South Park Archives

South Park (Not Suitable For Children) is now streaming on Paramount Plus!

READ MORE

South Park Archives
Register
Advertisement
Timmy Burch


2-Time Featured Article Winner
April 2014, February 2015

Timothy "Timmy" Burch is a male fourth-grader at South Park Elementary. He first appears in the Season Four episode, "The Tooth Fairy Tats 2000", and is voiced by Trey Parker. He is handicapped, uses a wheelchair to get around, and has a limited vocabulary consisting only of his own name and a small handful of other words and phrases, he is rarely seen doing this, however.

After a decade of being known simply as "Timmy", his full name was revealed to be "Timmy Burch" in the episode "T.M.I." when his name was posted on the poster containing the kids' growth differentials.

Background

Vocabulary

One of Timmy's most notable traits, together with being the only child who uses a wheelchair in the fourth-grade class at South Park Elementary, is his limited vocabulary. He mostly says his name and the slurred phrase "livin' a lie." It was revealed on the official site that the second catchphrase originated when Trey Parker said "Livin' a lie!" while performing as Timmy, after which the catchphrase stuck.[2]

In several episodes, Timmy has said other basic words and names. When addressing Jimmy Valmer, the other major handicapped South Park character, he is able to say "Jimmy", and in "Helen Keller! The Musical", he is able to say the name he had given his pet turkey, Gobbles. He says "Timmy and the Lords of the Underworld!" (the latter being the name of his band) in "Timmy 2000". He also successfully yells "Please help me!" a few times as he rolls down the highway in "Fourth Grade".[3] In "The Tooth Fairy Tats 2000", when his wheelchair is hooked via a string to one of Kenny's teeth, he incorrectly interprets a casual use of the word "go", crying out, "Go, Timmy, go!" before riding off. He also says "shit" in "It Hits the Fan", "Bebe" in "Bebe's Boobs Destroy Society", singing "Hula" in "Crippled Summer", "Gross!" in "Bass to Mouth", "Booooooo" in "Butterballs", "Octonauts!" in "Moss Piglets" and can say "Fast travel" in South Park: The Stick of Truth.

In the South Park opening theme song for Season Six, he sings "Timmy Timmy Timmy Timmy, Timmy Timmy livin' a lie Timmy!", continuing the tradition of incomprehensible lines, previously sung by Kenny McCormick.

Concept and Creation

Timmy2000096

Timmy and the Lords of the Underworld, performing.

It is said on South Park Studios.com that Timmy was born with a crippling condition,[4] described as being "a strange combination of palsy and Tourettes".

Timmy Burch first appears in "The Tooth Fairy Tats 2000"; his three scenes in the episode having little relevance to the central plot. Comedy Central originally wanted to remove him from the episode, in fear of potential controversy over the inclusion of a mentally handicapped character.[5] Series creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker pushed to keep the character in the story, with their basis being that although Timmy is different, the other children in the series treat him equally.[5]

Timmy was originally intended only for that episode, but proved so popular that he was given his own story three episodes later, in "Timmy 2000", where he becomes the lead singer of a successful band (originally titled "The Lords of the Underworld", later titled "Timmy and the Lords of the Underworld"), despite his limited vocabulary. Throughout the episode, Phil Collins complains that Timmy is being exploited, although he achieves extreme popularity. The message delivered at the end of the episode is that there is nothing wrong with the situation; given that Timmy enjoys playing music and his audiences enjoy listening to him.

Superhero Alter-Ego

See: Iron Maiden and Doctor Timothy

Criminal Record

  • Assault - In "Cripple Fight", he and Jimmy Valmer physically fought over a dispute about Jimmy's comedy. In "Bebe's Boobs Destroy Society", he runs over Tolkien and Clyde with his wheelchair.
  • Attempted murder - In "Cripple Fight", he gives Jimmy an orange hoodie resembling Kenny's parka in hopes of getting him killed. However, Jimmy ends up surviving and avoiding all the obstacles that would have killed him, much to Timmy's frustration.
  • Underage smoking - In “Krazy Kripples”, a member of the Crips gang in the rec center hands Timmy a cigarette, which he smokes, despite being too young to do so.
  • Gang warfare - In "Krazy Kripples", he and Jimmy become members of the Crips and are heavily involved with their gang operations, including an unintentional robbery at City Wok and the war with the Bloods.

Future

In the future timeline set in South Park: Post Covid: The Return of Covid, he is no longer confined to a wheelchair, though he still requires a cane to aid movement. His vocabulary has also improved, being able to converse without much difficulty.

