Kyle Matthew Broflovski is a
fictional character in the
adult
An adult is a human or other animal that has reached full growth. In human context, the term ''adult'' has meanings associated with social and legal concepts. In contrast to a " minor", a legal adult is a person who has attained the age of major ...
animated television series
An animated series is a set of Animation, animated works with a common series title, usually related to one another. These episodes should typically share the same main characters, some different secondary characters and a basic theme. Series can ...
''
South Park
''South Park'' is an American animated sitcom created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone and developed by Brian Graden for Comedy Central. The series revolves around four boys Stan Marsh, Kyle Broflovski, Eric Cartman, and Kenny McCormickand th ...
''. He is voiced by and loosely based on co-creator
Matt Stone. Kyle is one of the series' four central characters, along with his friends
Stan Marsh
Stanley Randell William Marsh is a fictional character in the adult animated television series '' South Park''. He is voiced by and loosely based on series co-creator Trey Parker. Stan is one of the series' four central characters, along with ...
,
Kenny McCormick, and
Eric Cartman
Eric Theodore Cartman, commonly referred to by his surname Cartman, is a fictional character in the adult animated sitcom '' South Park'', created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone. He is voiced by Parker, and is one of the series' four main chara ...
. He debuted on television when ''South Park'' first aired on August 13, 1997, after having first appeared in ''
The Spirit of Christmas'' shorts created by Stone and long-time collaborator
Trey Parker in 1992 (''Jesus vs. Frosty'') and 1995 (''Jesus vs. Santa'').
Kyle is an elementary school student who commonly has extraordinary experiences not typical of conventional small-town life in his fictional hometown of South Park,
Colorado. Kyle is distinctive as one of the few
Jewish children on the show, and because of this, he often feels like an outsider amongst the core group of characters. His portrayal in this role is often dealt with satirically, and has elicited both praise and criticism from Jewish viewers.
Like the other ''South Park'' characters, Kyle is animated by computer in a way to emulate the show's original method of
cutout animation. He also appears in the 1999 full-length feature film ''
South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut'', as well as ''South Park''-related media and merchandise. While Parker and Stone portray Kyle as having common childlike tendencies, his dialogue is often intended to reflect stances and views on more adult-oriented issues, and has been cited in numerous publications by experts in the fields of politics, religion, popular culture, and philosophy.
Role in ''South Park''
Kyle attends South Park Elementary as part of
Mr. Garrison
Herbert Garrison, formerly known as Janet Garrison, Ethan F Garrison, and the President, is a fictional character and occasional antagonist on the American animated television series ''South Park''. The character is voiced by cocreator Trey Pa ...
's class. During the show's first 58 episodes, Kyle and the other students were in the third grade following which they have been in the fourth grade. He lives in South Park with his father
Gerald, a lawyer, and his overprotective mother
Sheila, a housewife who fits the mold of a
Jewish mother stereotype
Stereotypes of Jews are generalized representations of Jews, often caricatured and of a prejudiced and antisemitic nature.
Common objects, phrases and traditions which are used to emphasize or ridicule Jewishness include bagels, the complaini ...
.
Gerald and Sheila have been referred to have
Polish
Polish may refer to:
* Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe
* Polish language
* Poles, people from Poland or of Polish descent
* Polish chicken
*Polish brothers (Mark Polish and Michael Polish, born 1970), American twin screenwr ...
and
Russian Jewish
The history of the Jews in Russia and areas historically connected with it goes back at least 1,500 years. Jews in Russia have historically constituted a large religious and ethnic diaspora; the Russian Empire at one time hosted the largest pop ...
background,
and they mutually share a strong devotion to their Jewish religion, while expressing deep concern during the multiple times Kyle's faith in Judaism becomes enervated. Kyle has a younger brother named
Ike
Ike or IKE may refer to:
People
* Ike (given name), a list of people with the name or nickname
* Dwight D. Eisenhower (1890–1969), Supreme Commander of the Allied forces in Europe during World War II and President of the United States Surname
...
