List of South Park characters
South Park is an American animated television series created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone for the Comedy Central television network. The ongoing narrative revolves around four children, Stan Marsh, Kyle Broflovski, Eric Cartman and Kenny McCormick, and their bizarre adventures in and around the fictional and eponymous Colorado town. The town is also home to an assortment of characters who make frequent appearances in the show such as students and their family members, elementary school staff, and recurring characters.
[|Stan] is portrayed as the everyman of the group, as the show's official website describes him as "a normal, average, American, mixed-up kid". Kyle is the lone Jew among the group, and his portrayal in this role is often dealt with satirically. Stan and Kyle are best friends, and their relationship, which is intended to reflect the real-life friendship between South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone, is a common topic throughout the series. Cartman—loud, obnoxious, and obese—is sometimes portrayed as the series' main antagonist and whose anti-Semitic attitude has resulted in an ever-progressing rivalry with Kyle. Kenny, who comes from a poor family, wears his parka hood so tightly that it covers most of his face and muffles his speech. During the show's first five seasons, Kenny would die in almost every single episode before returning in the next without explanation.
Stone and Parker perform the voices of most of the male South Park characters. Mary Kay Bergman voiced the majority of the female characters until her death in 1999. Eliza Schneider, Mona Marshall, and April Stewart have voiced most of the female characters since. A few staff members such as Jennifer Howell, Vernon Chatman, John Hansen, Adrien Beard have voiced the other recurring characters.
Creation and inception
Following the success of the 1995 short Jesus vs. Santa, creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone conceived a plan to create a television series based off the short, with four children characters as the main stars. The series was originally set up at 20th Century Fox Television for its primetime premiere on FOX, which previously commissioned Parker and Stone to develop the short. However, FOX was not pleased with the show's inclusion of Mr. Hankey, a talking poo character, and felt it wouldn't bode well with viewers. The network's executives also said that placing kids as the stars could not be as funny and popular as it would with the grown-ups and families, like The Simpsons and King of the Hill.As a result, Parker and Stone broke off relations with FOX and took the series somewhere else. They pitched the series to MTV and Comedy Central, and decided it was best suited for the latter, fearing the former could turn it to a more kid-friendly show later on. Comedy Central agreed to pick up the series, and the premiere episode, "Cartman Gets an Anal Probe", debuted on the network on August 13, 1997, while Mr. Hankey would debut in the tenth episode, "Mr. Hankey, the Christmas Poo".
In tradition with the show's cutout animation style, the characters are composed of simple geometrical shapes and uninflected patches of predominantly primary colors. They are not offered the same free range of motion associated with hand-drawn characters, as they are mostly shown from only one angle, and their movements are animated in an intentionally jerky fashion. Ever since the show's second episode, "Weight Gain 4000", all the characters on the show have been animated with computer software, though they are portrayed to give the impression that the show still utilizes the original technique of cutout animation.
Cast
Stone and Parker voice most of the male South Park characters. Mary Kay Bergman voiced the majority of the female characters until her death in 1999, near the end of the third season. Eliza Schneider and Mona Marshall succeeded Bergman in 1999, and respectively 2000, with Schneider leaving the show in 2003, after the seventh season. She was replaced by April Stewart, who, along with Marshall, continues to voice most of the female characters. Bergman was originally listed in the credits under the alias Shannen Cassidy to protect her reputation as the voice of several Disney characters. Stewart was originally credited under the name Gracie Lazar, while Schneider was sometimes credited under her rock opera performance pseudonym Blue Girl.Some South Park staff members voice other recurring characters; supervising producer Jennifer Howell voices student Bebe Stevens, writing consultant Vernon Chatman voices an anthropomorphic towel named Towelie, and production supervisor John Hansen voices Mr. Slave, the former gay lover of Mr. Garrison. South Park producer and storyboard artist Adrien Beard, who voices Token Black, the only African-American child in South Park, was recruited to voice the character "because he was the only black guy building" when Parker needed to quickly find someone to voice the character during the production of the season four episode "Cartman's Silly Hate Crime 2000".
