My Super Sweet 16

My Super Sweet 16
Opening theme	"Sweet Sixteen" sung by Hilary Duff.
Country of origin	United States
No. of episodes	61
Production
Running time	22 minutes
Original release
Network	MTV
Release	January 18, 2005

For the 2007 Movie, see Super Sweet 16: The Movie

My Super Sweet 16 is an MTV reality series documenting the lives of wealthy teenagers preparing and celebrating their coming-of-age birthday parties. Parties include the quinceañera (a sweet 15), the sweet 16, and other birthdays including a My Super Sweet 21 special aired during MTV's Spring Break. The show premiered on January 18, 2005. Adolescents featured on the program are often portrayed as spoiled, demanding, temperamental, and ungrateful, due to the superficial lifestyle their parents afford them, and are constantly boastful of the things they have been given. The opening theme is "Sweet Sixteen" sung by Hilary Duff.

Overview

For a complete list of all sweet 16ers, see List of My Super Sweet 16 episodes.

Throughout the seasons, the sweet 16ers understood the prerequisites in order to throw an over-the-top, coming-of-age bash. At the beginning of an episode, title cards are shown inviting the audience to the party: "You're cordially invited... to Bird's Super Sweet 16." The sweet 16er is then shown doing everyday things such as hanging out with friends or talking to parents while discussing plans for the big event. The rest of the episode presents the young person preparing the event in both excitement and frustration until the big day when everything is thrown together. The teens often resort to complaining and crying in order to obtain what they want, and will often go to great lengths in order to seem popular. Many criticize the teens for their obtuse selfishness, lack of intelligence and real world experience. The theme tune (by Hilary Duff) has also become a cult song, being played in nightclubs in Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, reaching rave popularity with DJ Tempies rave-remix in 2007.

A UK version of the program was also produced.

2008 MTV announced that they will launch a new serie called Exiled. A number of parents to the participants on My Super Sweet 16 will banish their teens to a remote dangerous countries in order to see whether if their offspring will survive the primitive conditions .

Usage in pop culture

• The show was parodied on the January 14, 2006 episode of NBC's Saturday Night Live hosted by Scarlett Johansson. In the sketch, sweet 16er, Crystal, reflected that of the usual sweet 16er in which she longs for perfection and gets frustrated when things don't go her way. In the end, even when her own father takes drastic measures in order to pay for all the costs, Crystal gets neither her choice car nor choice performer.

• The show was parodied on the September 16, 2006 episode of FOX's MADtv hosted by Dwayne Johnson. In the sketch, cast member Ike Barinholtz threw a super sweet 30th for fellow cast member Bobby Lee. However, Lee's parents refused to fund more than $300, and the party turns into a disaster.

• The show was parodied on an episode of Comedy Central's South Park ("Hell on Earth 2006") aired October 25, 2006. Satan was intent on throwing an over-the-top Halloween bash. His behavior reflected that of the sweet 16ers preparing for their coming-of-age birthdays. In the end, when Satan realizes his folly, the audience considers the sweet 16ers to be "worse than Satan."

• The show was mentioned on an episode of Nickelodeon's Drake & Josh ("Battle of Panthatar") aired April 15, 2007. Both Drake and Josh were intent on crashing a sweet sixteen in their area that is to be featured on the fictional MTV program "Dude, I'm Sixteen!"

• The Disney Channel television series Cory in the House has an episode parodying My Sweet 16 in an episode where Meena has her own Sweet Sixteen party, and begins acting like a brat.

• The show was mentioned on an episode of CW's Veronica Mars ("Un-American Graffiti") aired May 1, 2007. Both Logan and Parker are such fans of the program that Logan even throws Parker a somewhat high-profile sweet sixteen.

• In the movie Bratz, a character named Meredith throws a Super Sweet 16 Party, and has MTV film it.

• British satirist Charlie Brooker compared the show to an "Al Qaeda recruitment film" on his tv show Charlie Brooker's Screenwipe.

• Janet Jackson also parodied the program in early of 2008, during MTV's Artist of the week. She was seen wearing a tiara and complaining because she received her car 4 hours too early.

• The Disney Channel television series The Suite Life of Zack and Cody has an episode parodying My Sweet 16 in an episode where London and Maddie compete to see who will have the better party.

See also

• List of My Super Sweet 16 episodes
• Super Sweet 16: The Movie
• List of programs broadcast by MTV

External links

• My Super Sweet 16 Online Social Network
• My Super Sweet 16 at MTV.com
• My Super Sweet 16 at IMDb
• Template:Tv.com show
• My Super Sweet Sixteen: Seasons 1 & 2 on DVD