Animation as a form of storytelling has been around for a long, long time, producing iconic characters such as Mickey Mouse and Bugs Bunny. Over the years, animators and storytellers grew up on what the previous generations created, inspiring them to develop something all their own. And for a lot of modern animation heavyweights, a huge inspiration was Beavis and Butt-Head -- for better or worse.
The series focused on two morons who took slacking to new levels and may have been actual potatoes on a couch who somehow gained sentience and mobility. Each episode was split between their antics, which included tormenting their neighbor and their teacher, as well as watching TV and openly mocking MTV's music video content.
Created by Mike Judge, the iconic duo debuted in a short film for Liquid Television, an animation showcase that appeared on MTV in the early 1990s. MTV recognized there was something more at work, and greenlit a series based on the two characters. The original series ran for seven seasons, coming to an end in late 1997 -- a point in time that the spirit of the early '90s was crashing down around everyone.
Reception to the series was divided at the time, with many people calling it trash and an example of the decay of American culture. But others like David Letterman recognized Beavis and Butt-Head for what it was, a superb satire of modern America and the culture it was producing. The eighth season, which aired in 2011, even managed to maintain that air of sarcastic wit that hides beneath the utter stupidity of the show's two main characters.
The influence of the series cannot be denied. For Judge, he went on to create King of the Hill, which starred Hank Hill. An early version of Hank was actually a recurring character on Beavis and Butt-head, and the target of many of the boys' shenanigans. A fan-favorite Beavis and Butt-Head character named Daria was also spun off into her own eponymous and influential series, though Judge was not involved.
But the influence Beavis and Butt-Head was not limited to series within Judge's sphere. South Park creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker have openly stated that Judge's series was a huge influence on them, which is not surprising in the least. Coincidentally, South Park debuted on Comedy Central mere months before the original run of Beavis and Butt-head came to an end in 1997.
Beavis and Butt-Head and South Park helped normalize the idea that stupid is smart. They have both been applauded for relatively poignant social messages given by offensive characters layered in level after level of ridiculous humor that deftly walks the fine line between horrifying and illuminating. While that may be the case for these two series, there is another show influenced by both of them that proves smart can also be stupid.
In recent years, Rick and Morty has become Adult Swim's juggernaut, plain and simple. The series is a crossover hit with Adult Swim's usual fan base of lunatics who like shows about an anthropomorphic squid who make moonshine out of pine cones and the rest of the world. Similar to South Park, the show's origins are eerily similar to that of Beavis and Butt-Head. Justin Roiland submitted an animated Back to the Future parody short to a film festival co-creator Dan Harmon was the co-founder of.
In an article published on the day Rick and Morty debuted in 2013, Justin Roiland mentioned several of his influences, including both South Park and Beavis and Butt-head. He also mentioned John Kricfalusi's iconic series Ren and Stimpy, another show that continues to influence generations of animators. But he also made a point that denotes one key similarity between all three series.
While each show takes great pleasure in skewering pop culture and politics, they also share the common ground of creators voicing characters. On Rick and Morty, Roiland voices both Rick and Morty. On South Park, Stone and Parker voice many of the characters, including the four boys. With Beavis and Butt-Head, both titular characters were voiced by Mike Judge, something that is likely to continue in the recently announced new seasons.
Beavis and Butt-Head might not have been the first animated series to be crass and crude while still being subversive and intelligent, but it is the standard-bearer by which all similar shows are judged by. It influenced a generation of animators that gave fans two of the most iconic and impactful series in the history of television. With Comedy Central announcing two new seasons, it will be interesting to see if shows like Rick and Morty and South Park will now influence Beavis and Butt-Head.