Towelie (Character)


 * For the episode of the same name, see Towelie.

Towelie is a talking towel who was genetically engineered by Tynacorp, in order to allow him to make people as dry as necessary depending on the situation. He first appeared in the Season Five episode, "Towelie".

He is usually seen either appearing out of nowhere to give towel advice to the citizens of South Park, or getting high. The theme song from Popeye plays whenever Towelie gets high.

Background
Towelie is said to be 17 in towel years in "Professor Chaos", although how many actual years a "towel year" is worth is unknown. In "Crippled Summer" he had agreed to do an intervention. He also has been working at Lake Tardicaca and has been warned for getting high 14 times. Towelie was addicted to marijuana, crystal meth, and crack cocaine, and tried using heroin and inhaling computer duster. Towelie has been sober since April 26, 2010.

Reception
Although the creators of South Park intentionally made Towelie a terrible character, he gained a huge amount of popularity. After his initial appearance, he took on parts, usually cameos, in other episodes. In spite of this, he is regarded as "the worst character ever" by other characters within the show.

Appearance
Towelie is probably best described as a light blue towel with arms, legs, and an anthropomorphic face. He has a high-pitched voice with an apparent slight southern accent. His eyes become visibly bloodshot when he gets high. In "Crippled Summer", he is shown crumpled and burnt at the edges, due to his drug addiction.

Personality
Towelie clearly wants to get high at all times; he doesn't hesitate getting high in public and suggesting the kids and everyone to get high as well. He prefers smoking weed but often (as in "Crippled Summer") uses crack and/or meth and other drugs possibly. When he is not high he gets in an awful mood and can become rude. In such occasions where he is out of dope and money he prostitutes himself in old men providing oral sex in exchange for money in order to buy more drugs and get high again.

Despite the fact he is an addict, he is genuinly a mild persona often exhibiting sensitivity and kindness. He seldom becomes aggressive and usually due to being out of dope, or when people throw away his dope either by accident or to protect him.

Family
Towelie is shown in the episode "Crippled Summer" to have a family. It consists of his girlfriend named Rebecca, whose face was blurred out, and their son together, named Washcloth.

Rebecca kicked Towelie out for being a bad influence on their son, preventing him from speaking to Washcloth when he was high. The boys use Washcloth as an incentive to get Towelie to get treatment. Towelie, Rebecca, and Washcloth later moved back in together after Towelie kicked his addiction.

Quotes
Towelie: "I know." from "Towelie" Eric Cartman: "Yeah, and you're a towel!" Towelie: "You're a towel!" from "Towelie"
 * Towelie: "You wanna get high?" from "Towelie"
 * Towelie: "That's my last joint, asshole!" from "Towelie"
 * Towelie: "Oh man, why is everyone riding me today? God damn it." from "Towelie"
 * Towelie: "Oh man, I'm so high right now, I have no idea what's going on." from "Towelie"
 * Eric Cartman: "You're the worst character ever, Towelie."
 * Towelie: "You're stupid!"
 * Towelie: "Don't forget to bring a towel!" from "Towelie"
 * Towelie: "Go away, I'm walkin' on sunshine" from "Crippled Summer"

Trivia

 * According to the Tynacorp commander, Towelie's real name is "Smart Towel RG-400".
 * After both Muhammad controversies in the series, "Cartoon Wars Part I"/"Cartoon Wars Part II" and "200"/"201", a Towelie episode airs the week after.
 * Even though they never met him before "Crippled Summer", Butters Stotch and Clyde Donovan both seem to know him somehow.
 * Although Towelie is revealed to be male in "Crippled Summer", he wears a woman's swimsuit in "Professor Chaos".
 * Towelie has an evil counterpart, a weaponized smart towel named GS-401.

Prominence

 * "Towelie" - Towelie's debut appearance, he plays a major role in the episode.
 * "Osama bin Laden Has Farty Pants" - Briefly advises the boys on the importance of always bringing a towel.
 * "Professor Chaos" - Appears as a potential replacement for Kenny. He has several speaking lines in the episode.
 * "I'm a Little Bit Country" - Non-speaking cameo.
 * "Red Man's Greed" - Non-speaking cameo.
 * "A Million Little Fibers" - Towelie writes a best-selling autobiography and appears on The Oprah Winfrey Show. The first episode to focus entirely on Towelie; none of the principal cast of the show appear.
 * "You Have 0 Friends" - Mentioned in dialogue.
 * "Medicinal Fried Chicken" - Non-speaking cameo.
 * "Crippled Summer" - Several other characters stage an intervention to help him kick his drug habits.

South Park: The Stick of Truth
Altough Towelie does not appear in person in the game, he briefly appears on one of the loading screens.

South Park: The Fractured But Whole
Pre-ordering South Park: The Fractured But Whole grants the player a Towelie Gaming Bud, which is meant to help players throughout the game at key locations.