, who Kyle learns was adopted and originally from
Canada in the episode "
Ike's Wee Wee
"Ike's Wee Wee" is the third episode of the second season of the American animated television series '' South Park''. The 16th episode of the series overall, it first aired on Comedy Central in the United States on May 20, 1998. In the episode, sc ...
".
Gerald often attempts to teach Kyle important morals. Although his mother's outspoken, manipulative nature usually overwhelms Kyle, he tends to show that he truly loves her, and takes offense to any insult Cartman may offer about her.
Although he engages in the reckless act of punting Ike like a football, Kyle shows concern for his brother's well-being. He was initially reluctant to embrace Ike as his brother upon learning that Ike was adopted, but Ike's genuine affection for his older brother persuaded Kyle to love him in return, and regard him as "true family".
[Arp and Devlin, pp. 87–94]
Kyle is modeled after Stone, while Stan is modeled after Parker. Kyle and Stan are best friends, and their relationship, which is supposed to reflect the real-life friendship between Parker and Stone,
is a common topic throughout the series. The two do have their disagreements, but always reconcile without any long-term damage to their friendship. The show's official website defines Kyle's role amongst his friends as "the smart one".
He often provides a sober thought to plans or ideas made by the other boys, and explains a moral outlook while drawing upon his vast knowledge and intelligence.
He tends to offer reasonable or scientific explanations both to situations most others view as supernatural in nature, and in opposition of propaganda dispensed by Cartman.
Several episodes focus on Kyle and his religion,
and being the lone Jew has resulted in an enmity with the
Antisemitic
Antisemitism (also spelled anti-semitism or anti-Semitism) is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who holds such positions is called an antisemite. Antisemitism is considered to be a form of racism.
Antis ...
Cartman that has become significantly more pronounced as the series progresses.
Parker and Stone have compared the relationship to the one shared by
Archie Bunker and
Michael Stivic on the 1970s
sitcom ''
All in the Family''.
Kyle makes cracks at Cartman's weight and is horrified and disgusted with Cartman's immorality, cruelty, bigotry, and greed. Their rivalry often elevates to the point where Kyle becomes so obsessed with beating Cartman at whatever he does, he sometimes neglects Stan and Kenny in the process.
He has a tendency to make what he thinks are safe bets with Cartman, often losing these bets when the improbable actions promised by Cartman are accomplished.
Though he has claimed Kenny was not his friend, in order to avoid having to spend the night at his poverty-stricken household, Kyle has professed a friendship with Kenny and shown genuine concern for Kenny's health and safety. Kyle normally has the angrier reaction of yelling "You bastards!" following Stan's exclamation of the popular catchphrase "Oh my God, they killed Kenny" after one of
Kenny's trademark deaths.
Near the end of the production run of the show's
fifth season (2001), Parker and Stone contemplated having an episode in which Kyle was killed off.
[ Mini-commentary for episode "Kenny Dies"] The reasoning behind the idea was to genuinely surprise fans, and to allow an opportunity to provide a major role for
Butters Stotch, a
breakout character whose popularity was growing with the viewers and creators of the show.
Parker and Stone initially chose Kyle because they deemed him as being too similar to Stan in terms of personality. Instead, the character of Kenny was chosen, and he was seemingly killed off for good in the episode "
Kenny Dies
"Kenny Dies" is the thirteenth and penultimate episode of the fifth season of the animated television series '' South Park'', and the 78th episode of the series overall. "Kenny Dies" originally aired in the United States on December 5, 2001 on Com ...
". The duo claimed they grew tired of upholding the tradition of having Kenny die in each episode, and regarded the character as a "prop".
In many episodes, Kyle draws upon his sense of social purpose and moral outrage,
and reflects on the lessons he has learned during the course of an episode, with a speech that often begins "You know, I learned something today...". Kyle acknowledged this trend in the
season five
A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperate and pola ...
