History Main / SimpletonVoice

* ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants'': Patrick Star is one of the top examples in western animation; most probably first heard the stereotypical low-pitched, goofy-sounding dopey kind of voice associated with this trope from him. However, up until Season 9, the Japanese dub of the TV series[[note]]but not the first movie[[/note]] gave Patrick a high-pitched voice similar to Creator/MasakoNozawa's Goku.

** Peter Browngardt, aka Uncle Grandpa, makes a guest appearance in the Season 10 episode "Patrick's Coupon" as the Ice Cream King and used Uncle G's voice. The similarity between the voices is uncanny. In the German version, they brought back Patrick's original German voice to voice the Ice Cream King.

* Actor Creator/BillFagerbakke (who is quite intelligent, urbane, and friendly in person) has made a career out of this trope, and he does it by only very slightly exaggerating the way he naturally speaks. In addition to voicing Patrick Star in ''WesternAnimation/SpongebobSquarepants'', Broadway in ''WesternAnimation/{{Gargoyles}}'' and Bulkhead in ''WesternAnimation/TransformersAnimated'', Fagerbakke played Tom Cullen in the miniseries adaptation of Creator/StephenKing's ''Series/TheStand'' and Dauber on ''Series/{{Coach}}''; all of them had the "big dumb doofus" form of this trope.

[[folder:Radio]]

%%* Xu Zhu from ''VideoGame/DynastyWarriors''.

%%* Wade from ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoV''

%%* Lumpy from ''WebAnimation/HappyTreeFriends''.
* ''WebAnimation/HomestarRunner'': Strong Mad from speaks in an extremely exaggerated version of this trope, PlayedForLaughs. Most of his dialogue is nigh-unintelligible growls, but if you listen closely he ''is'' saying actual words... probably. Homestar Runner himself is a (somewhat) more subdued version of this trope.

%%* Jeffy from ''WebVideo/SuperMarioLogan''

* ''Film/TheNeverendingStoryIIIEscapeFromFantasia'': Falkor, who was a wise sage in the previous films and th original book, inexplicably TookALevelInDumbass in the third film and is now a bumbling moron with a [[WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants Patrick Star]] like voice.

%%* Falkor from ''Film/TheNeverendingStoryIIIEscapeFromFantasia''.

%%** Miho from Season 0.
* ''WebVideo/DragonBallAbridged'': Goku's voice is higher-pitched and more nasally than in the official dubs, in a nod to Masako Nozawa's voice in the original Japanese.
%%* Suzaku Kururugi of ''WebVideo/CodeMENT''.
%%* Red XIII is voiced this way in ''WebAnimation/FinalFantasyVIIMachinabridged''.

** Likewise, Broderick Crawford in the same film uses the rough-and-tumble "big dumb guy" version. Of course, [[TruthInTelevision Crawford really spoke like that]]...

%%* Pets, Aiku and inspector Kukeke from ''Wremja''.

%%* The Pakleds in ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration''.

* Subverted in ''Series/TheBigBangTheory'': Bernadette speaks with a high, nasal, squeaky DumbBlonde voice, but has a doctorate in Microbiology.
%%* Rom from ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine'' has one.
%%* ''Series/TheMuppetShow:''
%%** Lew Zealand has one, not because he's dumb, but rather a {{Cloudcuckoolander}}. He's also dumb, but it's not his main problem.
%%** Beauregard has one as well.

* Cat Valentine from ''Series/{{Victorious}}'' and ''Series/SamAndCat''. She originally started out with a more normal-sounding voice, but her voice got higher, slower and more baby-like as she became more ditzy.

%%* Gus the Mouse from Creator/{{Disney}}'s ''WesternAnimation/{{Cinderella}}''.
%%* Whale hunter's assistant from ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfTheTitanic'' and its sequel.

* This was lampshaded in Creator/JackieChan's ''Film/TheTuxedo''. Creator/JenniferLoveHewitt does a perfect impression of the BigBad's bimbo girlfriend's voice.
%%* Br'er Bear in ''Film/SongOfTheSouth''.
%%* In many adaptations of ''Literature/OfMiceAndMen'', Lenny is often portrayed like this.

%%* Nick in ''Film/ThirtyMinutesOrLess''.
%%* Sam in ''Film/IAmSam''.

