Butters SouthPark
Yes, I know that Butters is one of the main characters in SouthPark, but the reason Ive included him here is because he started small. This is the perfect example of when its right to build up a role. When people think ofSouthParkthey probably think of Cartman, and thats no bad thing because hes a work of art. But another masterstroke on the part of Trey Parker is Cartmans polar opposite, Leapold Butters Stotch. Butters began as the archetypal innocent little kid with the sole purpose of being ripped on by Cartman and unfairly grounded by his parents. That still happens, but hes grown to be one of the most important characters in the show. Butters innocence is comedy gold, especially when its set against the darkest plotlines. When his parents believe him to have risen from the dead, imprison him in the basement and try to feed him on a freshly slain corpse, Butters just asks if he can have mac n cheese instead. When his mother tries to drown him in the car because Inspector Butters inadvertently discovers his fathers homosexuality he is careful to keep his seatbelt fastened until the car runs aground on rocks several miles downstream. And he still drops his trousers to go pee genius! Good moment: When the Mayor of Imaginationland asks the children to climb aboard his Imagination Flying Machine, Butters asks very politely, Are you going to rape us?