25 years ago, in the fall of 1997, the pilot episode of South Park aired on Comedy Central. Created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone, South Park follows four children ⏤ Stan Marsh, Kyle Broflovski, Eric Cartman, and Kenny McCormick ⏤ and their bizarre experiences in the titular mountain town. Ever since its initial release, South Park has gained a cult following for its crude humor and offensive enactment of cultural, political, and social issues. More often than not, South Park sparked controversy for its insensitive and disgustingly on-the-nose themes, barely avoiding the guillotine on more than one occasion.
However, for all its faults and complaints, South Park has thoroughly entertained adult audiences for generations. Even now, after 24 seasons and another one on the way, South Park has shown no signs of slowing down. Over the years, many uniquely likeable characters have come and gone, but only a few of them have made a lasting impact, making us laugh, cry and cringe. Here are the 20 best South Park characters of all time.
20. Mr. Garrison
Herbert Garrison, known as Janet after a sex-change operation that was ultimately reverted, teaches 4th grade at South Park Elementary and frequently talks to his ventriloquist puppet, Mr. Hat. Mr. He suffers from a multiple identity disorder, represented through various puppets. Additionally, Mr. Garrison takes offense to anyone who assumes his sexuality even though he repeatedly participates in gay relations. Mr. Garrison is an oddball, but his scatterbrained disposition and volatile mood swings make him a comedian in his own right, even if he is a bit of a train wreck.
19. Ike Broflovski
Ike, Kyle’s adoptive Canadian brother, appears now and then in the South Park world. Though not explicitly a main character, Ike notably shines when interacting with Kyle, especially for the recurring gag in which Kyle punts Ike like a football after saying, “Kick the baby!”, to which Ike replies, “Don’t kick the baby!” Even more hilariously, Ike copies the obscenities from Kyle, often caught by Shiela.
Due to Ike’s age, he often mispronounces words, but can clearly say “penis” and “vagina,” making his vocabulary very much influenced by what he hears from others. More often than not, Ike appears at the most inopportune moments, disrupting whatever plans Kyle might have or simply making himself known just to be a nuisance, as many children usually do to entertain themselves.
18. Sheila Broflovski
Sheila Broflovski is the stereotypical overprotective, stuck-in-the-mud mother that would be the first to resort to name-calling in Facebook comments during an argument. She usually spoils the misguided fun of others, particularly Stan, Kyle, Kenny, and Cartman, who despises her most of all. Without Sheila, the South Park fans would never have known the unforgettable song, “Kyle’s Mom’s a Bitch,” sang by Eric Cartman. In South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut, Sheila is essentially the antagonist, ridiculing Canada for its absurd humor and campaigning to execute war criminals Terrance and Phillip.
17. Liane Cartman
Liane Cartman is the victim of constant mockery from her son Eric. Out of all the South Park parents, Liane is decidedly the most prominent within the series, making several appearances throughout. As it turns out, Liane is just as racist and anti-Semitic as Eric, which is where he must have inherited such foul humor and offensive opinions. As we know, the funniest jokes are the derogatory ones, as much as we play innocent and try to deny it.
Whenever Eric and Liane interact, it can be almost guaranteed that Cartman will curse her out or humiliate her in some way, to which she will respond by acting coy and indifferent, still spoiling Eric regardless. Based on Trey Parker’s unfaithful ex-fiancée, Liane is a more bitter “tribute” than most, often called out for her promiscuous nature.
16. Timmy Burch
“Timmy!” is an unforgettable catchphrase in South Park, instantly recognizable and oddly charming. Timmy Burch is a handicapped student with slurred speech and a limited vocabulary. As if South Park couldn’t get more offensive, Timmy portrays a copycat Charles Xavier (X-Men) in the role-playing video game South Park: The Fractured but Whole.
In South Park, there are the loud and overbearing central characters and the quieter, more under-the-radar ones who have their comedic moments, with Timmy being the latter. As an example, Timmy becomes aware of Kenny’s unfortunate deaths and therefore gives Jimmy a parka like Kenny’s in the hopes that it would kill him. It’s a subtle yet highly amusing gag, and Timmy is full of them.
15. Big Gay Al
If Tolkien Black is the “token” black character, then Big Gay Al is the token gay character. Al is the embodiment of every homosexual stereotype. His cheery and flamboyant disposition feels out of place at times, which makes it all the more hysterical. Surprisingly, there are moments where Big Gay Al represents gay rights as well as harmful stereotypes.
