`SOUTH PARK' TAKEOFF FUELS DONATIONS

Libertarian candidate Steve Kubby says Davis, Lungren `killed Kenny'

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Dude, Kenny is dead, and Dan Lungren and Gray Davis did
it.

Animated images of the leading candidates for California governor knock off
the ``South Park'' kid in an ad that parodies the popular Comedy Central
cartoon. The spot started airing Wednesday on cable television.

The ad for Steve Kubby, the Libertarian candidate for governor, is running
on Century Communications cable channels across the state, and donations
have started pouring in because of it, said Kubby campaign manager Gene
Cisewski on Thursday.

The ad opens with animated figures attached to head shots of Lungren and
Davis at a debate and follows with scenes of the cartoon children grousing
over the similarities between the Republican and Democrat.

Then, a Kubby character enters and is told he can't participate because he
doesn't have $40 million. Kubby and other minor-party candidates were not
invited to the four Lungren-Davis debates.

Kubby earns rave reviews from the children, including Kenny -- who dies in
every episode of ``South Park.'' Davis and Lungren, meanwhile, rip out an IV
from Kenny's arm that has the number ``215'' written on it, killing him.

Proposition 215 was a medical marijuana initiative backed by Kubby and
passed by voters.

Because the ad is a parody, Cisewski said the candidate didn't need to get
permission from the creators of ``South Park.'' While the ad looks
strikingly like the original show, all the work was done by Kubby campaign
volunteers, he said.

Checked-by: Don Beck