missing, causing Kyle to postpone his party until next Saturday. Cartman then tells Butters that the meteor has hit, civilization has crumbled, and that the world is filled with radioactive cannibals. Butters' disappearance causes a town search party and several days later, the police announce that they will be checking ducts, wells, and bomb shelters, potentially ruining Cartman's evil plan. He then guides Butters out of the shelter, making him wear a box over his head so he cannot see that everything is really okay under the pretense of protecting him from the radiation. Cartman relocates Butters to a broken-down gas station and locks him in an abandoned refrigerator for his protection after pretending to get bit by a radioactive cannibal. After Cartman leaves, a garbage truck comes and takes Butters to the city dump. Butters mistakes the dump for post-apocalyptic Earth, and after finding a dog, tries to build a "new civilization." A few days later, a junkyard worker named Irene stumbles across Butters and tells him the truth about everything, making Butters sadly realize that Cartman tricked him yet again. Just as the party arrives at Casa Bonita, Sheila gets a phone call informing her of what has happened to Butters. She and the other boys are at first relieved to learn that Butters is all right, but then, they learn of Cartman's part in him going missing, and they all angrily confront Cartman about his antics, notifying him that the police are on their way. Knowing that his entire plan failed, Cartman makes a mad dash through the restaurant to sample every attraction and food in the last minute of freedom he has left. Cartman is finally cornered by the police, Sheila, and the boys. However, he jumps off the fake waterfall. A police officer angrily explains the trouble Cartman has caused, noting that he made an entire town panic, he lost all his friends, and will be sent to juvenile hall for a week. The officer asks Cartman if it was worth it, to which the latter responds dreamily, "Totally." Production "Casa Bonita" was written and directed by series co-founder Trey Parker. Like many South Park episodes, it was produced in the week preceding its broadcast. The concept for the episode came together at the last minute. One of the episode's plot elements, that Cartman convinces Butters that an asteroid is going to hit Earth, existed