Tweek Tweak is a student at South Park Elementary. He drinks lots of coffee, which causes high anxiety, paranoia and jittery muscle spasms. Although mainly a background character, he appeared as a member of the main group from the Season Six episodes "Professor Chaos" to "My Future Self n' Me".
Appearance
Tweek has messy blond hair and wears an incorrectly-buttoned green shirt with blue jeans. In "Gnomes", his physical appearance was slightly different to more recent episodes; instead of a green collar, he had a black one, and his jeans were also of a darker color. During the metrosexual fad in "South Park is Gay!", he appeared in a pink track jacket with slicked down, tinted hair along with lowlights.
Personality
Tweek is rarely seen smiling or expressing positive emotions, being almost constantly on the verge of outright panic. He is usually seen gritting his teeth or generally flipping out. He also appears to be easily manipulated, making him a frequent pawn of Cartman's plots ("The Simpsons Already Did It", "Free Hat").
Tweek does not fare well under stress, often experiencing feelings of extreme anxiety whenever he is given a task to complete. This, in addition to his general forgetfulness and lack of focus, has given him the reputation of being highly unreliable. Apart from being easily excitable and prone to panicking, Tweek has also shown signs of exaggerated paranoia, often dreaming up of (mostly unfounded) negative eventualities to simple actions. When under extreme stress, he has also been known to retreat into his imagination ("find [his] center"), often picturing peaceful, grassy fields or tranquil landscapes to calm himself down.
By contrast, he has also been shown to have a strong moral center and a willingness to act upon it. For example, he stood up for his friends in "Free Hat", wielding a bazooka and telling Steven Spielberg, "All I want are my friends!" Although he is easily manipulated, he usually does not willingly take a role in Cartman's schemes, remaining neutral or passive.
Disability
According to his parents, Tweek suffers from ADD, although this could be false, because he is fed coffee by his parents and do not understand that is the cause of his illness.
Family
Parents
Richard and Mrs. Tweak own a local coffee shop. They supply their son with coffee, not believing it causes any of Tweek's physical and mental problems, instead blaming it on attention deficit disorder.
They aren't shown to be the best parents; in "Tweek vs. Craig", Tweek's father tries to communicate through long-winded anecdotes that "never go anywhere" while in "Gnomes", he uses flowery similes and metaphors ("A light rain in the middle of a dusty afternoon, or a hug from your dear old aunt...") that his son utterly fails to understand. Exasperated, Tweek once exclaims "You guys never help me! Your stories never go anywhere! I hate it! I want out! I want out!"
In "Child Abduction is Not Funny", it is Tweek's parents' clumsy approach to parenting that almost gets him kidnapped by a child molester, precipitating the events of the episode.
Relationships
Craig's Gang
Although Craig's gang only consistently includes Craig, Token, and Clyde, the fourth slot is most frequently filled by Tweek. Tweek is shown in Craig's group more than any other member, and for most of his background appearances, he can be seen with Craig and his group.
Craig Tucker
Tweek and Craig's first notable interaction was their fight in "Tweek vs. Craig". In the episode, the two were repeatedly goaded into fighting each other for the other boys' entertainment. However, the animosity between them seems to have been resolved, and as they are often seen together, they may be assumed to be friends.
Notably, Tweek can be seen with Craig in the majority of his background appearances. In "Ginger Kids", they are trapped in a cage together, and in "The Wacky Molestation Adventure", they are on the same side of the town. In "I'm a Little Bit Country", Tweek is seen working in the same study group as Craig, in "Make Love, Not Warcraft", they're playing football together along with Token, Clyde and Kevin, and at the end of "Proper Condom Use", they can be seen standing next to each other. Tweek also hides scared behind Craig in "Marjorine", when they are all spying on the girls' house. In "You're Getting Old", they sit next to each other at Stan's birthday table. At the school assemblies, they are often seen sitting next to each other.
