Mike Judge's Beavis and Butt-Head (2022) Reaction Season 9 Episode 3 Roof/ River

Mike Judge's Beavis and Butt-Head (2022) Reaction Season 9 Episode 3 Roof/ River
Beavis and Butt-Head is an American adult animated series created by Mike Judge.[2] The series follows Beavis and Butt-Head, both voiced by Judge, a pair of teenage slackers characterized by their apathy, lack of intelligence, lowbrow humor, and love of heavy metal and alternative rock.

The characters originated in Judge's 1992 short film Frog Baseball, which was broadcast by MTV's animation showcase Liquid Television. After MTV commissioned a full series around the characters, Beavis and Butt-Head ran for seven seasons from March 8, 1993, to November 28, 1997.[3][4] The series was revived with an eighth season airing on MTV from October 27 to December 29, 2011. A second revival, consisting of an initial two-season order, premiered on Paramount+ on August 4, 2022.[5][6]

During its initial run, Beavis and Butt-Head received critical acclaim for its satirical, scathing commentary on society. It produced various other media, including the theatrical film Beavis and Butt-Head Do America in 1996. A second film, Beavis and Butt-Head Do the Universe, was released on June 23, 2022 on Paramount+.[7]

Contents
Premise
See also: List of Beavis and Butt-Head characters
Beavis and Butt-Head are unintelligent teenage boys who live in the town of Highland, Texas.[8] Rolling Stone described them as "thunderously stupid and excruciatingly ugly".[9] They spend time watching television, eating[10] and embarking on "mundane, sordid" adventures, which often involve vandalism, abuse, violence or animal cruelty.[9] According to The Baltimore Sun, Beavis and Butt-Head are "at their most incorrect when it comes to sexuality and matters of gender. The nicest thing you can say about them in this regard is that they are budding misogynists."[10] When Beavis consumes too much caffeine or sugar, he becomes Cornholio, a hyperactive alter ego.[11] Over the course of the series, Beavis and Butt-Head developed more distinct personalities; Butt-Head is the leader and "devious visionary", while Beavis, the sidekick, is the "loose cannon".[11]

Most episodes integrate sequences where Beavis and Butt-Head watch music videos and offer commentary.[9] They prefer videos with "explosions, loud guitars, screaming and death", and favor rock bands such as the Butthole Surfers, Corrosion of Conformity and Metallica.[9] Judge said he saw Beavis and Butt-Head as "pretty positive characters, generally speaking ... They usually think everything's pretty cool. Or, in one way or another, everything sucks."[8] He said his perception of the characters changed over the years: "When I first started out with the first show, which was Frog Baseball, they were just two guys that I would definitely want to keep my distance from ... But, by the end of the series, I would think that two guys like that would at least be fun to sit and watch TV with."[10]

Cast
Mike Judge as Beavis, Butt-Head, and others
Tracy Grandstaff as Daria Morgendorffer and Mrs. Stevenson
History
1990s: First seven seasons and first film

Mike Judge (pictured 2011) created Beavis and Butt-Head and voices most of the characters
Beavis and Butt-Head was created by the American animator Mike Judge for his short film Frog Baseball, which was played on MTV's animation showcase Liquid Television. MTV ordered a full series, which ran for seven seasons from March 8, 1993, to November 28, 1997.[8] Judge is critical of the earlier episodes, in particular the first two—"Give Blood/Blood Drive" and "Door to Door"—which he described as "awful, I don't know why anybody liked it ... I was burying my head in the sand."[12]

In 1993, Rolling Stone described Beavis and Butt-Head as the "biggest phenomenon on MTV since the heyday of Michael Jackson".[9] In Time, Kurt Andersen wrote that Beavis and Butt-Head "may be the bravest show ever run on national television".[9] In 1997, Judge said the show was "my reaction to the whole fringe aspects of the political correctness movement".[10] Beavis and Butt-Head became pop culture icons and their sniggering and dialogue became catchphrases.[8]

From 1994 to 1996, Marvel Comics published a monthly Beavis and Butt-Head comic under the Marvel Absurd imprint by a variety of writers, but with each issue drawn by artist Rick Parker. It was also reprinted by Marvel UK, which created new editorial material.[13]

A theatrical film, Beavis and Butt-Head Do America, was released in 1996.[citation needed] It features the voices of Bruce Willis, Demi Moore, Cloris Leachman, Robert Stack, Eric Bogosian, Richard Linklater, Greg Kinnear (in an uncredited role) and David Letterman (credited as Earl Hofert). It opened at number one at the US box office and grossed more than $60 million,[8] and received mostly positive reviews.[citation needed]

2011: Eighth season
On July 14, 2010, a spokesperson for MTV Networks informed a New York Post reporter that Mike Judge was creating a new Beavis and Butt-Head series, that Judge would reprise his voice-acting roles for the show, and that the animation would be hand-drawn. According to TMZ, MTV had not asked Tracy Grandstaff to reprise her role as Daria Morgendorffer.[14] Later, in a Rolling Stone interview, Judge was asked if Daria was coming back, and he said: "No. There's sort of a cameo in one episode. That'll be a surprise."[15]

As in the old series, Beavis and Butt-Head are high school students who, among other things, criticize contemporary music videos.[16] In an interview with Rolling Stone, MTV president Van Toffler said the duo would also watch Jersey Shore, Ultimate Fighting Championship matches, and amateur videos from YouTube, as well as give movie reviews. "The biggest change is obviously the references are updated, it's set in modern day, and there's going to be a movie review segment," Linn said, "Otherwise they're still true to their prior passions."[17][18]

John Altschuler, formerly a writer for King of the Hill, told a Rolling Stone reporter that he saw signs that Mike Judge was thinking of reviving Beavis and Butt-Head. On more than one occasion, Judge told the writers that one of their ideas for an episode of King of the Hill would work well for Beavis and Butt-Head; eventually he concluded, "Maybe we should just actually make some good Beavis and Butt-Head episodes." Later, a Lady Gaga video convinced Van Toffler of the tenability of a Beavis and Butt-Head revival: "I felt like there was a whole crop of new artists—and what the world sorely missed was the point of view that only Beavis and Butt-Head could bring."[17]

As part of a promotional campaign for the new series, cinemas screening Jackass 3D opened the feature film with a 3-D Beavis and Butt-Head short subject. Months later, in a media presentation on February 2, 2011, MTV announced that the series would premiere in mid-2011. On July 21, 2011, Judge spoke and fielded questions on a panel at Comic-Con International. A preview of the episode "Holy Cornholio" was also shown.[19] Judge told Rolling Stone that at least 24 episodes (12 half-hour programs) will definitely air.[15]

The new episodes debuted in the United States and Canada on October 27, 2011. The premiere was dubbed a ratings hit with an audience of 3.3 million total viewers.[20] This number eventually dwindled to 900,000 by the season's end, mainly due to its challenging time slot pitted against regular prime time shows on other networks.[21] According to Mike Judge, MTV's modern demographic are females 12–14 years old, and the network is looking for other networks to ship the show to.[22]

2022: Second film and ninth season
In May 2008, Judge stated that he previously hated the idea of producing a live-action film, but had come to believe that "maybe there's something there."[23] He also revealed that Johnny Depp had expressed interest in the role of Beavis, having imitated the character while Marlon Brando imitated Butt-Head during the production of Don Juan DeMarco (1995).[23] He also stated in an interview that "Seann William Scott's kinda got Butt-Head eyes."[24] In 2016, Judge told Radio Times "Maybe it could be a live-action someday", then went on to speculate that Beavis might be homeless by now.[25]

