Butt-head
Encyclopedia
Butt-head is a fictional character
from the MTV
animated series
Beavis and Butt-head
. He was voiced by the show's creator, Mike Judge
.
Mike Judge got the name Butt-head from his university days, when he knew a couple of kids who had the nicknames 'Iron Butt' and 'Butt-head'. Some of the mispronunciations of Butt-head's name by adults have been Butthole, Bum-Head (by President Clinton) Butter-head, Buttbrain, Tangpode, Nuthead, Bob-head, and Butter (Wall Of Youth). Senator Ernest Hollings
actually first used the name 'Buffcoat' on the floor of the U.S. Senate — an incident believed to have inspired incidents of mispronunciation of the title characters' names.
It is revealed in the movie that Butt-head was conceived at about the same time as Beavis
, who is revealed to have a birthdate of October 28, 1979 in The Final Judgment of Beavis episode, which would give them close birthdates.
Butt-head seems to be the lazier of the two. He never seems to react to things unless they catch his attention, in which case he describes them as 'cool'. Beavis, on the other hand, always has some kind of reaction, although his actions predictably end with bad results.
Butt-head has a severe overbite
, wears dental braces, and has reddish brown hair and squinted eyes. His top gums are often exposed and he speaks nasally with a deep voice and a slight lisp, repeatedly punctuating his speech with his trademark laugh (Uh huh, huh huh). He is usually shown wearing an AC/DC
t-shirt. However, he is seen wearing a Metallica
shirt for a few seconds in Crisis Line. In merchandising appearances, his shirt displays the word 'Skull', to avoid licensing issues.
Though Butt-head is physically weak to the point of being unable to lift a bar without weights (Buff n' Stuff) even with help from Beavis, he is still somewhat stronger than Beavis. He wins the majority of fights they are involved in.
Butt-head's parents are not seen, except for in Beavis and Butt-head Do America
. His dad is shown as a former Mötley Crüe
roadie voiced by David Letterman
. The two part company before they make the rather obvious connection.
The series appears to show both title characters living in the same house. The movie Beavis and Butt-Head Do America
gives a quick glimpse of their fathers telling the boys how their mothers got pregnant (however, both groups failed to make the connection of their kinship). Judge calls the two men 'their dads' on the DVD commentary. The one who looks like an older obese Butt-Head claims that he is the only one who 'scored'. If it is true, it would make the duo half-brothers. However, the other man heavily resembles Beavis in both appearance and mannerisms. There is also a scene earlier in the movie in which FBI agent Bork claims that both men are genetic matches for fathers, meaning that they do not share the same dad.
On many occasions, Butt-Head is depicted as being abusive
towards Beavis, usually slapping or insulting him. Most of the time, he receives no retaliation, with some exceptions (Murder Site, Nose Bleed, Prank Call, and some music videos when Beavis kicks him in the testicles). In several episodes Butt-Head shows no concern for Beavis, whether Beavis is being severely beaten (Teen Talk, Tired and Do America), abandoned (B&B vs The Vending Machine) or deported to Mexico (Vaya Con Cornholio). The feeling appears to be mutual, as seen in Water Safety when Butt-Head nearly drowns in a pool and Beavis remains indifferent to Butt-Head's near-death experience, and in Choke when Butt-Head chokes on a chicken nugget
and Beavis takes his time attempting to help him as if it were nothing serious. Beavis tells the 9-1-1
operator "He's not really my friend". When Butt-Head is in a situation when he may need Beavis' help, Beavis' reluctance to help him may be due to a failure to realize that Butt-Head needs help. In Choke, when Butt-Head tries to demonstrate that he is choking Beavis says "I hate this stupid game", as if Butt-Head were playing a game of charades
. When Beavis gets a nosebleed
(caused by Butt-Head punching him in the face), Butt-Head "tries" to help him, resulting in Beavis losing a great deal of blood (Nosebleed). In The Final Judgement of Beavis, after Beavis knocks himself out by crashing into a wall of the house (imitating a maneuver by Robocop on television), Butt-Head revives him by dumping a bucket of cold water on him.
