What is the name of the 1992 short film that led to South Park?

The 1992 short film that led to South Park was The Spirit of Christmas. Trey Parker and Matt Stone created the animated short while they were students at the University of Colorado Boulder, using crude cutout-style animation and dark comedy.

The film features Jesus and Santa Claus fighting, with a childlike version of the South Park visual style already visible in the characters and setting. Parker and Stone made a second short with the same title in 1995, but the 1992 film is the earlier work that began the chain of events leading to the television series.

The 1995 version was sent as a video Christmas card and became widely circulated in the early internet era. Its popularity helped Parker and Stone attract industry attention, eventually leading to Comedy Central’s South Park premiere in 1997. “Jesus vs. Frosty” is a common mix-up because it is the alternate title associated with the original 1992 short, while “The Spirit of Christmas” is the canonical title used for the film series.