In August 2009, Judge stated, "I like to keep the door open on Beavis and Butt-Head, because it's my favorite thing that I've ever done. It's the thing I'm most proud of."[26] While promoting his film Extract that month, Judge said he would like to see the characters on the big screen again, and that "I kind of think of them as being either 15 or in their 60s. ... I wouldn't mind doing something with them as these two dirty old men sitting on the couch."[27]

On January 10, 2014, Judge announced that, while he was busy working on Silicon Valley, there was a chance of his pitching Beavis and Butt-Head to another network and that he would not mind making more episodes.[28] During an interview with Howard Stern on May 6, 2014, Judge mentioned that the show's ratings on MTV were second only to Jersey Shore, but the show did not fit MTV's target demographic of young women, which is why the revived series has not been brought back on MTV. He also said that MTV was close to selling it to another network, but it became "lost in deal stuff".[29]: 37m 

On July 1, 2020, Comedy Central announced it had ordered a second revival of the series consisting of two new seasons along with spin-offs and specials. In the new series, Beavis and Butt-Head will enter a "whole new Gen Z world" with meta-themes that are said to be relatable to both new fans who may be unfamiliar with the original series and old.[5] Mike Judge would return as the writer, producer, and voice actor for the series.[30]

In February 2022, it was announced that the revival would instead premiere on Paramount+, following a second Beavis and Butt-Head feature film entitled Beavis and Butt-Head Do the Universe.[31] Originally, Paramount executives wanted a live-action Beavis and Butt-Head movie. Judge held auditions over Zoom for the project. He eventually talked the company into doing an animated movie instead to reestablish the characters first, with a future live-action movie still a possibility.[32] In June 2022, it was confirmed that new episodes would debut later that year, along with the full library of over 227 original episodes, newly remastered (but cropped from 4:3 to 16:9), with music videos intact.[33][34] [35] One month later, it was announced that the revival would premiere on August 4, 2022.[7] Season 9 continues the concept of the Beavis and Butt-Head multiverse initially explored in Beavis and Butt-Head Do the Universe. Teenage Beavis and Butt-Head, Old Beavis and Butt-Head, and Smart Beavis and Butt-Head all get their own dedicated episodes in the revival.[36]

Episodes
Main article: List of Beavis and Butt-Head episodes
Season Episodes Originally aired
First aired Last aired Network
Pilots
September 22, 1992 November 17, 1992 MTV
1
3 March 8, 1993 March 25, 1993
2
26 May 17, 1993 July 15, 1993
3
31 September 6, 1993 March 5, 1994
4
32 March 14, 1994 July 15, 1994
5
50 October 31, 1994 October 12, 1995
6
20 October 31, 1995 March 7, 1996
7
41 January 26, 1997 November 28, 1997
8
22 October 27, 2011 December 29, 2011
9
TBA August 4, 2022 TBA Paramount+
Reception
Beavis and Butt-Head are so stupid and sublimely self-absorbed that the exterior world has little reality except as an annoyance or distraction. It would be easy to attack B&B as ignorant, vulgar, depraved, repulsive slobs. Of course they are. But that would miss the point, which is that Mike Judge's characters reflect parts of the society that produced them. To study B&B is to learn about a culture of narcissism, alienation, functional illiteracy, instant gratification and television zombiehood.

— Roger Ebert (1996)[37]
During its original run, Beavis and Butt-Head was MTV's highest rated show.[38][39] It was one of the most popular series when it premiered in 1993.[40][41]

Over its run, Beavis and Butt-Head received both positive and negative reactions from the public with its combination of lewd humor and implied criticism of society.[42] It became the focus of criticism from some social critics such as Michael Medved, while others such as David Letterman and the National Review defended it as a cleverly subversive vehicle for social criticism and a particularly creative and intelligent comedy. Either way, the show captured the attention of many young television viewers and is often considered a classic piece of 1990s youth culture and Generation X. Trey Parker and Matt Stone, creators of South Park, cite the series as an influence and compared it to the blues.[43]

In 1997, Dan Tobin of The Boston Phoenix commented on the series' humor, saying it transformed "stupidity into a crusade, forcing us to acknowledge how little it really takes to make us laugh."[44] In 1997, Ted Drozdowski of The Boston Phoenix described the 1997 Beavis and Butt-Head state as "reduced to self-parody of their self-parody".[45] In the Baltimore Sun, David Zurawik said that Beavis and Butt-Head was "intelligent social satire that especially speaks in a meaningful way to a generation of teenage boys who are going through a uniquely complicated socialization at the hands of their baby-boomer parents".[10] He said that its popularity may have taught audiences about male adolescence in the 1990s; he wrote that they were the postmodern descendents of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn, who were the "exemplars of males coming of age in American popular culture".[10]

In December 2005, TV Guide ranked the duo's distinct laughing at #66 on their list of the 100 Greatest TV Quotes and Catchphrases.[46] In 2012, TV Guide ranked Beavis and Butt-Head as one of the top 60 Greatest TV Cartoons of All Time.[47]

Controversies
The show was blamed for the death of two-year-old Jessica Matthews in Moraine, Ohio, in October 1993. The girl's five-year-old brother, Austin Messner, set fire to his mother's mobile home with a cigarette lighter, killing the two-year-old.[48] The mother later claimed that her son watched an episode in which the characters said "fire was fun".[48] However, the neighbors stated that the family did not even have cable television and would thus be unable to view the show.[49][50]

As a result, all references to fire were removed from subsequent airings and prompted the show to a later time slot.[51] The creators found a censorship loophole and took delight in sometimes making Beavis scream things that sounded very similar to his previous "Fire! Fire!" (such as "Fryer! Fryer!" when he and Butt-Head are working the late shift at Burger World) and also having him almost say the forbidden word (such as one time when he sang "Liar, liar, pants on..." and pausing before "fire"). There was also a music video where a man runs on fire in slow motion ("California" by Wax). Beavis is hypnotized by it and can barely say "fire". However, MTV eventually removed the episode entirely. References to fire were cut from earlier episodes—even the original master tapes were altered permanently.[52] Other episodes MTV opted not to rerun included "Stewart's House" and "Way Down Mexico Way". Copies of early episodes with the controversial content intact are rare, and the copies that exist are made from home video recordings of the original broadcasts, typically on VCR. In an interview included with the Mike Judge Collection DVD set, Judge said he is uncertain whether some of the earlier episodes still exist in their original, uncensored form.[51]

When the series returned in 2011, MTV allowed Beavis to use the word "fire" once again uncensored.[15] During the first video segment, "Werewolves of Highland", the first new episode of the revival, Beavis utters the word "fire" a total of seven times within 28 seconds, with Butt-Head saying it once as well.[53]

In February 1994, watchdog group Morality in Media claimed that the death of eight-month-old Natalia Rivera, struck by a bowling ball thrown from an overpass onto a highway in Jersey City, New Jersey, near the Holland Tunnel by 18-year-old Calvin J. Settle, was partially inspired by Beavis and Butt-Head.[54] The group said that Settle was influenced by the episode "Ball Breakers", in which Beavis and Butt-Head load a bowling ball with explosives and drop it from a rooftop.[54] While Morality in Media claimed that the show inspired Settle's actions, the case's prosecutors did not. It was later revealed by both prosecutors and the defendant that Settle did not have cable TV, nor did he watch the show.