Main characters
Stan Marsh
Stanley "Stan" Marsh is one of the show's four central characters and is voiced by and loosely based on series co-creator Trey Parker. He first appeared in The Spirit of Christmas and is portrayed as "a normal, average, American, mixed-up kid". Stan is a third- then fourth-grade student who commonly has extraordinary experiences not typical of conventional small-town life in his hometown of South Park. He is also commonly portrayed as the main protagonist of the series, as in most episodes he plays this role. He is well known for the phrase "Oh my God! They killed Kenny!" which he says in many episodes whenever Kenny is subjected to painful and often gruesome deaths, and this phrase is very well known throughout popular culture.Kyle Broflovski
Kyle Broflovski is one of the show's four central characters and is voiced by and loosely based on series co-creator Matt Stone. Having appeared first in The Spirit of Christmas shorts, he often displays the highest moral standard of all the boys and is usually depicted as the most intelligent. When describing Kyle, Stone states that both he and the character are "reactionary", and susceptible to irritability and impatience. In some instances, Kyle is the only child in his class to not initially indulge in a fad or fall victim to a ploy. This has resulted in both his eagerness to fit in, and his resentment and frustration. Kyle is distinctive as one of the few Jewish children on the show, and because of this, he often feels like an outsider amongst the core group of characters. His portrayal in this role is often dealt with satirically, and has elicited both praise and criticism from Jewish viewers.In many episodes, Kyle contemplates ethics in beliefs, moral dilemmas, and contentious issues, and will often reflect on the lessons he has attained with a speech that often begins with "You know, I learned something today...".
Eric Cartman
Eric Theodore Cartman first appeared in the 1992 short series "Jesus vs Frosty" and is voiced by Trey Parker. Cartman has been portrayed as aggressive, prejudiced and emotionally unstable since his character's inception. These traits are significantly augmented in later seasons as his character evolves, and he begins to exhibit psychopathic and extremely manipulative behavior. He is depicted as highly intelligent, able to execute morally appalling plans and business ideas with success. Among the show's main child characters, Cartman is distinguished as "the fat kid", for which he is continuously insulted and ridiculed. Cartman is frequently portrayed as a villain whose actions set in motion the events serving as the main plot of an episode. Other children and classmates are alienated by Cartman's insensitive, racist, homophobic, anti-semitic, misogynistic, lazy, self-righteous, and wildly insecure behavior. Cartman often makes anti-semitic insults towards Kyle, constantly teases Kenny for being poor, particularly manipulates and mistreats Butters Stotch and displays an extreme disdain for hippies. Though he is considered the main antagonist of the series, he has been portrayed as a protagonist or antihero on several occasions.Kenny McCormick
Kenneth "Kenny" McCormick is one of the shows' main characters who debuted in the 1992 short. His oft-muffled and indiscernible speech—the result of his parka hood covering his mouth—is voiced by co-creator Matt Stone. He is friends with Stan and Kyle, while maintaining a friendship with Eric Cartman. Kenny is regularly teased for living in poverty, particularly by Cartman. Prior to Season Six, Kenny died in almost every episode, with only a few exceptions. The nature of the deaths was often gruesome and portrayed in a comically absurd fashion, and usually followed by Stan and Kyle respectively yelling "Oh my God! They killed Kenny!" and "You bastard!". In the episode "Kenny Dies", Kenny dies after developing a terminal muscular disease, while Parker and Stone claimed that Kenny would not be returning in subsequent episodes and insisted they grew tired of having Kenny die in each episode. For most of season six, his place is taken by Butters Stotch and Tweek Tweak. Nevertheless, Kenny returned from the year-long absence in the season six finale "Red Sleigh Down", and has remained a starring character since, although he only appears once in 1 episode in Season 20. His character no longer dies each week, and has only been killed occasionally in episodes following his return. Kenny's superhero alter ego, Mysterion, first appeared in the season 13 episode "The Coon". It is revealed in the season 14 episode “Coon vs. Coon and Friends” that Kenny canonically has an ability to resurrect after dying, though he is always the only one who can ever remember dying, despite his friends always bearing witness. It is revealed that each time he dies, Kenny's mom spontaneously gives birth to him, and then is put back in his orange parka and in bed, to regenerate overnight. This was due to his parents’ involvement in the cult of Cthulhu, whose meetings they would only attend because of the free alcohol.Secondary characters
