For 27 years,South Parkhas had memorable characters come and go and shift who the show focuses on. While Towliee is a fan favorite andRandy Marsh has been a focal pointas of late for creatorsTrey ParkerandMatt Stone, it’s hard for any character to match what Leopald “Butters” Stoch brings to the quiet little mountain town.Initially a background character, Butters became a regular comedic punching bagfor the fourth grade protagonists and quickly got not only his own episode but joined the boys as Kenny’s replacement briefly (before being fired.)Fans have grown to love Butters for his high spirits and good nature,and while it’s easy to laugh at the torture he receives from his “friends” and parents, it’s hard not to love the innocent little goofball.But perhaps some of Butters' appeal comes from Parker and Stone drawing from real life for his inspiration.
Who Is Butters Based On?
There are a number ofSouth Parkcharacters that were based on people Parker and Stone had met in their lives. In the commentaries for Season One, the duo references themselves as inspiration for Stan and Kyle,Cannibal! The MusicalproducerJason McHughwas used asthe visual basis for the recently deceased Jason White, and Parker referred to his own sister and father for Shelly and Randy Marsh (including the tempestuous relationship he and his sister had.) But Butters was someone who grew into his character. Initially just another kid in the classroom, Butters was even christened “Swanson” in season 2’s “Conjoined Fetus Lady.” But that all changed during the production ofSouth Park: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut.
While the still as of then named Swanson only has two moments in theSouth Parkfilm, it was behind the scenes that Butters was born. As described on the commentary for the film,animation directorEric Stoughwas christened Butters as a gentle teasing by Parker and Stoneimpersonating him during long hours on the production. Stough tries to explain that it was the devolution of the duo referring to him as “buddy,” “Mr. Buddy,” “Mr. Budders.” into eventually “budders,” something one of them had also done with an ex-girlfriend (though Parker & Stone continuously talk over him.)The character developed out of Stone impersonating Stough’s voiceand heightening a pushover nature. But is that really the case for the man behind Butters?
Who Is Eric Stough?
Eric Stough has been involved withSouth ParkbeforeSouth Parkwas even a show.In a detailedinterview he gave to Cracked last year, Stough revealed he’s known Trey Parker since junior high, when he saw Parker perform in a fake heavy metal band at a talent show.Two years younger, Stough and Parker didn’t become friends until joining choir in high school, where they performed together. They remained friends while attending University of Boulder where Stough met Matt Stone (who is closer to Stough’s age than Parker’s) and worked on short films together. A big fan ofLooney TunesandThe Muppets,Stough was drawn to animation and took art classes until Parker convinced him otherwise. “You know, Eric, you’re going to waste a lot of time just sitting there in the drawing class. You need to be in the film school and start working on animating films any way that you can," Stough said, but a collaboration was still yet to come.
BeforeSouth Parkwas the show,it started as a viral video Christmas Card. In college, Parker and Stone had made a shortJesus Vs. Frosty, about a killer snowman. As a favor to an executive in Hollywood, they set out to remake it with a higher production value (and shift the focus from Frosty to Santa.) At the time, Stough was not in Los Angeles, but rather working at an animation company in Denver. Parker reached out to him about making the pilot with better materials and equipment, and Stough was eager to help out. When the short became a hit and a TV show was developed, Stough left Denver to go work on the pilot.
From thereon, and to this day, Stough has worked onSouth Park. Initially, as the animation director, he helped Parker and Stone figure out the software to recreate the construction paper-like look for the series to avoid doing it as stop-motion (which took far too long.) He has also been involved in small ways in other projects Parker and Stone have worked on, likeCannibal! The Musical,Orgazmo, andTeam America: World Police.Stough has graduated to producer, though, and has, in the past, even directed a few episodes ofSouth Park, something by and large reserved for Parker.But is Stough okay being the inspiration ofSouth Park’smost put-upon character?
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How Does Stough Feel About Butters?
Stough initially responded with some hesitation to seeing Butters in the episode script. He toldCracked, “I was a little worried because I’d seen what happened with other people put in the show. Like Mr. Mackey, he was based on a vice principal we had in junior high; Mr. Lackey was his name.” But more than that, his worry was how it could catch on. When not being talked over in a commentary, Stough tells the full story of the name’s development, being that he would often tag along with Parker and Stone as they were invited to major events with their career on the rise and became their “little buddy.“It’s a term of endearment, but those on the receiving end can be picky about who uses it. “It was cool when Matt and Trey were doing it since we’d been friends for so long, but I didn’t like it when everyone else started doing it,” Stough toldCracked.
He admits, while heightened to comedic ends, there is a bit of Butters that comes from him. He went on to say, “When first coming out to Hollywood, I was a deer in headlights. I was into Disney and the Muppets and just came out here to animate, and they were hanging out in bars and things like that. I also grew up on a hillside in Evergreen, Colorado, and there was this innocence and purity to it.” It’s easy to see how this became warped into Butters’s naïveté and good nature, which often resulted in some horrors happening to him. Stough was a little upset about the impression at first, denying that was his voice or how he sounded. But,eventually, he came around to appreciate how beloved a figure Butters had become. “Once I saw people getting tattoos of Butters and naming their dogs Butters, I embraced it.”
Butters is the Most Relatable
Butters is a fan favorite, even receiving his own DVD box set.The appeal of Butters comes directly from the relationship Parker, Stone, and Stough have together. “They’re like big brothers… Early on, before we all had families, we would travel together. We went to Japan, the World Cup, and Europe,” he toldCracked. Despite being the butt of a joke that turned into an iconic character, there is clear affection between the three of them. It’s a type of fraternal connection represented in how the boys ofSouth Parktreat Butters. If you haven’t had a friend like Butters, there’s a good chance you’re somebody’s Butters, and that’s okay. We all feel like Butters sometimes, and when things don’t go your way, all you can say is “Oh, hamburgers!”
South Parkis available to stream on Max.
South Park
Follows the misadventures of four irreverent grade-schoolers in the quiet, dysfunctional town of South Park, Colorado.
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