MTV also responded by broadcasting the program after 11:00 p.m. and included a disclaimer, reminding viewers:

Beavis and Butt-Head are not real. They are stupid cartoon people completely made up by this Texas guy whom we hardly even know. Beavis and Butt-Head are dumb, crude, thoughtless, ugly, sexist, self-destructive fools. But for some reason, the little wienerheads make us laugh.

This was later changed to:

Beavis and Butt-Head are not role models. They're not even human. They're cartoons. Some of the things they do would cause a person to get hurt, expelled, arrested, possibly deported. To put it another way: don't try this at home.

This disclaimer also appears before the opening of their Sega Genesis and Super NES games as well as their Windows game Beavis and Butt-Head in Virtual Stupidity.[55]

They were famously lambasted by Democratic South Carolina Senator Fritz Hollings as "Buffcoat and Beaver".[56] This subsequently became a running gag on the show where adults mispronounced their names. For example, one character on the show, Tom Anderson, originally called them "Butthole" and "Joe" and believed the two to be of Asian ethnicity (describing them to the police as "Oriental"). In later episodes, Anderson uses the Hollings mispronunciation once and, on at least one occasion, refers to them as "Penis and Butt-Munch". President Clinton called them "Beavis and Bum-head" in "Citizen Butt-head", as well as in the movie, where an old lady (voiced by Cloris Leachman) consistently calls them "Travis" and "Bob-head". In "Incognito", when another student threatens to kill them, the duo uses this to their advantage, pretending to be exchange students named "Crevis and Bung-Head". The bully, seeing through the disguises, calls them "Beaver and Butt-Plug". In "Right On!", when the duo appear on the Gus Baker Show, host Gus Baker (a caricature of Rush Limbaugh) introduces them as "Beavis and Buffcoat". And in the original series finale, "Beavis and Butt-head Are Dead", a news reporter refers to the two boys as "Brevis and Head-Butt".

Beavis and Butt-Head have been compared to idiot savants because of their creative and subversively intelligent observations of music videos. This part of the show was mostly improvised by Mike Judge. With regard to criticisms of the two as "idiots", Judge responded that a show about straight-A students would not be funny.

MTV Classic
On July 28, 2016, it was reported that VH1 Classic was to be rebranded as MTV Classic on August 1, 2016 on the 35th anniversary of the original MTV. With a focus on 1990s programming, Beavis and Butt-Head were a major part of this alongside Daria and Æon Flux at the launch; they were also a major focus in the promotion of the re-brand.[57] MTV Classic only broadcast episodes from the 2011 reboot. However, it and all non-music video programming only lasted a few months before being pulled.[58]

Related media
Daria
Main article: Daria
A spin-off based on classmate Daria Morgendorffer premiered in 1997. Mike Judge was not involved at all except to give permission for use of the character (created by Glenn Eichler and designed by Bill Peckmann).[59] The only reference to the original show is Daria's mentioning that Lawndale cannot be a second Highland "unless there's uranium in the drinking water here too".

Video games
MTV's Beavis and Butt-Head, a set of games released by Viacom New Media for the Game Gear, Genesis and Super NES in 1994. All three games featured music composed by Gwar.
Talking MTV's Beavis and Butt-Head: This Game Rules!!!, a handheld LCD video game released by Tiger Electronics in 1994.
Beavis and Butt-Head in Virtual Stupidity, a graphic adventure game released for Windows 95 in 1995. A PlayStation port was released exclusively in Japan in 1998 featuring dubbed voice acting by Atsushi Tamura and Ryō Tamura from Owarai duo London Boots Ichi-gō Ni-gō.
Beavis and Butt-Head in Calling All Dorks, a collection of desktop themes for Windows 95 released in 1995 by Viacom New Media.
Beavis and Butt-Head in Wiener Takes All, a Beavis and Butt-Head-themed trivia game by Viacom New Media. Released as a PC/Macintosh-compatible CD-ROM in 1996.
Beavis and Butt-Head in Little Thingies, a mini-game collection released for Windows 95 in 1996 featuring four mini-games from the previously-released Virtual Stupidity and three new ones.
Beavis and Butt-Head, a coin-operated video game developed by Atari Games for a 3DO Interactive Multiplayer-based hardware. The game underwent location testing 1996, but was unreleased due to poor reception.
Beavis and Butt-Head in Screen Wreckers, a collection of screensavers released for Windows 95 in 1997.
Beavis and Butt-Head: Bunghole in One, a Beavis and Butt-Head-themed golf video game released for Windows 95 by GT Interactive Software in 1998.
Beavis and Butt-Head, an overhead action game released by GT Interactive Software for the Game Boy in 1998.
Beavis and Butt-Head Do Hollywood (originally Beavis and Butt-Head: Get Big in Hollywood), an unreleased 3D action game that was being produced by GT Interactive Software. It was announced for the PlayStation in 1998.
Beavis and Butt-Head Do U., a graphic adventure game released by GT Interactive Software for Windows 95 in 1999.
Books
Brown, Kristofor (1997). Stern, Dave (ed.). MTV'S Beavis and Butt-Head: Travel Log. MTV Books, Pocket Books. ISBN 0-671-01533-8.
Brown, Kristofor (1997). MTV'S Beavis and Butt-Head: Big Book of Important Stuff to Make Life Cool. Boston America Corp. ISBN 1-889647-15-2.
Doyle, Larry (1995). Eichler, Glenn (ed.). MTV'S Beavis and Butt-Head: This Sucks, Change It!. MTV Books, Pocket Books, Melcher Media. ISBN 0-671-53633-8.
Doyle, Larry (1996). Eichler, Glenn (ed.). MTV'S Beavis and Butt-Head: Huh Huh For Hollywood. MTV Books, Pocket Books. ISBN 0-671-00655-X.
Grabianski, Greg; Keillor, Aimee (1997). Brown, Kristofor (ed.). MTV'S Beavis and Butt-Head: The Butt-Files. MTV Books, Pocket Books. ISBN 0-671-01426-9.
Johnson, Sam; Marcil, Chris (1993). Eichler, Glenn (ed.). MTV'S Beavis and Butt-Head: This Book Sucks. MTV Books, Callaway, Pocket Books. ISBN 0-671-89034-4.
Johnson, Sam; Marcil, Chris; Maxtone-Graham, Guy; Brown, Kristofor; Felton, David; Eichler, Glenn; Judge, Mike (1994). Eichler, Glenn (ed.). MTV'S Beavis and Butt-Head: Ensucklopedia. MTV Books, Pocket Books. ISBN 0-671-52149-7.
Judge, Mike; Stillman, Joe (1997). MTV'S Beavis and Butt-Head Do America: The Official Script Book. MTV Books, Pocket Books. ISBN 0-671-00658-4.
Rheingold, Andy; Sonneborn, Scott (1998). Brown, Kristofor (ed.). MTV'S Beavis and Butt-Head: Chicken Soup for the Butt. MTV Books, Pocket Books. ISBN 0-671-02598-8.
Brown, Kristofor, ed. (1996). MTV'S Beavis and Butt-Head: Doodle (doodie) Book. Boston America Corp. ISBN 1-889647-00-4.
MTV's Beavis and Butt-Head: 3-D Poster Book. Boston America Corp. 1997.
MTV's Beavis and Butt-Head: Doodle (doodie) Book #2. Boston America Corp. 1997. ISBN 1-889647-28-4.
MTV's Beavis and Butt-Head: Sticky Things. Boston America Corp. 1997. ISBN 1-889647-16-0.
Reading Sucks: The Collected Works of Beavis and Butt-Head. MTV. 2005. ISBN 978-1-4165-2436-6. (NOTE: This book is a bundle of four previous books 'Ensucklopedia,' 'Huh Huh for Hollywood,' 'The Butt-Files,' and 'Chicken Soup for the Butt' which are no longer in print separately).
Album
A CD, The Beavis and Butt-Head Experience, was released featuring many hard rock and heavy metal bands such as Megadeth, Primus, Nirvana and White Zombie. Moreover, Beavis and Butt-Head do a duet with Cher on "I Got You Babe"[60] and a track by themselves called "Come to Butt-Head". The track with Cher also resulted in a music video directed by Tamra Davis and Yvette Kaplan.

