Craig Tucker

Craig Tucker, voiced by Matt Stone, is a character in the animated series South Park.

Character
Craig Tucker is a secondary character who attends South Park Elementary, in the same 4th grade class as the main characters Stan Marsh, Kyle Broflovski, Eric Cartman, Kenny McCormick and Butters Stotch. Craig's identifying physical feature is his blue chullo hat (topped with a yellow puffball), while his most recognizable personality trait is his tendency to display his middle finger at other characters, even if it's for no reason. Originally 8 years old in the early seasons of the series, the character's age progressed to 9 in the 4th season, when he and his classmates moved from 3rd grade to 4th. As of the 12th season episode "Pandemic", the character is ten years old.

Craig lives in the fictional town of South Park, Colorado, with his mother and father, his younger sister, and his pet guinea pig, Stripe. He is the leader of a gang of schoolboys who rival against the main characters, whom Craig has frequently expressed a strong dislike for, and throughout the series' run.

Appearance
Craig wears a blue jacket and a matching blue chullo hat with a yellow puffball on top. In the early seasons of the series, he wore blue jeans, but in more recent seasons he wears high-waisted black pants, making him look taller and his legs look longer than the other childrens. Craig's hair was shown to be black in "South Park is Gay!", although it was brown in "The Losing Edge". In "Lice Capades", Craig has black hair again. It is possible that he dyes his hair black, or that for some reason, he chose to dye it brown in "The Losing Edge". It is revealed in "Tweek vs. Craig" that he is fairly thin, weighing only 45 pounds.

In the episode "The List", it was speculated that Craig was actually voted #1 instead of Clyde on a fan based version of the real list of cutest boys that the 4th grade girls made.

In "Quest for Ratings", when Craig's school program is canceled, the teacher orders him to be castrated. It is never specified nor brought up again whether or not he actually went through with it.

Personality
Craig is implied to have bad behavior, and is referred to as "the biggest trouble-maker" in his class by Eric Cartman in "Tweek vs. Craig". Craig has a habit of flipping people off, whether to express disdain towards them or not; a trait the official South Park website states is learned from his family, who are all seen flipping each other off in "Tweek vs. Craig". Due to this habit, he is frequently sent to Mr. Mackey's office. Often scenes involving a character visiting Mr. Mackey's office show Craig sitting in the waiting seats outside the door. It is possible that, as he is a year older than other students, he has been left back.

He seems to be one of the most stoic, gloomiest kids from his class, having a darker personality than the rest of the characters, being pragmatic, monotone and ironic. In the early episodes, he had a blank face, most of the time, especially when he was flipping people off and he appeared to be indifferent to those who tried to interact with him. During "Pandemic", he constantly made snide remarks about Stan, Kyle, Cartman and Kenny and about their habit of getting into trouble. Usually, if he doesn't have a blank face, he is seen frowning.

Craig has notable leadership skills, as he is the leader of a gang who are social rivals with Stan, Kyle, Cartman, and Kenny. The first appearance of the group is in "Tweek vs. Craig", and they are first acknowledged by the main characters in "How to Eat with Your Butt". The main characters are first shown viewing Craig's gang as rivals in "South Park is Gay!. Cartman frequently refers to the gang as "Craig and those guys". The group usually consists of Craig, Clyde, Token, and sometimes Tweek, Jimmy, or Jason. Craig and Clyde seem to share/alternate in leadership of their group, although, given by their designation, Craig is the primary leader.

Another example of Craig's abilities in leadership occurs in "Hooked on Monkey Phonics", when he leads the male students in their plan to harm Mark Cotswolds. The episode also shows that his assertiveness can also lead to bullying.

Craig often seems more competitive towards the main characters than even his gang (see below). In "Quest for Ratings", he opens a television show in the school entitled "Animals Close-Up With a Wide-Angle Lens", which rivals against their news show. On the other extreme, he seems eager to help them at other times, as in "Free Willzyx", where he is one of the boys trying to get the orca back to it's "home" on the moon.

Mysterion
Craig is also a candidate to be Mysterion, a rival superhero to The Coon, played by Eric Cartman. Craig's leadership skills, the parallel created between him and Stan and the similarities of the voices make Craig a plausible candidate. However, Craig likes things that are "Nice and boring" as revealed in "Pandemic 2: The Startling", so saving the town from crime on a daily basis may not appeal to him.

Family
Craig's first name indicates that he is of Scottish descent, and his surname, Tucker, suggests English ancestry.

In "Here Comes the Neighborhood", as Token is walking around South Park, looking sorrowfully at the others, he walks past the Welfare office. Craig and his parents are shown stepping out of the office at the same time. While Token may have been exaggerating in his thoughts about how poor everyone else in town is, this might imply that Craig's parents are jobless, or that their job/s don't provide enough income for them to get by on it alone.