In the episode "Tweek x Craig", the new female Asian students are drawing Yaoi pictures of Tweek and Craig in love. To stop the drawings, the two stage a fake breakup, but Tweek goes too far and makes Craig out to be a cheater. The two later reunite after their breakup crushes the town's spirit, and are seen holding hands and playing video games with each other. It is not known whether or not they are a confirmed couple, but they have been seen close to each other in episodes after, and Cartman made a comment that he wouldn't say homophobic things about "the way Tweek and Craig make love" in "Naughty Ninjas".
The Boys
In "Gnomes", Mr. Garrison places Tweek in the boys' group for their homework assignment. The boys initially express their disdain at this, saying "Dude, we can't work with this kid!" However, as the episode progresses, they slowly warm to him.
In later episodes, Tweek is shown to consider the main boys as his friends. In the episode "Professor Chaos", he is chosen to take the position of the fourth friend in the sixth season to replace Butters. In "Bebe's Boobs Destroy Society", when the boys decide they have to make room for Bebe in their group, Kyle and Stan defend Tweek, and kick Cartman out instead.
He also seems to enjoy hanging out with the boys, however, it is shown that Tweek doesn't want to be a part of the strange, crazy adventures that the boys regularly embark on, at one point in "The Simpsons Already Did It" remarking, "That's it, man! I want nothing more to do with you guys!"
Tweek is never officially kicked out of the group, as Butters was, but judging from his unexplained absence following "A Ladder to Heaven", it is assumed that he drifted back to his old friends. However, he stays on friendly terms with the main boys too, often being invited to help with their latest schemes.
Eric Cartman
Cartman has nothing against Tweek (even electing to replace Kyle instead of Tweek initially when they wanted to let Bebe in the group in "Bebe's Boobs Destroy Society"), but Tweek seems to harbor some dislike for Cartman.
In "Free Hat", Cartman pressured Tweek into making hats and threatened him into shaping up, or else, he would be kicked out of the group. Later on in the episode, when Kyle, Stan, and Cartman are being held hostage by Steven Spielberg and George Lucas, Tweek comes to save them wielding a bazooka, saying, "All I want are my friends!" Cartman seems touched by this, until Tweek adds, "Except for Cartman, you can keep him."
Social Standing In General
Tweek is rarely seen by himself; he is almost always shown with a peer or a group of peers. He also placed in the top ten on the girls' list of cutest boys. In "Stupid Spoiled Whore Video Playset", Tweek is invited to the girls' big whore party, along with the rest of the boys. However, his appearances have tapered off in recent seasons, and he is conspicuous by his absence from the rest of the group's slumber party in "The Last of the Meheecans".
Quotes
- Tweek: "They're taking my underpants!" from "Gnomes".
- Tweek: "They took my underpants, soon they'll want my blood!" from "Gnomes".
- Tweek: "Rrrrr! You guys never help me! Your stories never go anywhere! I hate it! I want out! I want out!" from "Tweek vs. Craig".
- Tweek: "They're going to get me!" from "Osama bin Laden Has Farty Pants".
- Tweek: "Maybe they wanna kill us!" from "Red Hot Catholic Love"
- Tweek: "Gnaaahahahah! I pulled out my hair!" from "The Simpsons Already Did It".
Catchphrases
Tweek also has a couple involuntary verbal tics, like "nngh!" and "gah!", which interpose his dialogue.
- "Oh man, that is way too much pressure!"
- "Gah!"
- "Oh Jesus!"
- "Ahhh!"
- "Eeek!"
Trivia
- Tweek was removed from the classroom scenes starting in "Elementary School Musical", although he was briefly seen in "Royal Pudding".
- His weight was mentioned as 48lbs in "Tweek vs. Craig".
- He's the only character that doesn't appear in South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut.
- Tweek has been shown to pull out his own hair out of stress.
- Tweek goes to a "happy place" when he wants to calm down in "Free Hat".
- In episode "Gnomes", his parents' coffee shop, Tweek Bros. Coffeehouse, went out of business because Harbucks (a parody of the Starbucks coffee shop chain) opened a branch in South Park, though his father was hired to manage Harbucks. However, Tweek Bros. Coffeehouse is mentioned later in the series nonetheless (for example, in "201").
