Kenny McCormick might be known for dying constantly, but he's so much more than that! Join us as we count down the most hilarious, heartwarming, and heroic moments that prove Kenny is the unsung hero of South Park. From saving Hawaii to battling the forces of Hell, Kenny shows he's more than just a muffled background character.
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00:00My followers, though few in number, shall help see me through until I am finally accepted as a princess.
00:06Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're looking at Kenny McCormick's best moments on South Park.
00:13Boy, it sure is good to have you back, Kenny.
00:14Cool, cool.
00:17Number 30. Taking Home Ec.
00:19When given the choice between shop class and home economics,
00:23the other boys go with what they consider the more masculine course.
00:28Kenny has no issue being the only boy in Home Ec., however.
00:32For the next week, you will be learning how to bake, sew, clean, and make things that are lacy and pretty.
00:38Woohoo!
00:39Yes, Wendy?
00:40I requested to be in shop class, but they sent me here.
00:43That's right, Wendy. You see, some of you girls will go on to have interesting jobs and careers.
00:47But all of you pretty ones won't have to worry about that.
00:50Being the sole male in a classroom of girls has its perks.
00:54But you also get the sense that Kenny prefers baking and sewing over sawing wood.
01:00And you know what? Good for you, Kenny.
01:02Don't let society dictate which activities are for boys and which are for girls.
01:08Unfortunately, Kenny doesn't have the most progressive teacher who insists he transfer to shop.
01:14I think you should consider transferring to shop class.
01:16Woohoo!
01:22Woohoo!
01:22Now, now, very few students are severely injured in shop class.
01:26Woohoo!
01:28Kenny is understandably horrified by this notion, and his fears are justified.
01:33We like to think Kenny's death motivated more boys to be homemakers.
01:37Number 29. Crying over fried chicken.
01:41Tell us if this sounds familiar.
01:43You spend all day looking forward to a special dinner.
01:46Dude, where is she? I can't wait.
01:48God, this is gonna be so yummy!
01:50Then, when you finally sit down to eat, somebody else has already gobbled up a significant portion of the meal.
01:56The boys experience this firsthand when Stan's mom brings home KFC.
02:01With their backs turned, Cartman scarfs down all the crispy skin, leaving only the worthless meats.
02:07As Stan and Kyle stare at their desecrated banquet in disbelief, Kenny simply breaks down in tears.
02:20The audience doesn't see his face, but the cries pouring from Kenny couldn't sound more genuine.
02:26We empathize with Kenny so much here, as we'd likely have a similar reaction.
02:31Even for a character who dies all the time, this truly hurts.
02:35Number 28. His epic Halloween costume.
02:38Kenny is a character who could make us laugh even though most of his face is hidden under a winter coat.
02:44In this Season 3 Halloween episode, Kenny conceals his entire body in a fully functional ED-209 robot.
02:51Hey, Kenny.
02:54Nice costume, Kenny. You think you're gonna win with that?
02:56Hilariously, everybody knows that it's Kenny inside the mechanical get-up.
03:00Nobody questions how elaborate the costume is or how Kenny could afford such a high-tech piece of machinery.
03:07Nevertheless, Kenny seems like a shoe-in to win the costume contest.
03:11Alas, Kenny is robbed with first prize going to Wendy for her Chewbacca costume in a callback to Season 1's Halloween special.
03:19And the winner of the costume contest is...
03:22Wendy for her Chewbacca costume. Come on up, Wendy.
03:26We'd say at least Kenny didn't die in this episode, but a mid-credits scene preserves that running gag as Star Wars meets Robocop.
03:35Number 27. The Clapper.
03:37When the boys are forced to sleep over at Kenny's house, they realize just how poor his family is.
03:43Yeah?
03:44We're here to have a slumber party with Kenny.
03:45What? Don't you know Kenny's sick with-
03:47That's the whole point, remember? Their moms want them to catch it while they're young.
03:52They have ColecoVision instead of Nintendo.