Chart success

Beavis and Butt-Head duet with Cher UK single which includes a Beavis and Butt-Head Experience sticker to promote the release
The Beavis and Butt-Head duet with Cher on "I Got You Babe" was released as a single in the UK, Australia, Europe and the US,[61] the UK CD had a special limited edition sticker to promote The Beavis and Butt-Head Experience available with the release.[62] On January 15, 1994, the song charted at number 35 in the UK charts[63] and stayed on the charts for 4 weeks. On December 4, 1993, the song charted on the official Billboard charts in the US peaking at number 8.[64]

The single also charted at number 69 in Australia,[65] 19 in Belgium,[66] 18 in Denmark,[67] 69 on the European Hot 100,[67] 9 on the Netherlands Dutch Top 40,[68] 10 on the Netherlands top 100[69] and number 40 in Sweden.[70]

Slot game
In 2019, Gauselmann Group's UK-based games studio Blueprint Gaming launched the Beavis and Butt-Head online slot game.[71] The game features moments and scenes from the TV show and film.

The branded game was among the 10 most exposed slot games in UK online casinos days after its release in late May 2019.[72]

Appearances in other media
Beavis and Butt-Head have appeared in another one of MTV's animated shows, Celebrity Deathmatch.
Beavis and Butt-Head also appeared in Robot Chicken.
A Butt-Head plaque appears in a brief moment in The Simpsons episode "Take My Life, Please". The duo is also mentioned in the episode "A Midsummer's Nice Dream".
They also appear in a cutaway gag in the 1990s-set Family Guy episode "Peter & Lois' Wedding" and are once again voiced by Mike Judge.
Beavis and Butt-Head also made an appearance in a Paramount+ commercial in Super Bowl LV. They also appeared in four Superbowl specials from 1994 to 1997.[73]
Beavis and Butt-Head also appeared as part of the Mintia promotion in Japan.[74]
Beavis and Butt-Head made an appearance in the movie Airheads.[75]
Beavis and Butt-Head also made a cameo in the movie Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery.[76]
Beavis and Butt-Head also appeared in season 2, episode 15 of Friends where Chandler and Joey were laughing while watching the show.[77]
A Senate campaign sign for Butt-Head appeared on a bench in the movie Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers.[78]
References
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Cerone, Daniel (March 16, 1993). "MTV Toon Dudes Are Slow on Two Counts Television". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on July 15, 2012. Retrieved November 12, 2010.
Rosenberg, Howard (November 26, 1997). "Butt-head, We Hardly Knew Ye". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on March 24, 2011. Retrieved November 8, 2010.
Goldberg, Lesley (July 1, 2020). "'Beavis and Butt-Head' Returning With Two New Seasons (and Spinoffs) at Comedy Central". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved February 15, 2022.
Goldberg, Lesley (February 15, 2022). "'South Park,' 'Beavis and Butt-Head' Moving to Paramount+". The Hollywood Reporter.
Chapman, Wilson (July 14, 2022). "'Beavis and Butt-Head' Revival Series Sets August Premiere Date on Paramount+, Drops First Trailer". Variety. Retrieved July 14, 2022.
Gardner, Chris (June 16, 2022). "Mike Judge Details Pre-Lockdown Lunch That Led to Deal for Beavis and Butt-Head Do the Universe". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved June 25, 2022.
Young, Charles M. (August 19, 1993). "Beavis and Butt-Head: The Voice of a Generation". Rolling Stone. Retrieved June 25, 2022.
Zurawik, David (November 28, 1997). "Made their mark Television: Those uncouth youth mouth a certain '90s-era truth". The Baltimore Sun. Archived from the original on October 15, 2013. Retrieved November 9, 2010.
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Greene, Andy (August 3, 2011). "Exclusive: Mike Judge on the Return of 'Beavis and Butt-Head'". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on November 16, 2011. Retrieved February 15, 2022.
Starr, Michael (July 14, 2010). "They're back!". New York Post. Archived from the original on July 16, 2010. Retrieved July 14, 2010.
Greene, Andy (February 16, 2011). "Exclusive: New 'Beavis and Butt-Head' Will Tackle 'Jersey Shore' and More". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on June 28, 2011. Retrieved May 16, 2011.
Hibberd, James (March 31, 2011). "MTV greenlights 'Inbetweeners,' plus four other new shows -- EXCLUSIVE". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on July 13, 2018.
Sitterson, Aubrey. "Comic-Con 2011: Beavis and Butthead Coverage and Panel" Archived September 8, 2012, at the Wayback Machine. UGO. July 21, 2010.
"'Beavis and Butt-Head' revival a ratings hit". New York Post. October 28, 2011. Archived from the original on August 17, 2018.
"Film Thrasher: THE NEWS BUNDLE: Future of 'Beavis & Butthead' Now In Jeopardy?". CamArruda. Retrieved February 24, 2012.[permanent dead link]
"Will Beavis And Butt-Head Continue UPDATE!". EatBlogAnddie. Archived from the original on January 21, 2013. Retrieved December 10, 2012.
Stephenson, Hunter (May 14, 2008). "Mike Judge Talks New Live-Action Beavis and Butt-Head Film. Johnny Depp Hoped to Play Beavis". /Film. Archived from the original on February 6, 2018. Retrieved February 15, 2022.
Carroll, Larry (September 7, 2009). "'Beavis & Butt-Head' Creator Mike Judge Says He Might Be Ready For The Duo's Live-Action Debut - Movie News Story". MTV. Archived from the original on September 7, 2009. Retrieved January 24, 2009.
"Beavis and Butt-Head could come back as a live action show, says creator Mike Judge". Radio Times. July 4, 2016. Archived from the original on July 5, 2016. Retrieved July 7, 2016.
Parks, Tim (August 25, 2009). "Judge 'may do Beavis and Butt-Head sequel'". Digital Spy. Retrieved September 9, 2021.
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Topel, Fred (January 10, 2014). "Mike Judge: 'Beavis and Butt-Head' Trapped in Limbo". Mandatory. Archived from the original on January 11, 2014. Retrieved June 5, 2022.
Howard Stern interview with Mike Judge, May 6, 2014
Shaffer, Claire (July 1, 2020). "'Beavis and Butt-Head Reimagining to Air on Comedy Central". Rolling Stone. Retrieved July 1, 2020.
Andreeva, Nellie (February 15, 2022). "Paramount+ To Become 'South Park's Global Streaming Home In 2025, 'Beavis and Butt-Head' Revival Moves From Comedy Central To Streamer". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved February 15, 2022.
