Creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker are bringing the messy, construction-paper origins of South Park to downtown Denver when the “South Park: Handmade in Colorado” exhibition opens at the Colorado History Museum on December 6, 2026, featuring original pilot cutouts, scripts, and archival props.
- The exhibition opens to the public on December 6, 2026, at the Colorado History Museum at 1200 N. Broadway in Denver, as reported by the denverpost.com.
- Items on display range from the original 1997 pilot construction paper cutouts to costumes from The Book of Mormon and puppets from Team America: World Police, according to hoodline.com.
- Timed-entry reservations are required, with general admission priced at $20 alongside a $50 anytime-access tier, while admission remains free for History Colorado members and visitors 18 and younger, per imfromdenver.com.
The museum showcase traces the creative partnership of Stone and Parker, who first met while attending film school at the University of Colorado in Boulder, denverpost.com reported. Working in partnership with South Park Digital Studios, History Colorado has assembled never-before-shown items from the show’s extensive vaults, including original sketches, scripts, and production storyboards.
The exhibition leans heavily into the local roots of the enterprise rather than treating the global franchise as a pure Hollywood import, hoodline.com noted. The display spans projects well beyond the animated series itself, connecting the creators’ worldwide success to places locals know personally.
Visitors will encounter material tied to the wider body of work produced by Parker and Stone over the decades. The display includes costumes and props from the Broadway musical The Book of Mormon, which is currently celebrating its 15th anniversary, along with puppets from the 2004 feature film Team America: World Police, denverpost.com reported.
The museum is also preserving some of the stranger chapters of the creators’ career by exhibiting the dresses that Parker and Stone wore while high on acid to the 2000 Academy Awards, according to hoodline.com. Additionally, the collection features props and materials from the South Park 25th anniversary concert that took place at Red Rocks Amphitheatre in August 2022.
| Milestone / Event | Year | Key Detail |
|---|---|---|
| Series Premiere | 1997 | Original pilot built with construction paper cutouts |
| Academy Awards Appearance | 2000 | Creators wore distinctive dresses on the red carpet |
| Red Rocks Concert | 2022 | Anniversary concert staged in Morrison, Colorado |
| Cable Dominance | 2025 | Ranked as the number one show on cable among viewers aged 18 to 49 |
The museum installation is slated to run through October 3, 2027, creating a lifespan that directly overlaps with the franchise’s 30th anniversary in August 2027, hoodline.com reported. That milestone arrives as the animated series continues its broadcast run, airing its 29th season under the title South America on Comedy Central, with next-day streaming available on Paramount+, according to denverpost.com.
History Colorado’s announcement highlights that the series now airs in more than 130 countries, having earned six Primetime Emmy Awards and a Peabody Award along the way, hoodline.com noted. The exhibition’s broad sweep also touches on the restoration of the iconic Lakewood establishment Casa Bonita, anchoring the multimedia empire firmly back in Colorado history.
