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To drum up hype for his new movie "Extract," Mike Judge recently released a video of Beavis and Butt-head, his two most famous characters, promoting the virtues of the unrelated live-action film.

Upon watching the brief return of the lovable losers we couldn't help but think how much we actually miss these idiots. (And how badly Mike Judge has lost his Beavis voice.)

"Beavis and Butt-head" was part of a generation of edgier and raunchier television cartoons that began when "The Simpsons" got their own half-hour in 1989. Were the two mentally challenged metalheads the best of the lot? In honor of the first day of school across most of America, we have juvenile but witty clips from B-and-B and the other contenders.

"Beavis and Butthead"
Crude and crudely-drawn, the run of "Beavis and Butt-head" in the mid-1990s neatly encapsulated MTV's evolution from music videos to other fare. And it stands as one of the few good things about the transition. In this clip, caffeine unleashes Cornholio, Beavis's manic Latin-American alter-ego who may suffer from irritable bowel syndrome.


"The Simpsons"
The show about the generic family from the generic town begins its prime-time-record 21st season later this month. Perhaps the best part about "The Simpsons"' longevity has been how it's allowed the development of supporting characters. Lovelorn and sweaty bartender Moe Szyslak, for example.


"South Park"
The foul-mouthed fourth-graders have been providing biting social satire on Comedy Central since 1997. The show is particularly good at skewering celebrities, as it did earlier this year when it questioned not only Kayne West's sexuality, but his humanity, in this typically strong song parody. (NSFW, language.)


"Family Guy"
Seth MacFarlane's pretty much tipped his hand on what he thinks about us all when he made the dog and the baby the two smartest characters by far on his raunchy family sitcom. Although in this clip Stewie and Brian's discourse isn't exactly elevated.


"King of the Hill"
Mike Judge's other successful television show never achieved the cultural relevance of "Beavis and Butt-head." But a whooping 13 years of solid ratings is nothing to sneeze at. Here Bobby Hill demonstrates why animation is the perfect medium for presenting a series of low blows.