It is hinted in "My Future Self n' Me" that he does not have a good relationship with his parents. He also states in "Tweek vs. Craig" that he does not care if his mother is insulted. At the same time, his parents are shown to love him deeply, as they are each openly concerned when Craig is kidnapped in "Pandemic", and are delighted to have him back at the end of "Pandemic 2: The Startling". This, however, may be a ploy to keep the dysfunction of the family a secret.

Thomas Tucker, Craig's father, closely resembles Skeeter, a frequently seen townsperson. The main differences in their appearance are that Thomas is taller, has a rounder face, and is balding. This resemblance might imply a relation, possibly that of siblings. If so, Rebecca, Skeeter's daughter and one of Craig's female classmates, would also be his cousin.

Craig has a pet guinea pig named Stripe. Stripe has never made an onscreen appearance, and all that is known about him is that Craig does not like it when he is insulted. Knowing this, Cartman riles Craig up in "Tweek vs. Craig" by telling him that Tweek said Craig stuffs Stripe up his rectum before going to bed.

Craig's grandmother, who appears in flashbacks in "Pandemic 2: The Startling", gave Craig $100 for his birthday.

Friends
In "Tweek vs. Craig", the boys, on account of a bet they had made, claimed to Tweek and Craig that each had insulted the other, and convinced them to fight. When it turned out neither of them knew how to fight, they had them trained for it. Craig was trained by Cartman, in Sumo wrestling. After the fight, both boys were hospitalized, but the kids fooled them into fighting again.

In the later seasons, they have been shown to stop hating each other, as Tweek is a regular member of Craig's gang. It is guessed that Craig appealed to Tweek, as he was the fourth friend in "How to Eat with Your Butt" and it seems that Tweek preferred Craig over the main boys because of his absence after "Child Abduction is Not Funny". Tweek is the person used most to fill in the spot of the gang's fourth friend. Since Clyde and Token are best friends, many fans see Tweek and Craig as being best friends as well. Tweek and Craig can be seen standing side by side in various episodes including "Ginger Kids", where they are trapped in a cage together, and in "The Wacky Molestation Adventure", where they are on the same side of the town. Tweek and Craig can also be seen sitting together at school assemblies (one exception being "Canada on Strike" ). This implies that they are close friends, similar to Stan and Kyle. This is probably one of the reasons why they didn't want to fight each other in.

Cartman, Kyle and Stan refer to Craig and Tweek as the big trouble-makers in their class. However, Craig seems to be the true trouble-maker, because, unlike Tweek, who doesn't have any of the trouble-maker's tendencies, Craig actually has little respect for authority, he's constantly flipping people off and he is seen standing in front of the Counselor's Office, in various episodes, much more often than the rest of the kids.

Cartman appears to view Craig as a friend the same way he views Jimmy. Craig actually hates Cartman, but he has been seen with him as a right-hand man, like in "Lice Capades". Craig is the main rival of Cartman and the other boys. It is possible that Craig started to dislike the boys because he was manipulated in the events in the episode "Tweek vs. Craig". Although, Craig has seemed to accept Stan, Kyle and Kenny in some episodes such as "The Death of Eric Cartman". But still hates Cartman. Also, in the episode "Tsst", Cartman confronts Craig and asks him if he can stay at his place for a while. Craig refuses and says, "But I hate you". Sometimes this hatred isn't always against Cartman. In the episode "South Park is Gay!", Craig and his gang seems to be rivals with Stan, Kyle, Kenny and Cartman.

Token has always been a member of Craig's gang (even when Clyde or Jimmy aren't present) and the two are often seen next to each other. However, the two haven't actually been heard talking. Token is more connected to Clyde, however. It seems that Craig mostly hangs out with Clyde and Token.

Clyde is a member of Craig's gang. Clyde sometimes leads the group which suggests that he and Craig share the spot of the leader, but the position has been confirmed to be Craig as the group is collectively named "Craig and those other guys". It seems that Craig mostly hangs out with Clyde and Token.

Jimmy has been Craig's friend on a few occasions. He has been hanging around Craig in the background for other episodes as well.

Kevin has been seen in the background talking to Craig many times. This suggests that the two are friends.

Craig and Kenny seem to have formed a friendship. Kenny helped Craig with his show in "Quest for Ratings" (although it was induced by Cartman saying that Kenny couldn't join the school news team due to his poverty), and the two were partners in "Super Fun Time". They are not shown as being closer friends than Kenny is to any of the main boys, however. In the episode "Lice Capades" he accuses Kenny of having lice, and is the first to restrain him. In "Pandemic 2: The Startling", Kenny is heard saying, "I fucking hate Craig!" at the end (this could have been because how Craig reacted to the situation in that episode and "Pandemic").

Jason has been in Craig's gang on one occasion, but has not been seen with Craig since "South Park is Gay!".

In "Le Petit Tourette", Craig meets Thomas at the end and asks if he can hang out with him and "do his laundry". However, it is unknown if the two are even friends as Thomas hasn't been seen since this episode and the two haven't been seen together on screen.