The two characters spend most of their time with each other. They share the same occupation, and usually compliment each other when one makes any sort of endeavor, especially if it involves their life-long goal to 'score with chicks
'. It can be inferred that, despite their abusive relationship, the duo are still best friends, considering their shared activities, residency, interests, and simply for their lack of any other friends.
at times (derisively calling her "Diarrhea"), Butt-Head appears to respect her intelligence. Perhaps on some level he is jealous of it, precipitating his lame attempts to put her down. He is generally a thorn in the side of both the Maxi Mart owner and his neighbor Tom Anderson. The duo spend a lot of time loitering in and around Maxi Mart, annoying both the owner and the customers (especially females, with their weak pick-up lines). Mr. Anderson continually hires the two to do chores and asks favors of them, despite disastrous results each time. He does not seem to recall who they are from one encounter to the next, apparently due to poor sight and/or senility. He has been seen talking to other students in the classroom such as an overweight teen who was telling them about Jurassic Park
and he seemed to be getting along with him and listening.
Mr. Van Driessen is alone among teachers at Highland High in that he sees potential in the duo and he tries to reach out to them and encourage them. He makes several attempts to teach them life lessons, to no avail. Conversely, Coach Buzzcut takes every opportunity to embarrass them, exposing both their stupidity and their lack of manliness. Principal McVicker has no idea what to do with them, as virtually every attempt he makes to instill discipline in them fails miserably.
and MTV
movie, Beavis and Butt-Head Do America
, at the beginning during the King-Kong
/Godzilla
-like scene, Butt-Head is known as Butt-Kong, but when Beavis
appears, they are referred to by their real names. In the Christmas episode Huh Huh Humbug there is a sequence in which Beavis explains the future to Coach Buzzcut (cast as the Ghost of Christmas Future in the episode). Butt-Head is working at the counter of a fast food restaurant, with both him and the customers wearing uniforms reminiscent of Star Trek
. A mechanical Beavis walks in, saying "I'm back", then starts blasting holes in the walls with a futuristic weapon. There is some similarity to the Terminator
series.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
from the MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
animated series
Animation
Animation is the rapid display of a sequence of images of 2-D or 3-D artwork or model positions in order to create an illusion of movement. The effect is an optical illusion of motion due to the phenomenon of persistence of vision, and can be created and demonstrated in several ways...
Beavis and Butt-head
Beavis and Butt-Head
Beavis and Butt-head is an American animated television series created by Mike Judge. The series originated from Frog Baseball, a 1992 short film by Judge. After seeing the short, MTV signed Judge to develop the concept. Beavis and Butt-head originally aired from March 8, 1993 to November 28, 1997...
. He was voiced by the show's creator, Mike Judge
Mike Judge
Michael Craig Judge is an American animator, film director, writer and voice actor, best known as the creator and star of the animated television series Beavis and Butt-head , King of the Hill , and The Goode Family .He also wrote, directed and in some instances produced the films Beavis and...
.
Mike Judge got the name Butt-head from his university days, when he knew a couple of kids who had the nicknames 'Iron Butt' and 'Butt-head'. Some of the mispronunciations of Butt-head's name by adults have been Butthole, Bum-Head (by President Clinton) Butter-head, Buttbrain, Tangpode, Nuthead, Bob-head, and Butter (Wall Of Youth). Senator Ernest Hollings
Ernest Hollings
Ernest Frederick "Fritz" Hollings served as a Democratic United States Senator from South Carolina from 1966 to 2005, as well as the 106th Governor of South Carolina and Lt. Governor . He served 38 years and 55 days in the Senate, which makes him the 8th-longest-serving Senator in history...
actually first used the name 'Buffcoat' on the floor of the U.S. Senate — an incident believed to have inspired incidents of mispronunciation of the title characters' names.