Appearance

Timmy wears a red sweater and blue jeans. His head is deformed at the top, and he has strawberry blonde hair. He is almost always seen sitting in a black wheelchair with a strap on his legs and is usually smiling openly and fidgeting with his hands.

During the metrosexual fad in the episode, "South Park is Gay!", he wears a light blue unbuttoned shirt, gelled hair, brown work shoes and a purple-and-pink wheelchair with a rainbow band.

In South Park: Post Covid: The Return of Covid, he wears a brown jacket over a red shirt, blue pants, and black shoes. He also holds a walking stick.

To see images of Timmy Burch, visit Timmy Burch/Gallery.

Personality

CrippleFight114

Timmy fighting Jimmy Valmer in "Cripple Fight"

Timmy was originally described as being somewhat mentally handicapped, but over time his character has become described less as such and more often as "disabled". In various episodes (such as "Up the Down Steroid") he appears to be quite cognizant, intelligent and principled. In "Cripple Fight", and "Make Love, Not Warcraft", he appears to have no trouble operating a computer, and in the former, he even comes up with a clever plan to get Jimmy kicked out of the scouts. He appears to have hydrocephalus, as well as involuntary movements. Timmy is generally kind-hearted and empathetic, and knows how to be a good friend.

Despite his disabilities, Timmy is treated fairly amongst his classmates at school. In "Professor Chaos", Timmy makes the top ten finalists in the boy's competition for their new friend, although he is disqualified, as Cartman claims he is "self-centred". He is also used by the boys as a camera-man for their band in "Something You Can Do with Your Finger" (which he failed at) and as a test subject for their time machine in "Fourth Grade" (which backfired).

Family

Timmy2000049

Richard and Helen.

Timmy has parents named Richard and Helen. Their surname is Burch (revealed in "T.M.I."), and they have the same disability as Timmy, in that they can mainly only say their own names, and they are confined to wheelchairs. They also have swollen heads. This implies that Timmy's disorder is hereditary.

Richard wears an old-fashioned red jacket with a white shirt underneath, and blue jeans. He has a crop of brown hair on top of his head. His head seems to slump down, a little. Helen wears a turquoise jacket and a lilac/grey skirt. Her hair is orange and shoulder length.

A picture on their wall indicates that Timmy, Richard and Helen have been to Paris.

Gobbles

Gobbles was Timmy's disabled pet turkey that appeared in the Season Four episode, "Helen Keller! The Musical". Timmy bought Gobbles for fifty dollars from Bill Denkins. After overcoming various hardships despite their disabilities, Timmy and Gobbles formed a deep bond, though Gobbles hasn’t been heard of since the episode.

Interactions

Jimmy Valmer

Timmy is friends with South Park's other disabled character, Jimmy, who is able to understand what Timmy is saying, though they start off as a one-sided rivalry. In the first episode in which Jimmy appears, "Cripple Fight", Timmy is intensely jealous of him and even tries to have him killed by giving him a parka like Kenny McCormick's. Eventually, the two make amends and are shown hanging out together.

This relationship was strained, however, in "Up the Down Steroid" when Timmy discovered that Jimmy was using steroids to cheat in the Special Olympics. The two, once again, make amends when Jimmy does the right thing by telling the truth.

Trivia

  • In the episode "Cripple Fight" it is revealed that Timmy's wheelchair is named "Lil' Run-About".
  • In the episode "Die Hippie, Die" a joint-smoking man who eerily resembles Timmy rolls by in a wheelchair during Randy Marsh and Sharon Marsh's Woodstock flashback - perhaps Timmy's father, or another older male relative.
  • Timmy's name, and the way he says it, maybe a play on the Japanese word "temē" (てめえ), a very rude way of saying "you" used chiefly by male speakers and when the speaker is angry. Trey Parker is fluent in the Japanese language, and is also a large fan of Japanese culture.
  • Timmy played a Priest during "Make Love, Not Warcraft".
  • Although Timmy has an askew face, he is not considered one of The Ugly Kids. The same is true for Jimmy Valmer.
  • In "T.M.I." it was revealed his last name is "Burch".
  • Timmy's Iron Maiden costume bears a slight resemblance to the historical torture device of the same name (which is now believed to be an entirely fictitious device.)
  • Timmy is apparently aware of Kenny's constant deaths; he gives Jimmy a parka exactly like Kenny's in the hopes that he would die. He probably did not tell Kenny he was aware of his common deaths in "Coon vs. Coon & Friends" because he can only say his own name.
  • Despite being in a wheelchair, Timmy is seen swimming in "Up the Down Steroid", where he glares at Jimmy winning the swimming competition while floating in the water.
  • During the Season Six intro, as the animator designs the boys with construction paper while clips from episodes play, Timmy can be seen in construction paper form. This makes him the only character who was designed with construction paper after "Cartman Gets an Anal Probe", which was the only episode to use the animation technique.
  • Timmy's superhero alter-ego in South Park: The Fractured But Whole, Doctor Timothy, is a parody of Professor X from the X-Men franchise.
  • In "The Scoots", he appears to be wearing his Mecha Timmy costume from South Park: Phone Destroyer
  • Timmy was diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) in "Timmy 2000."

