<P> "Fishsticks" was written and directed by series co-creator Trey Parker . The concept for "Fishsticks" began when Parker, fellow co-creator Matt Stone, and actor Bill Hader attended a writers' retreat in Seattle, Washington and they visited a body of water where they could watch salmon jump . They started joking about a salmon wearing an outfit like the motorcycle daredevil Evel Knievel, which eventually reminded them of the music video for rapper Kanye West's song "Touch the Sky", in which West himself dresses like Knievel . This led to them picturing a scene with West on a news program, angrily denying reports that he is a fish, shouting "No, I am not a salmon!" During a four - hour ride in a car, Stone and Parker discussed the joke further, and eventually thought of the "fishsticks" joke that featured prominently in the final episode . The duo said they found it hilarious and told variations of the joke back and forth to each other for the rest of the ride . Stone said, "The van driver we hired was just so bummed because we just kept talking about fishsticks,' You're a gay fish', over and over . We thought it was so funny, and just the fact that he didn't get it ." </P> <P> Although the joke originally stemmed from Evel Knievel and not Kanye West, Parker and Stone said they realized West would probably be extremely humorless about the joke and not understand it, so they decided the episode should revolve mostly around him . After coming up with the idea, Parker and Stone waited a long time before they finally wrote the script because, Stone said, "It just seemed too dumb . Are we really going to do a whole episode about this?" Stone said the jokes about Carlos Mencia were "just a complete afterthought" that came about during the writing process . During one scene in "Fishsticks", Cartman steals credit from Jimmy for a joke he did not write . This was inspired by people Parker and Stone have worked with in the television business who were present for discussions the duo had, then later claimed credit for the idea even though they had nothing to do with it . Stone said, "They truly believe they did it . That's the really sinister part . It's not where they're trying to steal part of the glory...They actually fully believe that they came up with it ." </P> <P> Parker provided the voice of Kanye, both in the episode and in "Gay Fish", a full - length song featured at the end of the episode about West's realization that he actually is a gay fish . Parker used a large amount of Auto - Tune pitch audio processing, which he had never used before . Parker said he eventually discovered he had to sing off - key on purpose in order to get the desired effect . Parker said, "You had to be a bad singer in order for that thing to actually sound the way it does ." The day after "Fishsticks" was broadcast, the full two - and - a-half minute version of the Kanye West spoof, "Gay Fish", was made available for download on South Park Studios, the official South Park website . The site also featured T - shirts and hooded sweatshirts based on the episode . One featured Jimmy asking, "Do you like fishsticks?" The other features text from Kanye West's whiteboard in the episode: "Fishsticks + Me = Gayfish". </P> <P> A Kanye West song in the episode about the fact that he is indeed a "gay fish" is a parody of the West song "Heartless", from his 2008 recording 808s & Heartbreak and satirizes the rapper's usage of Auto - Tune pitch audio processing . When West first confronts Cartman and Jimmy, Cartman mistakes him for Puff Daddy, another rapper and record producer . </P>

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