South Park is one of the longest-running animated series of all time and with 26 seasons complete, it ranks among other popular shows such as The Simpsons and Family Guy. Since airing back in 1997, South Park has gained a reputation for its terrible celebrity impersonations, dark satire, and excessive profanity, but the show would be nothing without its cast of colorful characters who reside in the quaint Colorado town.
While both of the show's creators, Matt Stone and Trey Parker, provide the voices of a majority of the characters, Parker lends his voice to some of the show's best players including Randy Marsh, Mr. Garrison, and Satan. Out of all the potential choices, these are the 10 best characters from South Park who are voiced by Parker.
10 Mr. Mackey
Mr. Mackey is the soft-spoken guidance counselor at South Park Elementary and is known for saying, "M-kay" after every sentence. Unlike the other adult characters, Mr. Mackey's first name has never been revealed and while he's mostly timid and overly cautious, there have been several instances where Mackey has shown a surprisingly aggressive side.
Mackey is one of the show's original characters who made his first appearance in Season 1, Episode 9, "Mr. Hankey, the Christmas Poo." According to Parker, Mr. Mackey was inspired by his former school guidance counselor, Mr. Lackey, who used to scold Parker to get back to his school work and say, "M-kay" after each of his sentences.
9 Satan
Satan has been depicted as an all-powerful being who strikes fear into the hearts of others and while his image in South Park appears to be accurate, the Prince of Darkness has a bit of a soft, empathetic side that doesn't exactly align with traditional expectations. While many may think Satan is an antagonist, his schemes are usually harmless and even quite hilarious.
He made his first appearance in Season 1, Episode 10, "Damien," and goes head-to-head with Jesus Christ in a pay-per-view boxing match. Satan was one of the last characters to be personally created by Parker and Stone, but after a brief hiatus, the character was redesigned and reintroduced in Season 18, Episode 6, "Freemium Isn't Free."
8 Stan Marsh
Out of all his friends, Stan Marsh is usually the most rational and level-headed one who sometimes even shows more maturity than his father, Randy. The boy with the red poof ball hat was initially known for his catchphrase, "Oh my God! They Killed Kenny, "and not being able to kiss or talk to his girlfriend, Wendy, without throwing up.
Stan is loosely based on Parker and much like the source of his inspiration, he isn't afraid to say what's on his mind and calling people (usually Cartman) out on their bullsh*t. While others simply comply with the current trends or social fads, Stan has almost always marched to the beat of his own drum.
7 Mr. Hankey
Mr. Hankey is a jolly piece of poop and a parody of the traditional Christmas characters like Frosty the Snowman and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. The character made his first appearance in the episode in Season 1, Episode 9, "Mr. Hankey, the Christmas Poo," in the show's first season and went on to become the unofficial holiday mascot of South Park.
According to Parker, Mr. Hankey was originally conjured up by his fatherwho used to tell Parker as a kid that if he didn't flush the toilet after going to the bathroom, Mr. Hankey would come and eat him. While some might disagree with his father's choice of teaching him about proper bathroom etiquette, the white lie did lead to some great material for Parker and the show.
6 Sergeant Harrison Yates
Harrison Yates is the head of the Park County Police who made his first appearance in Season 7, Episode 9, "Christian Rock Hard," but the character didn't receive a formal introduction until Season 8, Episode 6, "The Jeffersons." While Yates is overly dedicated to his job and believes he's upholding the law, he usually creates more problems than solutions.
From wrongfully targeting rich Black men to going undercover as a sex worker named Yolanda, Yates typically fails to see the errors and hypocrisy of his unusual police tactics. The gullible detective and his misguided police force were intentionally created to replace the original character, Officer Barbrady, who Parker thought had kind of fizzled out in the show's later seasons.
5 PC Principal
In season 19, Principal Victoria is replaced by PC Principal who is firmly dedicated to implementing a new, progressive agenda in the town of South Park. While PC Principal aggressively addresses social issues and supports equal rights, he still embodies stereotypical toxic male traits like binge-drinking alcohol, partying with his fraternity bros, and working out.
PC Principal was originally only going to make one appearance and was going to be killed off at the end Season 19, Episode 1, "Stunning and Brave," but Parker and Stone liked him so much that they decided to make him a permanent reoccurring character. Initially, fans thought the character's name stood for "politically correct" but it's revealed in Season 23, Episode 7, "Board Girls," that it stands for his name, Peter Charles.
4 Mr. Herbert Garrison
Mr. Herbert Garrison is a cynical, foul-mouthed teacher at South Park Elementary who originally was known for his eccentric behavior and his hand puppet/teacher's assistant, Mr. Hat. The character of Mr. Garrison was inspired by Parker's former kindergarten teacher who actually wore a hand puppet named Mr. Hat as a teaching resource.
Garrison made his first appearance in the show's very first episode and throughout the series, he goes through a series of dramatic changes pertaining to his sexual identity and lifestyle choices. While he's supportive of progressive action, Garrison constantly contradicts himself with racist opinions and discrimination which makes him quite a comical paradox.
3 Officer Barbrady
Officer Barbrady was originally the town's main police officer and while he might not be the brightest crayon in the box, his heart is always in the right place. Most might think he isn't fit for his job, but the character quickly became a fan favorite and was known for saying, "Move along, move along, people, nothing to see here," and his wholesome advice that the boys usually take out of context.
In the commentary for Season 1, Episode 3, "Weight Gain 40000," Parker and Stone reveal that Barbrady is based on the radio show host, Dennis Prager, who the creators thoroughly loved parodying because of the host's "Big, bombastic, stupid voice."
2 Randy Marsh
Out of all the adults in South Park, Stan's dad, Randy Marsh manages to get in as much (maybe even more) trouble than most of the kids in town. Between his alter-ego as the popular singer, Lorde to uprooting his family, and moving to a marijuana farm in the country, Randy never seizes to surprise fans with his ridiculous shenanigans.
While Parker has described Randy as the "Biggest dingbat," he's also the creator's favorite character to voice because he is named and based on Parker's own father. During an interview with SBS The Feed, Parker explains that he's simply doing an impression of his father and as he has gotten older; Randy requires less effort and thought compared to the other characters.
1 Eric Cartman
Eric Cartman is an entitled, spoiled kid who was an immediate fan favorite. He was originally known for his iconic one-liners like "Respect my authoritah!" and "Screw you, guys, I'm going home." Unlike his friends, Cartman has little to no moral compass and rarely shows any remorse for his actions. From kidnapping Butters to ensure a trip to Casa Bonita to making Scott Tenorman's parents into chili, there's literally no line Cartman isn't willing to cross.
To some degree, Cartman was inspired by the iconic character, Archie Bunker from All in the Family, who was well-known for his conservative views and lack of a verbal filter. While Archie wouldn't go to a majority of the lengths Cartman has gone to, it is easy to see the various similarities between the two characters.
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