History Main / DumbIsGood

-->-- '''Jamie''' about '''Emmily''', ''Literature/DearDumbDiary''

* Diesel clothing's current advertising campaign (as of February 2010) is: "Be Stupid."

* ''ComicBook/TheIncredibleHulk'': The Hulk is usually TheHero or at least an AntiHero. However, DependingOnTheWriter, he is near mindless or at least has a childlike mentality. Many of the times Hulk clashes with the heroes is due to some misunderstanding or someone fooling him into thinking one of the good guys did him wrong. His main villain is an EvilGenius named ''The Leader'' who has super intelligence. Likewise in ComicBook/UltimateMarvel, Hulk defeats Abomination because the latter "thinks too much."

* A fairly mild example in ''Film/{{Barbershop}}'', where all the characters who work in the titular shop are generally "good." But the one college educated barber who defines himself by his brain is also the one who's closest to a JerkAss. He's treated as something of a ButtMonkey by the other barbers, and when the somewhat thuggish character Ricky takes him down a peg the whole shop considers it a SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome.

* See also Creator/AaronSorkin's ''Series/Studio60OnTheSunsetStrip'', in which a sketch is called "boring" in a focus group. When another member of the group calls it "too smart," it's pointed out that "smart is another word for boring" and Simon snorts, lamenting "smart as a pejorative."

* ''WesternAnimation/InvaderZim'': It fell afoul of this trope accidentally with the character of GIR, a RobotBuddy at [[TheDitz extreme levels of stupidity]]. Intended to be merely an idiot hedonist, he was seen as one of the nicer characters in the series, and an entire episode was dedicated to sticking him in "duty mode," which had the result of making him several times more evil than [[KillAllHumans Zim himself]]. It didn't stick. Played more straight with Keef, who's completely oblivious to the fact that Zim doesn't like him, but one of the only nice kids at Skool.

** The episode "Patrick SmartPants" has TheDitz Patrick [[FlowersForAlgernonSyndrome accidentally become smart]], then quickly turn into an InsufferableGenius who eventually becomes miserable because he can no longer relate to his dumb friend [=SpongeBob=]. So, he becomes an idiot again and is ecstatic. This is presented as an unequivocally good thing.

* ''LightNovel/MyNextLifeAsAVillainessAllRoutesLeadToDoom'':
** Zig-zagged by Catarina Claes. The original villainous version from the DatingSim ''Fortune Lover'' was implied to be an unintelligent, impulsive RichBitch who wasn't given to deep plots, while the Japanese schoolgirl who reincarnated into her is so friendly and empathic that her classmates nicknamed her "Lady Saint" (Saint-sama)...but she's still not the sharpest knife in the drawer. Humorously, at one point in the story a group of girls accuses her of being a bully (like the original Catarina), only for her best friends to defend her by arguing that she's ''too dense'' to have pulled off the complex crimes they're accusing her of committing. Catarina, who's actually in the room while this is happening, is glad that her friends are sticking up for her but [[NotHelpingYourCase is too dense to realize they're insulting her]].

** This comes up more in the spin-off ''On the Verge of Doom''. Catarina regains her memories years later, after she's already been a spoiled brat and a bully for over a decade. Gerald is willing to believe her HeelFaceTurn simply because she's too stupid to keep up an act for long.

* Every member of the titular team in ''Film/GuardiansOfTheGalaxy'' (in addition to most of the characters, assuming they're not [[BlackAndGrayMorality outright evil]]) is a quintessential JerkWithAHeartOfGold, to the point where the movie feels like a deliberate exercise in finding as many unique ways to execute the trope as possible... with the exception of Groot -- by far the nicest member of the team and easily the [[DumbMuscle stupidest.]] It doesn't stop him from aiding in their often-excessive acts of violence, but he's so happy-go-lucky about it half the time that it almost feels like he's just ''too dumb'' to even process the morality of his actions.

* Technically, Daryl Dixon from ''Series/TheWalkingDead''. Daryl's a redneck who never had a job, a life of his own, or even a high school education. However, he would become a badass OneManArmy in the zombie apocalypse who'd heroically help other survivors out of the goodness of his heart and protect his TrueCompanions with his life. Despite his lack of social skills and higher education, he is one of the most hardcore heroes on the show and [[TheHero Rick's]] entrusted [[TheLancer second-in-command]].

[[folder:Web Comics]]
* This is played with, though not directly touched upon in ''WebComic/EightBitTheater''. Of the four protagonists, three are self-serving rogues who are often committing or willing to commit actions far worse than most of their antagonists. The only character who could conceivably be called a hero is the one oblivious enough not to realize that his companions are incapable of altruism and that their schemes are often evil. However, it should be noted that he is sometimes shown to be a GeniusDitz and the other members aren't really that smart either.