(2001) episode "
Cartmanland" when he states that he often gives the speech each week in an attempt to "try and better myself", and again in the
season seven (2003) episode "
Butt Out
"Butt Out" is the thirteenth episode of the seventh season of the American animated television series, '' South Park'', and is the 109th episode overall. It first aired on Comedy Central in the United States on December 3, 2003.
In the episode, ...
" where he repeatedly reminds his friends that they continuously allow potentially riotous events to occur, and are only able to defuse the situation by giving such a speech to the gathered townsfolk.
Kyle's mother reveals in the episode "
Cherokee Hair Tampons
"Cherokee Hair Tampons" is the sixth episode of the fourth season of the animated television series '' South Park'', and the 54th episode of the series overall. This is the season's seventh episode in production order. "Cherokee Hair Tampons" orig ...
" that Kyle is diabetic and had to get a kidney transplant. His diabetes could explain why he gets sick more often than his classmates.
Character
Creation and design
An unnamed precursor to Kyle first appeared in the first ''The Spirit of Christmas'' short, dubbed ''Jesus vs. Frosty'', created by Parker and Stone in 1992 while they were students at the
University of Colorado. The character was composed of
construction paper cutouts and animated using
stop motion.
When asked three years later by friend
Brian Graden
Brian Graden (born March 23, 1963) is an American television executive and founder and CEO of Emmy-winning Brian Graden Media, founded in 2013. Its series include ''Create Together'' (Emmy winner), ''Escape the Night, HitRECord on TV'' (Emmy winne ...
to create another short as a video
Christmas card that he could send to friends, Parker and Stone created another similarly-animated ''The Spirit of Christmas'' short, dubbed ''Jesus vs. Santa''. In this short, which was the first appearance of Kyle styled as he is in the series, he is given his first name. When developing the character, Parker recalled there being only one Jewish student in his entire hometown of
Conifer, Colorado
Conifer is an unincorporated community in Jefferson County, Colorado, United States. Conifer is located along U.S. Route 285 in the foothills west of Denver.
History
A post office called Conifer was established in 1894. Some say the community ...
, and described her as being "the
token
Token may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
* Token, a game piece or counter, used in some games
* The Tokens, a vocal music group
* Tolkien Black, a recurring character on the animated television series ''South Park,'' formerly known as ...
Jewish person".
Kyle next appeared on August 13, 1997, when ''South Park'' debuted on
Comedy Central with the episode "
Cartman Gets an Anal Probe
"Cartman Gets an Anal Probe" is the series premiere of the American animated television series ''South Park''. It first aired on Comedy Central in the United States on August 13, 1997. The episode introduces child protagonists Eric Cartman, Kyle B ...
".
[Claire Bickley, "Charlie Brown they ain't", '']Toronto Sun
The ''Toronto Sun'' is an English-language tabloid newspaper published daily in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The newspaper is one of several ''Sun'' tabloids published by Postmedia Network. The newspaper's offices is located at Postmedia Place i ...
'' (September 25, 1997). LexisNexis . Retrieved April 30, 2009.
From the show's second episode, "
Weight Gain 4000
"Weight Gain 4000" is the third episode of the first season of the American animated television series ''South Park''. It first aired on Comedy Central in the United States on August 27, 1997. In the episode, the residents of South Park excitedl ...
" (
season one Season One may refer to:
Albums
* ''Season One'' (Suburban Legends album), 2004
* ''Season One'' (All Sons & Daughters album), 2012
* ''Season One'' (Saukrates album), 2012
See also
*
*
* Season 2 (disambiguation)
* Season 4 (disambiguat ...
, 1997), Kyle, like all other characters on the show, has been animated using computer software, though he is presented to give the impression that the show still utilizes its original technique.
In keeping with the show's
animation style, Kyle is composed of simple geometrical shapes.
He is not offered the same free range of motion associated with hand-drawn characters; his character is generally shown from only one angle, and his movements are animated in an intentionally jerky fashion.
