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Prehistoric Ice Man

18th episode of the 2nd season of South Park

Architectural plans, a scale model, maps and brass measuring instruments
Places and architectureInterpretive dossier study · Crown Archives visual atlas
Record originEnglish Wikipedia
Text licenseCC BY-SA 4.0
Source revisionJun 24, 2026
Entity authorityQ898217
Source-derived summary

"Prehistoric Ice Man" is the eighteenth and final episode of the second season of the American animated television series South Park. The 31st episode of the series overall, it originally aired on Comedy Central in the United States on January 20, 1999. The episode was written by series co-creator Trey Parker, along with Nancy M. Pimental, and directed by Eric Stough.

Plot

Stan, Kyle, Cartman, and Kenny are inspired to go hunting for crocodiles by watching a Steve Irwin television program in which Irwin is depicted as having a predilection for placing his thumb up an animal's rectum. Cartman causes Kyle to fall into a cave and sends Stan to retrieve him; once in the cave, Stan and Kyle discover a man frozen in ice. The boys retrieve him and take him to Dr. Mephesto to be dissected. Stan and Kyle get into a fight about who really discovered the frozen man and what name they should give him. Dr. Mephesto thaws the ice covering the man and discovers that he is alive and was frozen for only 32 months (according to his clothing brand/style).

Editorial summary

The public source identifies “Prehistoric Ice Man” as 18th episode of the 2nd season of South Park. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Prehistoric, 18th and episode.

Editorial reviewA valuable geographic starting point for tracing changing names, boundaries, uses and administrative responsibility. The current lead gives the account dated anchors—1999—that can be checked directly. The linked authority record independently contributes the date 1999-01-20. Its value is orientation rather than verdict, with Prehistoric, 18th and episode providing the first useful test.
Editorial analysis

Why this record matters

A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Prehistoric Ice Man”, the useful work is to connect “18th episode of the 2nd season of South Park” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.

Evidence profile

The strongest evidence will usually combine a dated visual record with documents produced by the authority responsible for the place. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jun 24, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q898217. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1999.

Critical limits

Modern boundaries and familiar names can conceal earlier jurisdictions or structures that do not align with the present site. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.

How to read it

Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.

Best used for
  • Historic place names
  • Jurisdictional context
  • Routes into maps and plans
Verify next

Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.

Three-step research path

  1. Establish the record: confirm the title “Prehistoric Ice Man”, its source revision and the description used here.
  2. Expand the search: follow Prehistoric Ice Man primary sources, Prehistoric Ice Man archive and Prehistoric research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
  3. Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.

Questions for further research

  1. Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Prehistoric Ice Man”?
  2. Which earlier names or jurisdictions may reveal additional records?
  3. What physical evidence or contemporary plan supports the description?
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Source & attribution

This entry incorporates text from Prehistoric Ice Man” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.