Butters is depicted as more naive, optimistic, and gullible than the show's other child characters and can become increasingly anxious, especially when faced with the likelihood of being grounded, of which he is extremely terrified.

Intending to be a supervillain, Professor Chaos wears a green cape, and a helmet and gauntlets constructed out of cardboard and aluminum foil, a parody of Marvel Comics' Dr. Doom.

[2][8][9] Butters has a large tuft of blond hair on top of his head, and is usually depicted wearing an aquamarine jacket with dark green pants and black shoes.

While originally voicing Butters without any computer manipulation, Stone now speaks within his normal vocal range while adding a childlike inflection, a slight stutter, and a Southern accent.

The inspiration behind the major development of Butters was, in the words of Parker and Stone, Stough's geeky behavior during their production of the 1999 South Park TV-to-Film adaptation South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut: singling out an instance in which Stough and fellow staff members left work early to view a screening of Star Wars: The Phantom Menace, which irritated the aforementioned creators.

Parker and Stone then decided to parody Stough's antics in the series by transferring it to the character of Butters and proceeding to write the episode "Two Guys Naked in a Hot Tub", which aired three weeks after Bigger, Longer & Uncut was released.

[14][15] Prior to making his first major appearance in the Season 3 episode "Two Guys Naked in a Hot Tub", crew members referred to the character as "Puff Puff" and "Swanson", the latter name which he was identified as in the Season 2 episode "Conjoined Fetus Lady", and would continue to be addressed by the two names in storyboards and scripts until it was finalized as "Butters" in the aforementioned "Two Guys Naked in a Hot Tub".

[17] Butters had very little dialogue in the 1999 film South Park: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut, receiving only one line total, though he does utter some grunts and other sounds during some scenes.

In a 2009 audio commentary for the Blu-ray edition of the film, Parker and Stone expressed shock at how little the character was used, and agreed that any South Park movie made today would demand he play a role in the plot.

[citation needed] Though using profanity on occasion, Butters does not indulge in this language as often as the other children on the show, instead preferring to use minced oaths; "oh hamburgers" is one he uses frequently, as well as "gee whiz" mostly in earlier seasons.

[21] His happy-go-lucky persona has been described as resembling that of a typical 1950s sitcom child character,[2] and is usually presented in stark contrast to the harsh treatment he receives at the hands of his friends and strict parents, including his mother's deranged attempt to murder him after discovering his father's bisexuality,[18] as well as when his grandmother happens to be in town and constantly bullies him during her stay.

[22] On the Season 14 episode "Sexual Healing", Butters didn't want to have to buy a Batman costume when hearing about David Carradine's autoerotic asphyxiation death after testing positive for sex addiction.

There are cases, however, where Butters has shown a darker side, such as in episodes like "The Tale of Scrotie McBoogerballs" and "Butterballs"; in the latter of which he viciously assaulted Dr. Oz and verbally castigated his abusive grandmother.

[27] He also appears in a major role as a companion fighter in the video game South Park: The Stick of Truth, where he plays as a paladin, where his abilities include healing, holy damage, and summoning Professor Chaos who can inflict a variety of status-affecting attacks on enemies or shielding the players.