It is revealed in the movie that Butt-head was conceived at about the same time as Beavis
Beavis
Beavis is a fictional character on the MTV series Beavis and Butt-head. He is voiced by the show’s creator, Mike Judge.Beavis has an underbite and a fixated stare on his face which rarely looks straight at the television viewer, but rather to the side...
, who is revealed to have a birthdate of October 28, 1979 in The Final Judgment of Beavis episode, which would give them close birthdates.
Characteristics
Of the title characters, Butt-head appears to be the leader of the two. He is calmer, cockier, and marginally more intelligent than Beavis, but is oblivious to subtleties, semi-literate and still significantly less intelligent than the other characters in the show. Regardless, as the 'leader', he is usually 100% confident in everything he says and does – no matter how ridiculous or frivolous it is. Dan Tobin of The Boston Phoenix described Butt-head as "ringleader, the devious visionary."Butt-head seems to be the lazier of the two. He never seems to react to things unless they catch his attention, in which case he describes them as 'cool'. Beavis, on the other hand, always has some kind of reaction, although his actions predictably end with bad results.
Butt-head has a severe overbite
Malocclusion
A malocclusion is a misalignment of teeth or incorrect relation between the teeth of the two dental arches. The term was coined by Edward Angle, the "father of modern orthodontics", as a derivative of occlusion, which refers to the manner in which opposing teeth meet.-Presentation:Most people have...
, wears dental braces, and has reddish brown hair and squinted eyes. His top gums are often exposed and he speaks nasally with a deep voice and a slight lisp, repeatedly punctuating his speech with his trademark laugh (Uh huh, huh huh). He is usually shown wearing an AC/DC
AC/DC
AC/DC are an Australian rock band, formed in 1973 by brothers Malcolm and Angus Young. Commonly classified as hard rock, they are considered pioneers of heavy metal, though they themselves have always classified their music as simply "rock and roll"...
t-shirt. However, he is seen wearing a Metallica
Metallica
Metallica is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1981 when James Hetfield responded to an advertisement that drummer Lars Ulrich had posted in a local newspaper. The current line-up features long-time lead guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Robert Trujillo ...
shirt for a few seconds in Crisis Line. In merchandising appearances, his shirt displays the word 'Skull', to avoid licensing issues.
Though Butt-head is physically weak to the point of being unable to lift a bar without weights (Buff n' Stuff) even with help from Beavis, he is still somewhat stronger than Beavis. He wins the majority of fights they are involved in.
Butt-head's parents are not seen, except for in Beavis and Butt-head Do America
Beavis and Butt-head Do America
Beavis and Butt-head Do America is a 1996 animated feature film, based on the TV series, Beavis and Butt-Head. It was produced by Paramount Pictures in association with Geffen Pictures and MTV Films, and co-written and directed by creator Mike Judge. The film grossed $20.11 million in its opening...
. His dad is shown as a former Mötley Crüe
Mötley Crüe
Mötley Crüe is an American heavy metal band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1981. The group was founded by bass guitarist Nikki Sixx and drummer Tommy Lee, who were later joined by lead guitarist Mick Mars and lead singer Vince Neil...
roadie voiced by David Letterman
David Letterman
David Michael Letterman is an American television host and comedian. He hosts the late night television talk show, Late Show with David Letterman, broadcast on CBS. Letterman has been a fixture on late night television since the 1982 debut of Late Night with David Letterman on NBC...
. The two part company before they make the rather obvious connection.
Relationship with Beavis
Beavis and Butt-head Do America
Beavis and Butt-head Do America is a 1996 animated feature film, based on the TV series, Beavis and Butt-Head. It was produced by Paramount Pictures in association with Geffen Pictures and MTV Films, and co-written and directed by creator Mike Judge. The film grossed $20.11 million in its opening...
gives a quick glimpse of their fathers telling the boys how their mothers got pregnant (however, both groups failed to make the connection of their kinship). Judge calls the two men 'their dads' on the DVD commentary. The one who looks like an older obese Butt-Head claims that he is the only one who 'scored'. If it is true, it would make the duo half-brothers. However, the other man heavily resembles Beavis in both appearance and mannerisms. There is also a scene earlier in the movie in which FBI agent Bork claims that both men are genetic matches for fathers, meaning that they do not share the same dad.
