Top 20 Best South Park Characters

Given all of the insane things that have happened in the town of South Park, you’d think they would have a decent police force. If Officer Barbrady is any indication, it’s no wonder things get so bad. Introduced all the way back in Season One, we’ve watched this incompetent police chief fumble in his attempts to maintain any kind of law and order in the town. He’s been fired more than once and has been mocked repeatedly by the four boys. Although his appearances have slipped since the introduction of Sergeant Yates, he’s still around reminding us that sometimes the kids are more mature than adults.

As the older sister to Stan, Shelly has been tormenting her little brother for as long as he can remember. She seems to be in a perpetual state of discontent as we often find her yelling at her parents, and referring to everyone around her as “turds.” Despite her belligerent attitude towards everyone, we have managed to catch a few glimpses of a real girl underneath her headgear. She develops a bit of a friendship with Cartman in Season Three, and finds herself in love a handful of times over the years. She may be the bane of Stan’s existence, but we do love seeing these two on screen from time to time.

#18: The Goth Kids

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Introduced in the Season Seven episode “Raisins,” we learn that the town has their own “goth” clique. Always dressed in black, these four can be seen smoking cigarettes, drinking coffee, and depressing everyone around them. Forever talking about how pointless life is, they refer to average citizens as “conformists” who follow what society expects of them. As gloomy as they are, Stan’s temporary participation in their group yielded an episode that highlighted both the highs and lows of our everyday life. The goth kids may be Debbie Downers, but sometimes we all have our lows.

Yogurt himself said it best: “Merchandising. Merchandising.” Indeed, that’s where the real money is made. In response to aspects of a show created solely for the purpose of selling merchandise, Trey Parker and Matt Stone gave us Towelie. A literal two-dimensional being who originally just spouted catchphrases and annoyed everyone. He was intentionally written to be a terrible character and became a fan favorite for that very reason. Forever obsessed with getting high, Towelie found himself in trouble with the law several times before finally finding his own place. Given his propensity for illicit substances, it only seemed natural for him to eventually end up helping Randy with his weed business.

If Tweek had more of a sense of humor, he might have been referred to as the Robin Williams of “South Park.” Forever twitching and vibrating, Tweek is a high-strung child who never seems to have a moment’s peace. Introduced in the memorable “Gnomes” episode, this poor kid’s anxiety level is so high nothing around him is beyond suspect. Coming from a family of coffee drinkers, Tweek’s consistent diet of the caffeinated beverage seems to be the root of his jitters. It also doesn’t help that the drink he’s so obsessed with consuming is also laced with meth. We do however love the fact that he became the spasmatic half of the show’s first young gay couple.

One thing “South Park” does not do is subtlety. While his real name was only recently revealed to be Tolkien, as in “The Lord of the Rings” author, the name Token pokes fun at how often television inserts a person of color into their programming all in the name of diversity. His origins may have been purely satirical, but the 4th grader has become a notable character throughout the years. Countless spats with Cartman have given audiences plenty of laughs, while Randy’s “Wheel of Fortune'' incident allowed Stan and Tolkien to talk about a subject no one ever wants to discuss. He may have started as a one-off ethnical punchline, but Token has grown to become as much a part of the “South Park” gang as anyone else on this list.

#14: PC Principal

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Peter Charles replaced Principal Victoria at South Park Elementary during the Season 19 premiere. Nicknamed “PC Principal,” Charles is the personification of the extremes political correctness can be taken to. Given how anti-PC the show’s creators tend to be, we love the idea of a character that serves as the antithesis to that. His aggressive and punitive stance on the subject only amplifies the absurdity of the whole thing. It only gets better when we learn of his participation in the “PC Delta” fraternity. The sheer contrast of “frat life” versus political correctness is pure comedic genius and PC Principal is at the center of it all.

Considered to be the root of all evil in our world, in the realm of “South Park,” Satan is one of the most conflicted characters the show has given us. Yes, he did try to take over the world a few times. And sure, he did fake a knockout in a boxing match with Jesus. But he also gave us a memorable music number, and even saved mankind from annihilation. The “South Park” movie showed us a Satan who was vulnerable, sensitive, and just trying to find love. He’s yet another example of how this show gives us the opposite of what audiences expect. Plus, who knew Satan could throw such a great Halloween party?

It’s hard to fathom it now, but at one time “South Park” was criticized for being a poorly animated show about nothing but fart jokes. So sure enough, the show-within-a-show was created to illustrate exactly what that would really look like. Terrance and Phillip became a reflection of the show’s skewed perception while easily giving a middle finger to those who didn’t get the joke. The Canadian duo were a major part of “South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut,” and have resurfaced occasionally. With the toilet humor accusations now long behind them, Terrance and Phillip remain a staple of the show’s longtime Canadian mythology.

#11: Wendy Testaburger

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From the onset of this show, it seemed like Wendy Testaburger was going to be nothing more than a target for Stan’s projectile vomiting affections. But as the show’s main female character, Wendy has gone on to become far more than Stan’s girlfriend. She’s not afraid to speak her mind, and stand up for whatever cause she’s backing. She’s also one of the most mature people in the town, even in comparison to most of the adults. However, even with that, we do have to admit we loved seeing her give Cartman a run for his money on the playground.