03:54Dinner consists of frozen waffles, which they have to share, and rats roam free.
04:00Despite barely keeping a roof over their heads, the McCormick family has one luxury.
04:05Before turning in for the night, Kenny claps his hands, turning the lights off.
04:13The Clapper might not be especially expensive, but considering the McCormicks can't even afford basic living necessities,
04:20we find it ironic that they invested in a sound-activated on-off switch.
04:25Seeing Kenny clap off the lights also cracks us up, demonstrating how sometimes the littlest things get the biggest laughs.
04:32Kenny specializes on that front.
04:35Number 26. His first cheesing fantasy.
04:38Learning about a new phenomenon called cheesing, Kenny is sent on a psychedelic trip right out of the 1981 cult classic Heavy Metal.
04:47Do you feel anything? Well, Kenny, are you buzzed?
04:55The only thing more surreal than this environment is seeing a South Park character riding alongside a realistically drawn woman.
05:02And when we say realistic, we mean popping with detailed features.
05:07Just when Kenny's ultimate fantasy is about to reach its literal climax, Cartman slaps him out of it.
05:13It's nice seeing Cartman concerned about Kenny's well-being for a change, although he's far from grateful.
05:19Kenny, knock it off! What's wrong with you?
05:22Dude! Dude, Kenny, calm down!
05:24While we can't endorse young people cheesing, it does make for one of the most memorable Kenny-centric episodes as he takes several more trips to his dream world.
05:34Can you blame him for wanting to escape reality?
05:37Number 25. Becoming an opera singer.
05:41It's hard enough to understand what Kenny is saying with his hooded coat muffling everything.
05:46The idea of him becoming a singer, let alone an opera singer, seems unlikely.
05:51Even if we can't comprehend the words emanating from his mouth, the audience can feel Kenny's passion as he belts out Conte Partiro.
06:09It's also pretty funny.
06:11Kenny's mother recognizes her son's love of singing, taking him all the way to Romania.
06:16Not only are Kenny's gifts embraced there, but the country's poor status makes him one of the richest residents.
06:32Despite pleas from the Romanian public to let Kenny stay, the U.S. government orders him back, resulting in his death.
06:39Surely Kenny will be singing angelically in heaven before his next resurrection.
06:45Number 24. His relationship with Tammy Warner.
06:49While Kenny's relationship with Tammy has icky aspects, it's also kind of sweet.
07:03Emphasis on the kind of, but hear us out.
07:06Kenny likes the fifth grade girl even before he learns about her reputation.
07:10When he hears about her exploits, Kenny doesn't shame Tammy like everyone else.
07:15He embraces her, although he naturally wants in on the action.
07:19After Tammy asks him to wear a purity ring, Kenny doesn't dump her.
07:23He puts the ring on, proving himself to be a patient, understanding boyfriend.
07:28Granted, he's not thrilled about the ring, but it shows that Kenny wants to be with Tammy for reasons beyond sex.
07:36That said, when Tammy finally takes Kenny to TJI Fridays, we're reminded why these two are too young for this.
07:50Following his tear-jerking fate in season 5, Kenny made a semi-comeback in season 6 when Cartman drank his remains.
08:00Kenny's soul thus becomes trapped in his body.
08:03The next couple of episodes treat this as a running gag.
08:06The issue is finally tackled head-on when Chef learns of the possession,
08:10taking the Cartmans and Kenny to his parents in Scotland for help.
08:14The good news is that they exorcise Kenny from Cartman.
08:18The bad news is that his spirit flies into a pot roast.
08:34The worst news is that Rob Schneider eats the roast.
08:40Whether inside Cartman, a beef dish, or the star, the stapler, it's great having Kenny back in any form,
08:47even if his true comeback was still a few episodes away.
08:54With nothing better to do, Kenny accompanies Kyle to Jubilee.
08:59On this special night, the camp welcomes the one and only Moses, who can see that Kenny isn't Jewish.
09:08Poor Kenny is turned away, although the true impurity in their midst is an elder who seeks to trap Moses in a conch shell and summon Haman.