On many occasions, Butt-Head is depicted as being abusive
Relational aggression
Relational aggression, also known as covert aggression or covert bullying, is a type of aggression in which harm is caused through damage to relationships or social status within a group rather than by means of actual or threatened physical violence...
towards Beavis, usually slapping or insulting him. Most of the time, he receives no retaliation, with some exceptions (Murder Site, Nose Bleed, Prank Call, and some music videos when Beavis kicks him in the testicles). In several episodes Butt-Head shows no concern for Beavis, whether Beavis is being severely beaten (Teen Talk, Tired and Do America), abandoned (B&B vs The Vending Machine) or deported to Mexico (Vaya Con Cornholio). The feeling appears to be mutual, as seen in Water Safety when Butt-Head nearly drowns in a pool and Beavis remains indifferent to Butt-Head's near-death experience, and in Choke when Butt-Head chokes on a chicken nugget
Chicken nugget
A chicken nugget is a molded piece of chicken product, breaded or battered, then fried or baked. Fast food restaurants typically deep fry their nuggets in vegetable oil, such as coconut oil....
and Beavis takes his time attempting to help him as if it were nothing serious. Beavis tells the 9-1-1
9-1-1
9-1-1 is the emergency telephone number for the North American Numbering Plan .It is one of eight N11 codes.The use of this number is for emergency circumstances only, and to use it for any other purpose can be a crime.-History:In the earliest days of telephone technology, prior to the...
operator "He's not really my friend". When Butt-Head is in a situation when he may need Beavis' help, Beavis' reluctance to help him may be due to a failure to realize that Butt-Head needs help. In Choke, when Butt-Head tries to demonstrate that he is choking Beavis says "I hate this stupid game", as if Butt-Head were playing a game of charades
Charades
Charades or charade is a word guessing game. In the form most played today, it is an acting game in which one player acts out a word or phrase, often by pantomiming similar-sounding words, and the other players guess the word or phrase. The idea is to use physical rather than verbal language to...
. When Beavis gets a nosebleed
Nosebleed
Epistaxis or a nosebleed is the relatively common occurrence of hemorrhage from the nose, usually noticed when the blood drains out through the nostrils...
(caused by Butt-Head punching him in the face), Butt-Head "tries" to help him, resulting in Beavis losing a great deal of blood (Nosebleed). In The Final Judgement of Beavis, after Beavis knocks himself out by crashing into a wall of the house (imitating a maneuver by Robocop on television), Butt-Head revives him by dumping a bucket of cold water on him.
The two characters spend most of their time with each other. They share the same occupation, and usually compliment each other when one makes any sort of endeavor, especially if it involves their life-long goal to 'score with chicks
Sexual intercourse
Sexual intercourse, also known as copulation or coitus, commonly refers to the act in which a male's penis enters a female's vagina for the purposes of sexual pleasure or reproduction. The entities may be of opposite sexes, or they may be hermaphroditic, as is the case with snails...
'. It can be inferred that, despite their abusive relationship, the duo are still best friends, considering their shared activities, residency, interests, and simply for their lack of any other friends.
Relationship with other characters
Butt-Head is especially scornful of Stewart Stevenson, a nice, nerdy, overweight teen, who, for some reason, wants to be friends with the duo. He greatly admires Todd, an older bully who takes advantage of and pushes around the duo. He and Beavis aspire to be in Todd's "gang", sometimes subjecting themselves to considerable abuse in vain attempts to be accepted. Although he pretends to dislike DariaDaria Morgendorffer
Daria Morgendorffer is a fictional animated character from MTV's animated series Beavis and Butt-head and its spin-off Daria. In 2002, Daria placed at number 41 on the list of the Top 50 Greatest Cartoon Characters of all Time by TV Guide for her role in the two shows...
