You remember Buford Van Stomm. Big guy, black skull tee, surprisingly high-pitched voice when he’s excited. Honestly, he’s probably one of the most misunderstood characters in Disney Channel history. At first glance, he’s just the "bully" trope. The muscle. The guy who puts Baljeet in a baby carrier for a joke. But if you actually sit down and watch the show—like, really watch it—you realize Buford isn’t a villain. He’s barely even an antagonist.
He’s a guy with a very specific, very weird code of honor.
Most bullies in cartoons are just there to be obstacles. They want lunch money or they want to shove someone in a locker. Buford? He’s basically part of the core friend group. He spends his entire summer helping Phineas and Ferb build rollercoasters and trek across the globe. He’s a "bully" by trade, but he’s a friend by choice. It's a weird dynamic that somehow works perfectly in the Tri-State Area.
The Backstory Most People Forget
The "Voyage to the Bottom of Buford" episode is a total game-changer for how you see him. You’ve probably seen the meme of him crying over a goldfish, but the context is actually kind of heavy.
Buford wasn't born a bully. He was actually a pretty timid kid. He won a goldfish named Biff at a fair, and a real-deal bully tried to take it and eat it. Little Buford snapped. He defended Biff, realized he had the muscle for it, and decided that being the one in charge was better than being the victim. He didn't become mean; he became the guy who makes sure nobody else is meaner than him.
It’s a classic defensive mechanism.
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He literally calls himself a "bully" because that’s the role he’s carved out for himself. It’s almost like a job title. In "Raging Bully," he even attends Wedgie’s: The Gym for Bullies. He takes the craft seriously. But notice how he treats Phineas? He respects him. He might grumble, but he always shows up.
Why the Baljeet Dynamic Actually Works
People love to talk about the "frenemy" relationship between Buford and Baljeet Tjinder. On paper, it looks toxic. One is a nerd, one is a bully. Standard 2000s TV stuff. But they’re inseparable. In "Bully Bromance Breakup," they actually have a "breakup" and it’s treated with more emotional weight than most TV romances.
Buford actually admits he loves the guy. Not in a "I want to be your best friend" way, but in a "you are the nerd to my bully" way. It’s symbiotic. Baljeet provides the intellectual frustration Buford needs to stay sharp, and Buford provides... well, protection.
Think about it. In a world of giant robots and Pharmacist zombies, having a guy who can punch out a giant squid is a massive asset.
Weird Talents and High Culture
- Musicianship: He plays the drums, the violin, the trumpet, and the concertina.
- Linguistics: He’s fluent in French. Like, actually fluent.
- Philosophy: He has a very nihilistic but practical view of the world.
- The Arts: In the series finale time-jump ("Act Your Age"), he doesn't become a professional boxer or a bouncer. He goes to film school. He wants to focus on tragedies.
That’s the nuance. He’s a kid who wears a skull shirt but plays the violin and wants to be a filmmaker. He’s more "theatre kid with a gym membership" than "middle school terror."
The "Nice Guy" Paradox
There’s a hilarious bit in the Christmas special where Buford's only wish is for his friends to think of him as nice. He knows his reputation. He’s self-aware. He spends the whole episode trying to do one big selfless act so Santa will "wipe the slate clean."
He ends up saving the town's Christmas lights.
It’s a recurring theme. He tries to be the tough guy, but he’s the first one to give Phineas a hug when Biff is lost. He’s the guy who carries a velvet rope everywhere just in case he needs to be a bouncer for a backyard restaurant. He’s basically "the muscle" for hire, but his only payment is hanging out with people who actually like him.
What He Teaches Us About Tropes
Most shows from that era would have kept Buford as a one-dimensional jerk. Phineas and Ferb did something better. They made him a weirdo.
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He speaks in the third person sometimes. "Buford hungry." He has life-sized molds of all his friends, which is... okay, that’s actually terrifying. But it shows he cares in a very specific, slightly creepy way. He’s an example of how you can take a tired archetype and make it human by just adding layers of strange hobbies.
Honestly, Buford is the most relatable character for anyone who ever felt like they had to act tougher than they were just to get by. He found a group of kids who didn't care about his reputation and just wanted him to help build a portal to Mars.
Actionable Insights for Fans and Writers
If you're looking back at Buford, pay attention to the "softening" of his character. By Season 4, his "bullying" is mostly verbal sparring. He becomes an integral part of the team.
- Watch for the "Biff" episodes: They are the key to his emotional core.
- Check out the "Act Your Age" special: Seeing him as a college student majoring in film puts his entire childhood into perspective.
- Listen to the lyrics: His songs, like "Frenemies" or "Big Honkin' Hole in My Heart," reveal more about his internal state than his dialogue ever does.
Buford isn't just the guy who steals Baljeet's pants. He's a complex, multi-talented kid who uses a tough exterior to protect a genuine love for his friends—and his goldfish.
Revisit the "Voyage to the Bottom of Buford" episode to see the origin story that defines his "honor code" for the rest of the series.