Tom's Rhinoplasty - Cultural References and Impact

Cultural References and Impact

After Mr. Garrison gets a nose job, his face resembles that of David Hasselhoff, the actor and singer best known for the shows Knight Rider and Baywatch. Mr. Garrison refers disparagingly to the 1997 science fiction drama film Contact. Parker and Stone said they went out of their way to include the reference due to their own strong distaste for the movie.

The song that plays when Mr. Garrison strolls down the street after his nose job is "Shadow Dancing" by Andy Gibb. When trying to determine how attractive Ms. Ellen is, Chef asks the boys how she compares to a number of celebrities, including Vanessa Williams, Toni Braxton, Pamela Anderson and Erin Gray. For the latter 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 shows 21 Jump Street and Booker.

The store Tom's Rhinoplasty first appeared in the background of the short Jesus vs. Santa, it is regularly shown in the background throughout the rest of the series, as well as in the 1999 South Park film, South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut. A South Park drinking game included in the book "The Complete Guide to Television and Movie Drinking" encourages viewers to drink whenever South Park residents walk by or gather in front of the Tom's Rhinoplasty building. During the episode, Wendy repeatedly warns Ms. Ellen, "Don't fuck with me". The line marks the first time a female character used the word "fuck" in a South Park episode.