During the first nine seasons of “South Park,” Chef was the one adult figure in the lives of the kids. We consistently saw him dole out far better advice to the children than any parent or teacher. Forever the ladies man, he was known for breaking out into wholly inappropriate songs as he tried to steer the kids away from whatever new catastrophe was waiting for them. He was infamously killed off at the start of Season 10 following a statement reportedly made on Isaac Hayes' behalf by his 'Scientology entourage' after Hayes suffered a stroke, which requested the voice of Chef be released from the show. Having now been absent for more than half the show’s run, he’s still a character that remains prominent in the minds of fans.

#9: Mr. Mackey

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He told the kids that drugs were bad, m-kay. He sang a memorable song about the use of profanity in the “South Park” movie. He even overcame a childhood trauma by sharing a dream with Stan. But above all else, Mr. Mackey has done his best to try and help the kids in his school. His methods, and his behavior have not always gone over so well, but his memorable “m-kays,” and simplified view of the world have given audiences plenty of laughs. He’s made even better when we learn his tone and signature signoff were inspired by Trey Parker’s real life school guidance counselor. Art really does imitate life.

#8: Jimmy Valmer

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With the introduction of both Jimmy and Timmy, “South Park” added a couple of great characters with physical disabilities to its roster. The former originally started as nothing more than a rival for Timmy. However, the 4th grader really came into his own as the series went on. In spite of having cerebral palsy, Jimmy’s personality has made him a recurring comedic icon in South Park. He often comes up with the dirtiest jokes, he’s oddly charismatic, and is probably second only to Cartman when it comes to the list of crimes he’s committed. Keep it classy, Jimmy.

#7: Garrison

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South Park Elementary is home to a whole slew of diverse teachers. However, the one who has ultimately gone through the most changes is Garrison. This 4th grade teacher appeared during the first season of “South Park” and is still a part of it today. Initially quite repressed, the character would go on to explore issues like sexuality throughout the show, as well as get into politics. After turning into someone that shared quite a few parallels with the real-life Donald Trump, the 45th President of the United States went back to teaching. All in all, we certainly can say that Garrison has had an interesting career.

He may not be as adorable as his younger brother Ike, but Kyle has certainly been a mainstay since the show’s origins. The resident Jewish kid of the group, he has often been the voice of reason when it hits the fan throughout the years. Not that it does him much good… As the sometime friend, sometimes nemesis of Cartman, the two often find themselves in heated exchanges whenever the latter is up to no good. While he’s ultimately a good boy with a strong head on his shoulders, he still tends to be emotionally impulsive. As a result, he often finds himself in all kinds of awkward situations like Imaginationland and the HumancentiPad.

#5: Kenny McCormick

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Poor, poor Kenny. While things may have changed later on in the series, this muffled member of South Park’s most famous quartet is most well-known for one thing and one thing only: dying in every single episode. As a result, he’s been crushed, shot, decapitated, killed by celebrities, killed by having his heart replaced with a baked potato… the list goes on and on. While he and the Grim Reaper started to take a bit of a break as of Season 6, he’s more than proven his worth in the realm of the living thanks to an awesome Batman impression.

#4: Stan Marsh

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Like Kyle, Stan stands as one of the few responsible kids in South Park. As such, he’s often challenged by the likes of Cartman and whatever wave of crazy hits the town that week. One could also call him the most emotionally complex of the group, especially when it comes to serious social issues like whaling. Above all else, however, he’s just a boy in love. It’s just unfortunate he can’t get lovey-dovey with his girlfriend Wendy without projectile vomiting all over her. But hey, at least he’s great at jacking it in San Diego.

#3: Butters Stotch

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Speaking of sensitive, here’s a fan favorite who has become a central character. Butters is probably the nicest kid you could ever hope to meet. With a big heart, bigger imagination, and overwhelming desire to help people, it’s that very nature that’s led him to be manipulated by the likes of Cartman and the rest on frequent occasions. It hasn’t stopped him from trying to look on the sunny side of things, however. Hell, he’s so nice that he managed to become the most well-regarded pimp in South Park!

#2: Randy Marsh

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We can say without a shadow of a doubt there has never been a father quite like Randy. While it’s easy to see that above all else he loves his family and strives to be a role model for Stan, he has accumulated quite the list of “accomplishments” over the series;’ run, all of which are of a… questionable nature. He purposefully got himself testicular cancer, he forced a Virgin Mary statue to bleed on him, he has the world record for the largest crap, and he has a secret life as the singer Lorde. Again, there’s no dad quite like Randy.

#1: Eric Cartman

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He’s rude, he’s racist, he’s foul-mouthed, he’s sexist, he’s vengeful, he’s easily offended, he’s selfish, he’s a coward, and he’s a liar. Undoubtedly, this little boy from a little mountain town in Colorado might just be the most despicable character ever conceived. Yet… we can’t bring ourselves to hate him. Cartman is so outrageous in his schemes and antics that he more often than not ends up making us laugh the most, even when he does horrendous things like turning a guy’s parents into chili. Besides, it’s not like he doesn’t get his comeuppance every now and again.