- Tweek seemed to practice fatalism in the episode "Free Hat."
- Tweek was worshiped as a deity by the "sea people" in the episode "The Simpsons Already Did It", though he wasn't pleased about it. All his followers were quickly killed in conflict with Cartman's followers.
- Tweek apparently speaks fluent Mongolian (as do the other kids) which he puts to use when he talks to the Mongolian warriors he lives with for a short time in "Child Abduction is Not Funny".
- In the game South Park Let's Go Tower Defense Play!, Tweek was ejected from the group for not paying enough attention to the boys, and being overly nervous.
- Tweek is an unlockable character in South Park Let's Go Tower Defense Play. His special ability is running faster and killing anything that he runs into for five seconds.
- At IGN.com, Tweek was ranked #8 in Dan Iverson & Brian Zoromski's "Top 10 South Park Peripheral Characters".
- There was a movement for Tweek to replace Butters before "Professor Chaos" even aired.[citation needed]
- In later seasons, Tweek seems to have stopped shaking.
- It is hinted that Tweek may been a methhead during South Park: The Stick of Truth as he delivers coffee from the McCormicks' meth lab and Tweek Bros. Coffeehouse, suggesting another reason for his condition.
- Despite claiming otherwise, Tweek appears to be a very good actor, as in Tweek x Craig, he is able to convince the school that his "break-up" with Craig is genuine (even managing to make himself cry).
- As of Season Seventeen, Tweek has had a speaking role in 21 episodes.
- Tweek appears slightly shorter than other students, as his legs show less than others. This could be referencing the popular belief that coffee stunts growth in children.
Prominence
Although Tweek has fewer speaking roles than other background characters such as Craig or Clyde, he generally plays a larger role in the episodes in which he does appear.
In the Season 6 episodes "The Simpsons Already Did It", "Red Hot Catholic Love", "Free Hat", "Bebe's Boobs Destroy Society", and "Child Abduction is Not Funny", he replaces Butters (who in turn replaced Kenny) as the fourth friend.
Following the episode "Child Abduction is Not Funny", Tweek stopped appearing as part of the main group, due primarily to Kenny's re-introduction, first as a spirit sharing Cartman's body, and later when he was brought back permanently in "Red Sleigh Down". He has made several background appearances, but does not have another major role until the episode "Tweek x Craig," in Season 19.
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- "Gnomes" - First appearance, is placed in the boys' presentation group by Mr. Garrison.
- "Tweek vs. Craig" - The other boys trick him into fighting Craig for their amusement.
- "Sexual Harassment Panda" - Is sued by Mr. Mackey.
- "Chef Goes Nanners" - Seen on Stan and Kyle's debate team.
- "Fourth Grade" - Joins the other boys in attempting to stay in the third grade.
- "Scott Tenorman Must Die" - He laughs among a bunch of other children at Cartman's video "I'm a little piggy".
- "Proper Condom Use" - Joins the other boys in their fight against the girls.
- "Osama bin Laden Has Farty Pants" - Acts more paranoid than usual in the atmosphere of paranoia.
- "Professor Chaos" - Appears as one of the prospective fourth friends, ultimately winning the competition.
- "The Simpsons Already Did It" - He is worshiped as a god by the sea people.
- "Red Hot Catholic Love" - Is forced into becoming and atheist by his parents.
- "Free Hat" - Helps the boys in their efforts to stop Raiders of the Lost Ark being remastered.
- "Bebe's Boobs Destroy Society" - Appears as one of the boys mesmerized by Bebe's boobs.
- "Child Abduction is Not Funny" - Almost gets kidnapped, precipitating the events of the episode.
- "The Return of the Fellowship of the Ring to the Two Towers" - Plays Lord of the Rings with the other boys.
- "The Death Camp of Tolerance"- He is there with the boys at the Museum of Tolerance and with the boys at the Death Camp of Tolerance when they first arrived at the camp.
- "Red Man's Greed" - Appears in the background with the other kids opposing the buyout of the town.
- "It's Christmas in Canada"- Seen in the crowd of people at the Christmas tree lighting in South Park.