09:17Despite being denied carrot cake, Kenny comes to the rescue when all goes to hell.
09:23Retrieving the shell, Kenny breaks it open with his skull.
09:26He frees Moses and saves the Jewish people.
09:29But Kenny sacrifices his life, or at least one of them in the process.
09:34He might not have been Jewish, but Moses recognizes Kenny as a hero who will be commemorated through arts and crafts.
09:45For the first five seasons, rarely did we get through an episode without a Kenny death.
09:51Even Kenny came to expect his demise, although he couldn't always predict how it would happen.
09:56The season one Christmas special was the first episode to break with tradition, despite providing plenty of opportunities to kill Kenny.
10:04We've just received word from the mayor that the Christmas play can't include any Christmas lights since they offend people with epilepsy.
10:12So, Kenny, would you please go over and pull the light cords out of the wall?
10:16First, he's told to unplug an overloaded electrical outlet by a dripping faucet.
10:21Then Kenny has to climb a ladder next to a shark tank.
10:24Kenny is as surprised as anybody that he's still standing as the episode winds down.
10:29It isn't until the words, The End, form across the screen that Kenny can let out a cheer of relief.
10:38Kenny deserves a merry, death-free Christmas, but don't get used to it.
10:46Peruvian flute bands have taken the town of South Park by storm.
10:49They can practically be seen on every corner of the streets.
10:52Initially, the boys don't give it much thought.
10:55That is, until they quite literally cannot escape the music.
10:59The sole exception, however, being Kenny.
11:05Not once, but twice, we see Kenny get down and show off his dance moves as the music plays.
11:11Viewers can't help but feel amused and entertained at how Kenny expresses his appreciation for the music genre.
11:18Leave it to the South Park creators to have such subtle, brief, yet funny moments during scenes.
11:25Number 19.
11:26Screw you guys, I'm going home.
11:28Kyle gets sick, so naturally, his best friend Stan is feeling down about it.
11:33He laments the possibilities of losing his friend for good and feels powerless.
11:40This is understandable, but it ends up being in bad taste considering he's doing this in front of Kenny,
11:47who, as we all know, has passed on multiple occasions without anyone even going so far as to bat an eyelash.
11:54Furious, Kenny gets up and exclaims one of the most iconic catchphrases of the series,
12:00belonging to Cartman.
12:01It's muffled, but it's another moment showcasing how iconic Kenny can be.
12:09Number 18.
12:10Not letting Cartman have the Chinpokomon.
12:12Chinpokomon is the talk of the town for the children in South Park.
12:16And everyone wants a piece.
12:18When Cartman enters the town's toy store, he eventually sets his sight on buying the Chinpokomon toy named Penguin.
12:25He soon sees that there are none left and the last one has been taken by Kenny.
12:30Cartman attempts to take it from him, but Kenny doesn't let up.
12:34What ensues is a hilarious tug of war between both boys.
12:39We give credit to Kenny for standing his ground and not letting Cartman have his way.
12:44Number 17.
12:45Kenny lives another day.
12:47On a trip to Costa Rica, Kenny meets and develops a crush on a girl named Kelly.
12:52Their relationship is up and down, to say the least.
12:55But it's fortunate that Kenny got acquainted with her.
12:58Near the end of the episode, he gets struck by lightning.
13:01Initially, we expect this to be another typical gruesome end,
13:05Initially, we expect this to be another typical gruesome end for our favorite orange parka-wearing fourth grader.
13:11But not so fast.
13:25In an unexpected twist, Kelly comes to the rescue and saves his life.
13:29Alright, so while he doesn't exactly do anything here,
13:33we're just grateful and glad he survives and is able to remain alive the entire episode.
13:39Number 16.
13:40Kenny comes back for good.
13:42Speaking of living, you knew we had to go with his return to the show for this list.
13:50In season 5, the creators decided to kill off the character for good
13:54after growing tired of having to find new ways to get rid of him.
