Top 10 Worst Things That Happened to Butters on South Park
#10: Being Bullied by His Grandma “Butterballs”
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Butters is sweeter than a butterscotch candy, but the rest of his family is beyond sour. While it’s debatable which family member is the most despicable, Butters’ grandma takes the most delight in seeing him suffer. Although she appears nurturing on the surface, Grandma Stotch verbally and physically bullies Butters when nobody’s looking. This torment ranges from taking Butters’ lunch money to giving him “gummy bears.” Not even Professor Chaos is a match for this granny. After beating up Dr. Oz, Butters summons the courage to get real with his grandma. As blunt as his words might be, Butters also expresses pity for his grandma, telling her that she’s empty inside and will die soon. Even when he’s bitter, Butters comes off as fairly sweet.
#9: Receiving Treatment for Seeing Ghosts “The Death of Eric Cartman”
Butters is no stranger to hospitals, having wound up in critical condition after being tormented by Trent Boyett. His most horrific hospital experience, however, has to be this trip to a mental institution. Convinced that Cartman is a ghost and he’s the only one who can see him, Butters undergoes severe tests to uncover any past trauma. Ironically, the treatment leaves him far more scared than he was before checking in. To get to the center of his trauma, Butters is notably forced to endure an anal probe. We’re not claiming to be medical professionals, but we don’t think there’s any correlation between a person’s brain and butt in this scenario. Making matters worse, Catman keeps “haunting” Butters until it’s revealed that he’s still alive.
#8: Being Sold to Paris Hilton by His Parents “Stupid Spoiled Whore Video Playset”
Butters’ parents are usually at the root of his misfortune. And of all the terrible things they’ve done to their son, this is undoubtedly among the most bizarre. Seeing Butters dressed as a bear with Paris Hilton, Stephen and Linda’s first instinct is to ground him, as per usual. The two have a change of tune when they remember how much money Paris is worth, but not even they would sell their child to her. That is… not for anything less than $250 million! Upon learning what happened to Paris’ other pets, Butters rightfully makes a break for it. The deal is taken off the table when Paris finds a new residence inside Mr. Slave, but Butters is still grounded for his trouble.
#7: Being Forced to Gain Weight “Jared Has Aides”
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Kenny used to die in almost every episode and when Butters temporarily took his place in Season 6, he too was regularly put in hazardous situations. For starters, the boys made him gain an unhealthy amount of weight as part of a get-rich-quick scheme. When Butters can’t lose weight fast enough, they perform totally unsafe and illegal liposuction surgery in his living room. After getting abandoned by his so-called friends mid-surgery, Butters is scorned by his parents, who won’t even help their visibly unwell son up to his room. If you think there’s nowhere to go but up after this ordeal, guess again. Cartman later impersonates Butters on the phone with his parents, resulting in a beating that, while taking place off-screen, was clearly brutal.
#6: Being Sent to a Conversion Therapy Camp “Cartman Sucks”
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Through a series of misunderstandings, Stephen catches an oblivious Butters with his mouth in range of Cartman’s crotch. Even though Stephen has done his fair share of experimenting, he decides to send Butters to a conversion therapy camp for “bi-curious” boys. It goes about as well as you’d expect. The more Butters is told that he’s just “confused,” the more confused he becomes. As bad as we feel for Butters throughout this episode, we feel even worse for his “accountabili-buddy” Bradley and all the other boys being repressed at the camp. While Butters doesn’t entirely understand what’s going on, he nonetheless gives an empowering speech that shows Bradley it’s okay to be yourself and the only ones who are really confused are the counselors.
#5: Being Forced to Fake His Own Demise “Marjorine”
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To infiltrate Heidi’s slumber party, one of the boys must fake his death and go undercover as a girl. Since Kenny dies constantly, you’d think he’d be the natural choice, but instead Butters draws the short straw. As their son stands atop a building, Stephen and Linda don’t help the situation by saying that they’ll only ground him for a couple weeks if he comes down. As awful as Butters’ parents are, they are heartbroken when the pig cadaver standing in for their son hits the pavement. This grief leads them to “resurrect” Butters, “Pet Sematary” style. When Butters shows up alive and well, his parents assume that they’ve created a monster and chain him in the basement where he can eat.
#4: Being Tricked Into Believing It’s the Apocalypse “Casa Bonita”
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Besides his parents, a majority of Butters’ misery stems from Cartman. To take his place at Kyle’s birthday, Cartman informs Butters that a meteor is on a collision course for Earth and tricks him into hiding in a bomb shelter. Cartman has to keep up the charade longer than expected, making Butters think that the world has ended and everyone he’s ever loved is gone. All the while, Butters’ parents and the rest of the town are sent into a panic. When Butters finally learns what’s really going on, the duped expression on his face is both one of the funniest and saddest things you’ll ever see. And we’d just like to reiterate that Cartman did all of this just to go to a restaurant!
#3: Living with Tap-Dancing Trauma “You Got F'd in the A”
Being a victim is one thing, but living with the guilt of accidentally hurting others can also be traumatic. In this episode, we learn that Butters was once a tap-dancing champion, but he vowed never to perform again after a tragedy. The tragedy in question saw Butters’ shoe fly off mid-performance, causing a gore-filled accident that claimed eight lives. Well, eleven if you wanna get technical. After years of feeling remorse, Butters is given the confidence to put his tap shoes back on and compete again. So, what happens the minute he steps back into the spotlight? History repeats itself and the rival dance team perishes. The good news: South Park wins by default! The bad news: Butters is more emotionally scarred than ever.
#2: Getting a Ninja Star Thrown in His Eye “Good Times with Weapons”
Typically, it’s Kenny who would find himself with a ninja star in his eye. In this case, though, it’s Kenny who throws the weapon at Butters. While Butters miraculously survives and isn’t permanently blinded, the pain he endures throughout the episode is more than we can bear. As if the initial blow isn’t agonizing enough, the boys cook up a half-baked scheme to dodge trouble by dressing Butters up as a dog. Believe it or not, the plan works and all the medical professionals in town mistake Butters for a canine. Well, what do you expect from people who can’t tell the difference between a boy and a squirrel? Nobody is punished for hurting Butters, but Cartman does have to answer for his wardrobe malfunction. Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions. Being Forced to Read Everyone’s Hate Mail “Safe Space” Getting a Female Surprise at School “Eat, Pray, Queef” Getting a Poop Mustache “Asspen” Wetting Himself During a Talent Show “Erection Day” What Uncle Bud Did to Him “The Return of Chef”
#1: Being Left to Drown by His Mother “Butters’ Very Own Episode”
Butters’ first standalone episode is also probably his darkest. While Butters’ tragic home life had previously been hinted at, this one took things to depraved new territory. Finding out that Stephen - or Chris as he was originally called - has been going to a gay bathhouse, a distressed Linda prepares to take her own life. Unwilling to leave her son without a mother however, she decides that the most rational thing to do is abandone Butters in a sinking automobile. While Butters makes it out alive and Linda quickly regrets her actions, this doesn’t change the fact that she attempted to drown her son! Even after confessing on television, however, there are no ramifications whatsoever. South Park has the worst child protective services ever and Butters is Exhibit A!