The following is a list of characters appearing on the MTV cartoon series Beavis and Butt-Head, each with a description. Some of these characters appear in only one or two episodes. The episodes in which they are known to appear are listed in italics. Other characters with smaller and/or less significant roles sometimes bear the likenesses of some of the characters listed below.
Beavis and Butt-Head Beavis and Butt-Head are the titular characters and protagonists of the show. The two are portrayed as scrawny, dimwitted teenaged delinquents who are fans of heavy metal music with little regard to anything outside themselves, eternally driven by their desire to "score". The two live in an empty house with a couch and a television set located in the fictional Highland, Texas, attend Highland High, and work at the fast food chain Burger World. Their age is never specified, but creator Mike Judge said they're "probably" 15.
The 2022 revival of the show introduces the duo's parallel universe counterparts who are middle-aged, called "Old Beavis and Butt-Head"; they are unemployed and live in a motel-style apartment.
Beavis
Beavis () is one of two protagonists from the series. He is voiced by the show's creator, Mike Judge. In the movie Beavis and Butt-Head Do the Universe, Beavis' mother is referred to as "Shirley Beavis", implying that Beavis is actually the character's last name. His father is a former Mötley Crüe roadie. Beavis has blond hair which he wears in an oversized pompadour style, a pronounced underbite, and an obsessive stare. He speaks in a hoarse voice frequently punctuated by his trademark snicker ("Heh heh"). He is nearly always seen in profile, rather than looking directly at the camera. He is usually seen wearing a Metallica T-shirt, though in merchandising appearances his shirt displays the slogan "Death Rock" to avoid licensing issues. In the episode "Give Blood", he wears a Slayer shirt, while in the Christmas special "It's a Miserable Life" Beavis is seen wearing a Winger shirt during the alternate reality section of the episode. In the 2022 revival, Beavis' older self wears glasses, a dark gray T-shirt and jeans.
He is slightly shorter than his best friend, Butt-Head, although he appears taller from a distance due to his hairstyle. Beavis works with Butt-Head as a fry cook at the fast-food restaurant Burger World and once defiantly revealed that he is a fan of the rock band Bon Jovi to Butt-Head, who dislikes the band and its lead singer, Jon Bon Jovi.
Beavis's name was inspired by a friend of Judge's from his college days named Bobby Beavis, and his look and laugh was inspired by a school friend who looked similar but was in reality nothing like Beavis.
Personality Dan Tobin of The Boston Phoenix described Beavis as "the sidekick and follower" who developed into "more of a loose cannon".
Mike Judge once said in an interview that Beavis "is a zero" when it comes to intelligence; indeed, Beavis is often oblivious to what should be obvious. Generally subordinate to Butt-Head and willing to tolerate a large amount of physical and verbal abuse, Beavis nonetheless has limits. In "Murder Site", Beavis was driven to attack and nearly kill Butt-Head, who ceaselessly called him "Butt-Knocker", a term which Beavis resents. Beavis also stood up to Butt-Head while they were watching the video for Rancid's "Nihilism": Butt-Head kept talking about it derisively, prompting Beavis to tell Butt-Head to shut up. When Butt-Head reacted with fury, ordering Beavis never again to tell him to shut up and threatening to attack him, Beavis preemptively kicked Butt-Head in the testicles, told him to shut up again, and walked out of the room to get something to eat.
In spite of his overt idiocy, Beavis possesses a number of character strengths. Though usually shown to be the less intelligent of the two, he can be inadvertently witty, and when discussing subjects that neither he nor Butt-Head understands, he is more likely to guess the actual mechanisms at work. Also, on the rare occasion that a female exhibits interest in one of the duo, it is usually Beavis who gets the attention."Vidiots", "Another Friday Night", "Teen Talk", "Letters to Santa Butt-Head" in "Christmas Special" Beavis has also shown instances of insight on such topics as the true meaning of Christmas, or in his analysis of a video by Korn. However, in both instances Beavis seems to be either in a trance or possessed, and shortly afterward he displays no recollection of what he just said.
While Butt-Head's main interest in life is "chicks", Beavis seems to be more interested in toilet humor and displays of violence. Beavis has a penchant for making off-beat sound effects to suit the occasion. Whenever he sees something that is sexually arousing, he imitates a spring, indicating a quick erection. He sometimes makes a Bronx cheer by puckering his lips. Beavis also displays a predilection for defecating and things that are related to it, and in a high-pitched tone will often enthusiastically utter the word "poop", or will say the word "plop" to indicate a bowel movement.
Beavis has a more volatile, unpredictable nature. His hasty actions usually end in disaster, ranging from being deported to Mexico"Vaya Con Cornholio" to severely injuring himself and occasional arrest for crimes such as trespassing."Woodshop" In some early episodes, Beavis displays signs of being a pyromaniac."Home Improvement", "Comedians" and "Stewart's House" Though his obsession with fire remained an obvious trait, as the seasons progressed and network censorship pressures increased, his fixation became more of a passing gag. In a deleted scene from the 1996 film, Beavis steals the Declaration of Independence to use as toilet paper.
