South Park Creators: We Came Up With Pokemon Go First

During a panel celebrating the 20th season of South Park on Friday at Comic-Con creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone pointed out that they came up with the idea for Pokemon Go 17 years ago.

“People keep telling us about this Pokemon Go thing and asking if we’re going to do something on that, and I’m like ‘We did, in 1999!'” Parker said onstage. He was referencing the episode “Chinpokomon,” which aired during South Park‘s third season.

He went on to explain that during the episode the kids purchased dolls with chips in them that could track the locations of their owners. The information was sent back to Japan, aiding the country in its mission to control America and bomb Pearl Harbor.

“They stole our f—ing thing,” Parker jokingly concluded. “So we’re going to sue them.”

During the panel, the duo also reflected on how each season of South Park has become more extreme than the last. “I remember season one, we were like, ‘We should do a show where one of the kids has a gay dog.’ We were like, ‘Woah can we do that?'” Parker said.

“When season one came out people called it ‘the end of democracy.’ If you go back and watch that stuff now it’s like Doc McStuffins,” added Stone.

They also said their own aging has heavily influenced the work. They used to identify with the kids on the show, and now they identify more closely with the parents, hence why Randy has become such a central character.

“The first five to 10 years I’d record Randy and do an impersonation of my dad,” said Parker. “Now I just do my voice.”

They explained that the most recent season, which saw the introduction of P.C. principal and debated how far one can go with a joke, was their way to work out their own frustrations with P.C. criticism of their comedy. It also was an outlet for their fear that they were getting too old to understand the culture.

“I think we were conflicted about it. It’s one thing to say, ‘What’s wrong with people? Why can’t they take a joke?’ But if nobody’s laughing then you’re just some old guy,” said Stone.

They concluded by answering questions as to whether Donald Trump jokes would be a focus again this season. (The “Canadian Donald Trump” was raped and murdered in the final episode of last season.) The answer? Most likely, yes. “At the time [last year] we were like this Donald Trump thing is funny, let’s make an episode before that joke is over,” said Stone.

The 20th season of South Park returns to Comedy Central in September.