Butters Stotch
Voiced by Matt Stone;Leopold "Butters" Stotch is cheerful, naive, optimistic, sweet-natured, gullible and more passive relative to the show's other child characters, and can become increasingly anxious, especially when faced with the likelihood of his parents' punishments, which is usually being grounded, usually, for no good reason, such as when Butters threatened to "kill" himself as part of a scheme by Stan, Kyle, Kenny and Cartman, and his parents said they would "only" ground him for two weeks if he came down. Butters usually doesn't indulge in a foul-mouthed language like the other children and speaks with a mild stutter and tends to fidget with his hands. The other characters perceive him as "nerdy" and he obliviously maintains a very wholesome attitude and mild disposition despite the tragedy and abuse that he frequently encounters from both his classmates and parents. His happy-go-lucky persona has been described as resembling that of a typical 1950s sitcom child character and is usually presented in stark contrast to the harsh treatment he receives at the hands of his friends and strict parents, Butters appeared initially as a background character in first the episode, "Cartman Gets an Anal Probe", but gradually became one of Parker and Stone's favorite characters. Besides wanting to genuinely surprise fans, Parker and Stone killed Kenny at the end of season five to allow an opportunity to provide a major role for Butters, as his following episode, revolves entirely around him. Stan, Kyle, and Cartman allow him into their group as the "fourth friend", but eventually adopts his super-villain alter ego of Professor Chaos, whom, in spite of his name, only seems to be able to screw things up that either nobody takes notice of, or can be easily resolved. Despite this, Butters has continued to be a major character in recent seasons and continues to be a frequent source of help to Cartman, while also being the main victim of Cartman's constant pranking and manipulation.
Randy and Sharon Marsh
Randy and Sharon Marsh are the most prominent set of parents on the show. They are a middle-class married couple who raise their 10-year-old son Stan and 13-year-old daughter Shelly.Randy is 45 years old, and like Parker's father, is a geologist, making his first appearance in the series while monitoring a seismometer in the episode "Volcano". He was depicted to work at the South Park Center for Seismic Activity, and was later shown to work for the U. S. Geological Survey. He was briefly fired from his geologist job near the end of the 12th season, and quit briefly during the end of the 14th season, but has since been-rehired both times. He also serves on the city council, specializing in the town's parks and public grounds.
A recurring character trait of Randy's is his being prone to overreacting and obsessively seizing upon irrational ideas and fads, whether by himself or as part of a large contingent of the town's adult population.
Though the show frequently depicts him to be a moderate to heavy drinker, numerous episodes have dealt with Randy's belligerent and negligent behavior brought upon by his severe intoxication.
A few instances of personal achievement have made Randy a hero in the eyes of his friends and fellow townsfolk, such as being awarded a Nobel Prize, and twice setting a record for producing the world's largest piece of human excrement. Randy has conversely been subjected to ridicule from the entire town, ranging from when he inadvertently accelerated the effects of global warming by suggesting the entire populace take on a more uninhibited approach to passing gas in order to avoid the hazard of spontaneous combustion, to when he reluctantly exclaimed "niggers" while attempting to solve a puzzle during a live broadcast of Wheel of Fortune. In addition to the professional singing he did in his youth, Randy can also play guitar, as seen in "Guitar Queer-O". He can also speak a little Mongolian, having learned some in college, as seen in the episode "Child Abduction Is Not Funny".
The episode "Gluten Free Ebola" revealed that Randy produces music and performs as the noted musician Lorde, a fact that was explored subsequently in "The Cissy". This has become a running gag that has continued through multiple episodes, such as suggesting much of the Marsh family's income comes from his music career as Lorde rather than his geology job. As of season 22, Randy quit his job and moved the family to the countryside where he sets up Tegridy Farms to grow and distribute cannabis.
