History WesternAnimation / Dilbert

* BlackmailIsAnUglyWord: In "The Knack", PHB tells his employees about a plan to pollute outer space, since the Earth is polluted beyond repair. However, he realizes that "polluting" has negative connotations, and prefers that he and his staff call it "advertising" with billboards in space.

* WouldBeRudeToSayGenocide: In "The Knack", PHB tells his employees about a plan to pollute outer space, since the Earth is polluted beyond repair. However, he realizes that "polluting" has negative connotations, and prefers that he and his staff call it "advertising" with billboards in space.

* WhoShotJFK: In "The Assistant," we learn that the assassination was carried out by the company Dilbert works for. They did it "to bring attention to [[spoiler:our line of pillbox hats]]."

--> '''Dilbert:''' People are basically good.

* ScienceRelatedMemeticDisorder: The Knack, "a rare condition characterized by an extreme intuition about all things mechanical and electrical...and utter social ineptitude," exemplified by Dilbert.

* ScienceRelatedMemeticDisorder: At a young age Dilbert was diagnosed with "The Knack," "a rare condition characterized by an extreme intuition about all things mechanical and electrical...and utter social ineptitude."

* ScienceRelatedMemeticDisorder: At a young age Dilbert was diagnosed with "The Knack," "a rare condition characterized by an extreme intuition about all things mechanical and electrical and utter social ineptitude."

--> '''Doctor''': No... he's going to be an engineer...\\

* SexySurfacingShot: Subverted in the first episode with the VP's story of how he got his EmbarrassingNickname. As a child he was swimming with his friends on a lake when [[SlipperySwimsuit he lost his swim-trunks]] to a turtle. He tried to stay under the water as long as he could, but was forced to surface from the water due to the cold and the kids promptly nicknamed him "[[EmbarrassingNickname Acorn]]", due to his TeenyWeenie.
* SidetrackedByTheAnalogy: The TropeNamer is in fine form here.
-->'''Pointy-Haired Boss:''' Well, there's no point in [[{{Malaproper}} killing a dead horse]].
-->'''Dilbert:''' You mean there's no point in beating a dead horse.
-->'''Pointy-Haired Boss:''' [[ComicallyMissingThePoint Why would anyone beat a dead horse?]]
-->'''Dilbert:''' Why would anyone ''kill'' a dead horse?
-->'''Pointy-Haired Boss:''' Maybe it kicked ya.
-->'''Dilbert:''' ''It's dead!''
* StrangeMindsThinkAlike: In "The Name," Dilbert has to come up for the name of a product that doesn't exist and hasn't been conceptualized in any way. His mother suggests "[[AdvancedTech2000 Gruntmaster 6000]]" apropos of nothing, explaining her logic by saying it's a name for "a stripped-down version of the Gruntmaster 9000." [[spoiler:With several other name possibilities shot down, Dilbert finally pitches "Gruntmaster 6000" in desperation, to which the CEO enthuses, "Less features than the Gruntmaster 9000 but just as fun!"]]

* HouseAmnesia: "The Knack" has a variant with Dilbert ordering Wally and Alice out of "his" cubicle only for Alice to remind him that it's hers. Unusually PlayedForDrama in that sense of direction is said to be "the first thing that goes when you lose the Knack."

* ChristmasEpisode: Parodied in "Holiday" where all popular holidays are merged into Dogbert Day, which uses the traditions of all holidays, but most of the ones shown are from Christmas (gift giving, "mall Dogberts") and Thanksgiving (giant parade).

* FictionalHoliday: Much of "Holiday" revolves around the celebration of Dogbert Day, which Dogbert manages to get signed into federal law as a replacement for all other holidays. Besides taking the salient features of those holidays (a parade, gift-giving and [[MallSanta mall Dogberts]]), it has its own set of traditions such as uncomfortable headgear, a feast of bald eagle, and a drum solo played on the skull with spoons (and, if the Pointy-Haired Boss is to be believed, a VirginSacrifice).

* ImColdSoCold: Used in the episode ''Holiday''. During the Dogbert Day parade, Dilberts obnoxious co-worker, the aptly named Dick, who has spent the entire episode making Dilbert even more miserable than usual, is crushed along with his equally obnoxious SUV by Dogberts giant parade float. As he lies in the wreckage, he utters this trope. Dilbert, who is watching the parade on TV with his mother, [[CrossesTheLineTwice remarks that the holidays are a magical season]].

* FlatEarthAtheist: The cold open of "Little People" has Dilbert and Dogbert arguing over the validity of evolution while watching a TV show about paleontologists claiming to have found the missing link. While Dilbert defends evolutionary theory, the show they're watching is more interested in dogma than in evidence; when a native turns up the vase that the "skull fragment" the scientists found is clearly broken off, one of the scientists simply breaks the vase.

* FlatEarthAtheist: The cold open of "Little People" has Dilbert and Dogbert arguing over the validity of evolution while watching a TV show about paleontologists claiming to have found the missing link. While Dilbert defends evolution, the show they're watching makes its case with strident dogmatism; when a native turns up the vase that the "skull fragment" they found is clearly broken off, a scientist simply breaks the vase.

* FlatEarthAtheist: The cold open of "Little People" has Dilbert and Dogbert arguing over the validity of evolution while watching a TV show about paleontologists claiming to have found the missing link. When a native turns up the vase that the "skull fragment" they found is clearly broken off, a scientist simply breaks the vase.

'''Dilbert''': He's ''always'' installing a puppet government when I need him!

* HouseAmnesia: A variant in "The Knack" with Dilbert ordering Wally and Alice out of "his" cubicle only for Alice to remind him that it's hers. Unusually PlayedForDrama in that sense of direction is said to be "the first thing that goes when you lose the Knack."

* HouseAmnesia: A variant in "The Knack" with Dilbert ordering Wally and Alice out of "his" cubicle only for Alice to remind him that it's hers. Unusually PlayedForDrama in that sense of direction is said to be "the first thing to go" when losing "the Knack."

* HoistByHisOwnPetard: Lena falls into her Depruner, which also includes a Decapitation feature: