History Main / BumblingDad

* In ''LadyAndTheTramp II: Scamp's Adventure'' Scamp sees his father as one of these, a lazy dad who could never understand his desire to be a wild dog. Little does he know that his father was THE wild dog back in the day.

** Dr. Doofenshmirtz is also a glaring example of this trope, highlighted [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SC_LyOxiQ88&feature=related In Vanessa's song]]

** Tim Allen's character in the SpiritualSuccessor ''LastManStanding'' actually subverts this trope. He's a very caring and loving father, but there is no question that he is more intelligent, rational, and mature than his kids. More often than not, he acts as the OnlySaneMan within his family.

** In terms of being a father, yes: Heathcliff Huxtable averts this trope (with so few exceptions you can count them on one hand). However, the Huxtable family will do anything possible to keep him from fixing any of the household components (appliances, plumbing, etc.).

** Tim Allen's character in the SpiritualSuccessor ''LastManStanding'' actually subverts this trope. He's a very caring and loving father, but there is no question that he is more intelligent, rational, and mature than his kids.

* Most people who remember ''MakeRoomForDaddy'' probably remember the many times Danny Williams was this, his excuse being that his work as a nightclub singer kept him from spending a lot of time with his family. Much of this took place later in the series, after Danny had married Kathy. In its earliest inception, the show was noted for more serious portrayals of Danny and Margaret's conflict, to the point that Margaret talked about leaving (pretty edgy for 1953). When the actress playing Margaret quit, though, they just said that Margaret had died. Talk about UnfortunateImplications.

* Frank Heffley in ''DiaryOfAWimpyKid'' is a bumbling dad. He acts like he's in his 80s. Not only does he regularly yell [[CatchPhrase "Dagnabbed rotten teenagers!"]], but in the webcomic, he tries to get Classical music playing throughout the town to scare the teenagers away, is apparently teenager phobic, can't figure out how Gregory's game system is even hooked up to the TV, and says people at drive-thrus are idiots...yet he tries to place his order ''through a garbage can''.

* Frank Heffley in ''DiaryOfAWimpyKid'' is a bumbling dad. He acts like he's in his 80s. Not only does he regularly yell "Dagnabbed rotten teenagers!", but in the webcomic, he tries to get Classical music playing throughout the town to scare the teenagers away, is apparently teenager phobic, can't figure out how Gregory's game system is even hooked up to the TV, and says people at drive-thrus are idiots...yet he tries to place his order ''through a garbage can''.

* Played to tragicomic effect in Canadian playwright EdRiche's one man show ''PossibleMaps''. While the protagonist's father, a university professor, wasn't ''stupid'' by any means, he was [[AbsentMindedProfessor somewhat scatterbrained at best]] and manic depressive with what looks like a touch of [[TheRainman autism]] at worst. Most of the play revolves around the protagonist remiscing about what a chore it was for the family to put up with him and his own anxieties about the possibility of inheriting the man's mental frailties.

* Dagwood Bumstead on ''ComicStrip/{{Blondie}}'' ranges between an StandardFiftiesFather and this.

* Dick Daring in ''TheReplacements''.

* Jack Fenton of ''WesternAnimation/DannyPhantom''. One good look at him and you can tell he's not meant to be treated seriously... at least until he [[LetsGetDangerous gets dangerous]] (specially if [[PapaWolf his family is at risk]]). He is also something of a GeniusDitz, having invented at least half the Fenton gadgets, which go between being useless (The Fenton Ghost Gabber) and working a little ''too'' well. (Fenton Ghost Catcher, Ghost Peeler, Ectxo-Skeleton).

Often used as an enabler of several [[DoubleStandard Double Standards]]. Sometimes, on the rare occasions that a mom does something dumb, she's cut more slack than she otherwise would be, since the BumblingDad is there to make her look better by comparison. On the other hand, if everyone just gets used to tolerating Dad's incompetence, they might still hold Mom to the standards of a competent adult - in fact, she may end up being held responsible for fixing his screw-ups. After all, somebody's got to be the grownup in a family, and you can't hold Dad accountable for not acting like one if he's just an idiot. The frustrating and stagnant sexual roles enforced by this trope are often pointed to by feminists as a sign of how sexism hurts men as well as women. [[note]]Sadly, when you try to subvert this trope by making fathers look cool, some feminists will ''still'' complain that it's sexist, because it [[http://www.salon.com/2014/07/28/dont_believe_that_new_cheerios_commercial_why_i_hate_the_myth_of_the_cool_dad makes the mother look bad.]] [[/note]]

Often used as an enabler of several [[DoubleStandard Double Standards]]. Sometimes, on the rare occasions that a mom does something dumb, she's cut more slack than she otherwise would be, since the BumblingDad is there to make her look better by comparison. On the other hand, if everyone just gets used to tolerating Dad's incompetence, they might still hold Mom to the standards of a competent adult - in fact, she may end up being held responsible for fixing his screw-ups. After all, somebody's got to be the grownup in a family, and you can't hold Dad accountable for not acting like one if he's just an idiot. The frustrating and stagnant sexual roles enforced by this trope are often pointed to by feminists as a sign of how sexism hurts men as well as women. [[note]]Sadly, when you try to subvert this trope by making the fathers look cool, some feminists will ''still'' complain that it's sexist, because it [[http://www.salon.com/2014/07/28/dont_believe_that_new_cheerios_commercial_why_i_hate_the_myth_of_the_cool_dad makes the mother look bad.]] [[/note]]