Reception

Being a highly popular character, Timmy has been received very well by the South Park community. It was seen that he is more popular among disabled people based on the voters who voted Timmy for Ouch! 's "The Greatest Disabled TV Character" poll.[6] Jeff Shannon when commenting on Timmy said "Timmy appears, at first glance, to uphold the condescending disability stereotypes that are gradually fading from mainstream entertainment. But like everything else in 'South Park,' he's actually challenging preconceptions, toppling taboos and weaving his singularity into the fabric of the show.".[7] When Comedy Central first heard of Timmy, they were against the idea. After Timmy appeared in "The Tooth Fairy Tats 2000" and fans were ecstatic, Comedy Central, according to Trey Parker, were eager to have Timmy appear again.

IGN ranked Timmy second in a list of the "Top 10 South Park Peripheral Characters", commenting that "South Park's most controversial character may be one of the funniest and most enduring".[8] In Doug Pratt's DVD: Movies, Television, Music, Art, Adult, and More!, author Douglas Pratt describes Timmy's use of different inflections to express his mood, all the while saying nothing but his name, as amusing, although he adds that some may disagree.[9]

M. Keith Booker, author of Drawn to television: prime-time animation from the Flintstones to Family Guy, describes Timmy as arguably being the most controversial of the secondary characters in the series.[10]

According to Trey Parker, soon after the character's debut, he observed that fans of the series began shouting "Timmy!" in an imitation of the character, as opposed to their earlier imitations of the character Cartman and their usage of other popular catchphrases on the show.[5]

Despite Timmy's fame during his initial seasons on the show, his role has declined considerably, without a single line of dialogue between "Make Love, Not Warcraft" and "Crippled Summer", having been replaced by Jimmy Valmer. Trey Parker noted in a 2000 interview he tries to avoid using characters like Kenny McCormick and Timmy because viewers could not understand their dialogue. Despite this decline, Timmy has made somewhat of a comeback and appeared in several episodes in the fourteenth and fifteenth seasons.

Cultural Influence

  • Due to the popularity of South Park, Timmy's exclamation "TIMMEH!" soon entered into pop culture as an outburst used to describe, chide, or respond to moments of extreme un-coordination, lack of concentration or other losses of logic, sense or reason. There are many other ways in which the exclamation is referenced, such as:
    • The popular MMORPG World of Warcraft features the character Timmy the Cruel in the Stratholme instance (who yells "TIMMY!" when he appears).
    • On ESPN's Sports Center, anchors yell "TIMMY" whenever a Tim Duncan highlight is shown.
    • During the intro to "Sailor" by The Brian Jonestown Massacre, members of the band can be heard doing 'Timmy' impressions.
    • Buffalo Sabres fans often refer to centre Tim Connolly, known for his prolonged absences due to injury, as "Timmah," a reference to the character.
  • Rapper Ludacris referenced Timmy, in a guest verse on Missy Elliot's song "Gossip Folks" ("I'm Ludacris, living loud [sic] like Timmy").
  • In January 2007, British metal band Siren Lake named their van Timmy, in homage to the character. This has gained them a huge amount of media coverage including an appearance on Peter Snow's, Newsnight.
  • In the 2007 music video game Rock Band, one of the unlockable bonus tracks is "Timmy and the Lords of the Underworld", featuring a full-length version of the song used in "Timmy 2000".
  • In the 2008 video game "Fallout 3", a dungeon features a series of clones named Gary, who, like Timmy, can only speak their own name. While they are not wheelchair-bound, they are insane and will attack on sight, using their tone of voice while speaking their name to indicate emotion.
  • In the film, Team America: World Police, also created by Matt Stone and Trey Parker, features celebrity Matt Damon who is portrayed as being mentally handicapped and capable of only saying his name. This was done because his puppet came out as looking handicapped so they went with it.
  • In the song "VENGEANCE" by Denzel Curry, during the first verse, there is a reference to Timmy and his rockstar persona in "Timmy 2000" ("'Cause I go hard like Timmy!"). Curry does an impression of Timmy's iconic pronunciation of his own name.