at times (derisively calling her "Diarrhea"), Butt-Head appears to respect her intelligence. Perhaps on some level he is jealous of it, precipitating his lame attempts to put her down. He is generally a thorn in the side of both the Maxi Mart owner and his neighbor Tom Anderson. The duo spend a lot of time loitering in and around Maxi Mart, annoying both the owner and the customers (especially females, with their weak pick-up lines). Mr. Anderson continually hires the two to do chores and asks favors of them, despite disastrous results each time. He does not seem to recall who they are from one encounter to the next, apparently due to poor sight and/or senility. He has been seen talking to other students in the classroom such as an overweight teen who was telling them about Jurassic Park
Jurassic Park (film)
Jurassic Park is a 1993 American science fiction adventure film directed by Steven Spielberg. The film is based on the novel of the same name by Michael Crichton. It stars Sam Neill, Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum, Richard Attenborough, Martin Ferrero, and Bob Peck...
and he seemed to be getting along with him and listening.
Mr. Van Driessen is alone among teachers at Highland High in that he sees potential in the duo and he tries to reach out to them and encourage them. He makes several attempts to teach them life lessons, to no avail. Conversely, Coach Buzzcut takes every opportunity to embarrass them, exposing both their stupidity and their lack of manliness. Principal McVicker has no idea what to do with them, as virtually every attempt he makes to instill discipline in them fails miserably.
Spoofs
In the 1996 ParamountParamount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film production and distribution company, located at 5555 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood. Founded in 1912 and currently owned by media conglomerate Viacom, it is America's oldest existing film studio; it is also the last major film studio still...
and MTV
MTV Films
MTV Films is the motion picture production arm of cable channel MTV. Founded in 1996, it has produced films based on MTV programs such as Beavis and Butt-head Do America and Jackass: The Movie, as well as other adaptations and original projects. Its films are released by fellow Viacom division...
movie, Beavis and Butt-Head Do America
Beavis and Butt-head Do America
Beavis and Butt-head Do America is a 1996 animated feature film, based on the TV series, Beavis and Butt-Head. It was produced by Paramount Pictures in association with Geffen Pictures and MTV Films, and co-written and directed by creator Mike Judge. The film grossed $20.11 million in its opening...
, at the beginning during the King-Kong
King Kong
King Kong is a fictional character, a giant movie monster resembling a gorilla, that has appeared in several movies since 1933. These include the groundbreaking 1933 movie, the film remakes of 1976 and 2005, as well as various sequels of the first two films...
/Godzilla
Godzilla
is a daikaijū, a Japanese movie monster, first appearing in Ishirō Honda's 1954 film Godzilla. Since then, Godzilla has gone on to become a worldwide pop culture icon starring in 28 films produced by Toho Co., Ltd. The monster has appeared in numerous other media incarnations including video games,...
-like scene, Butt-Head is known as Butt-Kong, but when Beavis
Beavis
Beavis is a fictional character on the MTV series Beavis and Butt-head. He is voiced by the show’s creator, Mike Judge.Beavis has an underbite and a fixated stare on his face which rarely looks straight at the television viewer, but rather to the side...
appears, they are referred to by their real names. In the Christmas episode Huh Huh Humbug there is a sequence in which Beavis explains the future to Coach Buzzcut (cast as the Ghost of Christmas Future in the episode). Butt-Head is working at the counter of a fast food restaurant, with both him and the customers wearing uniforms reminiscent of Star Trek
Star Trek
Star Trek is an American science fiction entertainment franchise created by Gene Roddenberry. The core of Star Trek is its six television series: The Original Series, The Animated Series, The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, and Enterprise...
. A mechanical Beavis walks in, saying "I'm back", then starts blasting holes in the walls with a futuristic weapon. There is some similarity to the Terminator
Terminator
-Science:*Terminator , the line between the day and night sides of a planetary body*Terminator , the end of a gene for transcription-Technology:*Terminator , a resistor at the end of a transmission line to prevent signal reflection...
series.