Greene, Andy (June 3, 2022). "'It's Harder Than It Looks': Mike Judge on Bringing Back 'Beavis and Butt-Head'". The New York Times. Retrieved August 29, 2022.
""Beavis and Butt-Head Do the Universe" To Premiere Exclusively on Paramount+ Thursday, June 23". Paramount Press Express. June 2, 2022. Retrieved June 23, 2022.
Hughes, William (June 5, 2022). "Paramount Plus' remastered Beavis And Butt-Head episodes will have all the original music videos". The AV Club. Retrieved June 4, 2022.
Paramount+ [@paramountplus] (June 23, 2022). "Can't get enough #BeavisAndButthead? Binge the iconic duo as we continue to add more classic episodes to our library all summer long" (Tweet). Retrieved June 23, 2022 – via Twitter.
Harris, Will (August 26, 2022). "Mike Judge Wants To Bring David Letterman Back Into The 'Beavis And Butt-Head' Fold". Decider. Retrieved August 29, 2022.
Ebert, Roger (December 20, 1996). "Beavis and Butt-Head Do America movie review (1996)". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved February 29, 2020 – via rogerebert.com.
Edition, Morning (July 30, 2021). "MTV Is Turning 40. Here's How Beavis, Butt-Head And Daria Upended TV Animation". npr. Retrieved April 28, 2022.
""Beavis and Butt-Head" premieres on MTV". history.com. November 13, 2009. Retrieved April 28, 2022.
Brizuela, James (January 2022). "Beavis & Butt-Head Are Making A Comeback This Year, See Their New Design". giant freakin robot. Retrieved April 28, 2022.
Hildebrandt, Zack (April 21, 2022). "The Return Of Beavis and Butt-Head". the huronemery. Retrieved April 28, 2022.
Kolbert, Elizabeth (October 17, 1993). "TELEVISION; Keeping Beavis and Butt-Head Just Stupid Enough". The New York Times. Archived from the original on December 25, 2021. Retrieved August 11, 2009.
"Taint of Greatness: The Journey of Beavis and Butt-Head Part 2," in The Mike Judge Collection Volume 2
Tobin, Dan (November 26, 1997). "Butting out". The Boston Phoenix. Archived from the original on February 28, 2008.
Drozdowski, Ted (May 8, 1997). "Eye pleasers". The Boston Phoenix. Archived from the original on February 3, 2008.
The 100 Greatest TV Quotes and Catchphrases Archived March 13, 2008, at the Wayback Machine, TV Guide. Retrieved on April 2, 2008. In 2009, it was ranked No. 8 by TV Guide in their list of "TV's Top 25 Animated Shows."
Sands, Rich (September 24, 2013). "TV Guide Magazine's 60 Greatest Cartoons of All Time". TV Guide. Archived from the original on July 10, 2018.
"Cartoon On MTV Blamed For Fire". The New York Times. The Associated Press. October 10, 1993. Archived from the original on May 16, 2010. Retrieved October 29, 2010.
"Rolling Stone". Rolling Stone. March 24, 1994.
Sommerlad, Joe (March 7, 2018). "Beavis and Butt-Head at 25: How MTV's original dumbasses stormed America and changed comedy forever". The Independent. Retrieved June 1, 2021.
"Child's Death Prompts MTV to Retool 'Beavis'". Los Angeles Times. October 14, 1993. Retrieved December 13, 2019.
Joost, Wesley. "Heh-Heh-Heh... Heh-heh-heh... you said heh-heh-heh... Gobblin'..." Goblin Magazine. Archived from the original on February 9, 1999.
"Werewolves of Highland". Beavis and Butt-Head. Season 8. Episode 1. October 27, 2011. MTV.
Levy, Clifford J. (February 10, 1994). "Youth Is Held In Death From Bowling Ball". The New York Times. Archived from the original on July 27, 2018.
Beavis and Butt-Head (TV Series 1993–2011), IMDb, retrieved December 13, 2019
Jacobs, A.J. (August 15, 1997). "Dude... This Sucks– We mourn the loss of fresh Beavis and Butt-Head episodes". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on August 17, 2018.
Goldberg, Lesley (July 28, 2016). "'Beavis & Butt-Head,' 'Daria,' More '90s Favorites Returning on New MTV Classic". IGN. Retrieved May 31, 2021.
Greene, Andy (June 7, 2017). "Flashback: A Random 78 Minutes of MTV From June 1982". Rolling Stone. Retrieved January 24, 2022.
Rosenberg, Howard (March 3, 1997). "Brainy 'Beavis' Pal 'Daria' Spins Off". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on July 15, 2012. Retrieved November 20, 2010.
Hochman, Steve (November 14, 1993). "Cher Gets Cheeky With Beavis and Butt-head". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 29, 2021.
"Cher With Beavis And Butt-Head – I Got You Babe - All releases". Discogs. Retrieved May 31, 2021.
"Cher With Beavis And Butt-Head – I Got You Babe". Discogs. Retrieved May 31, 2021.
"CHER WITH BEAVIS & BUTT-HEAD". Official Charts. Retrieved May 31, 2021.
"Cher Billboard". Billboard. Retrieved May 31, 2021.
Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988-2010. Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia: Moonlight Publishing.
"CHER WITH BEAVIS AND BUTT-HEAD - I GOT YOU BABE". Ultratop Vlaanderen - De enige echte officiële hitparade. Retrieved May 31, 2021.
"Hits of the World" (PDF). Billboard. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 28, 2015. Retrieved October 28, 2015.
"Top 40 - week 4 (22 januari 1994)". Top 40.
"CHER WITH BEAVIS AND BUTT-HEAD - I GOT YOU BABE". Dutch ~Charts. Retrieved May 31, 2021.
"CHER WITH BEAVIS AND BUTT-HEAD - I GOT YOU BABE (SONG)". swedishcharts.com. Retrieved May 31, 2021.
"MTV's Beavis and Butt-Head Make their Casino Game Debut". The Casino Wizard. Archived from the original on June 5, 2019. Retrieved June 5, 2019.
"Beavis & Butt-Head slot". betlancer.com. Retrieved June 1, 2021.
"Lets go back to the good old days when Beavis and Butthead's Butt Bowl was the alternate halftime event". bitcentral. Retrieved April 30, 2022.
"Mintia (commercial) - Behind the voice actors". behind the voice actors. Retrieved April 29, 2022.
"Airheads (1994) Mike Judge: Beavis, Butt-Head". IMDB. Retrieved April 29, 2022.
"Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (1997) Mike Judge: Beavis, Butt-Head". IMDB. Retrieved April 29, 2022.
"Friends - The One Where Ross And Rachel... You Know Episode 2.15". friends.tv.
Betti, Tony (May 20, 2022). "The Easter Eggs (That We Found) In "Chip 'N' Dale: Rescue Rangers" on Disney+". Laughing Place. Retrieved May 21, 2022.
External links
Beavis and Butt-Head at IMDb
Beavis and Butt-Head (2022–) at IMDb
Beavis and Butt-Head at The Interviews: An Oral History of Television

Beavis and Butt-Head is an American adult animated series created by Mike Judge.[2] The series follows Beavis and Butt-Head, both voiced by Judge, a pair of teenage slackers characterized by their apathy, lack of intelligence, lowbrow humor, and love of heavy metal and alternative rock.

