STEPHEN AND LINDA STOTCH

'Stephen' (previously 'Chris') and 'Linda Stotch' are recurring characters in the animated series South Park. They are Butters' parents.

Contents

Stephen

Linda

Abuse

Episodes in which Stephen and/or Linda are prominent

Notes

Stephen

Stephen is most notable for his harsh treatment of Butters. He seems to also have homosexual tendencies, but suppresses them after nearly losing his family in Butters' Very Own Episode. He is also shown to be very selfish, considering his needs and ambitions above those of Butters. He is a good friend of Randy Marsh and Gerald Broflovski and among the more prominent adults of the town. His career is unknown, but it is suggested by his harsh parenting techniques and haircut that he has a military background. Two interesting things to note, are that a protester that looked identical, and sounded identical to Stephen can be seen in Quintuplets, and a reporter who also looked identical to Stephen was seen in Are You There God? It's me, Jesus. His name repeatedly switches between Stephen and Chris. In Raisins, Linda addresses him as Stephen, while in Stupid Spoiled Whore Video Playset, she calls him Chris. Either one of them could be a middle name, though.
It is suggested that he is homophobic, which is ironic because in Butters' Very Own Episode, Butters discovers that Stephen experimented with homosexuality and in Cartman Sucks, Stephen reveals to Butters that he's bicurious and doesn't mind if his son turns out the same way. It is shown in Raisins that he had made a bet with Linda that Butters wouldn't turn out gay (which he won).
Stephen can also be noted for his unusual, and seemingly phoney or forced, way of crying or weeping.

Linda

Linda Stotch is shown to be a quiet, submissive woman. She is often seen reading or cleaning the house. She is an engineer and also serves on the city council as the treasurer. Linda has also been shown to be much more sympathetic and tender to Butters compared to Stephen. She is shown to care a lot about Butters as in Marjorine. That having been said, she can be quite sadistic as seen in Butters' Very Own Episode.

Abuse

Stephen and Linda have both abused Butters in one way or another. He is usually grounded after he gets involved with something, because they usually conclude that it was Butters all on his own, and don't believe that he is being bullied. They have also threatened to ground Butters for things he can't control, such as in The Death of Eric Cartman, Stephen orders him to stop having nightmares or else he'll be grounded. They have also hit him in Jared Has Aides which was later withheld from broadcast by Comedy Central because of the abuse Butters receives, though it has been shown since.
The most distinguishing abuse was in the season five episode Butters' Very Own Episode which centered on how Linda sent Butters to spy on his father to find out what he was getting Linda for their wedding anniversary. Butters saw Stephen go into a Men's Bathhouse. Butters didn't understand what it was and told his mother. Linda then attempted to kill Butters by pushing a car with Butters inside off a dock. Linda then wrote a suicide note and was about to kill herself just when Stephen stepped in. The resulting confrontation changed her mind about suicide. Stephen and Linda tried and keep Butters' murder a secret and blamed it on "some Puerto Rican guy". Butters meanwhile found a way home and Butters' parents came clean.
After Butters used Cartman's company to get revenge on his parents in My Future Self n' Me his parents realized how bad they'd been and apologized to Butters for lying to him about his future self. However, they do seem to be annoyed by Butters, as seen in The Death Camp of Tolerance as when Butters talks, Stephen bluntly tells Butters to "shut his mouth".
Despite all the abuse Butters has received, his parents have been shown to care deeply about their son. They do put a price on their care, however, as shown in the Stupid Spoiled Whore Video Playset episode where they sell Butters to Paris Hilton for $250 Million USD. However, if it takes 250 million dollars to get them to sell him, they obviously are reluctant to lose him as they tell him if he can raise $250 million dollars before the end of the day he can stay with them, though this simply may have been a ploy to get him out of the way while they did business with Paris Hilton.

Episodes in which Stephen and/or Linda are prominent

★ The Wacky Molestation Adventure- First appearance.

★ How To Eat With Your Butt - Get angry at Butters for making rude faces (though it is actually how Butters looks).

★ Butters' Very Own Episode - Linda discovers Stephen is bisexual. She goes insane, nearly killing Butters in the process.

★ Asspen - They take the Cartmans, Broflovskis and Marshes to Aspen with them.

★ Freak Strike - They ground Butters for putting balls on his chin.

★ My Future Self n' Me - They realize how bad they've been to Butters.

★ Raisins - They find out that Butters has got a girlfriend. It is revealed Stephen and Linda had made a bet on whether Butters would turn gay or not. Stephen had won the bet.

★ Casa Bonita - They fear for Butters after his disappearance.

★ Die, Hippie, Die - Linda is the engineer on the Hippie Driller 2000.

★ Stupid Spoiled Whore Video Playset - They sell Butters to Paris Hilton.

★ The Death of Eric Cartman- They believe Butters is going insane after he says he starts to see ghosts.

★ Marjorine - They witness Butter's "suicide" (Butters actually faked it). Later, when Butters returns home, they think he's a zombie, and they chain him up downstairs.

★ Two Days Before the Day After Tomorrow - Stephen goes on the expedition with Randy and Gerald.

★ Cartoon Wars Part I - Stephen is the only person in the town who supports free speech.

★ Cartman Sucks - Stephen takes Butters to a reparative therapy camp when he thinks Butters might be "bi-curious" although he later states that he himself is bi-curious.

Notes

★ Linda thinks that Stephen's wedding anniversary present is better than hers every year.

★ Although Butters was an important character since season three Stephen and Linda were not seen until season four.

★ Butters is a nickname; his real name is Leopold.

★ Stephen has told Butters "Never get into a car with a stranger; unless it's a limousine". This was heard in Stupid Spoiled Whore Video Playset.

★ Stephen was shown to be bisexual (since he also likes men, assumingly) in Butters' Very Own Episode.

★ The Jud Crandall character appears only in episodes with Butters' parents and Butters.