Creation and design On August 13, 1997, Butters first appeared as a background character when
South Park debuted on
Comedy Central with the episode "
Cartman Gets an Anal Probe". whom Stone and Parker regard as a "goody-goody" because of his reluctance to offend. The inspiration behind the major development of Butters was, in the words of Parker and Stone, Stough's geeky behavior during their production of the 1999
South Park TV-to-film adaptation
South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut: singling out an instance in which Stough and fellow staff members left work early to view a screening of
Star Wars: The Phantom Menace, which irritated the aforementioned creators. Parker and Stone then decided to parody Stough's antics in the series by transferring it to the character of Butters and proceeding to write the episode "
Two Guys Naked in a Hot Tub", which aired three weeks after
Bigger, Longer & Uncut was released. The nickname "Butters" evolved from Parker and Stone calling Stough "little buddy" for about three years. Prior to making his first major appearance in the
Season 3 episode "Two Guys Naked in a Hot Tub", crew members referred to the character as "Puff Puff" and "Swanson", the latter name which he was identified as in the
Season 2 episode "
Conjoined Fetus Lady", and would continue to be addressed by the two names in storyboards and scripts until it was finalized as "Butters" in the aforementioned "Two Guys Naked in a Hot Tub". Butters had very little dialogue in the 1999 film
South Park: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut, receiving only one line total, though he does utter some grunts and other sounds during some scenes. In a 2009 audio commentary for the
Blu-ray edition of the film, Parker and Stone expressed shock at how little the character was used, and agreed that any
South Park movie made today would demand he play a role in the plot.
Personality and traits Though using profanity on occasion, Butters does not indulge in this language as often as the other children on the show, instead preferring to use
minced oaths; "oh
hamburgers" is one he uses frequently, as well as "gee whiz" mostly in earlier seasons. Butters speaks with a mild stutter and tends to fidget with his hands. The other characters perceive him as "nerdy", and he obliviously maintains a wholesome attitude and mild disposition despite the tragedy and abuse that he frequently encounters. He frequently sings songs containing the phrase "loo loo loo". His happy-go-lucky persona has been described as resembling that of a typical 1950s sitcom child character, On the
Season 14 episode "Sexual Healing", Butters didn't want to have to buy a
Batman costume when hearing about
David Carradine's autoerotic asphyxiation death after testing positive for sex addiction. Butters is also known for being gullible, quickly believing anything told to him by others and tending to do whatever he is told to do with little protest, no matter how ridiculous these things seem to be. As such, he is always made an unknowing accomplice in Cartman's various devious schemes. There are cases, however, where Butters has shown a darker side, such as in episodes like "
The Tale of Scrotie McBoogerballs" and "
Butterballs"; in the latter of which he viciously assaulted
Dr. Oz and verbally castigated his abusive grandmother. ==In other media==