Ass Burgers

Cartman mishears the condition as "ass burgers" and opens a food stand in which the secret ingredient involves stuffing his underwear with hamburgers.

The writers had the idea to center an episode on the "Ass Burgers" pun for several years, but did not think discussion and awareness of the disorder had entered pop culture to the extent that enough people would understand the joke.

Stan's depression is diagnosed as Asperger syndrome because he received a flu vaccination a year earlier, although the veracity of this claim is uncertain.

While intoxicated, Stan unsuccessfully attempts to make amends with Kyle, who explains that things have irreversibly changed and he must remain with Cartman Burger.

During the summer, co-creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone had won nine Tony Awards for their work on the Broadway musical The Book of Mormon.

To dissuade any critics from believing their newfound acclaim on the Great White Way would somehow make South Park more mature, they titled the episode "Ass Burgers", a pun on Asperger syndrome.

[3] They had the idea to center an episode of the disorder's name several years prior, but it had not entered the pop culture consciousness in a way that Parker and Stone felt enough people would be aware of the joke.

[3] It is the conclusion of a two-parter begun with "You're Getting Old", the mid-season finale that involved Stan turning ten years old and beginning to view the world through a cynical lens.

[6] The first pieces of animation completed for the episode were its opening scenes, in which normal South Park events are played out while Stan stands depressed.

[2] Stone later commented that although there was no choice, he disliked the idea of returning things to normal, as he felt viewers had made an emotional connection to "You're Getting Old" and simply "resetting" would be unsatisfying, story-wise.

The show had fallen into a rut and become formulaic, and just when 'You're Getting Old' gave us a hint that Trey and Matt were sick of their own antics and ready to usher in a new era of exciting changes, the boldest guys in the biz appear to be going back to what's safe and comfortable and familiar.