Cornholio
Cornholio is an alter ego of Beavis; after consuming large amounts of sugar, caffeine or other stimulants, he pulls his shirt collar over his head, raises his forearms at a right angle to his chest, and then begins to yell or scream erratically, producing a stream of gibberish in an odd faux-Spanish accent while wandering aimlessly. When he stops acting as the Cornholio persona, Beavis usually has no memory of what happened.
Relationship with Butt-Head Though the closest of confidants, Beavis and Butt-Head have a jaded, violent, and at times borderline sadistic relationship. Butt-Head often insults and physically abuses Beavis. Beavis is usually a follower, willingly taking Butt-Head's instructions and cooperating in his endeavors. This appears to be a byproduct of Beavis' own general witlessness rather than any fear of Butt-Head's abuseas demonstrated in the alternate reality of "It's a Miserable Life",A parody of the classic Christmas movie It's a Wonderful Life in which Butt-Head had never been born and Beavis was instead the dim but productive friend of younger neighbor and schoolmate Stewart Stevenson.
Butt-Head
Butt-Head is the other protagonist of the series. He is voiced by the show's creator, Mike Judge. Judge got the name Butt-Head from his university days, when he knew a couple of other students who had the nicknames 'Iron Butt' and 'Butt-Head'.
Compared to his best friend Beavis, Butt-Head appears to be calmer, cockier, and slightly more intelligent and self-aware; however he is oblivious to subtleties, is semi-literate and is still significantly more dimwitted than the other characters in the show. Despite his unintelligence and immaturity, he is usually 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.""Butting out ," The Boston Phoenix
Butt-Head seems to be the lazier and crueler 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 brown hair and squinted eyes. His top gums are often exposed and he speaks with a nasally deep voice and a slight lisp, repeatedly punctuating his speech with his trademark chuckle ("Uh huh huh") and mostly disfluencies before speaking. He is usually shown wearing an AC/DC T-shirt. In merchandising appearances, his shirt displays the word 'Skull', to avoid licensing issues. In the episode "Refuse Service" it is revealed that the school psychiatrist has diagnosed Butt-Head as a sociopath.
Characters voiced by guest stars Homeless man (voiced by Bobcat Goldthwait in most appearances, David Koechner in Bounty Hunters) – First seen briefly in a drunken stupor behind Maxi-Mart, where he trades his booze for the duo's old doughnuts. He later teaches Beavis and Butt-Head the art of panhandling after noticing that pedestrians are more charitable toward him after mistaking the duo for his children. Mr. Manners/Mr. Candy (voiced by David Spade) – Mr. Manners is an educational speaker who initially comes to Highland High to teach the students proper etiquette. He returns as Mr. Candy, promoting a fundraising drive for the school. David Letterman (voiced by himself) – Letterman appears as himself in Late Night with Butt-Head. Prior to coming up with an idea for a television show as a class project that very closely approximates Letterman's show, Beavis and Butt-Head are watching television at home when Beavis asks Butt-Head to "put on that Letter dude". Butt-Head switches to Letterman's show just in time for his lead-in for "Top Ten Ways to Break Stuff". Biology Teacher (Laraine Newman) – A brunette female teacher who replaces Mrs. Dickey in the 2011 revival episodes (Dumb Design, Copy Machine and School Test).
Highland High faculty and staff Principal McVicker (voiced by Mike Judge) – The principal of Highland High School. McVicker suffers from extreme nervous tension caused by having to deal with Beavis and Butt-Head over the years. He hates the duo more than anyone else. He speaks with a New York accent, constantly shakes, his voice is strained, and he keeps a bottle of Old Crow whiskey in his desk, from which he drinks even when people are present. McVicker also has a bottle of pills (presumably anti-depressants or Xanax) that he keeps in his desk and also will use (by the handful) in public. When Beavis and Butt-Head are assumed to be dead in the last episode, McVicker organizes a teachers' party. When they show up at a memorial fundraiser though, McVicker suffers a heart attack, and Coach Buzzcut attempts to resuscitate him afterwards with CPR, while Beavis and Butt-Head incorrectly assume he was "making out" with McVicker. His fate was left ambiguous for several years until the 2011 series revealed that he was still alive, and still dealing poorly with Beavis and Butt-Head's antics and stupidity. His name is spelled "McVicar" in early episodes. Both he and Buzzcut have not appeared in any episodes made since 2022; Judge noted that he did not enjoy performing their voices, and regarding McVicker added that "If you were really going with continuity, he would be dead by now [...] I saw him as this alcoholic who was about to go anyway." Coach Bradley Buzzcut (voiced by Mike Judge) – He is in charge of Physical Education, Math and Science; the angry, loud-mouthed, antisocial Buzzcut dislikes Beavis and Butt-Head nearly as much as Principal McVicker does. He has a military background in the United States Marine Corps, although in an earlier episode he also made reference to serving with "the Big Red One" in the Vietnam War. He is presumed to be extremely conservative. He takes great pleasure in belittling anyone, especially the duo. He looks at them as personifying everything wrong with humanity.