Liam Hoofe gives us his take on the 21 greatest characters in the history of South Park…
South Park is 21 years old! While that may seem depressing to people of a certain age, the show’s success and colourful history should be celebrated. South Park has been one of the most consistent animations in the history of television, rivalled only by The Simpsons.
The show has shifted and changed to survive over the course of the last two decades and its biting satire and often ridiculous characters are one of the keys to its longevity. Season 21 has, thus far, been quite a success largely because it has shifted its focus back to the shenanigans of its key characters, instead of focusing on bigger narratives.
To celebrate South Park turning 21 years old this year, let’s take a look back at the 21 best characters to ever grace that quiet little mountain town.
21: Ms Cartman
Cartman’s Mom is the town’s resident whore. It’s something that everyone in the town seems to know, except of course, for Eric himself. Liane’s sexual escapades have led to several hilarious encounters and of course, the season 1 cliffhanger surrounding the identity of Cartman’s dad.
This is a mystery that would go unsolved until the show’s 201st episode where it was revealed that Mr Tenorman was in fact Cartman’s father.
Liane is also one of the main reasons Cartman is such a great character. Her naivety and her general belief that her son is an angel often enable him to get away with the terrible atrocities he commits.
20: Ike
‘Don’t kick the baby!’
Ike is one South Park’s less frequent characters, but when he is on-screen, he is often the star of the show. His presence in season 20 was one of the better things about the season and his appearances in the earlier episodes, where he basically just got kicked out of a window, were always a treat. His letter about Susan Boyle in the Somalian Pirates episode is also one of his best moments as was the episode where he had an affair with his school teacher.
19: Mr Mackey
‘Drugs are bad, mmmmkay’
Mr Mackey is basically that really boring teacher you had at school. You know, the prudish one who has never really done anything all that interesting in his life but preaches to the students about sex and drugs. His deadpan delivery and his often ridiculous solutions to problems are what make him such a great character though.
Of course, like that teacher at school, Mr Mackey has a breaking point, and when he reaches it, it’s often quite hilarious to watch.
18: Sheila Broflovski
The perfect example of an over-protective mother. Sheila is arguably one of the show’s most annoying characters but her contributions to the group’s adventure and her involvement as one the main antagonists of the South Park movie mean that she couldn’t be left off this list.
Any episode where she is involved is often pretty hilarious, she even managed to help out a lot in season 20, with her crazed outbursts over her husband’s private life provided the season with some of its funnier moments. She is also the reason that ‘Kyle’s Mom’s a Bitch’ exists, so she definitely deserves a mention for that.
17: Towelie
Towelie is one of the show’s surrealist inventions and a fine example of Parker and Stone’s twisted sense of humour. Towelie, as his name would suggest, is a towel, but he’s no ordinary towel. Towelie enjoys spending his time getting high with the kids
Towelie has only appeared in two episodes, with his most notable one being one of the show’s most divisive of all time – an Oprah Winfrey based episode which explores the life and times of Towelie, explaining how he come to be and exploring his drug-fuelled past.
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