Earlier this summer, specifically in the month of August, the governor of Colorado bestowed the creators of the long-time satire cartoon, South Park, with memorial license plates that pay tribute to the fictional cannabis company Tegridy Farms that is highlighted in a litany of episodes throughout the comedy series. Furthermore, he stated one of the show’s most successful stoner characters would be a great mascot for the state of Colorado.
Gov. Jared Polis (D-CO) met with South Park originators Trey Parker and Matt Stone to commemorate the 24th anniversary of South Park, which takes place in a dramatization of a backwood Colorado town. He delivered them each unique plates that are based on an actual license plate that was raffled off as part of a cannabis-themed fundraiser that the state of Colorado launched last spring.
Residents were able to bid on display plates with phrases such as “BONG,” “GANJA, “HEMP,” “ISIT420,” and “GOTWAC.” The intent of the auction was to raise money for a Colorado disability trust.
Polis stated the “TEGRIDY” plate was one of the most impactful items sold, raising $5,000 for the charity on its own. The other vanity plate that went for more than $5,000 was the “ISIT420.”
‘We funded over $50,000 for the Colorado disability fund, and I would like to grant you [both] with your own [TEGRIDY vanity plates.] [The Governor’s Office of Colorado] had these whipped up.’ ‘These vanity plates are not for vehicles,’ the governor summarily stated. ‘These are token Tegrity license plates, authorized by Colorado, for Colorado. [The vanity plates] go up on the wall or in your office.
Earlier in the interview, Polis asked the creators of South Park which character they’d choose as a mascot for the entire state of Colorado. The talking towel, ironically called ‘Towelie,’ is famous for consuming cannabis at an extreme rate—was Matt Stone’s choice. He stated it’d be a solid way to represent the state’s cannabis economy, and Gov. Polis agreed that Towelie would be a great mascot.
The remarks at the South Park event aren’t the primary cannabis-related actions the governor has taken this summer.
In August, Gov. Polis also honored the fact that the U.S. Department of Agriculture recently established Colorado’s hemp regulatory system, stating that Colorado is the ‘undisputed champion of the cannabis industry,’ and the hemp strategy is a prototype. For the nation.’ At an event held next to a hemp plot, the governor unveiled a positive statement from singer and cannabis symbol Willie Nelson stating that ‘Colorado should be vain leading the charge for the industrial hemp enterprise.
Popular cannabis outlets reached out to Gov. Polis’s office to see whether there are any immediate plans to make Towelie the state’s mascot. However, according to Gov. Polis’ press secretary, the governor is not planning an official proclamation for Towelie at this time.
He also affirmed that the “TEGRIDY” plates bestowed upon Trey Parker and Matt Stone are “purely decorative” and that the recipient of the license plate in the charity auction “remains undisclosed.”
South Park’s Tegridy episodes may have taken place in a fictional Colorado town, but they’ve satirized real-world matters in the cannabis industry. In 2019, for instance, the show took a not-so-discreet shot at a video made by the cannabis company MedMen, and it’s usually been critical of the corporatization of the cannabis market.
Despite this, Tegridy Farms may soon become a business in the real world, with Matt Stone telling Bloomberg, ‘I think we’re really for the first time going to bring Tegridy cannabis into the real world.’
We will update you if Matt Stone and Trey Parker bring Tegridy Farms to life.