Tom's Rhinoplasty
The episode advocates the concept of inner beauty through the Mr. Garrison subplot, and shows the boys' efforts to win Ms. Ellen's affection despite the fact that she is a lesbian.
The episode marked the first time a real photographic image of a person's head (in this case David Hasselhoff) was superimposed over a cartoon body, a practice which would become common throughout the series.
Trey Parker and Matt Stone said they were initially unhappy with "Tom's Rhinoplasty" when production of the episode concluded, and were surprised when fans responded positively to it.
Meanwhile, Mr. Garrison's nose job makes him a "hot and sexy" man, with his face resembling David Hasselhoff, and he decides to quit teaching to pursue women.
Wendy reclaims Stan as her boyfriend after he vomits on her, and thanks the town's women for pursuing Mr. Garrison so relentlessly that he decided to return to teaching.
[7] "Tom's Rhinoplasty" marked the first time a real photographic image of a person's head (in this case David Hasselhoff) was superimposed over a cartoon body, a practice which would become common throughout the series.
[6] "Tom's Rhinoplasty" displayed noticeable differences in South Park's animation, which was gradually changing throughout the first season and settling into the defined look the series has maintained throughout the years.
"No Substitute" was performed by Chef's voice actor Isaac Hayes and was written by Parker, Stone and Bruce Howell, a South Park composer and producer.
During one montage scene in "Tom's Rhinoplasty", a jealous Wendy recalls memories of her relationship with Stan while a sad song plays in the background.
[6] The Indigo Girls-style song in "Tom's Rhinoplasty" was written and sung by Toddy Walters, who played protagonist Polly Pry in Trey Parker's 1996 film, Cannibal!
[6] Parker and Stone said although the network typically provides great leniency in permitting obscene jokes, they often object to lines about female hygiene problems.
[5] During a cafeteria scene, a boy visible at a lunch table in the background looks exactly like Craig Tucker, but the color of his hat has been changed to make him appear to be a different character.
[6] Parker and Stone had trouble deciding how to end "Tom's Rhinoplasty" in a way that would bring everything back to normal in South Park.
[6] Describing the general tone of the show, Teri Fitsell of The New Zealand Herald explains that "South Park is a vicious social satire that works by spotlighting not the immorality of these kids but their amorality, and contrasting it with the conniving hypocrisy of the adults who surround them.
[15] After Mr. Garrison gets a nose job, his face resembles that of David Hasselhoff, an actor and singer who starred in the series Knight Rider and Baywatch.
When Chef tries to determine how attractive Ms. Ellen is, he asks the boys how she compares various celebrities, including Vanessa L. Williams, Toni Braxton, Pamela Anderson, and Erin Gray.
For the lattermost actress, he specifically asks if Ms. Ellen is as attractive as Gray was in the second season of the NBC series Buck Rogers in the 25th Century.
When Ms. Ellen asks the class about the last lesson Mr. Garrison taught them, Cartman said they had been learning about how actress Yasmine Bleeth was dating Richard Grieco, the star of television series 21 Jump Street and Booker.
[23] Walt Belcher of The Tampa Tribune praised the episode and said it "celebrates Valentine's Day [as] only the Comedy Central series can", although he warned it was not for children.
