For over 25 years, South Park has held a unique and unapologetically outrageous place in television history. While the core foursome—Stan, Kyle, Cartman, and Kenny—anchor the series with their chaotic adventures and biting social commentary, it’s often the side characters who steal the spotlight and fuel the show’s most absurd and unforgettable moments.

From towel-smoking stoners to environmental cryptids, these characters may not always be front and center, but their impact on the show—and pop culture—can’t be overstated. In celebration of South Park’s sprawling universe, we’re diving into the top non-main characters, exploring their origins, iconic moments, and rating their influence on both the fandom and the larger cultural landscape.

1. Towelie

Debut: Season 5, Episode 8 – “Towelie”
Catchphrase: “Don’t forget to bring a towel!”

Overview:
What started as a tongue-in-cheek parody of merchandising mascots and anti-drug PSAs quickly turned into one of South Park’s most beloved recurring oddballs. Towelie is literally a walking, talking towel whose main concern is reminding people to bring a towel—and getting high. Like, really high.

Cultural Impact:
Towelie became an instant cult favorite and one of the show’s most memeable creations. His catchphrases, stoner logic, and inexplicable origin as a genetically engineered government project embody South Park’s knack for taking something ridiculous and doubling down until it becomes iconic.

Rating: ★★★★★
Towelie is the perfect blend of absurdity and satire, showing that sometimes all it takes is a baked bath linen to lampoon an entire industry.

2. Mr. Hankey the Christmas Poo

Debut: Season 1, Episode 9 – “Mr. Hankey, the Christmas Poo”
Catchphrase: “Howdy-ho!”

Overview:
Mr. Hankey is a cheerful, sentient piece of Christmas feces who spreads holiday cheer with catchy musical numbers and deeply unsettling visual gags. He helped South Park stake its claim as a holiday tradition by subverting the sentimental TV Christmas special with bathroom humor and biting satire.

Cultural Impact:
In the late ‘90s, Mr. Hankey became a breakout character, appearing on merchandise, holiday cards, and even plush dolls. While his presence waned in later seasons, he remains one of South Park’s earliest indicators that no topic was off-limits—and that audiences would follow them to even the weirdest of places.

Rating: ★★★★☆
Simultaneously disgusting and lovable, Mr. Hankey is a bizarre mascot for South Park’s boundary-pushing roots.

3. Member Berries

Debut: Season 20, Episode 1 – “Member Berries”

Overview:
Cute, grape-sized fruit that whisper nostalgic reminders of better times, like “’Member Star Wars?” and “’Member Chewbacca?” These oddly sinister berries become a stand-in for dangerous nostalgia and regressive thinking, eventually influencing major political decisions in-universe.

Cultural Impact:
South Park’s 20th season leaned hard into election-year commentary, and the Member Berries were a sharp jab at how nostalgia can be weaponized. They encapsulated the political and cultural climate of 2016—when the desire to “make things great again” was being co-opted in real-world politics.

Rating: ★★★★★
Brilliant satire in a deceptively cute package. “’Member?” is still quoted by fans to this day.

4. ManBearPig

Debut: Season 10, Episode 6 – “ManBearPig”
Reintroduction: Season 22, multiple episodes

Overview:
Introduced as Al Gore’s ridiculous warning about a hybrid creature that’s “half man, half bear, and half pig,” ManBearPig was originally mocked as an overblown, imaginary threat. Years later, the show reversed course and made ManBearPig terrifyingly real—a brutal allegory for climate change and humanity’s refusal to act until it’s too late.

Cultural Impact:
What began as a jab at Al Gore turned into one of South Park’s most biting acknowledgments of its own missteps. The redemption arc for Gore—and the horror-themed rebirth of ManBearPig—earned praise for its self-awareness and commentary on the dangers of delayed environmental action.

Rating: ★★★★☆
A goofy creature turned climate change allegory? Only South Park could pull that off.

5. PC Principal

Debut: Season 19, Episode 1 – “Stunning and Brave”

Overview:
PC Principal is the hyper-aggressive, muscle-bound administrator who enforces political correctness with all the subtlety of a WWE wrestler. Meant to represent modern liberal overreach and performative wokeness, PC Principal is both a critique of and a participant in the cultural wars he governs.

