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  ==Production==
  From the beginning of season seventeen's production cycle, ''South Park'' co-creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone wanted to ensure that there was a two- or three-part storyline somewhere in this season because they have always enjoyed doing them as they allow for a different style of writing. They decided to actually start a multiple-episode storyline with this episode after coming off "Ginger Cow", which they felt could have easily been expanded into two or three episodes. The fact that "Ginger Cow" unfortunately had to be compressed into the standard length of an episode left Parker and Stone wanting to doing something bigger even more. With four episodes left to be produced for this season, Parker and Stone contemplated making a four-part storyline but wrapped it up at three.
  As for what the three-part storyline would be about, Parker and Stone said that they had been talking about doing a ''Game of Thrones''-themed episode for a long time since they both watched the show and found many things to satirize. Butters' scenes in the three episodes which centered on his understanding of ''Game of Thrones'' were the first jokes that were visualized by Parker and Stone as being one of the running gags; they also helped solidify ''Game of Thrones'' role in the plot. Once they decided to center the episodes around Black Friday, the ''Game of Thrones'' angle became a great way to tie both stories together as Parker and Stone felt Black Friday was something that would really fit well in ''Game of Thrones''. They soon felt that they were onto a big idea that would be received well by audiences.
  Before the ''Game of Thrones'' and Black Friday elements became part of the episode, the original premise of the storyline was focused on the large amount of cut content from ''South Park: The Stick of Truth'', a video game which Parker and Stone were heavily involved in the development of. However, as the episode became more and more focused on ''Game of Thrones'' and Black Friday, the aspects which were lifted from the game were almost entirely scrapped.