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Happy birthday to Stan!

I can never figure out what Stan's personality traits are. It seems like he's different every episode. Sometimes he's overly sensitive and emotional (Kenny Dies), sometimes he's the only sane character (Margaritaville), and sometimes he's a jerk (Butterballs).

There seems to be a bit of a progression in the continuity: he starts off as relatively sensitive in the earlier episodes, becomes the "only sane man" as characters like Randy gain popularity, and is more of a jerk character now that Kyle is taking on the role of the sane man. Of course, this is a loose model, since he can really be anything in any given episode. I think it's because Stan is a conglomeration of Trey Parker and an average 8-year-old, both of which were his original role. Kids are supposed to be sweet and sensitive, but Trey is not, so we get a fluctuating character like Stan.

Did that make sense? I fail at writing.

I actually kinda like the new "assh*le" Stan, more than the "I'm only sane person in the town" Stan, but yet that's just me...

I like it too because it's a entirely new feeling and it's funny too.

I noticed Stan's morals changed. He formally knew right from wrong, and would stop himself before greed would take him over (Like how he was on board with selling the Scientology books in "Trapped in the Closet", but stopped himself by the end), but now, after "Butterballs", "I should have never gone Ziplining" and "A Scause for Applause", he is quickly seduced by greed.


Heck, this is after last season where he casually wrote Kyle off as being "like Cartman" in "Crack Baby Athletic Association".

Perhaps this is a side effect from "You're Getting Old"? With an extra year, he's becoming like most adults? Or has he decided to try and elevate his status for other reasons?

^Everyone has noticed this. I say perhaps he has indeed become scarred by the events of YGO and AB and in turn his personality and morals are changing. I really hope this isn't 'the new Stan' and he will return back to his formal sensitive self in season 17. When changes this big happen I always hope Matt and Trey know what they are doing with it. But Stan is not a self-centered brat so I really want this bit turned around.

It does give him that darker edge, though.

So in a situation where he'd formally be 100% on the 'good side', he might be out looking for himself.

I kinda like it.

Stan already had a darker side to him. Was already a bit of a brat at times in a different way. His thing was his stubbornness, depression, constantly disobeying his parents, getting into trouble... I just don't want to see Stan someday become some stuck-up jock in high school because that's how he's starting to see himself. (Not like we'll ever see them in HS)

I just want to see a Stan episode where he doesn't become selfish and greedy by the end of it. A lot of episodes start with a moral Stan, and recently he lets all of the attention he gets in his situations go to his head by the end. The ending of "Trapped in the Closet" shows Stan's personality almost completely opposite from that in "Butterballs". I guess "Ass Burgers" really was the transition of Stan from the voice of reason to a douche. Maybe they just wanted one voice of reason: Kyle. Maybe after all these years Trey and Matt decided once and for all Stan and Kyle needed different personalities.

Well, that's been a problem going back a long time. Randy and Cartman was the major thing that diverted their personalities (Stan ending up as the put upon voice of reason and Kyle being the moral paragon) and they milked that for a good ten years.

And since when was giving a strong character flaw to a protagonist a terrible thing anyway?

I wouldn't worry too much about Stan's recent personality change. I have a feeling he'll likely be back to his normal self in September.