- "Quest for Ratings" - Is seen abusing cough medication in the news report.
- "The Losing Edge" - Seen on the baseball team.
- "Free Willzyx" - Helps the rest of the fourth grade boys free the imprisoned whale.
- "Make Love, Not Warcraft" - Tries to stop the griefer with the other boys.
- "Hell on Earth 2006" - Appears with the other boys summoning Biggie Smalls.
- "Super Fun Time" - Seen as Boy with C Cap's partner during the field trip.
- "Breast Cancer Show Ever" - Seen during the fight between Wendy and Cartman.
- "The Ungroundable" - Listens to the Goth Kids' speech about the difference between Goths and Vampires.
- "The Coon" - Seen in the school hallway.
- "Eat, Pray, Queef" - Is disgusted by queefing, along with the male population of the town.
- "Cash For Gold" - Seen in the background on the playground.
- "Faith Hilling" - Seen in the memeing class with the other 4th Grade students.
- "Jewpacabra" - Seen at the Easter egg hunt.
- "Butterballs" - Seen in the background at the school assembly and in Stan's anti-bullying video.
- "Cartman Finds Love" - Seen in the background in the school's hallways.
- "Raising the Bar" - Seen in the hall waiting to use the boys bathroom.
- "Let Go, Let Gov" - Seen in the background on the playground.
- "Informative Murder Porn" - Informs Stan and Kyle that his parents got past the parental block on the murder porn channels.
- "Black Friday" - Tweek is a member of the group that wants to get PS4s on Black Friday.
- "A Song of Ass and Fire" - Tweek is a member of the group that wants to get PS4s on Black Friday.
- "Titties and Dragons" - Tweek was a member of the group that wanted to get PS4s on Black Friday, but apathetically got the Xbox One after watching Bill Gates kill the Sony President in the Red Robin.
- "Gluten Free Ebola" - Tweek is seen in the party.
- "The Cissy" - Seen in the hall near the restrooms.
- "Tweek x Craig" - Episode focuses on Tweek. The female Asian students at South Park Elementary draw Yaoi artwork of him and Craig. At the end, The Yaoi artwork becomes a reality and is seen watching Craig on the XBOX.
Video Games
South Park Rally Tweek serves as an unlockable character in the racing game South Park Rally. To unlock him, the player must enter championship mode with any character and collect five caffeine turbos.
Let's Go Tower Defense Play!
Tweek plays a small role in the storyline of South Park Let's Go Tower Defense Play! and appears at the end of the "Great Wall of South Park" level to inform the player the villain is hiding at the Docks, panicking that he was explicitly told not to tell him. The boys show a lack of trust in him, and run off to fight without him. He is in the same "Medic"-type class as Kyle Broflovski, Timmy Burch and Bebe Stevens, moving quickly but dealing minimal damage. His special ability causes light himself on fire and as long as he's on fire, any enemy he touches is dealt heavy damage or dies.
South Park: The Stick of Truth
Hot Coffee is part of a main quest where Cartman asks the player to recruit Tweek. He can be found in the Tweek Bros. Coffeehouse behind the door marked Employees Only. He sends Douchebag on a mission to get the "Special Delivery" from Kenny McCormick's house, since he won't be allowed to play with the boys until he finishes his chores. Once Douchebag obtains the delivery from the meth-making Tweekers in Kenny's garage, he returns to Tweek's house, where Tweek friends him on Facebook and his father allows him to go play.
He also assists in aiding the raid on the Inn of the Giggling Donkey, coming in after Cartman tells the player to go and rescue Princess Kenny. While not playing an actual role here, he goes along with the others to aid Cartman while the player heads upstairs.
He is seen again at the school if the player decides to side with Cartman rather than Kyle. Here, he is assisting in the fight against the elves alongside the player. He sends the player a message asking if everyone was dead and is not seen again after this.
References
- Critical representations of work and organization in popular culture, pages 129-132. By Carl Rhodes, Robert Ian Westwood, Publisher: Routledge, 2008. ISBN 0415359899/ISBN 9780415359894
See Also
Template:South Park children
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