* Creator/MiraSorvino played an rare ''low''-pitched female version of this in ''Film/RomyAndMichelesHighSchoolReunion'', adopting a deep but very feminine drawl that made her character seem very slow witted.
* Napoleon's low-pitched voice and his brother Kip's higher-pitched one in ''Film/NapoleonDynamite''.
%%* Singing Kangaroo from ''Film/BigDaddy'' talks in this kind of voice.

%%* On the [[SuddenlySpeaking few occasions]] [[WesternAnimation/TomAndJerry Tom]] spoke, it was this voice more often than not.
%%* Brain from ''WesternAnimation/TopCat''.

%%** Also Beaky Buzzard, and Junyor Bear, and Pete Puma, who incidentally were all voiced by Creator/StanFreberg.

%%* ''WesternAnimation/TheMightyB'': Penny.
%%* ''WesternAnimation/{{Motorcity}}'': Tooley.

%%* ''WesternAnimation/TheNutshack'': Jack.

%%* Big Billy of the Gangrene Gang from ''WesternAnimation/ThePowerpuffGirls'' he is easily the least intelligent member of the gang.

%%* Various minor ''[[WesternAnimation/TheRenAndStimpyShow Ren & Stimpy Show]]'' characters, such as Lump and Loaf. Not to mention Stimpy himself.

%%* Scooby Dum from ''WesternAnimation/ScoobyDoo''.

%%* Bebop and Rocksteady in the '80s ''[[WesternAnimation/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles1987 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles]]'' cartoon.

%%* ''WesternAnimation/AvengerPenguins'': Rocky.

%%* Music/RingoStarr from ''WesternAnimation/TheBeatles''. The actual Ringo wasn't happy about it ''at all''.

%%* Steve the NeatFreak boss from ''WesternAnimation/{{Bordertown}}''.

%%* ''WesternAnimation/TheClevelandShow'': Cleveland Jr.

%%** Jamie too.

%%* ''WesternAnimation/{{Freaktown}}'': Lenny is basically Beezy as a giant mantis (ironically Lenny's voice actor was Jimmy himself).

%%* ''WesternAnimation/HeathcliffAndTheCatillacCats'': Mungo.

* ''WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes'': Any character that parodies [[Literature/OfMiceAndMen Lennie Smalls]], such as [[AndCallHimGeorge Hugo the Abominable Snowman]] from "The Abominable Snow-Rabbit" and [[KindheartedSimpleton Benny the cat]] from "Hoppy-Go-Lucky" (who even calls Sylvester "George"). [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gKxrJQlSMXs Here is a compilation of such characters]].

** {{Invoked|Trope}} by Batman whenever he is being Bruce Wayne in public, to strengthen his cover as a useless rich guy. Bruce tends to downplay Batman's normal BadassBaritone and speak in a somewhat higher pitched and more cheerful voice, as well as using a much more simple vocabolary.

* ''WebVideo/DragonBallAbridged'': Goku's voice is higher-pitched and more nasally than in the official dubs, in a nod to Masako Nozawa's voice in the original Japanese.

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%%[[folder:Fan Works]]
%%* Sailor Venus of ''WebVideo/SailorMoonAbridged''.
%%* Tristan of ''WebVideo/YuGiOhTheAbridgedSeries''. But it does give him super strength!
%%** [[GentleGiant Zorc]] too.

%%* [[IdiotHero Goku]] and [[PsychopathicManchild Nappa]] speak this way in ''WebVideo/DragonBallAbridged'', as well as the Kanassan who gives Bardock the ability to see the future.

Very common for this kind of voice in animated works, because allegedly such an obvious characterization tool [[AnimationAgeGhetto that appeals to children]]. In UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfAnimation, this sort of voice was used a lot by characters who were a parody of Lennie from the film adaptation of ''Literature/OfMiceAndMen'' or to reference an [[{{Cloudcuckoolander}} goofball]] character.

** Harley Quinn spoke in the female variation, complete with a Jersey-like accent. In the episode "[[Recap/TheNewBatmanAdventuresE21MadLove Mad Love]]", it's revealed that before she was brainwashed by the Joker, her she spoke in a lower pitched voice and the accent was more subtle. Also subverted; not only can she switch to a deeper, un-accented voice at will (as shown in the episode, "The Man Who Killed Batman"), but she's actually highly intelligent, not only having been a psychologist before her brainwashing, but able to pull off a perfectly good and understated gem heist on her own. The implication is that she acts like this because the Joker ''prefers'' for her to act stupid.

