History TheFool / WesternAnimation

* Wander from ''WesternAnimation/WanderOverYonder'' seems to at least be ''somewhat'' aware that Lord Hater is supposed to be a villain (probablly because [[OnlySaneMan Sylvia]] constantly reminds him). But whenever he finds him he always attempts to be nice and friendly to him and his minions, leading to accidentally thwarting his evil plans yet again.

** There's also Derpy Hooves, a wall-eyed background pony whose made out to be a clumsy, airheaded goof. Then she shows up at the Royal Wedding, attends the exclusive Grand Galloping Gala (in the VIP zone, no less), and is shown amongst an image of the Canterlot Elite. Airhead or not, she's clearly loaded or has some ''serious'' connections with nobility.

** [[GenkiGirl Pinkie Pie]] is pretty much the comic relief: quirky, airheaded, and totally laid back about life. Put her in front of all but the most obvious danger and she'll dance around without a care, and it's been hinted that, despite her natural baking skills, her mental instability makes her laughably bad at her job. On numerous occasions, however, Pinkie has calmly and efficiently danced right to the heart of whatever problem has occurred, sped personal development in others, or demonstrated [[GeniusDitz obscure knowledge]] that even the resident [[SmartGuy Smart Pony]] didn't know. After her brilliant solution to the [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS1E10SwarmOfTheCentury parasprite problem]], she stated that [[{{Cloudcuckoolander}} even she doesn’t really understand herself sometimes]]. Even then her methods are so bizarre they're self-defeating; for example the parasprites would have been stopped almost immediately if she had just told people what she knew instead of spending the whole episode hunting various instruments.

* Ron Stoppable from ''WesternAnimation/KimPossible'' has elements of this, notably the "blundering towards success" part. As he puts it, upon being called on his blundering: "Not dumb luck, Kim! Dumb ''skill''!"
** Just call it The Ron Factor!

* The eponymous character of ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants'' and his best friend Patrick sometimes qualify, especially in later seasons. No matter how many times they harass or torment Squidward or wreak havoc across town, they never receive LaserGuidedKarma for their actions and instead get the innocent framed. Even when they do, they're usually [[{{Unishment}} too naïve to realize the harshness of their punishments and instead view them as a fun game]].
* Dog from ''WesternAnimation/CatDog'' frequently [[TheMillstone causes multiple catastrophes]] and AmusingInjuries with his stupidity though more often than not fate is on his side and leaves him unscathed (and then punishes Cat twice as hard for the both of them).

* ''WesternAnimation/TheMarvelousMisadventuresOfFlapjack'': Flapjack is this with a light dose of AllLovingHero, as he once tried to make enemies to be a good adventurer, but failed spectacularly at every attempt. He only succeeds at the end, and even that is by accident. Plus, he considers his "enemy" to also be his [[VitriolicBestBuds best friend.]]
* ''WesternAnimation/InspectorGadget'' is definitely a poster boy for this trope, in particular whenever assassins are targeting his life directly. While some of his success (and survival) comes from [[BeleagueredAssistant Brain]] and [[SnoopingLittleKid Penny's]] heroic efforts, just as many of Gadget's oblivious victories spring from his endless fountain of slapsticky luck (ex. he calls for a certain gadget, but the wrong one comes out which then nails the bad guy—even funnier, the clueless inspector then ''apologizes'' for the mishap).
* Most of the "Golden Age" Creator/WarnerBros cartoons (WesternAnimation/BugsBunny et al.) embody this trope at some point. Generally speaking, the more "innocent" the character, the better it works.
* Cal of ''WesternAnimation/{{Undergrads}}'', who has more friends and more sex without trying than any of his friends combined when they ''do''. At the same time though he has a ''huge Hate Dom'' mostly from guys who he has stolen girlfriends from, who have actually ''started a website'' against him.
--> '''Gimpy:''' It appears to be stories from people who have come into contact with you. And hated it.
--> '''Cal:''' [[ComicallyMissingThePoint Wow, I've touched the lives of so many people.]] [[ShoutOut I'm like]] [[Series/TouchedByAnAngel Roma Downey!]]
--> '''Gimpy:''' Cal, this website is ''not'' a good thing! People hate you! A ''lot''!

