Original air date: 11/15/2000
Cartman and his new Trapper Keeper are targeted by a a mysterious white man who goes by the name "Bill Cosby". Meanwhile, Mr. Garrison's kindergarten class has a class president election that quickly descends into chaos.
"Trapper Keeper" contains examples of:
- Bait-and-Switch: After Cartman fuses with Trapper Keeper and turns into a glob-like monstrosity, Mr. Garrison is terrified at the sight of a giant hideous blob approaching the school. It's revealed to be Rosie O'Donnell.
- Bloody Hilarious: One of the kids in Mr. Garrison's kindergarten class is in the hospital, but his mother brings him in so he can cast his vote for class president. He proceeds to cough up a lung onto the classroom floor, and Mr. Garrison tells him to pick it up without missing a beat.
- Brick Joke: Cartman brags about his Trapper Keeper releasing spikes if someone steals it and Kyle accuses him of lying but doesn't try to prove it in case Cartman's not lying. When "Bill Cosby" steals the Trapper Keeper, spikes impale his hand.
- Call-Back: Mr. Garrison mentions his strained relationship with his father from "Worldwide Recorder Concert", though he says there are still some issues between the two despite having seemingly worked it out.
- Death Seeker: "Bill Cosby", sort of, seeing as completion of his mission means the Trapper Keeper won't take over and he won't be created to stop it.
- Does This Remind You of Anything?: The kindergarten election is a parody of the 2000 Presidential Election, including a girl named Flora whose vote breaks the tie, much like Florida's electoral votes did.
- Hugh Mann: "Bill Cosby"'s attempts to blend in leave a lot to be desired."Oh, I see. Alright, I'll pay 100 geliga stones — uh, I mean, hu-mon dollars! — eugh, I mean dollars!"
- Idiot Ball: Kyle decides to insult Cartman while inside him and the Trapper Keeper, which nearly gets him killed. I
- Informed Attribute: Played for laughs; Ike has been admitted to kindergarten two years early because of his intellect, even though most of his dialogue in this episode consists of just "I pooped my pants!"
- It's All About Me: Cartman refuses to let his second Trapper Keeper be destroyed because it means that Kyle has a better Trapper Keeper than him.
- Mechanical Abomination: The Trapper Keeper once it interfaces with and absorbs Cartman, turning him into a giant, cybernetic mishmash of organic flesh and machinery that seeks only to absorb all technology and Take Over the World.
- Not So Above It All: When "Bill Cosby" decides to kill Cartman to ensure the bad future doesn't happen, Stan stops him, only to ask if he can do it himself. He and the other boys are legitimately disappointed when "Bill Cosby" suddenly grasps the human emotion of compassion and decides against it.
- Only Sane Man: Mr. Garrison is this during the kindergarten election.
- Pet the Dog: Mr. Garrison tries to protect his kindergartners from Rosie O'Donnell when he thinks she's a dangerous monster.
- "The Reason You Suck" Speech: Mr. Garrison gives a scathing but, given her attitude, accurate one to Rosie O'Donnell.Mr. Garrison: Half the kids in the class didn't vote for your nephew, so what about them? You don't give a crap about them because they're not on your side! People like you preach tolerance and open-mindedness all the time, but when it comes to Middle America, you think we're all evil and stupid country yokels who need your political enlightenment! Well, just because you're on TV doesn't mean you know crap about the government! Now get your ass back on first class and respect this class's right to make up their own minds! [Rosie and the kids gasp] ...Oh, sorry I got a little off the subject, kids.
- Ret-Gone: This happens to Bill Cosby at the end of the episode. Notably, during the initial broadcast, he yelled out that it hurts before he disappeared but subsequent rebroadcasts and the syndication version remove the line.
- Shout-Out:
- The main plot is a reference to The Terminator.
- Cartman's Body Horror-fueled transformation serves as one to AKIRA.
- The robot goes by the name "Bill Cosby".
- Kyle floats around the mechanical innards of the Cartman-Trapper Keeper monstrosity in a scene straight out of 2001: A Space Odyssey. Cartman even speaks in a Machine Monotone voice similar to HAL.
- Super-Powered Robot Meter Maids: At no point does anyone try to justify why a school folder needs to be able to assimilate new technology in the first place.
- Take That!: Rosie O'Donnell is on the end of several fat jokes in the episode and is called on for being one-sided on political issues claiming she doesn't want people being cheated out but only does when they are her side. Not to mention the fact that assimilating her ends up making the Trapper Keeper!Cartman creature sick.
- A minor one is directed towards Jesse Jackson when he complains the black students were misrepresented but when Mr. Garrison points out there are no black students, he leaves.
- They Killed Kenny Again: Kenny is crushed to death by Cartman's bedroom door when Cartman undergoes his transformation.
- Too Spicy for Yog-Sothoth: Assimilating Rosie O'Donnell severely weakens the transformed Cartman, allowing Kyle to free himself, free Cartman, and destroy the Trapper Keeper Hybrid.
