1997 with great success , consistently earning the highest ratings of any basic cable program . The show 's popularity resulted in a feature-length theatrical film , South Park : Bigger , Longer & Uncut which was released in June 1999 , less than two years after the show 's premiere , and became a commercial and critical success , even garnering a nomination for an Academy Award .