* ''LightNovel/{{Baccano}}'''s [[IdiotHero Firo Prochainezo]] [[InvokedTrope deliberately invokes]] this in the LightNovels when he assures Ennis that she can trust him because "[he's] stupid, and that's all there is to it." Additionally, Isaac and Miria are probably the nicest characters in the series. They are also indisputably the ''[[TheDitz dumbest]]''.
* Akihisa Yoshi from ''LightNovel/BakaAndTestSummonTheBeasts'' is the baka (read: idiot) of the title, but what he lacks in brain cells he makes up for in heart. Only he would think stealing back his confiscated stuff from a teacher in order to pawn them off to buy a little girl a stuffed animal for her sister would be a good idea. His dumbness infuriates his female friends but his pure actions and motives unwittingly win him their hearts.

* ''LightNovel/MyNextLifeAsAVillainessAllRoutesLeadToDoom'':
** Zig-zagged by Catarina Claes. The original villainous version from the DatingSim ''Fortune Lover'' was implied to be an unintelligent, impulsive RichBitch who wasn't given to deep plots, while the Japanese schoolgirl who reincarnated into her is so friendly and empathic that her classmates nicknamed her "Lady Saint" (Saint-sama)...but she's still not the sharpest knife in the drawer. Humorously, at one point in the story a group of girls accuses her of being a bully (like the original Catarina), only for her best friends to defend her by arguing that she's ''too dense'' to have pulled off the complex crimes they're accusing her of committing. Catarina, who's actually in the room while this is happening, is glad that her friends are sticking up for her but [[NotHelpingYourCase is too dense to realize they're insulting her]].
--->'''Catarina''': What's going on? I think they're helping me, but at the same time I feel insulted.
** This comes up more in the spin-off ''On the Verge of Doom''. Catarina regains her memories years later, after she's already been a spoiled brat and a bully for over a decade. Gerald is willing to believe her HeelFaceTurn simply because she's too stupid to keep up an act for long.

* Gourry Gabriev from ''LightNovel/{{Slayers}}'' is definitely ''not'' the sharpest knife in the drawer (a fact alluded to on numerous occasions) yet he comes off as just about the most easygoing, honest, and unobtrusive member of the permanent cast, especially the infinitely smarter but infinitely more jerkish Lina. In the original novels he was actually very much a DeadpanSnarker, and it was ObfuscatingStupidity, which he did mostly because it was funnier that way.

* The titular character of Manga/{{Yotsuba}} isn't stupid for a 5-year-old child. But there's a very large number of things she doesn't know, and she's very good by any definition.

* The original page quote was a "No one likes the smartest kid in the class" line from ''Series/TheWestWing.'' Regardless, Creator/AaronSorkin does not so much subvert the trope as reject it, shoot it, string it upside down from a lamp post and spit on it. Much of Seasons 3 and 4 witness President Bartlet and his staff rejecting anti-intellectualism and extolling the virtues of education and intelligence. It's a measure of [[SturgeonsLaw what we normally see on TV]] that "extolling the virtues of education and intelligence" actually makes the show unique.

* ''Machinima/RedVsBlue''. None of the characters are ''incredibly'' smart, but Caboose, who is dumb as they come, is definitely the happiest of the bunch, as was once commented on by Church. Also, he seems to ''try'' to be helpful to his teammates, but, well, he's [[TheDitz Caboose]].

The smart character will be mean because he is arrogant and literally doesn't suffer fools gladly. In more sympathetic portrayals, the smart character is [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold good underneath]], but made [[GrumpyBear cynical]] and [[JadeColoredGlasses bitter]] by his keen intellect, which allows him to see that [[CrapsackWorld the world sucks]], or [[AwfulTruth their lives will]] [[YourDaysAreNumbered one day end]]. Inversely, the dumb character has no reason to be [[ThePollyanna continuously happy]], other than to provide a {{foil}} for the smart character, to show that being all smart all the time makes you [[InsufferableGenius unlikable]], miserable or both, and why would you choose to be that way if ignorance is bliss?

* ''Series/AllInTheFamily'' loved to play around with it: At first, the [[BookDumb somewhat ignorant]] Archie is [[GrumpyBear decidedly cynic]] and rude, while his intellectual son-in-law Mike is very idealistic and nice. But as the show progressed, we see that Archie [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold is not as abrasive as he seems]], as well the "Meathead" proves that he's [[ItsAllAboutMe rather selfish]] [[{{Hypocrite}} and condescending]] towards the same minorities he supposedly supports.

* The ''ComicBook/IncredibleHulk'' is usually TheHero or at least an AntiHero. DependingOnTheWriter, he is near mindless or at least has a childlike mentality. His main villain is an EvilGenius named ''The Leader'' who has super intelligence. Likewise in ComicBook/UltimateMarvel, Hulk defeats Abomination because the latter "thinks too much."

* In ''Film/UnTaxiPourTobrouk'' some French soldiers are stranded in a desert. The most intellectual guys want to sit and wait for death (averting a painful desperate walk) while the two most simple minded ones leave them and walk. They eventually join them, as one notices that (paraphrasing) "two sitting intellectuals won't go as far as one walking brute". The dumb ones are proved right when they find a German car with water.