The characters originated in Judge's 1992 short film Frog Baseball, which was broadcast by MTV's animation showcase Liquid Television. After MTV commissioned a full series around the characters, Beavis and Butt-Head ran for seven seasons from March 8, 1993, to November 28, 1997.[3][4] The series was revived with an eighth season airing on MTV from October 27 to December 29, 2011. A second revival, consisting of an initial two-season order, premiered on Paramount+ on August 4, 2022.[5][6]

During its initial run, Beavis and Butt-Head received critical acclaim for its satirical, scathing commentary on society. It produced various other media, including the theatrical film Beavis and Butt-Head Do America in 1996. A second film, Beavis and Butt-Head Do the Universe, was released on June 23, 2022 on Paramount+.[7]

Contents
Premise
See also: List of Beavis and Butt-Head characters
Beavis and Butt-Head are unintelligent teenage boys who live in the town of Highland, Texas.[8] Rolling Stone described them as "thunderously stupid and excruciatingly ugly".[9] They spend time watching television, eating[10] and embarking on "mundane, sordid" adventures, which often involve vandalism, abuse, violence or animal cruelty.[9] According to The Baltimore Sun, Beavis and Butt-Head are "at their most incorrect when it comes to sexuality and matters of gender. The nicest thing you can say about them in this regard is that they are budding misogynists."[10] When Beavis consumes too much caffeine or sugar, he becomes Cornholio, a hyperactive alter ego.[11] Over the course of the series, Beavis and Butt-Head developed more distinct personalities; Butt-Head is the leader and "devious visionary", while Beavis, the sidekick, is the "loose cannon".[11]

Most episodes integrate sequences where Beavis and Butt-Head watch music videos and offer commentary.[9] They prefer videos with "explosions, loud guitars, screaming and death", and favor rock bands such as the Butthole Surfers, Corrosion of Conformity and Metallica.[9] Judge said he saw Beavis and Butt-Head as "pretty positive characters, generally speaking ... They usually think everything's pretty cool. Or, in one way or another, everything sucks."[8] He said his perception of the characters changed over the years: "When I first started out with the first show, which was Frog Baseball, they were just two guys that I would definitely want to keep my distance from ... But, by the end of the series, I would think that two guys like that would at least be fun to sit and watch TV with."[10]

Cast
Mike Judge as Beavis, Butt-Head, and others
Tracy Grandstaff as Daria Morgendorffer and Mrs. Stevenson
History
1990s: First seven seasons and first film

Mike Judge (pictured 2011) created Beavis and Butt-Head and voices most of the characters
Beavis and Butt-Head was created by the American animator Mike Judge for his short film Frog Baseball, which was played on MTV's animation showcase Liquid Television. MTV ordered a full series, which ran for seven seasons from March 8, 1993, to November 28, 1997.[8] Judge is critical of the earlier episodes, in particular the first two—"Give Blood/Blood Drive" and "Door to Door"—which he described as "awful, I don't know why anybody liked it ... I was burying my head in the sand."[12]

In 1993, Rolling Stone described Beavis and Butt-Head as the "biggest phenomenon on MTV since the heyday of Michael Jackson".[9] In Time, Kurt Andersen wrote that Beavis and Butt-Head "may be the bravest show ever run on national television".[9] In 1997, Judge said the show was "my reaction to the whole fringe aspects of the political correctness movement".[10] Beavis and Butt-Head became pop culture icons and their sniggering and dialogue became catchphrases.[8]

From 1994 to 1996, Marvel Comics published a monthly Beavis and Butt-Head comic under the Marvel Absurd imprint by a variety of writers, but with each issue drawn by artist Rick Parker. It was also reprinted by Marvel UK, which created new editorial material.[13]

A theatrical film, Beavis and Butt-Head Do America, was released in 1996.[citation needed] It features the voices of Bruce Willis, Demi Moore, Cloris Leachman, Robert Stack, Eric Bogosian, Richard Linklater, Greg Kinnear (in an uncredited role) and David Letterman (credited as Earl Hofert). It opened at number one at the US box office and grossed more than $60 million,[8] and received mostly positive reviews.[citation needed]

2011: Eighth season
On July 14, 2010, a spokesperson for MTV Networks informed a New York Post reporter that Mike Judge was creating a new Beavis and Butt-Head series, that Judge would reprise his voice-acting roles for the show, and that the animation would be hand-drawn. According to TMZ, MTV had not asked Tracy Grandstaff to reprise her role as Daria Morgendorffer.[14] Later, in a Rolling Stone interview, Judge was asked if Daria was coming back, and he said: "No. There's sort of a cameo in one episode. That'll be a surprise."[15]

As in the old series, Beavis and Butt-Head are high school students who, among other things, criticize contemporary music videos.[16] In an interview with Rolling Stone, MTV president Van Toffler said the duo would also watch Jersey Shore, Ultimate Fighting Championship matches, and amateur videos from YouTube, as well as give movie reviews. "The biggest change is obviously the references are updated, it's set in modern day, and there's going to be a movie review segment," Linn said, "Otherwise they're still true to their prior passions."[17][18]

John Altschuler, formerly a writer for King of the Hill, told a Rolling Stone reporter that he saw signs that Mike Judge was thinking of reviving Beavis and Butt-Head. On more than one occasion, Judge told the writers that one of their ideas for an episode of King of the Hill would work well for Beavis and Butt-Head; eventually he concluded, "Maybe we should just actually make some good Beavis and Butt-Head episodes." Later, a Lady Gaga video convinced Van Toffler of the tenability of a Beavis and Butt-Head revival: "I felt like there was a whole crop of new artists—and what the world sorely missed was the point of view that only Beavis and Butt-Head could bring."[17]

As part of a promotional campaign for the new series, cinemas screening Jackass 3D opened the feature film with a 3-D Beavis and Butt-Head short subject. Months later, in a media presentation on February 2, 2011, MTV announced that the series would premiere in mid-2011. On July 21, 2011, Judge spoke and fielded questions on a panel at Comic-Con International. A preview of the episode "Holy Cornholio" was also shown.[19] Judge told Rolling Stone that at least 24 episodes (12 half-hour programs) will definitely air.[15]

The new episodes debuted in the United States and Canada on October 27, 2011. The premiere was dubbed a ratings hit with an audience of 3.3 million total viewers.[20] This number eventually dwindled to 900,000 by the season's end, mainly due to its challenging time slot pitted against regular prime time shows on other networks.[21] According to Mike Judge, MTV's modern demographic are females 12–14 years old, and the network is looking for other networks to ship the show to.[22]

2022: Second film and ninth season
In May 2008, Judge stated that he previously hated the idea of producing a live-action film, but had come to believe that "maybe there's something there."[23] He also revealed that Johnny Depp had expressed interest in the role of Beavis, having imitated the character while Marlon Brando imitated Butt-Head during the production of Don Juan DeMarco (1995).[23] He also stated in an interview that "Seann William Scott's kinda got Butt-Head eyes."[24] In 2016, Judge told Radio Times "Maybe it could be a live-action someday", then went on to speculate that Beavis might be homeless by now.[25]

In August 2009, Judge stated, "I like to keep the door open on Beavis and Butt-Head, because it's my favorite thing that I've ever done. It's the thing I'm most proud of."[26] While promoting his film Extract that month, Judge said he would like to see the characters on the big screen again, and that "I kind of think of them as being either 15 or in their 60s. ... I wouldn't mind doing something with them as these two dirty old men sitting on the couch."[27]

On January 10, 2014, Judge announced that, while he was busy working on Silicon Valley, there was a chance of his pitching Beavis and Butt-Head to another network and that he would not mind making more episodes.[28] During an interview with Howard Stern on May 6, 2014, Judge mentioned that the show's ratings on MTV were second only to Jersey Shore, but the show did not fit MTV's target demographic of young women, which is why the revived series has not been brought back on MTV. He also said that MTV was close to selling it to another network, but it became "lost in deal stuff".[29]: 37m 