Prominence

Movies

Video Games

South Park Let's Go Tower Defense Play!

Timmy plays a small role in the storyline of South Park Let's Go Tower Defense Play! and appears at the end of the "Mountain Pass" level to inform the player to move on to Downtown South Park for the final battle, along with Randy Marsh. He is in the same "Medic"-type class as Kyle Broflovski, Tweek Tweak and Bebe Stevens, moving quickly but dealing minimal damage. His special ability causes Timmy and the Lords of the Underworld to play and as long as it plays, any enemy Timmy touches deals heavy damage or dies, similar to the special of Pip Pirrip.

South Park: The Stick of Truth

Timmy makes a small appearance in the game, where he serves as a fast travel system. He only appears in a cutscene when you arrive at the bus stop and does not make a further appearance. He adds your character on Facebook when you find every fast travel flag. His only post is "Timmy!"

South Park: The Fractured But Whole

Timmy is the appointed leader for Freedom Pals HQ, going under the superhero alias Doctor Timothy. He has the ability to read peoples' minds, and has multiple speaking lines. During combat, he has the ability to brainwash characters to pit them against their own teammates. He develops a franchise plan intended to satisfy all members of Coon and Friends, as well as his team so all characters may have their own film.

He also re-appears in the DLC Bring the Crunch to assist Jimmy in looking for the counselors to help keep Lake Tardicaca open. However, he becomes brainwashed by the alien and assists him in defeating Mintberry Crunch and The New Kid during the final boss battle.

In addition, Doctor Timothy was originally planned to be a playable character in the game, but was ultimately scrapped. Despite this, he has a character sheet that is obtained through a battle but ultimately cannot be seen at all.

South Park: Phone Destroyer

There are five cards featuring Timmy in South Park: Phone Destroyer. Most of Timmy’s cards are shown as slow, but bulky and having good range with his attacks. All of his cards are Ranged units.

Pirate Ship Timmy is a 3-Cost Rare Ranged unit of the Adventure theme that sees him dressed up as a pirate with his wheelchair covered by a cardboard made pirate ship. When he uses his Charge skill, he will shoot a cannonball to the nearest enemy that also does area damage. His Charge skill's damage is not reduced if it hits the enemy New Kid.

Mecha Timmy is a 4-Cost Legendary Ranged unit of the Sci-Fi theme that sees him dressed as if he is in a robot suit while his wheelchair is a mech, which he would later wear for his Halloween costume in "The Scoots". When he uses his Charge skill, he will mind control the nearest enemy for a few seconds, which increases depending on his level.

Pope Timmy is a 5-Cost (Originally 6-Cost prior to the reworking of his ability) Epic Ranged unit of the Mystical theme that sees Timmy dressed in a pope robe and his wheelchair being a small white van. He is the only one of Timmy's alts to have his ability changed. Originally, Pope Timmy would revive the most recently killed ally when summoned. Eventually, through an update to the game, Pope Timmy's ability was changed so that when he is summoned, he will instantly summon the cheapest ally who costs 3 or more energy from the player's hand.

Catapult Timmy is a 3-Cost Rare Ranged unit of the Fantasy theme that sees Timmy in armor with a catapult attached to his wheelchair. When he uses his Charge skill, he will shoot rats at the nearest enemy to fight with the player.

Doctor Timothy is a 4-Cost Rare Ranged unit of the Superheroes theme that sees Timmy as his second superhero alter ego from South Park: The Fractured But Whole. When he uses his Charge skill, he will drag the nearest ground enemy into the air with his telepathic powers for a few seconds, stopping them from moving, before slamming them into the ground and dealing damage to the enemy.