* Played with in ''Series/ItsAlwaysSunnyInPhiladelphia''. Within the gang, it's played straight. [[IvyLeagueForEveryone Dennis is the most well-educated member of the group]]. He's the most manipulative (tied with Frank) and is implied to be TheSociopath, a rapist, [[IncestSubtext attracted to his sister]], and a SerialKiller. Illiterate [[GeniusDitz Charlie]] is the least selfish person in the gang and [[BatmanGambit his most villainous moments make him seem more intelligent]]. However ,this is only true within the gang ,as the gang themselves are both stupid and bad people. [[InvertedTrope Others are shown to be both smarter and morally superior]].

* ''WesternAnimation/TheAmazingWorldOfGumball'': While Richard Watterson is stupid to a painful degree, and his sons Gumball and Darwin are mostly bratty, they're all usually the well-intentioned heroes of the series who try to do what's right and bring justice to their neighborhood... [[AntiHero most of the time.]]

* ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants'': The episode "Patrick SmartPants" has TheDitz Patrick [[FlowersForAlgernonSyndrome accidentally become smart]], then quickly turn into an InsufferableGenius who eventually becomes miserable because he can no longer relate to his dumb friend [=SpongeBob=]. So he becomes an idiot again and is ecstatic. This is presented as an unequivocally good thing.

* ''WesternAnimation/ThePowerpuffGirls'': Averted this with Mojo Jojo. Though he claimed he played it straight to guilt Professor Utonium into giving him superpowers, the Professor remembered that Mojo was ''always'' a destructive little monster. The Professor even claims that Mojo hasn't changed a bit since the first thing Mojo did with his new powers was to go on a rampage in the Professor's lab.

** In later ''Scooby-Doo'' productions (sans [[WesternAnimation/BeCoolScoobyDoo one]], Fred had become this, becoming a massive Cloudcuckoolander but retaining his politeness and likeability.

* ''WesternAnimation/PinkyAndTheBrain'': Pinky being [[TheDitz the dumb]] but nice and happy one, while Brain being a super-genius hellbent on taking over the world. This is played with when Brain makes Pinky intelligent and, finding out that an intelligent Pinky is actually smarter than him, comes to realize he is the reason they always fail (proved mathematically no less) and reduces his own intelligence. The subversion is that Pinky is still happy, energetic, and full of "Narf" when he is intelligent while the Brain, though he does suddenly find rather silly things funny all of a sudden, retains his unhappy personality.

* ''WesternAnimation/ScoobyDooWhereAreYou'': Scooby-Doo and Shaggy are not exactly the smartest cookies in the Scooby snack box, but it's actually their foolishness that winds up with them capturing most of the ghosts they face.

* ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants'': The episode "Patrick Smartpants" has TheDitz Patrick [[FlowersForAlgernonSyndrome accidentally become smart]], then quickly turn into an InsufferableGenius who eventually becomes miserable because he can no longer relate to his dumb friend [=SpongeBob=]. So he becomes an idiot again and is ecstatic. This is presented as an unequivocally good thing.

* ''WesternAnimation/AquaTeenHungerForce'': An {{Inverted|Trope}} trope. While the genius characters aside from [[OnlySaneMan Frylock]] certainly aren't nice or sympathetic by any means [[KafkaKomedy being the kind of show this is]] the most malicious characters are also the stupidest. The few nice characters tend to be more intelligent than most of the cast. Played straight and subverted with [[TheDitz Meatwad]]. While generally [[KindheartedSimpleton dumb and nice]], he's only this way because of his place in the pecking order. [[DrunkWithPower When he gets any amount of power or leverage over someone]], he picks up the {{Jerkass}} ball ''very'' quickly.

* ''WesternAnimation/DextersLaboratory'': While Dexter is less of a {{Jerkass}} than rival genius Mandark, he is still high-strung, arrogant, and seems to have problems in regards to thinking ahead. In contrast, his older sister [=Dee Dee=] is usually much more cheerful, sensible (sometimes) and laid back, despite being something of a {{Cloudcuckoolander}}.

* The titular character in the comedy-drama ''Series/{{Derek}}'' is child-like and possibly autistic KindheartedSimpleton who his smarter but more cynical friends Hannah, Dougie and Kev envy him for his lack of malice and his idealistic view of the world.

* The titular character in the comedy-drama ''Series/{{Derek}}'' is child-like and possibly autistic and KindheartedSimpleton who his smarter but more unhappy friends Hannah, Dougie and Kev envy him for his lack of malice and for idealistic view of the world.

* The titular character in the comedy-drama ''Series/{{Derek}}'' is child-like and possibly autistic but he is KindheartedSimpleton who his smarter but more cynical friends Hannah, Dougie and Kev envy him for his lack of malice and idealistic view of the world.

* The titular character in the comedy-drama ''Series/{{Derek}}'' is child-like and possibly autistic but a friendly and kind natured person.

* The titular character in the comedy-drama ''Series/Derek'' is child-like and possibly autistic and not the but really a friendly and kind natured person.