On July 1, 2020, Comedy Central announced it had ordered a second revival of the series consisting of two new seasons along with spin-offs and specials. In the new series, Beavis and Butt-Head will enter a "whole new Gen Z world" with meta-themes that are said to be relatable to both new fans who may be unfamiliar with the original series and old.[5] Mike Judge would return as the writer, producer, and voice actor for the series.[30]

In February 2022, it was announced that the revival would instead premiere on Paramount+, following a second Beavis and Butt-Head feature film entitled Beavis and Butt-Head Do the Universe.[31] Originally, Paramount executives wanted a live-action Beavis and Butt-Head movie. Judge held auditions over Zoom for the project. He eventually talked the company into doing an animated movie instead to reestablish the characters first, with a future live-action movie still a possibility.[32] In June 2022, it was confirmed that new episodes would debut later that year, along with the full library of over 227 original episodes, newly remastered (but cropped from 4:3 to 16:9), with music videos intact.[33][34] [35] One month later, it was announced that the revival would premiere on August 4, 2022.[7] Season 9 continues the concept of the Beavis and Butt-Head multiverse initially explored in Beavis and Butt-Head Do the Universe. Teenage Beavis and Butt-Head, Old Beavis and Butt-Head, and Smart Beavis and Butt-Head all get their own dedicated episodes in the revival.[36]

Episodes
Main article: List of Beavis and Butt-Head episodes
Season Episodes Originally aired
First aired Last aired Network
Pilots
September 22, 1992 November 17, 1992 MTV
1
3 March 8, 1993 March 25, 1993
2
26 May 17, 1993 July 15, 1993
3
31 September 6, 1993 March 5, 1994
4
32 March 14, 1994 July 15, 1994
5
50 October 31, 1994 October 12, 1995
6
20 October 31, 1995 March 7, 1996
7
41 January 26, 1997 November 28, 1997
8
22 October 27, 2011 December 29, 2011
9
TBA August 4, 2022 TBA Paramount+
Reception
Beavis and Butt-Head are so stupid and sublimely self-absorbed that the exterior world has little reality except as an annoyance or distraction. It would be easy to attack B&B as ignorant, vulgar, depraved, repulsive slobs. Of course they are. But that would miss the point, which is that Mike Judge's characters reflect parts of the society that produced them. To study B&B is to learn about a culture of narcissism, alienation, functional illiteracy, instant gratification and television zombiehood.

— Roger Ebert (1996)[37]
During its original run, Beavis and Butt-Head was MTV's highest rated show.[38][39] It was one of the most popular series when it premiered in 1993.[40][41]

Over its run, Beavis and Butt-Head received both positive and negative reactions from the public with its combination of lewd humor and implied criticism of society.[42] It became the focus of criticism from some social critics such as Michael Medved, while others such as David Letterman and the National Review defended it as a cleverly subversive vehicle for social criticism and a particularly creative and intelligent comedy. Either way, the show captured the attention of many young television viewers and is often considered a classic piece of 1990s youth culture and Generation X. Trey Parker and Matt Stone, creators of South Park, cite the series as an influence and compared it to the blues.[43]

In 1997, Dan Tobin of The Boston Phoenix commented on the series' humor, saying it transformed "stupidity into a crusade, forcing us to acknowledge how little it really takes to make us laugh."[44] In 1997, Ted Drozdowski of The Boston Phoenix described the 1997 Beavis and Butt-Head state as "reduced to self-parody of their self-parody".[45] In the Baltimore Sun, David Zurawik said that Beavis and Butt-Head was "intelligent social satire that especially speaks in a meaningful way to a generation of teenage boys who are going through a uniquely complicated socialization at the hands of their baby-boomer parents".[10] He said that its popularity may have taught audiences about male adolescence in the 1990s; he wrote that they were the postmodern descendents of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn, who were the "exemplars of males coming of age in American popular culture".[10]

In December 2005, TV Guide ranked the duo's distinct laughing at #66 on their list of the 100 Greatest TV Quotes and Catchphrases.[46] In 2012, TV Guide ranked Beavis and Butt-Head as one of the top 60 Greatest TV Cartoons of All Time.[47]

Controversies
The show was blamed for the death of two-year-old Jessica Matthews in Moraine, Ohio, in October 1993. The girl's five-year-old brother, Austin Messner, set fire to his mother's mobile home with a cigarette lighter, killing the two-year-old.[48] The mother later claimed that her son watched an episode in which the characters said "fire was fun".[48] However, the neighbors stated that the family did not even have cable television and would thus be unable to view the show.[49][50]

As a result, all references to fire were removed from subsequent airings and prompted the show to a later time slot.[51] The creators found a censorship loophole and took delight in sometimes making Beavis scream things that sounded very similar to his previous "Fire! Fire!" (such as "Fryer! Fryer!" when he and Butt-Head are working the late shift at Burger World) and also having him almost say the forbidden word (such as one time when he sang "Liar, liar, pants on..." and pausing before "fire"). There was also a music video where a man runs on fire in slow motion ("California" by Wax). Beavis is hypnotized by it and can barely say "fire". However, MTV eventually removed the episode entirely. References to fire were cut from earlier episodes—even the original master tapes were altered permanently.[52] Other episodes MTV opted not to rerun included "Stewart's House" and "Way Down Mexico Way". Copies of early episodes with the controversial content intact are rare, and the copies that exist are made from home video recordings of the original broadcasts, typically on VCR. In an interview included with the Mike Judge Collection DVD set, Judge said he is uncertain whether some of the earlier episodes still exist in their original, uncensored form.[51]

When the series returned in 2011, MTV allowed Beavis to use the word "fire" once again uncensored.[15] During the first video segment, "Werewolves of Highland", the first new episode of the revival, Beavis utters the word "fire" a total of seven times within 28 seconds, with Butt-Head saying it once as well.[53]

In February 1994, watchdog group Morality in Media claimed that the death of eight-month-old Natalia Rivera, struck by a bowling ball thrown from an overpass onto a highway in Jersey City, New Jersey, near the Holland Tunnel by 18-year-old Calvin J. Settle, was partially inspired by Beavis and Butt-Head.[54] The group said that Settle was influenced by the episode "Ball Breakers", in which Beavis and Butt-Head load a bowling ball with explosives and drop it from a rooftop.[54] While Morality in Media claimed that the show inspired Settle's actions, the case's prosecutors did not. It was later revealed by both prosecutors and the defendant that Settle did not have cable TV, nor did he watch the show.

MTV also responded by broadcasting the program after 11:00 p.m. and included a disclaimer, reminding viewers:

Beavis and Butt-Head are not real. They are stupid cartoon people completely made up by this Texas guy whom we hardly even know. Beavis and Butt-Head are dumb, crude, thoughtless, ugly, sexist, self-destructive fools. But for some reason, the little wienerheads make us laugh.

This was later changed to:

Beavis and Butt-Head are not role models. They're not even human. They're cartoons. Some of the things they do would cause a person to get hurt, expelled, arrested, possibly deported. To put it another way: don't try this at home.