Kyle is usually depicted wearing winter attire that consists of a bright green
ushanka, a bright orange jacket, dark green jeans, and lime-green mittens/gloves. The rare instances in which he is shown without his cap, he has a bright red-to-auburn
Jewfro. His hat and hairstyle were influenced by those of James Humphrey, a character whom Matt Stone portrayed in the 1993 film
Cannibal! The Musical. Matt also had a hat just like Kyle's as a kid. Stone cited that he came up with the voice of Kyle while he and Parker were in film class, where they would speak in high-pitched childish voices that would often get them into trouble. The recorded audio is edited with
Pro Tools, and the pitch altered to make the voice sound more like that of a fourth grader.
Personality and traits

Like his friends, Kyle is foul-mouthed as a means for Parker and Stone to display how they claim young boys really talk when they are alone.
Parker notes that while Kyle is sometimes cynical and profane, there is an "underlying sweetness" to the character,
and ''
Time'' described Kyle and his friends as "sometimes cruel but with a core of innocence".
He is amused by bodily functions and
toilet humor,
and his favorite television personalities are
Terrance and Phillip, a Canadian duo whose comedy routines on their show-within-the-show revolve substantially around fart jokes.
Kyle often displays the highest moral standard of all the boys and is usually depicted as the most intelligent.
When describing Kyle, Stone states that both he and the character are "reactionary", and susceptible to irritability and impatience.
In some instances, Kyle is the only child in his class to not initially indulge in a fad or fall victim to a ploy. This has resulted in both his eagerness to fit in, and his resentment and frustration.
[Rennie, James and Weinstock, pp. 195–208]
As a Jew, Kyle often defends and shows pride in his religion and ancestry.
He is nevertheless lonely in this regard, particularly around
Christmas time, though he takes solace in anticipating the annual appearance of
Mr. Hankey
'' South Park'' is an American animated television series created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone for the Comedy Central television network. The ongoing narrative revolves around five children, Stan Marsh, Eric Cartman, Kyle Broflovski, Kenny M ...
, an
anthropomorphic
Anthropomorphism is the attribution of human traits, emotions, or intentions to non-human entities. It is considered to be an innate tendency of human psychology.
Personification is the related attribution of human form and characteristics t ...
piece of
feces
Feces ( or faeces), known colloquially and in slang as poo and poop, are the solid or semi-solid remains of food that was not digested in the small intestine, and has been broken down by bacteria in the large intestine. Feces contain a relati ...
who emerges from the sewer to spread Christmas cheer.
A recurring plot element is the depiction of Kyle as insecure about Jewish traditions and beliefs.
Already regarding God as cruel for allowing him to suffer from a life-threatening hemorrhoid while Cartman enjoys a million-dollar inheritance, Kyle became further appalled after being read the story of
Job
Work or labor (or labour in British English) is intentional activity people perform to support the needs and wants of themselves, others, or a wider community. In the context of economics, work can be viewed as the human activity that contr ...
.
[Arp and Jacoby, pp. 58–65] He also once feared
damnation for not having grown up as a
Catholic.
[Arp and Murtaugh, pp. 29–39] During both instances, he renounced his affiliation with Judaism, only to have his faith restored by events occurring at the end of an episode. After watching ''
The Passion of the Christ'', a shameful Kyle suddenly felt that Cartman's anti-Semitism was justified, and suggested to angry members of his
synagogue
A synagogue, ', 'house of assembly', or ', "house of prayer"; Yiddish: ''shul'', Ladino: or ' (from synagogue); or ', "community". sometimes referred to as shul, and interchangeably used with the word temple, is a Jewish house of worshi ...
that the Jews apologize for the death of
Jesus.
Kyle's guilt is quickly alleviated when he encounters
Mel Gibson, the film's director, and perceives him to be nothing more than a deranged masochist.
Kyle has a first cousin also named
Kyle
Kyle or Kyles may refer to:
Places
Canada
* Kyle, Saskatchewan, Canada
Ireland
* Kyle, County Laois
* Kyle, County Wexford
Scotland
* Kyle, Ayrshire, area of Scotland which stretched across parts of modern-day East Ayrshire and South Ayrshir ...
