It's hard to believe sometimes how the simplest of concepts can turn into a cultural phenomenon. Take the pet rock. Who in their right mind would have thought that people would shell out good money to buy a box that contained… a rock. Or that even more people would spend even more money to buy Pet Rock Houses, Pet Rock Training Guides, etc… Or here's another perfect example (and one that is closer in concept to the Pet Rock than it might seem) is Paris Hilton. Who would have ever believed people would shell out good money to see her do anything. And yet she has turned her talent-less, personality-free, goat-faced self into an institution. So when Mike Judge sat down to create a short cartoon about two moronic head-banging potheads, how could he have known that just a short time later, his creations would be the stars of their own series on MTV, eventually be featured in their own motion picture, and find themselves emblazoned on everything from t-shirts to coffee mugs to underwear.

Yet that is exactly what happened. The aforementioned MTV created a series called "Liquid Television" which was meant to showcase the work of new animators. Judge was able to get his an animated short of "Beavis & Butthead" onto the show… and stars were born.

I actually used to watch MTV during the days that they showed videos more than they did original programming and so I saw a good many of the episodes that used to air. Watching these two characters, with their signature drugged out expressions and incessant (and occasionally annoying) laughter, I was reminded of a lot of friends I had in High School. More often than not, the episodes were mildly funny, but every now and again there were moments of genius. As the popularity of the show grew, I was often surprised to find people on my life that were fans that I'd never have guessed would like it. And, oddly enough, years later I would learn that my Father-in-Law (a straight as an arrow ex-Marine) was a huge fan if the duo, especially enjoying Beavis' creation of 'Corn-holio'. (Don’t ask me to describe him, you'd have to see it for yourself.)

What was most amazing about the series however was that Judge was able to use it as a launching pad to bigger and better things, such as the creation of the animated series "King of the Hill", which has just been renewed for an incredible 11th season. He has also parlayed his success into a number of movie appearances which included a major role in the popular "Spy Kids" series.

When Paramount decided to start releasing "Beavis & Butthead" on DVD, I had kind of wondered why they chose a 'Mike Judge Collection' format instead of a straight forward season by season release. Then I saw the insert that was included in the first volume, where Judge made the comment that he loved about a third of the episodes, thought that another third of them were just okay, but was mostly embarrassed by the other third. So, his intention was to release three volumes that would encompass what he considered to be the best 2/3 of the series. While I understood his reasoning, I think he fails to take into account that most hardcore fans really don’t care how he feels, they want them all. Perhaps he'll get the message down the road and eventually release everything.

In the meantime, we're now up to the aforementioned 3rd volume of hand-picked episodes which hits store shelves this month. The first two discs of the set holds 40 episodes, while the third disc contains a large number of extra features. The best of these are 15 MTV videos that are edited to include comments from Beavis & Butthead, most of which are not very complimentary to the (and I use the term lightly in some cases) artists. The pair shred songs like Salt N Pepa's "Whatta Man", the Toadies' "Possum Kingdom" and Tripping Daisy's "I Got a Girl." I love watching these because I can't stand any of the groups, with the exception of a handful like Alice Cooper and… well… Alice Cooper. There are also clips from several of their non-series appearances and the original, uncut version of "Frog Baseball" (the short that started it all).

Now, I mentioned that the 3rd Volume was supposed to be the last…. BUT… I saw a pres release a couple of days ago announcing a 4th Volume. Not sure what changed, but admittedly I have no complaints.

"Beavis & Butthead" didn't appeal to everyone, so neither will these DVD releases. But if you already know you’re a fan, these sets are more than worth the money.

Episodes:
Disc 1:
No Service
Sprout
Yard Sale
P.T.A.
Substitute
Shopping list
Buy Beer
A Very Special Episode
Just for Girls
Head Lice
Vaya Con Cornholio
Nosebleed
Under Wear
Follow Me
On Strike
Take a Leap
Pierced
Ding-Dong-Ditch
Huh-Huh-Humbug
It's a Miserable Life

Disc 2:
Citizens Arrest
A Great Day
Dumbasses Anonymous
Woodshop
Shopping Cart
Bride of Butt-head
Special Delivery
T.V Violence
The Miracle that is Beavis
Impotence
Inventors
Canned
Drinking Butt-ies
Garage Band
Die, Fly, Die!
Breakdown
Speech Therapy
Work is Death
Graduation Day
Butt Flambe
Leave it to Beavis
Beavis and Butt-Head are Dead

Disc 3 (Bonus Feature):
Music Videos -
Soundgarden - Spoonman
John Spencer Blues Explosion - Dang
PJ Harvey - Down by the Water
Alice Cooper - Teenage Frankenstein
Toadies - Possum Kingdom
Rollins Band - Liar
Paul Broucek - Hollywood Halloween
Stakka Bo - Here We Go
Crowbar - Existence is Punishment
Salt N Pepa - Whatta Man
Poison - I Want Action
2 Unlimited - Get Ready for This
Tripping Daisy - I Got A Girl
Jesus Lizard - Glamorous
Sonic Youth - Dirty Boots

The Original, Uncut Frog Baseball
Taint of Greatness - The Journey of Beavis & Butthead, Part 3
Beavis & Butthead Promos
Beavis & Butthead Special Appearances
Interactive Link to Mike Judge and Don Hertzfeldt's The Animation Show website

Starring: Beavis & Butthead
Specifications: Full Screen
Studio: Paramount
Release Date: 8/1/2006
Region 1
MPAA Rating: NR
Website

We'll give Beavis & Butthead: Volume 3 a B.