Original air date: 3/24/2010
Disappointed after reading The Catcher in the Rye and not knowing why it was banned, the boys write their own vulgar story, The Tale of Scrotie McBoogerballs. Butters becomes a popular author... since the boys used him as a scapegoat when they thought they would get in trouble.
Examples:
- Be Careful What You Wish For: Butters makes it a point to ensure everyone knows the book was his and his alone. As such, when someone is inspired to massacre the Kardashians, the blame is placed on him for writing the book that inspired him, effectively killing his "writing" career. He also has to deal with his celebrity crush being effectively murdered by his hand, something he didn't think for a second would happen from his action.
- Brick Joke: To avoid trouble for writing the titular book, Cartman convinces Butters that he wrote it by claiming he did it while sleepwalking and gave it to Stan. At the end, Cartman, who left Sarah Jessica Parker to get killed by hunters, tricks Butters into believing he caused her death while sleepwalking.
- Brown Note: People throw up if they read just two seconds of the book. A popular game show hits the airwaves in which contestants compete to see who can read it for longest without vomiting. note
- Cassandra Truth: The boys continually insist that there is no symbolism in the book and that it is simply disgusting for its own sake. Nobody believes them, because they're too busy reading into their own personal subtexts.
- Dirty Coward: The boys pinpoint the blame on Butters for writing The Tale of Scrotie McBoogerballs when it was found by Stan's mother. Then when Butters gets all the success from the book, they have the nerve to accuse him of stealing credit even though they told him he wrote the book.
- The Dog Bites Back: Butters telling off the boys and maintaining credit for the book can be seen as this for how horribly they treated him in the past.
- Early-Bird Cameo: A pre-transition Caitlyn Jenner makes a cameo with the Kardashians before they're all murdered. A post-transition Jenner would later become a recurring character in Season 19.
- Everyone Is Jesus in Purgatory: In-Universe. Despite being so disgusting that nobody can read a single sentence without vomiting violently, it is nonetheless hailed as the greatest piece of literature ever written due to everyone seeing symbolism that isn't really there.
- Grew a Spine: Butters learns to stand up for himself against the boys for all the times they treated him like dirt over the course of the series.
- Hoist by His Own Petard:
- The boys try to pin their book on Butters to avoid punishment, only to watch as the adults praise Butters for such a "thought provoking" piece of fiction and are aghast when Butters becomes famous. Likewise, their endlessly picking on him when he only wanted to be their friend effectively killed any chance they had of changing his mind about it.
- Butters insisting the book is his work alone bites him when someone is inspired by the book to massacre the Kardashians, with the blame being placed on him for writing the book that inspired the shooter.
- Hype Backlash: In-Universe. The boys are disappointed that The Catcher in the Rye was not as controversial as they thought it would be. Cartman even says that the book was a conspiracy to get kids to read by making it seem a lot edgier than it was.
- Hypocrite: Kyle asks Butters "Do you think it's fair to lie like this?", while ignoring the fact he and the others lied to Butters earlier by telling him he wrote the book to avoid getting in trouble.
- Hypocritical Humor:
- After Butters gives the boys "The Reason You Suck" Speech, Cartman calls him an inconsiderate jerk.
- Butters gets grounded for the book, but his parents are very proud of him, nonetheless.
- Instant Book Deal: The Tale of Scrotie McBoogerballs is instantly published and becomes a runaway hit, even though no one can finish it without repeatedly vomiting.
- I Will Show You X!: After going online and discovering that yes, The Catcher in the Rye was considered obscene even though the boys found it completely tame, Cartman declares, "I'll show them fucking obscene!"
- Jerkass Ball: Stan, Kyle, and Kenny hold it by trying to throw Butters under the bus, but this time, Butters lets them have it.
- Kick the Dog: Cartman tricks Butters into believing that he caused Sarah Jessica Parker's death and to confess, though Butters doesn't really care.
- Laser-Guided Karma: The boys try to frame Butters for writing their book, convinced that they will get into trouble, unaware that they were actually going to get a publishing deal out of it. When they try to take it back, Butters continues to take the credit, refusing to let the boys take any credit as a result of their endless torment of him for as long they've known him.
- Leaning on the Fourth Wall: When the boys try to get the book banned by going to the city council, one of the council members insists no writer would make fun of Sarah Jessica Parker just because they think she's ugly. All the boys vehemently protest otherwise.