** {{Invoked|Trope}} by Batman whenever he is being Bruce Wayne in public, to strengthen his cover as a RichIdiotWithNoDayJob. Bruce tends to downplay Batman's normal BadassBaritone and speak in a somewhat higher pitched and more cheerful voice, as well as using a much more simple vocabolary.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheFairlyOddParents'': Cosmo has an extremely high pitched voice. In fact, thanks to his {{Flanderisation}} from "goofy but smart" to "straight up idiot", his voice got progressively higher. In the original Oh Yeah! Cartoons shorts, he was pretty intelligent ( [[EarlyInstallmentWeirdness probably even smarter than WANDA]]) and had a deep and smooth voice. In first few seasons, when he was goofier and less intelligent, but not to terrible levels, he had higher voice, but it still had a natural tone to it. In later seasons, when he became TooDumbToLive, he has voice so high you would swear that either his [[TheOtherDarrin original voice actor got replaced]] or that his voice is digitally edited to sound like that.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheFairlyOddParents'': Cosmo has an extremely high pitched voice. In fact, thanks to his {{Flanderisation}} from "goofy but smart" to "straight up idiot", his voice got progressively higher. In the original Oh Yeah! Cartoons shorts, he was pretty intelligent ( [[EarlyInstallmentWeirdness probably even smarter than WANDA]] ) and had a deep and smooth voice. In first few seasons, when he was goofier and less intelligent, but not to terrible levels, he had higher voice, but it still had a natural tone to it. In later seasons, when he became TooDumbToLive, he has voice so high you would swear that either his [[TheOtherDarrin original voice actor got replaced]] or that his voice is digitally edited to sound like that.

A very common characteristic of {{Mooks}} and TheDitz, as well the MooseAreIdiots, DogsAreDumb, DumbDinos or a DoofyDodo characterization. Contrast UnintelligibleAccent.

* Caboose from ''WebAnimation/RedVsBlue''. Early episodes didn't have it, but Joel Heyman eventually got the voice to a "obvious moron" one, and the writing ramped up the character's stupidity as well. Joel also explained that Caboose speaks [[CutenessProximity like a human does so to a dog or cat, "only everything to him is an animal".]]

%%* The identically-sounding Runt and Ralph from ''WesternAnimation/{{Animaniacs}}''.

** {{Invoked|Trope}} by Batman whenever he is being Bruce Wrayne in public, to strengthen his cover as a RichIdiotWithNoDayJob. Bruce tends to downplay Batman's normal BadassBaritone and speak in a somewhat higher pitched and more cheerful voice, as well as using a much more simple vocabolary.

%%* Ed (single "d") and May from ''WesternAnimation/EdEddNEddy''.

%%* Falkor from ''Film/TheNeverendingStory III''.

%%* Brittany, from ''WesternAnimation/{{Daria}}''.
%%** And on the other end is Tiffany, the AsianAirhead of the Fashion Club, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uayPDYBH71w&NR=1 as seen here]].

%%* Stinky from ''WesternAnimation/HeyArnold'', but he's not a complete idiot, just comically awkward.

* ''WesternAnimation/PinkyAndTheBrain'': Pinky speaks in a heavy Cockney accent to emphasize his simplemindedness.

%%* ''WesternAnimation/RockosModernLife'': Heffer.

%%* ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog'':
%%** Big the Cat.
%%** Also Zomom from ''VideoGame/SonicLostWorld''.
%%* Mr Fossey from ''VideoGame/TheCurseOfMonkeyIsland''.

* Bear in the English dub of ''Anime/YoKaiWatch'', which makes scene considering what [[FatComicRelief what type of character he is]]. Also, his English voice actor is unknown at this time though.

When the character is male, generally expect a halting voice in the low registers, silly inflections in his voice, or else a high-pitched, nasally quavering, with most sentences beginning with the word 'duh'. When the character is female, expect a high-pitched nasally whine or an even higher-pitched squeak-fest. Often, characters with this voice will use poor grammar. Male characters often substitute the t or d sounds for the th sound, like saying "dat" for "that." A ValleyGirl accent helps for common, female ditzes. They may occasionally utter a StupidlyLongFillerSound, just to enhance [[WhoWouldBeStupidEnough their dimwitted nature]] at times.