The South Park Theory That Makes Butters The Narrator
Butters Stotch (Matt Stone) has become one of the most beloved characters on "South Park" throughout the show's tenure. His oblivious and innocent nature has not only made him stand out from the likes of Eric Cartman (Trey Parker) and Kyle Broflovski (Stone) but put him at the center of hilarious jokes and stories. At the same time, he's more of a supporting character than a main player — a cast list placement that a creative fan theory from Redditor u/Falcoteer shakes up in a big way. They question if the events of "South Park" are the recollections of an adult Butters to his therapist.
"A therapist would want to hear Butters' account of childhood to find the root of his problems. And thus we have the fantastical events of the show," they rationalize, explaining that some of the more over-the-top episodes that don't include Butters could be chalked up to other kids telling him these tales with great exaggeration. He'd then retain these stories into his adulthood, sharing them (or narrating them, as "South Park" viewers see it) in all of their implausible detail with a mental health professional. Why is he in therapy in the first place? Simple, he's working through childhood trauma due to his overly-strict parents and constant schoolyard bullying.
So, what do "South Park" fans on Reddit think of this concept? Some agree while others think someone else is narrating the show.
Fans have presented other possible narrators for South Park
Based on the comments concerning the Butters narration theory, fans seem to be mixed on who could actually be narrating the show. While many see Butters as a viable choice, others chimed with their own picks. For example, u/cambiro left a comment to argue that it's actually Eric Cartman who's recounting his childhood to a therapist. They theorize that this is due to feelings of immense guilt over all the evil acts he committed as a child that amounted to a mental break. They add, "So he tell to the therapist everthing he did, but mixed with hallucinating memories."
Meanwhile, other Redditors kept the conversation on the original post from u/BLACK_NATSU, which theorizes that "South Park" is told by multiple kid narrators. More than one of the kids from the show is going back through their childhood memories as adults, likely just reminiscing over old times. Some feel this is a pretty solid claim, but others, again, offer different perspectives. u/DirewolvesInLondon pitches the idea that it's either Sharon (April Stewart, who voices a staggering number of "South Park" characters) or Randy Marsh (Parker) going back through years of life experiences as they move on after their divorce.
Alternatively, this is one of those fan theories that everyone is thinking way too hard about, and "South Park" is nothing more than a wacky adult animated series with no real deeper meaning. Who's to say?