Considering that you're on a webpage dedicated to South Park, I'm sure you already know a little bit about the show. I'll give you a rundown anyways.
In 1992, Matt Stone and Trey Parker met at the University of Colorado. Together, they created a stop motion short film using construction paper cutouts, titled The Spirit of Christmas: Jesus vs. Frosty. The plot follows four boys whose snowman comes to life and goes on a violent rampage. The animation was shown at the University's student film screening in December of that year. The film was notable for its obscenity, and they were commissioned to create another film for a digital Christmas card.
This second film, The Spirit of Christmas: Jesus vs. Santa was completed in 1995. The card presents a story in which Stan, Kyle, Cartman, and Kenny bear witness to an epic battle between Jesus and Santa Claus, who disagree about the true meaning of Christmas. The plot and animation are more sophisticated than Jesus vs. Frosty, and it is a more obvious precursor to the South Park we know today.
Jesus vs. Santa was initally shared by VHS tape to at least 80 people, and it absolutely infected the entertainment community. By this point in time, 18 million homes in the United States had computers with access to the internet—the technological climate was ideal for Parker and Stone's film to go viral. It caught the attention of television networks like Fox Broadcasting Company and Comedy Central, and the two eventually signed with Comedy Central to produce a show based on the same premise of The Spirit of Christmas.
The show's first episode, Cartman Gets an Anal Probe, was animated entirely by hand like Jesus vs. Frosty and Jesus vs. Santa, and was first aired on August 13, 1997 to instant acclaim. Of course, critics scorned the show at first, but who really cares what critics think? Let the 980,000 initial viewers and hundreds of webpages dedicated to the show, many of which were created before the first episode even aired, speak for themselves. The simple animation of the show allowed it to quickly be transferred over the 'net, and fansites spread clips like wildfire.
Of course, the show enjoyed attention outside of early internet circles. South Park's weekly production schedule enabled near-instant commentary of world events, earning it a reputation and keeping viewers turning in for timely satire. This has led to more controversies than anyone can count; even today, the show faces threats of censorship on a regular basis. Perhaps this irreverence has contributed to its solid position in the cultural zeitgeist of the past few decades, as South Park has become one of the longest running adult animated shows in history.