Cultural Impact:
His debut marked a new era of South Park, where longer arcs and societal critique took center stage. PC Principal became a stand-in for the contradictions of modern progressivism—aggressively “fighting for justice” while remaining blind to nuance.

Rating: ★★★★★
Timely, relevant, and surprisingly deep over time. His bromance with Strong Woman only made him more entertaining.

6. The Coon and Friends

Debut: Season 13, Episode 2 – “The Coon”
Most Prominent Episode: “Coon and Friends” trilogy, Seasons 14–15

Overview:
Eric Cartman’s superhero alter ego “The Coon” leads a ragtag group of heroes like Mysterion (Kenny), Toolshed (Stan), and Mint-Berry Crunch. These episodes parody everything from Watchmen to the Avengers, and even spun off into the critically acclaimed video games The Stick of Truth and The Fractured But Whole.

Cultural Impact:
The Coon and Friends episodes allowed the show to dip into superhero tropes while deepening the mythologies of characters like Kenny. They also opened the door to South Park‘s successful leap into gaming.

Rating: ★★★★☆
A fun, layered parody with real storytelling chops and a lasting impact on the show’s expanded universe.

7. Big Gay Al

Debut: Season 1, Episode 4 – “Big Gay Al’s Big Gay Boat Ride”

Overview:
Big Gay Al is exactly what his name suggests—a flamboyant, friendly figure who represents acceptance and pride in one’s identity. While his early appearances played into campy stereotypes, his warmth and compassion made him an unlikely moral compass in a show known for its edge.

Cultural Impact:
At a time when LGBTQ+ characters were rare in animation (especially in comedy), Big Gay Al was groundbreaking. His presence sparked conversations about tolerance and helped South Park address gay rights in a surprising and respectful way.

Rating: ★★★★☆
Pioneering and beloved, Big Gay Al paved the way for more nuanced LGBTQ+ storytelling in satire.

8. Terrance and Phillip

Debut: Season 1, Episode 2 – “Weight Gain 4000”

Overview:
These flatulent Canadian comedians-within-the-show are South Park’s meta-commentary on lowbrow humor and media panic. Their crudeness regularly causes outrage both in-universe and in real life, most notably in South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut.

Cultural Impact:
Terrance and Phillip are the ultimate troll. They represent the freedom (and chaos) of unfettered expression and the ridiculousness of censorship panic. Plus, “Uncle F***a” is still burned into the brain of anyone who watched the 1999 movie.

Rating: ★★★☆☆
Immature by design, but deeply effective satire. The original poop-joke kings.

9. The Goth Kids

Debut: Season 7, Episode 14 – “Raisins”

Overview:
Henrietta, Pete, Michael, and Firkle are South Park’s resident goth clique—black-clad, poetry-writing nihilists who disdain anything “conformist.” Their turf wars with the emo and vampire kids are both hilarious and strangely deep.

Cultural Impact:
They became fan favorites among teen viewers and even spawned their own special episode, “Goth Kids 3: Dawn of the Posers.” Their existence is both a loving nod and a parody of subculture cliques, especially in the MySpace-era.

Rating: ★★★★☆
A subculture satire done right. Too cool to care, but too fun to forget.

Honorable Mentions:

  • Strong Woman – PC Principal’s partner and feminist icon who proves she’s more than a trope.
  • Scuzzlebutt – A monster with a celery arm and Patrick Duffy for a leg. Enough said.
  • Dr. Alphonse Mephesto – The mad scientist who clones things “for the good of science.”

Final Thoughts

While the boys may be the heart of South Park, it’s these recurring weirdos, misfits, and chaotic side characters that give the show its soul—and its staying power. Their appearances are often short, but their legacies are long. They’ve become memes, Halloween costumes, Reddit threads, and collectibles. They’ve fueled discussions, debates, and no shortage of shocked laughter.

In 25+ seasons of South Park, it’s the strange, the satirical, and the downright surreal that keeps fans coming back—and the show wouldn’t be what it is without these unforgettable side characters.

Which side character is your favorite? Did we miss someone legendary? Let us know in the comments below!