- Madness Mantra: The episode parodies the claims that The Catcher in the Rye inspired several assassination attempts, both successful and unsuccessful.
- As Mr. Garrison hands out the book, Kyle asks if it's true that Mark David Chapman was inspired to kill John Lennon after reading the book. Later, after Butters finishes reading the book, he begins repeating "KILL JOHN LENNON! KILL JOHN LENNON!" and grabs a knife from a kitchen drawer. His plan hits a snag when his dad tells him John Lennon is already dead. This sanity blackout leaves the boys able to convince Butters he wrote the book without even remembering it.
- After becoming famous as the supposed author of The Tale of Scrotie McBoogerballs, Butters is being interviewed by Al Roker on The Today Show and is told that The Catcher in the Rye inspired John Hinckley's assassination attempt against Ronald Reagan, leading Butters to start chanting, "KILL RONALD REAGAN! KILL RONALD REAGAN!" Roker then tells him Reagan is also already dead.
- Mistaken for Profound: The books the boys write are considered deep literary classics, even if no one can agree what its commentary is supposed to be; conservatives think it's an indictment of liberalism, liberals think it's an indictment of conservativism. The only thing both sides agrees on, is that the boys are wrong when they say there is no subtext and the book was meant to be taken at face value.
- Moral Myopia: The boys are angry at Butters for "stealing [their] credit" despite trying to scapegoat him to get him in trouble.
- Overly Long Gag: People throwing up anytime they read or hear parts of the book.
- "The Reason You Suck" Speech: Butters gives one to the boys after they accuse him of stealing credit for their work. After he leaves, the boys are dumbfounded, with Cartman only able to murmur back he's an inconsiderate jerk."Butters:" No, let me tell you something fellas, you're always taking advantage of me! And after reading Catcher in the Rye, I've learned you're nothing but phonies. I'm not letting you trick me this time, so the four of you can just suck on my wiener!
- Shout-Out: The whole episode is loosely based on the Monty Python skit "The Funniest Joke In The World."
- Springtime for Hitler: Fearing they will get punished, the boys put the blame on Butters, but everyone loves the book despite making them vomit regularly. Butters then writes a follow-up called The Poop That Took a Pee, which the boys think will be found to be so stupid that it will get Butters banned, but readers love this as well. However, someone is inspired to kill the Kardashians because of the book, which finally gets Butters's work banned.
- Spoof Aesop: People will read books and look for meanings that don't exist, so that's why we should stick to television.
- Stealing the Credit: The boys accuse Butters of doing this with the titular book, when they were the ones to use him as a Scapegoat when it was initially found.
- Take Our Word for It: While some sentences are read out loud by the parents, it's never fully explained what the plot of The Tale of Scrotie McBoogerballs is, likely due to the constant vomiting involved trying to read it.
- Take That!:
- Holy crap, does Sarah Jessica Parker get it in this episode:Matthew Broderick: My wife is a beautiful woman, and I think most people agree with me!
Reporter: Uh-huh. And, Matthew, how come a transvestite donkey witch is standing next to you, and why is it wearing a dress? - Kyle summarizes The Catcher in the Rye as "just some whiny annoying teenager talking about how lame he is".
- The Kardashians are all brutally murdered by a guy who thinks he needs to "kill the phonies."
- Holy crap, does Sarah Jessica Parker get it in this episode:
- The Voiceless: Sarah Jessica Parker doesn't say a single word in this episode.
- Vomit Indiscretion Shot: Most people can't get through more than a few sentences of The Tale of Scrotie McBoogerballs without vomiting. Many of these incidents are shown on-screen, starting with Sharon Marsh after she discovers the manuscript in Stan's drawer.
- You Have GOT to Be Kidding Me!: The boys' reaction when people not only love Butters' second book but find numerous political or philosophical messages in it.'Stan:" *incredulous* WILL YOU STOP READING INTO STUFF THAT ISN'T ACTUALLY THERE?!?
- Yank the Dog's Chain: The one time Butters successfully stands up for himself against the boys results in his biggest crushes being massacred on live television, with him being considered directly responsible and effectively ruining forever any chance he had of becoming a successful author.
- Your Head Asplode: Kim Kardashian's fate, courtesy of a Boom, Headshot! with a shotgun when The Poop That Took A Pee induces a reader to massacre the entire Kardashian family.