13:58Unfortunately, they missed his presence and decided to casually and nonchalantly bring him back
14:03at the end of season 6's Red Slay Down.
14:06He was dearly missed, so his reappearance was a sight to behold,
14:10in turn making viewers cherish and appreciate him all the more.
14:14We just love how it was made to seem like nothing had ever happened in the first place.
14:24Number 15.
14:25Trying to prevent his parents from having a child.
14:28After his parents tell him that they're interested in having another child,
14:32Kenny is displeased to say the least.
14:35Unable to bear what may come if this were to happen,
14:38he decides to take matters into his own hands.
14:41He does whatever he can so that his parents do not conceive,
14:45and takes drastic measures to do so.
14:49His schemes are childish, but hilarious to say the least.
14:53But we can't help but love Kenny's determination and be thoroughly entertained.
14:58Unfortunately, it's his father who is on the painful receiving end of his son's efforts.
15:04In the end, he doesn't technically get another sibling,
15:08so we suppose that means he came out on top.
15:11Number 14.
15:12Kenny saves the day.
15:15These scooters have caused chaos during Halloween trick-or-treating in South Park,
15:19and it's up to Kenny and Mr. Mackey to save the day.
15:22Since the scooters are activated via telephone,
15:25they head by a cell tower in an effort to turn off everyone's cell phones.
15:29They manage to bring the tower down and the scooters cease to function.
15:33This pairing was the one we least expected,
15:36yet we never knew we really needed.
15:39However, what truly has us in awe is that
15:42However, what truly has us in awe is that
15:45is seeing Kenny's joy at being able to trick-or-treat with his friends.
15:49It was the last Halloween that still felt like Halloween.
15:53It was the last time it was good.
15:56Number 13.
15:57Kenny attacks death.
15:59As previously mentioned, Kenny is no stranger to death.
16:03However, season 2's City on the Edge of Forever
16:06sees him quite literally fight back and take matters into his own hands.
16:11In a reimagined memory,
16:13the boys look back on the time when they were pursued by the Grim Reaper.
16:17While Kenny in reality met his demise during the encounter,
16:20his recollection, however, shows him confronting the figure head-on and beating him up.
16:25We love the idea of Kenny changing the course of his fate
16:29and doing so in such a badass fashion.
16:32It doesn't matter who you are, don't mess with Kenny.
16:35Oh my God! Kenny killed death!
16:37You bastard!
16:39Number 12.
16:40Dr. Kenny McCormick.
16:42The South Park post-COVID special takes us 40 years into the future.
16:47Viewers get a glimpse at older versions of the boys and see how they're doing in life.
16:52The only thing that comes close to being as shocking as Cartman converting to Judaism
16:57is Kenny becoming a world-renowned scientist.
17:00While most often mentioned in passing,
17:03due to, of course, not being alive in the future timeline,
17:06during the specials, fans can't help but get a kick at seeing how far Kenny has come in life.
17:11The head of NASA said,
17:13we have lost an innovator and a visionary.
17:15Kenny was so brilliant that most of the time we couldn't even understand what he was saying.
17:20Oh yeah, and not to mention the fact that he was the primary force
17:24behind finding the cure for COVID and discovering time travel.
17:28What a guy!
17:31He says he hopes you guys are watching this.
17:37He spent his whole life trying to fix your bro ship
17:41and then realized this was the only way because you guys suck.
17:44Number 11.
17:45Spin Blossom Nutsquash.
17:47While attempting to help Chef,
17:49the boys are captured by the Super Adventure Club,
17:52the group which the former joined after leaving South Park.
17:56Learning of the club's true intentions,
17:58the club's leader calls security to get them off the premises.
18:02But before being escorted out,
18:04the boys retaliate and decide to rescue their friend.
18:07How do they dispose of the Super Adventure Club member guarding Chef, might you ask?
18:12Like this.
18:18This totally came from left field
18:20and we didn't even know Kenny was capable of such a maneuver.
