History Main / DumbIsGood

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Up}}'': Dug is noticeably dumber than Muntz's other dogs. While Alpha, arguably the smartest of the pack, is a jerk and the other dogs are [[PunchClockVillain PunchClockVillains]], Dug immediately makes friends with strangers.

* Played with in ''WesternAnimation/RickAndMorty''. In the first two seasons, Rick is a genius and Morty is an idiot. Rick smacks Morty around and doesn't care about anyone else, while Morty is nice but weak and useless. In the episode ''Rickcounters of the Rick-kind'' we meet AlternateUniverse Doofus Rick, who is a nice person, and [[spoiler: Evil Morty, who seems to be much smarter than the other Morty's.]] In Season 3, Morty is shown becoming smarter as a result of his adventures with Rick, but also to be turning more cynical and less good.

* ''WesternAnimation/ScoobyDooWhereAreYou'': Scooby-Doo and Shaggy are not exactly the smartest cookies in the Scooby snack box, but they're very kindhearted and it's actually their foolishness that winds up with them capturing most of the ghosts the gang face.
** In later ''Scooby-Doo'' productions (sans [[WesternAnimation/BeCoolScoobyDoo one]]), Fred had become this, becoming a massive Cloudcuckoolander but retaining his politeness and likeability.

* Inverted in 'Series/MisterRogersNeighborhood'', albeit subtly. Despite his reputation as an anodyne kids show host, Mr. Rogers studied child development under Margaret McFarland at the University of Pittsburgh, and used what he learned in order to make one of the most developmentally appropriate children's shows on the air. From the use of transition scenes (the Trolley) to the frank discussion of emotions (which seems banal to adults, but is necessary for children so that they can begin to understand their own emotions and deal with them), Mister Rogers put his intelligence to use to serve children, rather than to sell them toys or junk food.

** One reason Goku isn't as violent as the rest of his race is because he suffered a severe head injury when he was a baby. So he's only a good guy due to head trauma. The villain from the Non-serial movie ''Anime/TheTreeOfMight'' [[EvilCounterpart Tullece]] is essentially a look at what kind of person Goku would have become [[ForWantOfANail if he hadn't cracked his skull]]. He's pretty much identical to Goku physically and shares similar love of food and drink, but he's an intelligent and utterly twisted villain.

* Another D&D example can be seen in the ''TabletopGame/{{Greyhawk}}'' setting, with the deity Saint Cuthbert, who champions the "StreetSmarts [[BookDumb over book-learning]]" variant of this trope, championing common sense, folk wisdom and practicality over education, which tends to be demonized as inherently wasteful. One of his holy books is even "The Parables of the Wise Fool", a series of fables in which a BookDumb but StreetSmart "fool" bests various KnowNothingKnowItAll types due to having good common sense and a practical mentality. The trope is zigzagged, though; Saint Cuthbert is quite plainly stated to be [[HolierThanThou self-righteous, arrogant, and convinced of his own superiority]], traits that have seen his CharacterAlignment fluctuate between [[HeroWithAnFInGood "seriously flawed"]] LawfulGood and WellIntentionedExtremist LawfulNeutral over the editions. His following is most common in the rural regions, where people are generally under-educated, and their reputation for both this trope and sharing their god's self-righteousness means that Cuthbertites have a reputation as "dumb, arrogant hicks" in cities.

* ''VideoGame/MasterDetectiveArchivesRainCode'': Fubuki Clockford is an absentminded UpperClassTwit, but is definitely the nicest character in the whole game, aside from the few moments where she's InnocentlyInsensitive, and that's not saying much considering the game is set in a [[WretchedHive crime-ridden]] {{dystopia}}.

* ''VideoGame/MasterDetectiveArchivesRainCode'': Fubuki Clockford is an absentminded UpperClassTwit, but is definitely the nicest character in the whole game, and that's not saying much considering the game is set in a [[WretchedHive crime-ridden]] {{dystopia}}.

* Often used by Creator/{{Chespirito}} with his characters. [[Series/ElChavoDelOcho El Chavo]], [[Series/ElChapulinColorado Chapulín]] and [[Series/{{Chespirito}} Chompiras]] are clearly dumb, but good. Averted with Dr. Chapatín, as a medical doctor is not dumb at all, and also averted with Chaparrón Bonaparte, he’s crazy, but not dumb and knows a lot of history ([[NapoleonDelusion the origin of his mad behaviors]]).

[[folder:Web comics]]

* The end of Chapter IV of the ''Literature/{{Confessions}}'' is a lament that all the knowledge, receptivity, and skill in the world is useless if one does not rest in God, making Augustine's ill-learned students far superior to their effortlessly genius, but prideful teacher.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Up}}'': Dug is noticeably dumber than Muntz's other dogs. While Alpha, apparently the smartest of the pack, is a jerk and the other dogs are [[PunchClockVillain PunchClockVillains]], Dug immediately makes friends with strangers.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Up}}'': Dug is noticeably dumber than Muntz's other dog. While Alpha is a jerk and the other dogs are [[PunchClockVillain PunchClockVillains]], Dug immediately makes friends with strangers.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Up}}'': Dug is noticeably stupider than all the other dogs, who can talk in complex sentences and even, in at least one case, cook. The dogs themselves are not that intelligent, but they're still smarter than Dug.

** Cohen and his 'horde' from ''Literature/InterestingTimes'' can't exactly be called smart (except for 'teach'), but they '''are''' extremely skilled fighters.

* Played with in ''Literature/DragonBones'': Ward pretends to be dumb so that his father will consider him harmless. He is actually very clever, but, in a subversion of Dumb Is Good, genuinely good.

* Inverted in Creator/LarryNiven's "Literature/NotLongBeforeTheEnd". The hero is a wise, intelligent sorcerer who happens to call himself "Warlock"; the villain is a barbarian with a magic sword.

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

* ''Anime/KillLaKill'': Mako Mankanshoku is quite dimwitted and airheaded but is overall the most kindhearted student in Honnouji Academy, especially displayed with her loyalty towards [[BruiserWithASoftCenter Ryuko]].