10 Classic TV Characters Who Weren't Added Until Later Seasons
8. Butters - South Park
Butters is the delightfully innocent little kid on South Park who is constantly optimistic and unaware of how crazy everything around him is.
He's a super naive character, and that's a great addition to a show that's so filthy. When we're hearing dirty adult jokes coming out of the mouths of these characters, it makes it even funnier to have a nervous, sheltered little kid who doesn't even really know what anyone's talking about.
Butters was technically a part of the show from the beginning, but he was only a background character for several seasons. He didn't have a speaking role until Season 3 Episode 8, the 39th episode of the series. Gradually, he became Trey Parker and Matt Stone's favorite character, and for the fifth season finale, they dedicated the entire episode to Butters and his family. That was right after the series "killed" Kenny for real in the previous episode.
Even after Kenny was brought back, Butters would remain a staple of the show, and now he's one of the best characters of the series.
If the rest of the South Park boys represent how kids really talk and behave, Butters is like how parents wish kids would behave. He's sheltered, innocent, and says things like "gee whiz." Having that contrast with the insanity of the rest of the show makes this so much funnier.