18:24Number 10.
18:25Sabotaging Cartman's NASCAR career.
18:28For some strange reason,
18:30Cartman believes being incompetent and impoverished
18:33means you have the talent of becoming the best NASCAR driver.
18:48Being the superfan that he is,
18:49Kenny takes great offense to this
18:51and refuses to let Cartman get away with his insulting beliefs
18:55while potentially succeeding as a NASCAR driver.
18:59And so Kenny takes it upon himself to sabotage his friend's races,
19:03going so far as to try to bring a sniper rifle with him
19:06and even leaping onto the track mid-race.
19:22Though his attempts are unsuccessful,
19:25Cartman's career does crash and burn
19:27in the most humiliating way possible.
19:51Just like any other school,
19:53there's always one kid who has to pull something ridiculous for picture day.
19:57And Kenny had the best idea.
19:59For his photos,
20:00Kenny has put his clothes on in such a way
20:03that his butt ends up where his face should be.
20:06Hilarious?
20:07Oh, 100%.
20:09But the joke stops being funny to Cartman
20:11once a couple mistakes Kenny's photo for their missing son.
20:16And yes, these grieving parents also have rear ends for faces.
20:20Honestly, our biggest question was,
20:22how come none of the other adults noticed Kenny was pulling a prank on them?
20:468. Working at CityWalk
20:56For Kenny McCormick, his life is hard.
20:58His parents have alcohol use disorder,
21:01and there never seems to be enough money for proper meals and a decent childhood.
21:06And so he takes it upon himself to get a job at CityWalk.
21:10How Mr. Kim managed to get away with child labor is beyond us.
21:15Thank you, Dennis.
21:16You work real hard.
21:19I wish I could give you more.
21:21Luckily, he does pay Kenny,
21:23and we soon find out why Kenny took the job to begin with.
21:27With what little cash he's managed to earn from Mr. Kim,
21:31Kenny buys a doll for his sister.
21:33What a sweet big brother.
21:35Wow.
21:39This is mine?
21:41That's mine.
21:437. Saving Hawaii
21:45The only kid here with any sense of dignity is Kenny,
21:47and the rest of you, have your heads up your butts!
21:54Well, apparently Kenny is Butters' best friend.
21:56You guys gonna make out, Kenny?
21:58On account of Butters being angry with everyone but him,
22:02Kenny somehow ends up having to go to Hawaii for Butters' hapanoa.
22:06Unfortunately, a series of events leads the Hawaiians to believe that Kenny might bring an end to them,
22:12forcing him to prove himself as a Hawaiian.
22:16Then let him prove himself.
22:18Trial by opaikata.
22:20Though he disappoints with his surfing skills,
22:23Kenny manages to turn things around with a little help from Elvis Presley
22:27and a large supply of beverages.
22:30The hell, we did it!
22:34With the Hawaiians having more ingredients for chi-chis,
22:37Kenny successfully saves the island.
22:406. Owning in Magic the Gathering
22:51If you've ever played Magic the Gathering,
22:54you'll know how complex of a game it can become,
22:56what with several decades worth of cards made since 1993.
23:00However, we didn't anticipate Kenny to be the MTG master between the boys.
23:10Serendipity Sorcerer Unblocked, winner McCormick!
23:13Throughout the episode, Kenny obliterates his opponents with all of the powerful cards in his deck,
23:18and he does so with great confidence.
23:21Doesn't matter if you've been playing for years or if you're only a chicken,
23:25Kenny makes it clear that he has the perfect deck assembled,
23:29and he is prepared to wipe the floor with you.
23:31Oh! There is terra stompa! This is absolute savagery!
23:36Frigid Goblin has been sent to the graveyard and now there is no one to block Pearl Lake Ancient!
23:415. Commanding Heaven's Army
23:44This golden PSP is king of all PSPs.
23:47Hail the holy PSP!
23:49It works just like the ones we sent to Earth.
23:52All the commands you make will be sent to the troops down on the battlefield.