, whom he resents for being the embodiment of Jewish stereotypes and causing Kyle to question whether or not he was a
self-hating Jew.
[ Mini-commentary for episode "The Entity"] Kyle is hopelessly inept at choreographed dancing; in the eyes of Cartman, he perpetuated the stereotype that "Jews have no rhythm".
His birthday is May 26, the same day as Stone. Kyle was conceived in
New Jersey.
In other media
Kyle had a major role in ''
South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut'', the full-length film based on the series, and appeared on the
film's soundtrack singing the same musical numbers performed in the movie. As a tribute to the
Dead Parrot sketch, a short that features Kyle as the owner of a shop to where Cartman attempts to return a dead Kenny aired during a 1999 BBC television special commemorating the 30th anniversary of ''
Monty Python's Flying Circus
''Monty Python's Flying Circus'' (also known as simply ''Monty Python'') is a British surreal sketch comedy series created by and starring Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, Michael Palin and Terry Gilliam, who became known ...
''. Kyle also featured in the
documentary film ''
The Aristocrats
"The Aristocrats" is a taboo-defying off-color joke that has been told by numerous stand-up comedians since the vaudeville era . It relates the story of a family trying to get an agent to book their stage act, which is revealed to be remarkably ...
'', listening to Cartman tell his version of the film's titular joke,
and in "The Gauntlet", a short spoofing both ''
Gladiator
A gladiator ( la, gladiator, "swordsman", from , "sword") was an armed combatant who entertained audiences in the Roman Republic and Roman Empire in violent confrontations with other gladiators, wild animals, and condemned criminals. Some gla ...
'' and ''
Battlefield Earth'' which aired during the
2000 MTV Movie Awards
The 2000 MTV Movie Awards were hosted by Sarah Jessica Parker. In conjunction with the success of ''Sex and the City'', the awards show presented a parody of ''Sex and the City'' and ''The Matrix'' during the program's opening. It featured the SAT ...
.
[ Short that aired during the ]2000 MTV Movie Awards
The 2000 MTV Movie Awards were hosted by Sarah Jessica Parker. In conjunction with the success of ''Sex and the City'', the awards show presented a parody of ''Sex and the City'' and ''The Matrix'' during the program's opening. It featured the SAT ...
Stone performs as Kyle on tracks for ''
Chef Aid: The South Park Album'' and ''
Mr. Hankey's Christmas Classics
"Mr. Hankey's Christmas Classics" is the fifteenth episode of the third season of the animated television series ''South Park'' and the 46th episode of the series overall. An album of the same name consisting of versions of songs from the show a ...
''. Kyle also appears in six ''South Park''-related video games: In ''
South Park
''South Park'' is an American animated sitcom created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone and developed by Brian Graden for Comedy Central. The series revolves around four boys Stan Marsh, Kyle Broflovski, Eric Cartman, and Kenny McCormickand th ...
'', Kyle is controlled by the player through the
first-person shooter mode who attempts to ward off enemies from terrorizing the town of South Park. In ''
South Park: Chef's Luv Shack'', a user has the option of playing as Kyle when participating in the game's several "minigames" based on other popular arcade games. In the racing game ''
South Park Rally'', a user can race as Kyle against other players, selecting from a variety of vehicles. In ''
South Park Let's Go Tower Defense Play!
''South Park Let's Go Tower Defense Play!'' is a 2009 video game based on the American animated television series '' South Park'', released on the Xbox Live Arcade service for the Xbox 360 video game console. The game was developed by Doublesix i ...
'', Kyle can be selected as a playable character used to establish a
tower defense against the game's antagonists.
Kyle
role-plays as the Elf King in the 2014 game, ''
The Stick of Truth
''South Park: The Stick of Truth'' is a 2014 role-playing video game developed by Obsidian Entertainment in collaboration with South Park Digital Studios and published by Ubisoft. Based on the American animated television series ''South Park' ...
'', as well as in its sequel, ''
The Fractured but Whole'', where he roleplays as the Human Kite.
