Beavis and Butt-head

''This article is about the characters known as Beavis and Butt-head, and their connections to Daria fandom. For information on the MTV series, see Beavis and Butt-head, and for information on the Marvel Comics spin-off, see Beavis and Butt-head (comics).''

The characters Beavis and Butt-head (B&B) originate from the animated MTV show that bears their name. They live in the town of Highland.

Personalities
Beavis is the more excitable and easily-manipulated of the two, while Butt-Head is the (slightly) more collected 'leader' of the duo. The two are very, very, very dumb - in the Daria-less episode "Trouble Urinating" they forgot how to pee - and are driven by hormones, junk food, and music that "rocks". They find many things "cool", including insults and physical abuse directed at each other. Their extremely distinctive laughter has driven teachers to despair. One of their main interest is loud rock and metal music (they can sometimes be seen air-guitaring & chanting the riffs of favoured songs or headbanging to something), and they pour over and comment on any music videos they find - especially ones that "suck". The duo can drive people (like Principal McVicker) to genuine breakdowns and cause mass destruction and chaos, but they're not intentionally cruel and malicious: they're genuinely too stupid to know any better.

When Beavis becomes too hyper - sugar, caffiene, or drugs - he transforms into the beserker state of "the Great Cornholio". Daria Morgendorffer has twice encountered him in this state, and is the only person to have successfully handled him. (The Great Bungholio)

Family
Their parents never appear in person the series or the comic books, though Beavis' mother is stated multiple times to be loose and to "suck" in the comics. Their mothers are depicted in "This Book Sucks" and their biological fathers, former Mötley Crüe roadies, appeared in Beavis and Butt-Head do America but the lads didn't realise who they were.

The two refer to Butt-head having a dad (which would have to be a stepdad or a boyfriend of his mothers) and Beavis having an uncle in "Scientific Stuff", both of whom abused them and taught them about disgusting habits. Butt-head's "dad" taught Beavis as well as Butt-head. They'd mention other relatives in non-Daria episodes and video commentaries, such as Butt-Head's "Uncle Jack" being talked about (he drinks and gets into fights) in a 'review' in The Ramones' video of "Substitute".

While they're not related, they have known each other from infancy and are always in the same house, growing up pretty much like brothers: Butt-head even admits in "Stuff" that, as far as they know, it's possible they have the same dad.

Beavis & Butt-head and Daria


They went to Highland High with Daria Morgendorffer, who was one of the few people who could actually stand to be around them at times. They had their first significant encounter in "Scientific Stuff", where they were forced to work together on a science project. She sometimes found their idiocy amusing and would sometimes use it for her own gain ("Scientific Stuff", "Walkathon"), while at other times just being happy to snark at them (Spare Me), and at other times they simply ticked her off ("Babes 'R' Us", "Discoverin' Stuff Sucks").

She sometimes had to explain to them basic facts, such as that seeds had to be planted in the ground ("Sprout") and that graduation existed ("U. S. History"); sometimes she offered straight advice to the duo without any sarcasm ("Putting the X in Xmas"), something she rarely bothered to do with anyone stupid at Lawndale, or tried to reason with them even though she had to know this wouldn't work ("Dental Hygiene Dilemma", "Career Day"). One time she even ranted in their presence about being forced to be a fashion reporter for the school newspaper, as if they were the only ones she could express her irritation too ("Sporting Goods"). Whatever her reaction to them, she still went out of her way to encounter and talk to them, even though this encounters were often irritating or bemusing.

Beavis & Butt-Head usually referred to her as "Diarhhea", though Butt-Head would usually call her by her real name to her face. He seemed to vaguely respect her, taking her advice on some things. Daria, for her part, seemed to be more annoyed by Beavis than Butt-head. In the Beavis and Butt-head comics by Marvel Comics, the lads were sometimes ruder and openly mentioned in Daria's presence that they didn't think much of her looks (usually as a statement of fact rather than a malicious comment).

Despite going out of her way to talk to them and an early instance where she tried to stop them taking a beating ("Citizen Butt-head"), she didn't think much of them. She was amused by the idea of them getting expelled and sent to Hope High where they'd get beaten up ("No Laughing"), she tried to ensure they were left behind on a field trip ("Witless"), and as noted above she took advantage of them. When they were thought to be dead in "Beavis and Butt-head are Dead", Daria was hardly bothered at all. Why she kept talking to them when she didn't like them was never stated: fans have theorised that Daria, being friendless, was seeking out the company of Highland High's other big outcasts out of desperation.

We are told by a higher power in "It's a Miserable Life" that exposure to Butt-head ruined her interest in men.

Once Daria moved to Lawndale for her own show, B&B were never referred to by her (beyond a quip by Daria that Highland had "uranium in the drinking water"). In an off-canon canon interview on the CBS Early Show (January 2002), Daria was asked an interesting question by Jane Clayson: "You made your debut, Daria, on the MTV show Beavis and Butt-head. Do you still keep in touch with those guys?" "I'd like to," Daria replied, "but first, they have to figure out that when the telephone makes that funny sound, you're supposed to pick it up and say hello."

In addition to appearing in Beavis and Butt-Head media, there are a number of times where she doesn't appear but is referenced by the two dunderheads.

In fandom
In Daria fanfiction the duo make many appearances, both in flashbacks and in the "present-day" Dariaverse.

Letters and fanart to the Beavis and Butt-head comic show a number of fans thought Daria was interested in/should get together with Beavis or Butt-head. Daria herself was sickened by the concept.

Daria in Beavis and Butt-head

 * “Daria on Beavis and Butt-head” (Outpost Daria)
 * “Beavis and Butt-head and Daria” by CF (Outpost Daria)
 * Daria in Beavis & Butthead - Episode Guide
 * "Way Back When" Department: Daria—The Highland Years, by CINCGREEN (archived from The Green Sink)

Beavis and Butt-head in Daria
"Someone had to draw 44,000 of these [frames] just to make them exist. (beat) Really. You shouldn't have."
 * April 2005 interview with Glenn Eichler on DVDaria, which mentions why Beavis and Butt-head were excluded from Daria episodes.
 * CBS Early Show Interview with Jane Clayson on Outpost Daria
 * "Cool Crap Auction" on MTV, where Daria has to flog B&B products:

Beavis and Butt-head in Daria Fanfic

 * "Beavis and Butt-head Do Daria": "Esteemsters" comes to a grinding halt as the lads replace replace Jane and Daria (respectively) as the leads.
 * Coming of Age by Deep Metal: post-canon crossover, as Daria joins them on a 'coming of age' story gone horribly wrong
 * "The Cynic, The Fashionista and the Jackass": Both are in this story, but the main focus is on Beavis, Daria and Sandi as the three race in a search for stolen Confederate gold. A parody of The Good, The Bad and The Ugly.
 * Daria's Christmas Carol: The duo are major parts of the "Christmas Past" section of the story (and are also seen as babies)
 * “Daria 2007: The Girl from Hope”: B&B go unnamed but are obviously the pair responsible for the shootings in Highland, Texas.
 * Good-Bye, Diarrhea by C.E. Forman: the lads witness Daria's final days in Highland.
 * Grove Hell on Earth: Daria begins to emulate Beavis and Butt-head during her mental breakdown.
 * Lemon Parade: A young Daria encounters a young Beavis and Butt-head
 * Parts of a (Bung)hole by RX-87: post-canon angst story as an adult Jane and Beavis bond over mutual loss (one of the few to treat B&B seriously)
 * Saving Hope: Daria finds the duo looking after a gun