Sharon is a 42-year-old receptionist. Sharon has never been portrayed in a work capacity in the series, but was depicted as the receptionist at Tom’s Rhinoplasty, a local surgical clinic, in and.
Mr. Garrison
Herbert J. Garrison, formerly known as Janet Garrison, was the boys’ fourth grade teacher at South Park Elementary until his dismissal, after which he mounted a campaign that resulted in his election as President of the United States. Garrison is particularly cynical, especially in comparison with the rest of South Park's adults, and he is one of the few characters to ever break the fourth wall on the show.For the first eight seasons of the series, the character was known as Mr. Garrison. He underwent a sex change in the season 9 premiere "Mr. Garrison's Fancy New Vagina". The character was thereafter known to the other characters as Janet Garrison or Mrs. Garrison, despite being unmarried. In the season 12 episode "Eek, a Penis!", he undergoes yet another sex change operation, returning to being a man.
Mr. Garrison was in part inspired by a kindergarten teacher who taught Trey Parker, and who used a puppet named Mr. Hat as a teaching resource. Mr. Garrison was also inspired by a British literature professor Parker had at the University of Colorado; Parker said the voice he uses for the character is a dead-accurate impression of him. Parker said he believes Mr. Garrison has become one of the most complex characters on South Park, particularly due to his ever-growing relationship with Mr. Hat and his sexuality and gender issues; Parker said of Mr. Garrison, "He's the soap opera element to the whole series. has a real story going on."
Wendy Testaburger
Wendy Testaburger is the show's most prominent female student. Her best friend is Bebe Stevens, she is the on-and-off girlfriend of Stan. She is also the other voice of reason. Wendy has previously been voiced by Karri Turner, Mary Kay Bergman, Mona Marshall, Eliza Schneider, and is currently voiced by April Stewart. Fellow co-creator Matt Stone has also cited the name of Wendy Westerberg, the wife of an old friend from his childhood. She wears a pink beret, a purple coat and yellow pants. She has long black hair with uneven bangs. Wendy made her first appearance unnamed, but clearly recognizable, in "The Spirit of Christmas".Like her boyfriend Stan, Wendy is mature for her age, critical of popular trends, moral and intellectual, as well as being a feminist, as noted in many of her appearances. She campaigns in several episodes on causes such as breast cancer and the suffering of Bottlenose dolphins, often arguing with Eric Cartman who calls her a "bitch" or "ho" in response. Although the two generally only argue, he pushes her to the limit in the Season 12 episode "Breast Cancer Show Ever" wherein the two engage in a fight on the playground, in which Wendy badly beats up Cartman.
Wendy is known to be protective of her relationship with Stan. In the Season 1 episode "Tom's Rhinoplasty" when Stan, along with the other boys, falls in love with an attractive substitute teacher, Wendy accuses her of stealing Stan from her, and eventually formulates a complex plan to get her thrown into the sun. She also sometimes displays jealousy – in the Season 6 episode "Bebe's Boobs Destroy Society", her best friend, Bebe Stevens, receives more attention than she does because of Bebe's developing breasts. Wendy then gets breast implants, but the boys end up ridiculing her after only just realizing the control Bebe's breasts had on them. This behavior is somewhat contradicted by episodes such as "Stupid Spoiled Whore Video Playset" and "Dances with Smurfs" where she is more concerned with principles than trends and attention.
Wendy is very prominent in the show's earlier seasons, usually quarreling with Eric Cartman or reinforcing her relationship with Stan. She speaks in several episodes and is often chosen to help the boys out over her classmates. Wendy and Stan's relationship received less focus over the course of the Season 5, and she has only one minor role in Season 6. This culminates in her breakup with Stan and pairing with Token Black in "Raisins", after which she makes only scattered prominent appearances until the end of the eleventh season, where she gets back together with Stan in "The List". They subsequently pair up as partners on a field trip in "Super Fun Time", she beats Cartman in a fight in "Breast Cancer Show Ever" and in the episode "Elementary School Musical" Stan suspects that she may leave him for a popular boy called Bridon. Wendy is able to kiss Stan on the cheek in "Elementary School Musical" without his previous nauseated reaction.