There are times where Al is mistreated for being a gay man, but he takes it upon himself to educate others and remind them that he has a right to express himself. Despite its reputation, South Park does have its educational and wholesome moments, which Al ⏤ among others ⏤ can be credited for.
14. Towelie
South Park really tested the limits of imagination with a talking towel that smokes weed to get notoriously high. Towelie is a real riot, and like many other strange characters, he usually either appears out of nowhere to give advice to the citizens of South Park or can be found getting high.
Although Stone and Parker intended for Towelie to be a terrible character, he gained immense popularity. Towelie may be painting addicts in a bad light, but the concept of an anthropomorphic towel smoking blunts feels so farfetched and idiotic that he somehow still fits within the other weird and wonderful world of South Park.
13. Mr. Hankey, the Christmas Poo
Mr. Hankey is a talking piece of feces that spreads tidings of comfort and joy ⏤ and a bad smell. If that alone doesn’t make him worthy of a spot on the “best South Park characters” list, then nothing will. Mr. Hankey seems to have interchangeable moods, particularly volatile ones that range from sickeningly jolly to vengefully enraged.
There must be something entertaining about a talking poop with anger issues and self-loathing, especially after South Park introduced Mr. Hankey’s wife, Autumn, and their three kids, Cornwallis, Amber and Simon, thereby personifying him completely. While not as centrally significant as other characters, when Mr. Hankey does appear, every second of screen time is cherished, and quite frankly, he deserves much more.
12. Jimmy Valmer
Originally intended to be a one-shot rival for Timmy Burch, Jimmy quickly became a fan favorite and plays a supporting role in several episodes. Like Timmy, his humor comes from his optimism despite his disability, making him exceedingly likable. Jimmy is a stand-up comedian, which often never gains much traction and could be demeaning for handicapped persons, but also shows a lot of self-respect and the ability to laugh along at one’s own misfortune.
Jimmy has been given his own share of episodes, eventually overtaking Timmy from the ninth season onward and becoming a much-loved regular. Despite exploiting Jimmy’s disability as a reliable joke, Jimmy still represents rare disabilities and how to navigate everyday life despite limitations.
11. Terrance & Phillip
They may be grotesque, inappropriate, and closely comparable to modern-day millennials, but Terrance and Phillip are something of a guilty pleasure. Naturally they’re the stars of The Terrance and Phillip Show, which revolves around the duo’s daily shenanigans and integrates toilet humor with considerable contempt from those who view it.
Terrance and Phillip feature in South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut as bad influences on Kyle, Eric, Kenny, and Stan as well as the majority of the adolescent population. Terrance and Phillip corrupted South Park‘s children, but they also corrupted half the population who want to call them vulgar and untalented but still keep watching, just like us loyal viewers.
10. Chef
Everyone loves Chef, and we say that with the utmost confidence. Chef is the go-to adviser for any troubles, especially adult-related issues. He deserves the tenth spot just for “chocolate salty balls” and nothing else, but he does have other appealing qualities. Above all, Chef is downright lovable in every way. He’s one of the only African-American citizens in South Park ⏤ score one for representation ⏤ and usually refers to the white characters as “crackers” (affectionately, though not always).
Whenever Chef is around, you can count on a musical number, which is one of the many reasons why Chef ranks among the top contenders. Chef suffered a gruesome death that shocked many South Park viewers and longtime fans, only attesting to how loved he was.
9. Craig Tucker
Craig is the resident “gives no f*cks” character, almost always seen flipping someone off for apparently no reason at all. He speaks with a deep voice, doesn’t necessarily act stereotypically gay (like how Big Gay Al is portrayed), and still feels a romantic attraction to men. If that isn’t looking out for the little guy, then nothing is.
South Park has its controversial moments, but it sometimes represents minorities in positive ways. Craig is a troublemaker and a no-nonsense character, which makes him stoic but brutally honest and always willing to call others out on their ignorance. For some inexplicable reason, Craig is effortlessly hilarious, even when he acts totally serious.
8. Tweek Tweak
As the complete opposite to Craig in every way, Tweek is overly sensitive, conscious, and restless. Whereas Craig doesn’t care about what anyone else thinks, Tweek cares too much. Although his panicked state is triggered by excess consumption of caffeine, Tweek does, to some extent, represent anxiety in its rarest form.
Many of us experience worry now and then, but few people feel those emotions to extremes, such as how Tweek “freaks out” at any given moment. Tweek is harmless, easily impressionable, and the unfortunate victim of Cartman’s plots, which makes everyone feel sorry for him and might be the reason behind his likability.
