Top 10 Times Butters Was the Best Character on South Park
#10: Helping Eric
The boys have had enough of Cartman’s antics and decide to pretend he doesn’t exist by ignoring him. Butters, being the only one not in on the joke, mistakenly talks to Eric, triggering Cartman to think he can communicate with dead people. Now believing Cartman has passed on, Butters is terrified at first. But despite everything Cartman has done to him, he still agrees to help Eric make amends so he can “move on.” Beyond anything else, this shows that perhaps Stotch is the single most genuine friend among all of the “South Park” boys. No matter what has happened or will happen, he still has your back.
#9: Playing Guitar
If you’ve watched enough “South Park,” you’ve undoubtedly heard Butters sing his famous “I’ve Got Some Apples” song. He’s sung it multiple times over the years. But during Season 23, Butters took on a brief but memorable stint as a guitar player for Stan’s new band, Crimson Dawn. Fans were shocked to see both boys, along with Kenny and Jimmy, playing in a death metal band during the town’s Autumn Fest. Not only is the entire band hilarious, but Butters as the guitar player and backup vocals just adds so much more hilarity to the entire thing. It’s such a giant departure from his kiddie song that we can’t help but laugh in tears every time we watch it.
#8: Marjorine Breaks Down
Butters pretends to be a girl to learn the coveted secret of the schoolgirls’ “fortune teller” device. After faking his own death, Butters reappears in school as a new girl, “Marjorine” (get it? Butters, Margarine. Come on, that's gold!). Cartman gets her invited to an all-girls sleepover where everyone else mocks Marjorine for her look. Locked in the bathroom, we watch Butters bawl his eyes out, telling them that no one likes him and how hard it is to be him. On the surface, one might think he’s just faking it to go along with the boys’ plan. But given how badly Butters can be treated, it’s easy to see how this is a very real moment for him, hidden in plain sight.
#7: Sold to Paris Hilton
When people talk about this episode, it’s almost always about the ending between Hilton and Mr. Slave. But it’s hard to forget how big a role Butters played here as well. He’s an innocent kid, minding his own business, when his parents agree to sell him off to Paris Hilton for a big fat ole check. As much as he protested, Butters still goes along with the entire thing, to the point of wearing the ridiculous bear costume for the socialite. Even as terrible as his parents are acting, and how deplorable the entire thing is, Butters still manages to just go along with it as if it’s completely normal. All we can do is feel sorry for the poor thing.
#6: Stands Up to His Parents About Lying
Over 26 seasons of this show, fans have watched how truly terrible both Chris/Stephen and Linda Stotch are as parents to Butters. Grounded, tortured, and yelled at are bad enough, but the worst of it came early on when his mom literally tried to drown him with a car. He survives and returns home only to have his parents ask him to lie to keep them out of trouble. It’s here we get a golden moment where Butters does the right thing. Watching him scold his parents for all of the lying they’ve done illustrates that despite their terrible parenting, Butters is still a well-adjusted, albeit naive, young boy.
#5: Gives Up His “Kissing Company”
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All he wanted to do was to kiss a girl for the first time. Who knew he’d end up turning into “South Park”’s biggest pimp? Cornering the market with his “kissing company,” Butters becomes far more popular and successful than anyone anticipated. Having amassed quite a group of ladies into his enterprise, it soon becomes clear to him that maybe it shouldn’t be about the money. After seeing a new prospect, Yolanda (who is actually a far-too-committed undercover cop), go off and marry her own pimp, we’re treated to a surprisingly heartfelt message from Butters about the value of true love. Giving up his status and the money that came with it provides a great moment of growth for our yellow-haired friend.
#4: Revenge on Cartman
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As Butters’ new robotic best friend, Cartman learns how Butters has a video of him dressed up and dancing like Britney Spears. Eric becomes obsessed with finding the tape which in turn causes him to perform all kinds of ridiculous tasks for Butters all while continuing the robot bit. Through all of their misadventures together, we see a much fuller side of Butters than we had before. As close as Butters becomes to AWESOME-O, we can’t help but feel a little sad for him knowing the real truth. It’s also the reason why when he does find out about Cartman’s prank, we bathe in the glory that is his sweet revenge. No one makes our Butters feel that badly without a serious consequence.
#3: The Birth Of Professor Chaos
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Every comic book origin story about a bad guy always has a theme of them being wronged somehow. So it’s no surprise that after being ejected from his friend group, Butters decides to take a stand and become a supervillain. But, come on, let’s face it. With Butters being as nice as he is, we all knew whatever alter ego he’d succumb to, it wouldn’t be one anyone should be too afraid of. Such was proven when the worst thing he could do was hide some chalk erasers and swap bowls of soup. Yet the birth of this new side of Stotch would provide countless stories down the road.
#2: Being “Confused”
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After a misunderstanding about Butters’ sexuality, he’s sent to conversion therapy. Oblivious to what the place is actually for, he just goes along with it like there’s nothing wrong. Throughout his stay, counselors keep talking to him about “being confused,” which for them refers to non-heterosexual urges, whereas Butters takes it to mean literally being confused, which of course he is. When his “accountabili-buddy” wants to jump off a bridge to stop his feelings of attraction towards Butters, Stotch stands up to everyone telling them they are the ones who are confused. It’s a message of self-acceptance and inclusion anyone can be proud of.
#1: Butters’ Beautiful Sadness
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It doesn’t matter how old or young you are, breaking up with someone just plain sucks. Season 7’s “Raisins” showcases perhaps one of the most healthy ways to think about the end of a romance. Where Stan wallows and focuses entirely on how terrible things are, Butters too is sad, but finds true beauty in his own sorrow. In perhaps his most profound moment, Butters reminds us that even the lowest of lows are often experienced after the loss of something amazing in our life. It’s up to us to remember that indeed we do have to take the bad with the good, to fully appreciate what we had.