Cultural impact
Kyle's depiction on the show has drawn both praise and criticism from the Jewish community.
Detractors of the character cite his own habit of eschewing common Jewish practices and reiterating negative stereotypes for comedic purposes.
Supportive Jewish viewers commend the show for using Kyle to accurately portray what it is like for a young Jew to have to endure loneliness and bigotry as an ethnic and religious minority.
One of the show's more popular episodes, "
The Passion of the Jew
"The Passion of the Jew" is the third episode of the eighth season and the 114th overall episode of the American animated series '' South Park'', originally broadcast on Comedy Central on March 31, 2004. Going by production order, it is the 4th ...
" (
season eight, 2004), deals largely with Kyle's religious anxiety.
The episode was independently released on
DVD along with two other religion-themed episodes from the series.
Over the seasons Kyle has addressed topics such as
brotherhood
Brotherhood or The Brotherhood may refer to:
Family, relationships, and organizations
* Fraternity (philosophy) or brotherhood, an ethical relationship between people, which is based on love and solidarity
* Fraternity or brotherhood, a mal ...
,
excessive
litigation
-
A lawsuit is a proceeding by a party or parties against another in the civil court of law. The archaic term "suit in law" is found in only a small number of laws still in effect today. The term "lawsuit" is used in reference to a civil actio ...
,
hate crime legislation,
civil liberties
Civil liberties are guarantees and freedoms that governments commit not to abridge, either by constitution, legislation, or judicial interpretation, without due process. Though the scope of the term differs between countries, civil liberties may ...
,
profanity in television,
hybrid vehicle
A hybrid vehicle is one that uses two or more distinct types of power, such as submarines that use diesel when surfaced and batteries when submerged. Other means to store energy include pressurized fluid in hydraulic hybrids.
The basic princip ...
ownership,
and the
economy.
In the
season 10
A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperate and pol ...
(2006) episode "
Cartoon Wars Part II", Kyle expresses his opinions on
censorship,
and iterates Parker and Stone's sentiments on the topic by telling a television executive "Either it's all okay, or none of it is" in regard to whether any subject should remain off-limits to satire.
To Parker and Stone's disappointment, the episode received more attention for its criticism of the show ''
Family Guy
''Family Guy'' is an American animated sitcom originally conceived and created by Seth MacFarlane for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The show centers around the Griffin family, Griffins, a dysfunctional family consisting of parents Peter Griff ...
'' than it did for Kyle's proclamation.
Kyle's opinions have been the subject of much critical analysis in the media and literary world. The book ''
South Park and Philosophy: You Know, I Learned Something Today'' includes an essay in which
Bridgewater State College philosophy
Philosophy (from , ) is the systematized study of general and fundamental questions, such as those about existence, reason, knowledge, values, mind, and language. Such questions are often posed as problems to be studied or resolved. Some ...
professor William J. Devlin references the teachings of
Socrates and
Friedrich Nietzsche when describing Kyle's role in the show.
South Park and Philosophy: You Know, I Learned Something Today
, Blackwell Publishing, ''Series: The Blackwell Philosophy and Pop Culture Series'', Retrieved January 21, 2008. Essays in the books '' South Park and Philosophy: Bigger, Longer, and More Penetrating'', ''Blame Canada! South Park and Contemporary Culture'', and ''Taking South Park Seriously'' have also analyzed Kyle's perspectives within the framework of popular philosophical, theological, and political concepts.[Fallows and Weinstock, p. 165]
Notes
References
*
*
External links
Kyle Broflovski
at South Park Studios
{{DEFAULTSORT:Broflovski, Kyle
American male characters in television
Child characters in animated films
Child characters in television
Comedy film characters
Fictional American Jews
Fictional Polish Jews
Fictional Russian Jews
Fictional characters based on real people
Fictional characters from Colorado
Fictional elementary school students
Television characters introduced in 1992
Male characters in animated series
Male characters in film
South Park characters
Video game bosses
Video game protagonists
Animated characters introduced in 1992