It didnt take a rocket scientist to be able to see that the last third of tonight's episode was chock full of referances to classic animated cartoons of the 1940. However, those with a working knowledge of animated shorts were able to recognize alot of the gags in Cartman's battle with Osama Bin Laden.
Many of the jokes are standard cartoon gags which are used quite a bit in Warner Bros. cartoons. The various signs ("screw-ball", ect) Cartman holds up at one point can be found often in these cartoons, although they never got as vulgar as they did tonight. "What's up doc?" and the various Osama/Elmer Fudd take-offs are obviously from the Bugs Bunny shorts, and both Bugs and Daffy regularly delighted in crossdressing for and kissing their opponents. Cartman's smart-ass "look" to the camera while Bin Laden dined with the camel is something Bugs would do quite often under the direction of Chuck Jones. The "Tiny, Isn't It" sign was a standard in director Bob Clampett's cartoons (see 1943's "Falling Hare" for a similar sign.) The mallet gag at the end of episode was something that was more common in recent cartoons such as "Animaniacs". (1993-98)
There are a few referances that were taken from specific cartoons, however. In a series of MGM cartoons directed by Tex Avery, a wolf would lose control over a sexy red-headed bomb-shell and go off in a series of wild poses called "takes". The takes Bin Laden uses when he sees a dolled-up Cartman are direct parodies of this.
One gag was taken from a Bob Clampett masterpiece released in 1944. This cartoon, titled "Russian Rhapsody", delt with none other than Adolf Hitler. In this cartoon, the plane he is piloting is attacked by an army of small Russian gremlins, who proceed to demolish the plane, plummeting Hitler to his grave. His last line in the cartoon is, "Nutzies in de cwaziest people", delivered in the voice of 1930/40s star Lew Lehr. Considering this cartoon is not seen often today, the writers of tonights episode obviously did their homework for Osama's last line here.
"Russian Rhapsody" is one of several 1940s cartoons dealing with WW2 themes, pitting animated characters against the likes of Hirohito, Stalin and Hilter. "In Herr Meets Hare" (1945) a Nazi soldier battles Bugs Bunny. At one point Bugs arrives in drag as Brunhilde, riding a horse. Cartman's entrance in drag astride a camel could be a take-ff of this.
Considering these WW2 cartoons are very rarely shown today, it seems odd that an 9 year old like Cartman would be aware of them. The referances to them in "Osama Bin Laden Has Farty Pants", on the other hand, show an amazing amount of respect for the golden age of animation.