Often used as an enabler of several [[DoubleStandard Double Standards]]. Sometimes, on the rare occasions that a mom does something dumb, she's cut more slack than she otherwise would be, since the BumblingDad is there to make her look better by comparison. On the other hand, if everyone just gets used to tolerating Dad's incompetence, they might still hold Mom to the standards of a competent adult - in fact, she may end up being held responsible for fixing his screw-ups. After all, somebody's got to be the grownup in a family, and you can't hold Dad accountable for not acting like one if he's just an idiot. The frustrating and stagnant sexual roles enforced by this trope are often pointed to by feminists as a sign of how sexism hurts men as well as women.

His family is made up of at least one child nearing or in their teenage years, and a [[WomenAreWiser wife]] (usually [[UglyGuyHotWife much prettier than Dad]]) who spends her time ParentingTheHusband. If he has one or more teenage daughters, at least one will be a BrattyTeenageDaughter or a DaddysGirl; whether they are or not, the dad will be an OverprotectiveDad in regards to the girl(s).

* Peter Griffin (''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'')
* Stan Smith (''WesternAnimation/AmericanDad'')

** And in one episode Mr. Crocker. Ironically, despite normally being a ChildHater, he's shown to [[EvenEvilHasStandards genuinely care]] for [[strike:Denzel Jr.]] [[strike:DJ]] Poof. Though, his parental skills are quite questionable since Crocker tried to teach him how to shave in total darkness and how to drive... despite the latter being an infant.

[[caption-width-right:300:If you're guessing that he falls, you're half right. [[note]]The roof caves in and he falls into the living room[[/note]]]]

** However, he still manages to be a sympathetic character by the fact that he's ([[DependingOnTheWriter usually]]) aware of his bumbling-ness and tries his best to not mess up.
--> '''Jack:''' ''(to Undergrowth)'' Get your filthy roots off my town, you horticultural terror! ''(to Maddie)'' Thanks for writing down the word "horticulture," sweetface.
--> '''Maddie:''' I didn't want you mispronounce it during the battle cry, hun. First impressions are very important.
--> '''Jack:''' And you married me anyway.

** Although that's one case where the wife isn't that much better. Oh, sure, Agent K is competent, but she's also paranoid and confrontational.

** Then again they were first time parents when Pebbles and Bam-Bam came along. Who of us weren't bumbling to some degree at a point like that?

* A recurring theme in ''I Harth Darth'' was [[StarWars Darth Vader]] being a well-intentioned but understandably awkward dad to Luke and Leia.

* Played with in ''AmericanBeauty''. Kevin Spacey's character is initially a depressing version of this, but as the movie continues he manages to shirk the mantle.
* Played with in ''{{Juno}}'', where the protagonists' father and stepmom look clueless in the beginning but appear wiser and emotionally supportive as the movie advances.
* JohnCandy played at least a couple of characters like this, such as in ''Summer Rental'' and ''Great Outdoors''.

* Clark Griswald is very much this in the ''NationalLampoonsVacation'' movies.

* The clueless dad in the fluffy tween comedy ''{{Sleepover}}'' embodies this.
* ''Mr. Mom'' is about a bumbling dad who has to stay at home and take care of the kids while his wife works.

** And in one episode Mr. Crocker. Ironically, despite normally being a ChildHater, he's shown to genuinely care for [[strike:Denzel Jr.]] [[strike:DJ]] Poof. Though, his parental skills are quite questionable since Crocker tried to teach him how to shave in total darkness and how to drive... despite the latter being an infant.

** That's not even mentioning his [[RunningGag regular failure]] to [[GrillingPyrotechnics properly operate a grill...]] using a "whole bottle of lighter fluid" at a time, more or less. One grill strip brought it to EpicFail levels. After he piles on the lighter fluid and charcoal, it makes a fire blast that continues upward into space. [[spoiler: In the second to last panel, it destroys one of the Mars rovers. The last panel implies this has happened before.]]

* Dagwood Bumstead on ''ComicStrip/{{Blondie}}''.
* The comic ''ComicStrip/AdamAtHome'' embodies (and lives on) this trope with its bungling and {{adorkable}} title character, apart from his [[UglyGuyHotWife reasonably more attractive]] [[WomenAreWiser (and assertive) wife]], his two kids (his son is somewhat of a CheerfulChild and his daughter is quite bratty) and [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking more recently]], [[PreciousPuppies a labradoodle]].

* Most people who remember ''MakeRoomForDaddy'' probably remember the many times Danny Williams was this, his excuse being that his work as a nightclub singer kept him from spending a lot of time with his family. Much of this took place later in the series, after Danny had married Kathy. In its earliest inception, the show was noted for more serious portrayals of Danny and Margaret's conflict, to the point that Margaret talked about leaving (pretty edgy for 1953). When the actress playing Margaret quit, though, they explained that Margaret had died. Talk about UnfortunateImplications.