Cornholio
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Cornholio, also known as The Great Cornholio, is the insane alter ego of Beavis in MTV's animated series Beavis and Butt-head.
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Transformation
Cornholio emerges whenever Beavis consumes large quantities of sugar or caffeine and enters a hyperactive phase, with symptoms including convulsing, nonsensical jabbering and gazing cross-eyed at his fist. The final transformation is usually triggered by mention of vaguely Hispanic-sounding words: he pulls his shirt over his head (covering his hair) and begins marching around randomly, his hands either side of his face with palms forward, making loud proclamations in a quasi-Spanish accent.
Cornholio apparently hails from Latin America, claiming his home to be both Nicaragua and Lake Titicaca (the latter word already providing amusement to Beavis). He states his mission in life is to find "TP" (toilet paper) for his "bunghole" (anus), as his "people" are "without bungholes". This apparent contradiction is typical of the nonsense he frequently spouts: at other times he claims he himself is a bunghole, he has no bunghole, or calls upon "the Almighty Bunghole" (either himself or his god). He has also expressed an interest in oleo, presumably because it rhymes with his name; he combines it with "bunghole" to create his most famous cry, "bungholeo-o-o-o-o!".
Cornholio is a very different personality to Beavis in one particular aspect: while Beavis is somewhat shy and prone to mumble, Cornholio is extremely forceful and loud. If anyone challenges him he demands to know "are you threatening me?", and on many occasions he has warned "unbelievers" of the "wrath" of his bunghole. Although generally he means no harm, he respects no boundaries or property rights and roams wherever he wishes on his quest, frequently screaming at those he meets and terrifying them into submission. He is one of the few characters that actually sings (apart from the teacher Mr. Van Driessen), but his singing is off-key, and he sings only about what he talks about: his bunghole.
Beavis seems to retain no memories of events after he returns to "normal", on one occasion seemingly apologising to Principal McVicker for having caused a problem. This indicates that Beavis suffers from multiple personality disorder, and hence fans regard him as genuinely insane, in contrast to Butt-head, who is merely "stupid". However, while in Cornholio mode Beavis can often be heard muttering in his normal voice, indicating the original personality is showing through.
The name "Cornholio" is a reference to the anus, which is sometimes called the "cornhole"; the traditional meaning of "bunghole" is a hole in a liquor barrel or keg.
Genesis
Cornholio first apparently surfaced in the episode "Generation in Crisis", in a scene where Beavis amuses Butt-Head by pulling his shirt over his head and saying "I am the Great Cornholio, I come from Lake Titicaca!" in a humorous Spanish accent. In scripting terms this was merely Beavis "goofing around", but the moment proved popular enough to warrant making Cornholio a character in his own right. In the same episode, both Beavis and Butt-head pull their shirts over their heads and act like idiots; they do the same thing in the episode "Screamers", in which guises they wander around Highland screaming at innocent people. In both these latter cases neither Beavis nor Butt-head refer to bungholes, T.P. or any other Cornholio obsession, indicating that they do not think they are Cornholio-esque characters at this point but are simply being silly and pretending they are. However, fans have affectionately dubbed Butt-head's potential alter-ego "The Great Buttholio".
It is widely believed that Cornholio's costume was inspired by members of the band Sausage wearing hooded jumpsuits in the music video for the title track of their album Riddles Are Abound Tonight. The duo reviewed this video shortly afterwards, appropriately enough in the episode "The Great Cornholio" (see below). [1]
Episode appearances
The first genuine appearance of Cornholio was in the episode "The Great Cornholio", which was originally titled "Breakfast Burritos" but was later renamed thanks to the popularity of the Cornholio character. The duo raid the Stevenson household's kitchen and Beavis consumes "27 candy bars and a six-pack of root beer", entering a hyperactive phase as a result. At school, Mr. Van Driessen triggers the transformation by using the word "Nicaragua", prompting Cornholio to demand "agua for my bunghole!". He subsequently wanders the school searching for T.P., interrupting other classes and warning of a polio epidemic. He returns to normal in the principal's office, but a large quantity of candy provided by the principal causes him to revert to Cornholio mode once again, insisting "I no need hall pass!".
Cornholio returned in "Buttniks", in which the duo visit a beatnik club, and Beavis transforms after drinking large quantities of "crappuccino". However, his insane jabbering and threats are interpreted as deep, spiritual poetry by the club's denizens, showing that, as Cornholio, Beavis has advantages. In the Halloween special "Bungholio: Lord of the Harvest", Beavis transforms after consuming a great deal of candy, and begins wandering Highland, terrifying other trick-or-treaters into surrendering their candy to him. He finds toilet paper during the course of his wanderings, though this does not cause him to revert to normal. In "Vaya Con Cornholio", Cornholio surfaces at Burger World after Beavis drinks their entire supply of Volt Cola and other soda drinks; he is subsequently arrested by the INS and, after he insists he is from Lake Titicaca in Nicaragua (a geographical impossibility), they deport him to (they believe) his native Mexico.
Movie appearances
Cornholio appears twice in the feature film Beavis and Butt-head Do America. On a flight to Las Vegas, an old lady gives Beavis some of her No-Drowz caffeine pills, which in conjunction with a stewardess mentioning "chicken piccata", and another tourist asking if the airplane's gumbo has corn in it, causes the transformation. Cornholio's subsequent sudden entry into the cockpit very nearly causes a plane crash. Later in the movie, the same old lady gives Beavis the same caffeine pills (thinking they are Xanax tablets), and while on a tour of the White House he transforms when a guide mentions Pierre L'Enfant. During the course of his wanderings he calls Strategic Air Command and almost triggers World War III, and stares at a painting of Richard Nixon in his famous "V for Victory" pose, demanding to know: "Are you threatening me?". He later sees Mr. Anderson's camper, and after being triggered by a picture of Dallas, he decides to go in and "whack off". An embarrasing moment ensues when Mr. Anderson sees his camper rocking and making strange noises, so he goes in and catches Beavis with his pants down. He reverts to normal at the film's climax, surrounded by SWAT teams and soldiers, unaware as to how he arrived on Pennsylvania Avenue.
Trivia
Filk performer and comedian The great Luke Ski recorded a parody of the song "Macarena" (the Bayside Boys remix version) as performed by Los del Río entitled "The Great Cornholio". In the parody, Butt-head sings the first verse, introducing Beavis and describing his transformation after consuming "six root beers and twenty-seven 3 Musketeers". Beavis then sings the remainder of the verses with occasional back-up from Butt-head, establishing himself as the Great Cornholio and spouting virtually all of the often-used phrases and threats associated with Cornholio. B&B supporting characters Mr. Van Driessen, Tom Anderson, Coach Buzzcut, and Principal McVicker provide generally disapproving commentary. The great Luke Ski also established parody dance moves to parallel the dance associated with the song "Macarena". The parody dance involves imitation of Cornholio's excited arm movements along with, of course, pulling one's shirt up over one's head.
External links
- Beavis and Butt-head Central, a fan site with downloads
- Transcript of The Great Cornholio episode
- Pointless Videos Link to Sausage videosl:Cornholio