Wendy was voted student council president, something first noted in "Bebe's Boobs Destroy Society" and re-addressed seven seasons later in "Dances with Smurfs", when Cartman becomes the morning announcer and starts spreading defaming comments about her—most notably her supposed genocide of the Smurfs. In response to the allegations, Wendy becomes a guest on Cartman's morning show and manipulates his own story of the Smurf holocaust before announcing her resignation and electing him as the new school council president, effectively relieving him of his morning announcement job. Throughout the episode, Stan solidly defends her.
Recurring characters
Significant characters
| Character | Voiced by | Role | First appearance |
| Bebe Stevens | Jennifer Howell | The boys' blonde, female classmate and Wendy's best friend. | "Cartman Gets an Anal Probe" |
| Bradley Biggle | Matt Stone | One of the boys' classmates, who appears as a background character in most episodes until "" | "Rainforest Shmainforest" |
| Clyde Donovan | Trey Parker | One of the boys' classmates and considered himself as the cutest of the class. Accidentally caused the death of his mother by leaving the toilet seat up. | "Cartman Gets an Anal Probe" |
| Craig Tucker | Matt Stone | One of the boys' classmates who used to antagonize them. Frequently gave the middle finger to authority figures then denies doing so in early seasons. He later began pretending to be in a relationship with classmate Tweek Tweak in the episode "Tweek x Craig", which seems to have become genuine. | "Mr. Hankey, the Christmas Poo" |
| Dougie | Trey Parker | A first-grader who assumes the role of General Disarray, sidekick to Butters' super villain alter-ego Professor Chaos | "Two Guys Naked in a Hot Tub" |
| Heidi Turner | Jessica Makinson | One of the boys' female classmates, who later became Cartman's girlfriend. | "Rainforest Shmainforest" |
| Jimmy Valmer | Trey Parker | One of the boys' two handicapped classmates and an amateur standup comedian. He stutters a lot when he talks due to his disability. | "Cripple Fight" |
| Matt Stone | A classmate of the boys who is known to have a lisp and diabetes. | "The Jeffersons" | |
| Timmy Burch | Trey Parker | One of the boys' two handicapped classmates, whose vocabulary is mostly limited to the enthusiastic shouting of his own name | "The Tooth Fairy Tats 2000" |
| Token Black | Adrien Beard | The boys' wealthiest classmate and was the only black child in the town until the introduction of Nichole in the season 16 episode "Cartman Finds Love". | "Cartman Gets an Anal Probe" |
| Tweek Tweak | Matt Stone | The boys' hyperactive and paranoid classmate due to an excessive intake of coffee, although his parents believe it to be because of ADD. He temporarily replaced Kenny as the fourth member of the "main" group during the time period in which Kenny was considered "permanently dead". He later began pretending to be in a relationship with classmate Craig Tucker in the episode "Tweek x Craig", which seems to have become genuine. | "Gnomes" |
| Trey Parker | The school's counselor; known for frequently saying "M'Kay" | "Mr. Hankey, the Christmas Poo" | |
| Trey Parker | The current principal of the school, who replaced Principal Victoria after she was fired in season nineteen; also an Alumni member of the PC Delta fraternity and an alumnus of Texas A&M University | "Stunning and Brave" | |
| Mary Kay Bergman, Eliza Schneider, April Stewart | Stan's violent, snobbish, ill-tempered and mischievous older sister who despises her brother and his friends | "An Elephant Makes Love to a Pig" | |
| Trey Parker | Randy's father and Stan's grandfather, who attempts to kill himself or have others do so in several episodes | "Death" | |
| Matt Stone | Randy Marsh's half brother and Stan's uncle, who is portrayed as a hunter, TV show host, and gun store owner | "Weight Gain 4000" | |
| Matt Stone | Kyle's father, who works as a lawyer. | "Starvin' Marvin" | |
| Mary Kay Bergman, Mona Marshall | Kyle's mother, who is overbearing and usually overreacts to anything slightly offensive. | "Death" | |