7. Mr. Mackey
Mr. Mackey, best known for his catchphrase “m’kay” that comes at the end of most sentences, is one of South Park’s most iconic characters. Like Sheila, he had a hit song in South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut called “It’s Easy, Mmm’kay” that turned out to be annoyingly catchy. Besides that, Mr. Mackey has sung another four songs over the course of the series.
To put it bluntly, Mr. Mackey is extremely odd, which subsequently makes him entertaining to watch. He seems to shy away from the vulgarity and obscenity that the rest of the town ⏤ especially the children ⏤ delight in and seems to be one of the only “sensible” adults in all of South Park, which makes him a breath of fresh air when everyone else is so filthy.
6. Stan Marsh
Aside from vomiting around girls ⏤ namely Wendy ⏤ and the “You killed Kenny, you b*ast*ard!” bit, Stan is arguably the most boring of the central characters (the children, anyway) and therefore ranks below the others. Needless to say, Stan does have his moments, just like any other character. He often narrates the main events of the episode, though it has become more common for Kyle to do so.
Cartman might protest, but Stan is often the leader of the group and the most rational of all the kids despite being easily roped into some harebrained scheme. Stan is also tender and sensitive, which is uncommon in young boys, as it has become stigmatized in recent years. It might be unfair to say that because Stan is often more emotionless than the other kids, it makes him less interesting.
5. Randy Marsh
Randy Marsh is South Park’s resident idiot but a crucial part of the sitcom nonetheless. He drives many of the plots for later seasons and is the center of problems and conflicts due to his poor choices. As the opposite of his son Stan, Randy is rarely ever boring. Randy is the very essence of indecency, especially when it comes to sexual themes, profanity, and law-breaking acts.
He is an alcoholic, a sex addict, and a weed farmer, furthermore depicted as a lowlife and the animated version of “white trash” in the derogatory sense. Randy is always mixed up in some criminal activity or doing something he shouldn’t be, which makes him a car crash waiting to happen and an extremely enjoyable addition to the South Park cast.
4. Kyle Broflovski
Kyle is a member of the only Jewish family in South Park, another tally on the representation chart. Some of Kyle’s likability can be owed to his interactions with Cartman, whom he frequently suffers derision from for his religion. Kyle constantly calls Cartman “fat-ass” and they bicker like cats and dogs over Cartman’s strong dislike for Kyle’s mother.
Unlike some of the other children, Kyle is fraternal, protective, and considerate of others, often standing up for what he believes in ⏤ a quality he likely inherited from Sheila. In many ways, Kyle is a typical adolescent, curious about the world and determined to make a difference. There simply isn’t an immediate reason to dislike Kyle.
3. Kenny McCormick
Kenny McCormick must die at least once per episode. Well, probably not every episode, but it certainly feels that way. He became famous for dying in almost every episode in many bizarre ways, such as attempting to light a fart on fire in South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut. For a long time, one of the biggest appeals when it came to Kenny was the air of mystery that surrounded him.
No one had ever seen Kenny without his hooded parka or heard his voice besides muffled and incoherent sounds, both of which were revealed in the aforementioned feature film. Like some other South Park characters, Kenny was supposed to be killed off early on, but his popularity made it impossible for him to stay absent for long.
2. Butters Stotch
During Kenny’s temporarily removal, Butters became a rising star in South Park. Butters is the signature “innocent” kid that defines the “sunshine and rainbows” saying. Initially intended to be a background character, Butters rose to popularity. In the beginning, Butters was disliked by the boys, who said that he failed to compare to Kenny; the mistreatment becomes the supervillain origin story for “Professor Chaos,” Butters’ famous alter-ego.
Additionally, Butters’ kindness is often taken advantage of, a quality that makes him very relatable. In a word, Butters is adorable, like a puppy or little kitten. Fans consider him one of the sweetest, most innocent, and most gullible characters on the show. He wouldn’t hurt a fly, and everyone loves him.
1. Eric Cartman
It had to be. Who else would make the top spot over Eric Cartman, the human embodiment of everything wrong with the world? He’s fat, rude, vulgar, inconsiderate, and careless, but we love him for it. Cartman is sometimes the main antagonist, which keeps thing interesting at all times. On occasion, everyone likes him, but most of the time, everyone hates him.
None of the children know why Cartman is their friend, since the friendships are extremely toxic, but viewers can never explain why Cartman is so likable, either. He just is. Trey Parker and Matt Stone have repeatedly stated that Cartman is their ultimate favorite of all the characters on the show, and they’re not alone in feeling that way.