References

  1. Who talks for Timmy??. South Park Studios (April 24, 2001).
  2. Why does Timmy say "Living a Lie"? Is it just something random, or is there a deeper meaning that I'm missing?. South Park Studios (4 September 2001).
  3. Has Timmy ever said anything but "Timmy" or "Gobbles.". South Park Studios (May 21, 2001).
  4. Was Timmy dropped on his head as a child?. South Park Studios (November 23, 2005).
  5. 5.0 5.1 5.2 Trey Parker, Matt Stone, 2002. "South Park" - The Complete Fourth Season. DVD. By Comedy Central (Mini-commentary for episode "The Tooth Fairy Tats 2000")
  6. [1]
  7. "Timmy of "South Park" challenges viewers' attitudes about people with disabilities". Shannon, Jeff (November 28, 2005). The Seattle Times (The Seattle Times Company).
  8. Iverson, Dan; Zoromski, Brian (2007-03-06). [2].http://tv.ign.com/articles/770/770593p3.html "Top 10 South Park Peripheral Characters".]IGN. IGN Entertainment. 3.
  9. Doug Pratt's DVD: Movies, Television, Music, Art, Adult, and More!, By Douglas Pratt. Published by UNET 2 Corporation, 2005. ISBN 1932916016/ISBN 9781932916010 Page 1125.
  10. Drawn to television: prime-time animation from the Flintstones to Family guy By M. Keith Booker. Published by Greenwood Publishing Group, 2006. ISBN 0275990192/ ISBN 9780275990190 Page 132.
South Park students
6th Grader Leader | 6th Grader with Black Hair and Blue Shirt | 6th Grader with Brown Hat | 6th Grader with Cyan Hat | 6th Grader with Dark Blue Shirt | 6th Grader with Green Shirt | 6th Grader with Orange Coat | 6th Grader with Yellow Shirt and Brown Pants | 9th Grader with Purple Shirt | 9th Grader with Red Hood | Alex Glick | Allie Nelson | Annie Knitts | Andrew Sutherland | Ashley | Baahir Hassan Abdul Hakeem | Bartles | Bebe Stevens | Beth | Betsy | Bill Allen | Billy Martin | Billy Miller | Billy Thompson | Blonde-Haired Girl | Bobby Palmer | Boy with Blond Hair | Boy with Brown Hair | Boy with Brown Hair and Red Shirt | Boy with C Cap | Boy with Dark Green Shirt and Glasses | Boy with Olive Shirt and Black Pants | Boy with Red Shirt | Boy with Red Shirt and Blue Pants | Bradley Biggle | Bridon Gueermo | Brimmy | Bully Girls | Butters Stotch | Casey Miller | Christophe | Clyde Donovan | Craig Tucker | Crippled Girl with Brown Hair | Chad Handler | Damien Thorn | David Rodriguez | DogPoo Petuski | Dougie O'Connell | Douglas | Emily | Eric Cartman | Esther | Firkle Smith | Filmore Anderson | Flora Larsen | Fosse McDonald | Francis | Francis (Special Ed) | Gary Harrison | Girl with Blonde Hair | Girl with Pink Coat | Girl with Brown Coat | Gordon Stoltski | Goth Kids | Gregory | Heather Williams | Heidi Turner | Henrietta Biggle | Ike Broflovski | Isla | Jake | Jason White | Jasper | Jenny Simons | Jessie | Jimmy Valmer | Josh Myers | Kal | Karen McCormick | Keifer | Kelly-Ann Barlow | Kelly and Stacy | Kelly Morris | Kelly P. Gardner | Kelly Pinkerton-Tinfurter | Kelly Rutherford-Menskin | Kenny McCormick | Kevin ("Summer Sucks") | Kevin McCormick | Kevin Stoley | Kindergartners | Kindergartner Girl with Brown Pigtails | Kindergartner with Cyan Hood | Kip Drordy | Kyle Broflovski | Larry Feegan | Larry Zewiski | Libby Perkins | Liza Nelson | Lizzy | Lola | Loogie | Louis | Leslie Meyers | Mandy | Marcus Preston | Maria Sanchez | Mark Cotswolds | Meagan Ridley | Michael | Michael (Special Ed) | Mike | Mike Cooper | Mike Makowski | Millie Larsen | Mimsy | Monica Ryland | Nancy | Nate | Nathan | Nelly | Nichole Daniels | Patty Nelson | Pete Melman | Pete | Pete Thelman | Peter Mullen | Pip Pirrip | Rebecca Cotswolds | Red McArthur | Sally Darson | Sally Turner | Samantha Dunskin | Sarah Peterson | Scott Malkinson | Scott Tenorman | Sef Furman | Shauna | Shelley Marsh | Sophie Gray | Stan Marsh | Tall Handicapped Boy with Blond Hair | Tall Handicapped Boy with Brown Hair | Tammy Nelson | Tammy Warner | Terrance Mephesto | Thad Jarvis | The 6th Graders | The 9th Graders | The Boys | The New Kid | The Ugly Kids | Theresa | Thomas | Timmy Burch | Tolkien Black | Trent Boyett | Tommy Edwards | Tommy Turner | Tweek Tweak | Wendy Testaburger | Yao

See also
List of Female 4th Graders | List of Male 4th Graders | Portal:Characters
Advertisement