| various children of South Park employees | Kyle's younger brother, the Canadian-born adopted son of Gerald and Sheila | "Cartman Gets an Anal Probe" | |
| Mary Kay Bergman, Eliza Schneider, April Stewart | Cartman's overly indulgent mother, who spoils her son. | "Cartman Gets an Anal Probe" | |
| Matt Stone | Kenny's alcoholic and violent father | "Death" | |
| Mary Kay Bergman, Eliza Schneider, April Stewart | Kenny's alcoholic and violent mother | "Starvin' Marvin" | |
| Celeste Javier, Colleen Villard | Kenny's shy and reclusive younger sister, who looks to Kenny for protection and comfort when she is upset | "Best Friends Forever" | |
| Trey Parker | Kenny's alcoholic older brother | "An Elephant Makes Love to a Pig" | |
| Trey Parker | Butters' strict father | "Chickenlover" | |
| Mona Marshall | Butters' mother | "The Wacky Molestation Adventure" |
Other characters
| Character | Voiced by | Role | First appearance |
| Trey Parker | The town's highly un-trained and under-educated police officer | "Cartman Gets an Anal Probe" | |
| Big Gay Al | Matt Stone | Former scout leader who used to own a sanctuary for gay animals; portrayed as the show's stereotypical gay character | "Big Gay Al's Big Gay Boat Ride" |
| Trey Parker | A hunter and a soldier in the Vietnam War. Jimbo Kern's best friend who speaks through an electric voice-box. | "Volcano" | |
| God | Trey Parker | God, portrayed as a strange, hippopotamus-like animal | "Are You There God? It's Me, Jesus" |
| Jesus | Matt Stone | Jesus, who lives in an ordinary house and hosts a talk-show on the local TV-station, and is the leader of the Super Best Friends | The Spirit of Christmas: Jesus vs. Frosty |
| Trey Parker | City Wok owner. Was later discovered to be one of many personalities of William Janus, a therapist with Multiple Personality Disorder. | "Jared Has Aides" | |
| Matt Stone | Catholic priest | "Mr. Hankey, the Christmas Poo" | |
| Mary Kay Bergman, Eliza Schneider, | The Mayor of South Park | "Weight Gain 4000" | |
| Trey Parker | Local mad scientist and Brando-look-alike | "An Elephant Makes Love to a Pig" | |
| Moses | Trey Parker | A character based on Moses, a gigantic dreidel who looks and talks like MCP from Tron | "Jewbilee" |
| Santa | Trey Parker | A character based on Santa Claus | The Spirit of Christmas: Jesus vs. Frosty |
| John Hansen | Mr. Garrison's lover and classroom assistant, who later married Big Gay Al | "The Death Camp of Tolerance" | |
| Starvin' Marvin | Trey Parker | An Ethiopian boy | "Starvin' Marvin" |
| Terrance and Phillip | Matt Stone and Trey Parker | A Canadian television comedy duo later married to the Queef sisters | "Death" |
| Towelie | Vernon Chatman | A talking stoner towel; father of Washcloth | "Towelie" |
| Trey Parker | A police detective, married to Maggie with an un-named son | "Christian Rock Hard" | |
| N/A | School gerbil | "The Death Camp of Tolerance" |
Former characters
A few characters have had a major recurring role in the past episodes in the show before they were either killed or retired.| Character | Voiced by | Role | First appearance | Last appearance |
| Pip Pirrup | Matt Stone | The boys' unpopular, stereotypically British classmate, based on the main character in Dickens' Great Expectations. Killed off in "201" by Mecha-Streisand. | "Cartman Gets an Anal Probe" | "201" |
| Chef | Isaac Hayes, Peter Serafinowicz | The school's chef and good friend of the boys, who was killed at the beginning of the tenth season but was brought back to life as Darth Chef. Despite this, he never appears again after his resurrection. | "Cartman Gets an Anal Probe" | "The Return of Chef" |
| April Stewart, Trey Parker | The late mother of Clyde Donovan and the late wife of Roger Donovan who died during the sixteenth season. | "Red Hot Catholic Love" | "Reverse Cowgirl" | |
| Trey Parker | The boys' former fourth grade teacher who died during the sixth season and was replaced by Mr. Garrison. | "4th Grade" | "The Simpsons Already Did It" | |
| Mary Kay Bergman, Eliza Schneider | The former school bus driver before her death during the eighth season. | "Cartman Gets an Anal Probe" | "Cartman's Incredible Gift" | |