23:55All Kenny wants to do is play his brand new PSP and conquer the new game, Heaven vs. Hell.
24:02He is so enthralled with his game that he practically shuts out the world,
24:05which gets himself hit by an ice cream truck.
24:08Oh yeah! Level 4! Sweet!
24:10Surprisingly, his PSP skills will be put to the test as the real Heaven is about to be invaded by Hell's army,
24:17and so, God appoints him as the commander of Heaven's forces.
24:22As expected, Kenny does not disappoint and manages to fend off Satan and his minions,
24:28though it did come with some casualties.
24:31We have done it! We have defeated the armies of Satan!
24:374. Protecting Karen
24:40But I'm all alone now.
24:42You are not alone. No matter where you go, no matter what you do, I will always be here.
24:47As we saw in the episode where Kenny works at CityWalk,
24:51he is one of the best brothers we've seen on television, an absolute role model.
24:55This side of Kenny is shown once more in the episode, The Poor Kid,
24:59where he dons his Mysterion persona.
25:02Karen is having trouble fitting into her new school and is about to get beat up by Jessica Pinkerton.
25:12Who the hell is this?
25:15How about you find another little girl to pick on?
25:17Luckily, Kenny comes in to save the day.
25:20He not only gives the meanie a taste of her own medicine,
25:23but he also grabs Karen to bring her to safety.
25:26Big brother of the century, folks!
25:303. Becoming a Princess
25:41For some reason, Kenny does not desire to be a barbarian, a ranger, or even a cleric.
25:47No, when the boys are playing Game of Thrones, Kenny wants to be a princess.
25:52Sounds absurd, yes, but it isn't until much later when we understand why he had this ambition.
25:58To aid Kenny and his army in the console war,
26:01tech company Sony gives Kenny what he needs to become a true princess.
26:18With Sony's medallion, Kenny possesses the powers of a true magical anime princess
26:24and proceeds to stop entire shipments of Xbox consoles.
26:28We have a feeling this was all just to give Cartman the bird.
26:442. Being a True Superhero
26:55When it comes to playing superheroes, Kenny is much, much different than the rest of the kids.
27:01See, the kids don their superhero personas because they're simply pretending to be superheroes.
27:07Kenny, on the other hand, does possess a superpower, being unable to die.
27:25I can't die.
27:27Under the guise of Mysterion, he actually uses this as a means to legitimately fight crime,
27:33acting as the Dark Knight to South Park's Gotham.
27:36From exposing his foster parents' mistreatment, to bringing down a cult, to aiding in Cthulhu's defeat,
27:43Kenny is absolutely the hero we don't deserve, but the hero South Park needs.
27:49Who the effin' age is that?
27:51What does it mean? That is not dead, which can eternal lie.
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28:121. Convincing Satan to Dump Saddam Hussein
28:15Satan is trapped in a toxic relationship with former dictator Saddam Hussein.
28:19Whereas the Dark Lord wants something serious, Hussein wants only one thing.
28:25Things take a turn for the worse when Terrence and Philip are executed,
28:29fulfilling a prophecy that will allow Satan and his army to invade Earth.
28:33However, Kenny gets some one-on-one with Saddam Hussein.
28:38At the film's climax, Satan finally reaches his breaking point and hurls Hussein off a cliff.
28:44As he falls to the ground, Saddam Hussein tries to save himself,
28:48but he's not able to do so because he's trapped in a toxic relationship with former dictator Saddam Hussein.
28:54He's trapped in a toxic relationship with Saddam Hussein,
28:57and he's trapped in a toxic relationship with the Dark Lord.
29:00He's trapped in a toxic relationship with the Dark Lord,
29:04and hurls Hussein off a cliff.
29:06As thanks for building his confidence, Satan lets Kenny make one request.
29:11No stipulations.
29:12Kenny, being the kind soul he is, simply wishes for everything to return to normal,
29:19thus saving South Park and the world.
29:30What's your favorite Kenny moment?
29:32Let us know in the comments.