This disclaimer also appears before the opening of their Sega Genesis and Super NES games as well as their Windows game Beavis and Butt-Head in Virtual Stupidity.[55]

They were famously lambasted by Democratic South Carolina Senator Fritz Hollings as "Buffcoat and Beaver".[56] This subsequently became a running gag on the show where adults mispronounced their names. For example, one character on the show, Tom Anderson, originally called them "Butthole" and "Joe" and believed the two to be of Asian ethnicity (describing them to the police as "Oriental"). In later episodes, Anderson uses the Hollings mispronunciation once and, on at least one occasion, refers to them as "Penis and Butt-Munch". President Clinton called them "Beavis and Bum-head" in "Citizen Butt-head", as well as in the movie, where an old lady (voiced by Cloris Leachman) consistently calls them "Travis" and "Bob-head". In "Incognito", when another student threatens to kill them, the duo uses this to their advantage, pretending to be exchange students named "Crevis and Bung-Head". The bully, seeing through the disguises, calls them "Beaver and Butt-Plug". In "Right On!", when the duo appear on the Gus Baker Show, host Gus Baker (a caricature of Rush Limbaugh) introduces them as "Beavis and Buffcoat". And in the original series finale, "Beavis and Butt-head Are Dead", a news reporter refers to the two boys as "Brevis and Head-Butt".

Beavis and Butt-Head have been compared to idiot savants because of their creative and subversively intelligent observations of music videos. This part of the show was mostly improvised by Mike Judge. With regard to criticisms of the two as "idiots", Judge responded that a show about straight-A students would not be funny.

MTV Classic
On July 28, 2016, it was reported that VH1 Classic was to be rebranded as MTV Classic on August 1, 2016 on the 35th anniversary of the original MTV. With a focus on 1990s programming, Beavis and Butt-Head were a major part of this alongside Daria and Æon Flux at the launch; they were also a major focus in the promotion of the re-brand.[57] MTV Classic only broadcast episodes from the 2011 reboot. However, it and all non-music video programming only lasted a few months before being pulled.[58]

Related media
Daria
Main article: Daria
A spin-off based on classmate Daria Morgendorffer premiered in 1997. Mike Judge was not involved at all except to give permission for use of the character (created by Glenn Eichler and designed by Bill Peckmann).[59] The only reference to the original show is Daria's mentioning that Lawndale cannot be a second Highland "unless there's uranium in the drinking water here too".

Video games
MTV's Beavis and Butt-Head, a set of games released by Viacom New Media for the Game Gear, Genesis and Super NES in 1994. All three games featured music composed by Gwar.
Talking MTV's Beavis and Butt-Head: This Game Rules!!!, a handheld LCD video game released by Tiger Electronics in 1994.
Beavis and Butt-Head in Virtual Stupidity, a graphic adventure game released for Windows 95 in 1995. A PlayStation port was released exclusively in Japan in 1998 featuring dubbed voice acting by Atsushi Tamura and Ryō Tamura from Owarai duo London Boots Ichi-gō Ni-gō.
Beavis and Butt-Head in Calling All Dorks, a collection of desktop themes for Windows 95 released in 1995 by Viacom New Media.
Beavis and Butt-Head in Wiener Takes All, a Beavis and Butt-Head-themed trivia game by Viacom New Media. Released as a PC/Macintosh-compatible CD-ROM in 1996.
Beavis and Butt-Head in Little Thingies, a mini-game collection released for Windows 95 in 1996 featuring four mini-games from the previously-released Virtual Stupidity and three new ones.
Beavis and Butt-Head, a coin-operated video game developed by Atari Games for a 3DO Interactive Multiplayer-based hardware. The game underwent location testing 1996, but was unreleased due to poor reception.
Beavis and Butt-Head in Screen Wreckers, a collection of screensavers released for Windows 95 in 1997.
Beavis and Butt-Head: Bunghole in One, a Beavis and Butt-Head-themed golf video game released for Windows 95 by GT Interactive Software in 1998.
Beavis and Butt-Head, an overhead action game released by GT Interactive Software for the Game Boy in 1998.
Beavis and Butt-Head Do Hollywood (originally Beavis and Butt-Head: Get Big in Hollywood), an unreleased 3D action game that was being produced by GT Interactive Software. It was announced for the PlayStation in 1998.
Beavis and Butt-Head Do U., a graphic adventure game released by GT Interactive Software for Windows 95 in 1999.
Books
Brown, Kristofor (1997). Stern, Dave (ed.). MTV'S Beavis and Butt-Head: Travel Log. MTV Books, Pocket Books. ISBN 0-671-01533-8.
Brown, Kristofor (1997). MTV'S Beavis and Butt-Head: Big Book of Important Stuff to Make Life Cool. Boston America Corp. ISBN 1-889647-15-2.
Doyle, Larry (1995). Eichler, Glenn (ed.). MTV'S Beavis and Butt-Head: This Sucks, Change It!. MTV Books, Pocket Books, Melcher Media. ISBN 0-671-53633-8.
Doyle, Larry (1996). Eichler, Glenn (ed.). MTV'S Beavis and Butt-Head: Huh Huh For Hollywood. MTV Books, Pocket Books. ISBN 0-671-00655-X.
Grabianski, Greg; Keillor, Aimee (1997). Brown, Kristofor (ed.). MTV'S Beavis and Butt-Head: The Butt-Files. MTV Books, Pocket Books. ISBN 0-671-01426-9.
Johnson, Sam; Marcil, Chris (1993). Eichler, Glenn (ed.). MTV'S Beavis and Butt-Head: This Book Sucks. MTV Books, Callaway, Pocket Books. ISBN 0-671-89034-4.
Johnson, Sam; Marcil, Chris; Maxtone-Graham, Guy; Brown, Kristofor; Felton, David; Eichler, Glenn; Judge, Mike (1994). Eichler, Glenn (ed.). MTV'S Beavis and Butt-Head: Ensucklopedia. MTV Books, Pocket Books. ISBN 0-671-52149-7.
Judge, Mike; Stillman, Joe (1997). MTV'S Beavis and Butt-Head Do America: The Official Script Book. MTV Books, Pocket Books. ISBN 0-671-00658-4.
Rheingold, Andy; Sonneborn, Scott (1998). Brown, Kristofor (ed.). MTV'S Beavis and Butt-Head: Chicken Soup for the Butt. MTV Books, Pocket Books. ISBN 0-671-02598-8.
Brown, Kristofor, ed. (1996). MTV'S Beavis and Butt-Head: Doodle (doodie) Book. Boston America Corp. ISBN 1-889647-00-4.
MTV's Beavis and Butt-Head: 3-D Poster Book. Boston America Corp. 1997.
MTV's Beavis and Butt-Head: Doodle (doodie) Book #2. Boston America Corp. 1997. ISBN 1-889647-28-4.
MTV's Beavis and Butt-Head: Sticky Things. Boston America Corp. 1997. ISBN 1-889647-16-0.
Reading Sucks: The Collected Works of Beavis and Butt-Head. MTV. 2005. ISBN 978-1-4165-2436-6. (NOTE: This book is a bundle of four previous books 'Ensucklopedia,' 'Huh Huh for Hollywood,' 'The Butt-Files,' and 'Chicken Soup for the Butt' which are no longer in print separately).
Album
A CD, The Beavis and Butt-Head Experience, was released featuring many hard rock and heavy metal bands such as Megadeth, Primus, Nirvana and White Zombie. Moreover, Beavis and Butt-Head do a duet with Cher on "I Got You Babe"[60] and a track by themselves called "Come to Butt-Head". The track with Cher also resulted in a music video directed by Tamra Davis and Yvette Kaplan.

Chart success

Beavis and Butt-Head duet with Cher UK single which includes a Beavis and Butt-Head Experience sticker to promote the release
The Beavis and Butt-Head duet with Cher on "I Got You Babe" was released as a single in the UK, Australia, Europe