| Matt Stone | A portrayal of Saddam Hussein, who in the show was involved in a homosexual relationship with Satan and built weapons of mass destruction in heaven. | "Terrance and Phillip in Not Without My Anus" | "It's Christmas in Canada" | |
| Mary Kay Bergman, Eliza Schneider, April Stewart | The former principal of South Park Elementary before being replaced by PC Principal at the start of the nineteenth season. | "Pinkeye" | "PC Principal Final Justice" | |
| Trey Parker | A piece of poo that represents Christmas. Kicked out of South Park in "The Problem with a Poo", ending up in Springfield. | "Mr. Hankey, the Christmas Poo" | "The Problem with a Poo" | |
| Satan | Trey Parker | A character based on the Christian concept of Satan, portrayed with the outline of a massive phallus upon his abdomen and chest. Killed by ManBearPig, ironically raising up to heaven afterwards. | "Damien" | "Nobody Got Cereal?" |
| Trey Parker | One of the boys’ classmates and a commonly recurring background character. Killed by a police car in "Season Finale". | "Cartman gets an Anal Probe" | "Season Finale" |
Reception and impact
Kyle, Cartman, Stan and Kenny have all appeared on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine.Cartman is a South Park fan favorite, and is often described as the most famous character from the series. With a headline to their online written version of a radio report, NPR declared Cartman as "America's Favorite Little $@#&*%". "Respect my authoritah!" and "Screw you guys...I'm going home!" became catchphrases and, during the show's earlier seasons, were highly popular in the lexicon of viewers. His eccentric enunciation of "Hey!" was included in the 2002 edition of The Oxford Dictionary of Catchphrases. Stone has said that when fans recognize him or Parker, the fans will usually do their imitation of Cartman, or, in Parker's case, request that he do Cartman's voice. Both Cartman's commentary and the commentary resulting in response to his actions have been interpreted as statements Parker and Stone are attempting to make to the viewing public, and these opinions have been subject to much critical analysis in the media and literary world.
Cartman ranked 10th on TV Guide's 2002 list of the "Top 50 Greatest Cartoon Characters", 24th on TV Guide’s "25 Greatest TV Villains", 198th on VH1's "200 Greatest Pop Culture Icons", and 19th on Bravo's "100 Greatest TV Characters" television special in 2004. When declaring him the second-scariest character on television in 2005, MSNBC's Brian Bellmont described Cartman as a "bundle of pure, unadulterated evil all wrapped up in a fat—er, big-boned—cartoony package" who "takes a feral delight in his evildoing".
While Parker and Stone portray Stan and Kyle as having common childlike tendencies, their dialogue is often intended to reflect stances and views on more adult-oriented issues, and have been subject to much critical analysis in the media and literary world and have frequently been cited in publications by experts in the fields of politics, religion, popular culture and philosophy.
Kenny's deaths are well known in popular culture, and was one of the things viewers most commonly associated with South Park during its earlier seasons. The exclamation of "Oh my God! They killed Kenny!" quickly became a popular catchphrase, while both Kenny and the phrase have appeared on some of the more popular pieces of South Park merchandise, including shirts, bumper stickers, calendars and baseball caps, and inspired the rap song "Kenny's Dead" by Master P, which was featured on . The catchphrase also appears in MAD magazine's satire of TITANIC where Stan, Kyle and Cartman are shown on a lifeboat while they were supposedly escaping from the sinking ship. Kenny's deaths have been subject to much critical analysis in the media and literary world. When Sophie Rutschmann of the University of Strasbourg discovered a mutated gene that causes an adult fruit fly to die within two days after it is infected with certain bacteria, she named the gene "Kenny" in honor of the character.