Reception
In his review on the South Park episode "Fishsticks", Sean O'Neal of the A.V. club refers to the character Craig as a "pragmatist", for advising Jimmy Vulmer to let Eric Cartman have half the credit for the fishsticks joke. DC Perry of 411mania.com approved of Craig "letting the air out of the usual 'Crazy Crap Just Happens to Us' formula" used in most of the South Park storylines, throughout the episodes "Pandemic" and "Pandemic 2: The Startling". Perry was also pleased that the character "got to shine for more than random flip-offs" and "didn't even have to try". Travis Fickett of IGN.com described Craig's role as a supporting character in "Pandemic", as well as the character's expression of disdain for the main characters' habit of getting into "stupid schemes, without thinking twice about the possible ramifications", as being the few highlights of the episode, which he found mostly unentertaining.

Quotes

 * "You know what stuff happens to most kids? They fall off their bikes. They get in fights with their parents. They get swindled out of their birthday money."
 * "He's the luckiest kid in the world. If I could say 'shitballs' to the principal, I would be soooo happy."
 * "Do you guys know why nobody else at school likes hanging out with you? Because you're always doing stuff like this. You're always coming up with some stupid idea to do something, and then it backfires, and then you end up in some foreign country, or in outer space or something. That's why no one likes hanging out with you guys."
 * "Well I thought I was crazy! He said my dad was going to sneak into my room naked one night and beat me up."
 * Was there ever a moment when you guys first came up with the genius plan to become a Peruvian flute band that any of you said "Hey, you know? This plan might backfire." "No, that never occurred to you. Because you guys are jerks. And you never learn from your mistakes. And that's why everyone at school thinks you guys are assholes."
 * "Yup, nice and boring. Just the way I like it."
 * "Oh yeah?! We're super duper triple-dog gay!"
 * "I'm not just gay, I'm a catamite."
 * "This ass is unlike any I've encountered, Master!"

Prominence
At the beginning of the series, Craig was an unnamed background character, usually seen in the playground at South Park Elementary or sitting outside Mr. Mackey's office. In season 3, he was reintroduced as a secondary character, and his first name was revealed. From season 3 on, Craig's character was gradually expanded upon, and his role in the series gradually increased. The character was given his own episode/s in the two-part "Pandemic" story.

(Craig gets sent to Mr. Mackey's office for repeatedly flipping people off. First use of Craig as a secondary character.) (Craig is fooled into the challenge of fighting Tweek, and vice versa.) (Craig successfully sues Wendy for sexual harassment after she touches his thigh.) (Craig leads the other boys, and directs them on what to do about Mark Cotswalds.) (Craig, wearing a spaceman helmet, directs the couple to Treasure Cove, where they'll find a phone.) (Craig and his gang are invited over by Stan and Kyle to see the Thompsons, who have buttocks where their heads should be. First mention of Craig's gang.) (Craig is a candidate for the boys' fourth friend.) (Craig and his gang are in conflict with the main characters because they persist that they're gayer.) (Craig and his gang play "ninjas" with the main characters.) (Craig's show, Animals Close Up With a Wide-Angle Lens, is crushing the boys' [minus Kenny, but with an extended gang] news show.) (Craig and Stan search in Mexico for a cheap space program.) (Craig, Token, and Clyde confront Cartman at his "Goodbye, Kyle" party and ask him why Kyle isn't there.) (Craig works as Cartman's right-hand man in the investigation on who has lice. He also has many lines in this episode.) (Craig tells Cartman he hates him and slams the door in his face.) (Craig, believing Cartman to have Tourette's Syndrome, is miserably jealous of him because he gets away with saying terrible things about people.) (Craig is among the boys who are in the background for the episode [His gang, Cartman, Kenny etc].) (Craig is among the secondary fourth graders [Token, Clyde, Bebe, etc.] who have a small part in the episode. He was twelfth on the first list, but it is hinted by Bebe that he was placed very high on the real list.) (Craig is Kenny's partner on the field trip.) (Craig joins with the boys to perform in a pan flute band to make easy money. This plan backfires, however, and the five are sent all the way to Peru. He is angry that the boys wasted his birthday money, and constantly complains about how they swindled him out of his money, which irritates the boys. However, he is the only one who can stop the Furry Death.) (Complains about the situation. Defeats the Guinea Pirate and stops the Furry Death.) (Craig tries to convince Jimmy to simply just let Cartman take credit for 50% of the Fish Sticks joke.)
 * Rainforest Schmainforest
 * Tweek vs. Craig
 * Sexual Harassment Panda
 * Hooked on Monkey Phonics
 * The Wacky Molestation Adventure
 * How to Eat with Your Butt
 * Professor Chaos
 * South Park is Gay
 * Good Times with Weapons
 * Quest for Ratings
 * Free Willzyx
 * Smug Alert!
 * Lice Capades
 * Tsst
 * Le Petit Tourette
 * Guitar Queer-o
 * The List
 * Super Fun Time
 * Pandemic
 * Pandemic 2: The Startling
 * Fishsticks