* ''WesternAnimation/RockyAndBullwinkle'': Bullwinkle J. Moose is portrayed as a fool despite him starring in segments that intend to teach. In fact, when Boris used a gas to turn the whole world (including Bullwinkle's friend Rocky) into morons, Bullwinkle is the only one unaffected because he already is a moron.
* ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'':
** [[GenkiGirl Pinkie Pie]] is pretty much the comic relief: quirky, airheaded, and totally laid back about life. Put her in front of all but the most obvious danger and she'll dance around without a care, and it's been hinted that, despite her natural baking skills, her mental instability makes her laughably bad at her job. On numerous occasions, however, Pinkie has calmly and efficiently danced right to the heart of whatever problem has occurred, sped personal development in others, or demonstrated [[GeniusDitz obscure knowledge]] that even the resident [[SmartGuy Smart Pony]] didn't know. After her brilliant solution to the [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS1E10SwarmOfTheCentury parasprite problem]], she stated that [[{{Cloudcuckoolander}} even she doesn’t really understand herself sometimes]]. Even then her methods are so bizarre they're self-defeating; for example the parasprites would have been stopped almost immediately if she had just told people what she knew instead of spending the whole episode hunting various instruments.
** There's also Derpy Hooves, a wall-eyed background pony whose made out to be a clumsy, airheaded goof. Then she shows up at the Royal Wedding, attends the exclusive Grand Galloping Gala (in the VIP zone, no less), and is shown amongst an image of the Canterlot Elite. Airhead or not, she's clearly loaded or has some ''serious'' connections with nobility.
* Charlotte in ''WesternAnimation/MakingFiends''. Cheerfully oblivious to the fact that her "friend" Vendetta is trying to kill her with an army of toothy, vicious monsters who have the entire town they live in terrified into submission, she usually ends up [[FluffyTamer befriending the fiends as well]], and even keeps one as a pet.
* Aang from ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender''. In the beginning, he's young, naive, and playful, and seems to win fights partly out of a feeling that he can't imagine losing. And like The Fool from the tarot card, he's definitely willing to jump off a cliff, but figuratively and literally (he ''can'' fly, after all). He's lost this somewhat by the end of the series, having had to deal with the losses and suffering he's caused, and having to contemplate the choices he must make for the world.
* Rufus and Amberley of ''WesternAnimation/TheDreamstone'' often acted as inept kids in stopping the Urpneys. Nearly everytime however they were handed the victory with barely a hair out of place, either due to the Urpneys own bumbling or some ContrivedCoincidence.
* Norb of ''WesternAnimation/TheAngryBeavers'' plays with this, while he does have ButtMonkey moments, he is far less often at the brunt of things than Daggett, and sometimes in a very close or contrived manner. This was even Lampshaded in an episode where he and Dag switch roles and Dag notes he (seemingly) avoided a painful injury just like he usually does.
* ''WesternAnimation/JimmyTwoShoes'' sometimes acts as the fool when he's not playing the OnlySaneMan. In ''Lucius Lost'', Lucius divides an island into his side and Jimmy's side, saying everything on his side is his and everything on Jimmy's side is Jimmy's, when Jimmy immediately finds a buried treasure chest on his side. Lucius then steals the chest, only for a bunch of pirates to show up and demand their treasure back. Lucius then tells them Jimmy found it, and they thank Jimmy because they'd forgotten where they'd left it.
%%* Peri and Entree of ''WesternAnimation/{{Spliced}}'' have this in spades.

%%* Trevor of ''WesternAnimation/{{Sidekick}}'' acts like this in almost every episode. Eric sometimes acts like it too, but not as consistently.
* ''WesternAnimation/JohnnyTest'' becomes this in 'Johnny & Dark Vegan's Battle Brawl Mania', too concerned with cheering up pet mutant lizard Repto-Slicer to notice Dark Vegan's attempts to kill him. Vegan is outraged to learn that Johnny was completely unaware when he proposes a truce.
* WesternAnimation/HongKongPhooey is similar to Inspector Gadget in that he bumbles around defeating villains through either dumb luck or [[HypercompetentSidekick Spot's]] efforts. He never notices and thinks he beat the bad guys with his martial arts skills alone.
* ''WesternAnimation/MrBogus'' often shows shades of this. Even though he is classified as a {{Cloudcuckoolander}} CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass, the original claymation shorts depicted him as bumbling around in doing everyday chores around the house.
* In a world as strange and inconsistent as ''WesternAnimation/TwelveOunceMouse'', the Peanut Cop always comes off as particularly [[TheStoner oblivious]]. In spite, or perhaps because, of this he is often provides crucial (unintended) aid to the heroes.

* ''WesternAnimation/MrMagoo'' only survives his {{Blind Mistake}}s by sheer luck.
* ''WesternAnimation/DangerMouse'': Ernest Penfold isn't called the world's worst assistant for nothing.

* WesternAnimation/CoolMcCool is supposed to defeat the supervillains with his skills and gadgets, but usually wins only by dumb luck. He lampshades it somewhat during one of the bridging sequences.

* Bradley is ''WesternAnimation/StickinAround''[='s=] signature fool, mainly due to his interests and general personality. How he is Stacy's BlackBestFriend is beyond anyone's interpretation.

* The eponymous character of ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants'' and his best friend Patrick sometimes classifu, especially in later seasons. No matter how many times they harasses or torment Squidward or wreak havoc across town, they never receive LaserGuidedKarma for their actions and instead get the innocent framed. Even when they do, they're usually [[{{Unishment}} too naïve to realize the harshness of their punishments and instead view them as a fun game]].

** Homer Simpson. In the episode "Homer Defined," Homer's accidental prevention of a meltdown at the nuclear plant inspires the phrase "to pull a Homer," meaning "to succeed despite idiocy."

* The eponymous character of ''WesternAnimation/SpongebobSquarepants'' sometimes classifies, especially in later seasons.
** Patrick Star as well.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheMarvelousMisadventuresOfFlapjack'': Flapjack is this with a light dose of AllLovingHero , as he once tried to make enemies to be a good adventurer, but failed spectacularly at every attempt. He only succeeds at the end, and even that is by accident. Plus, he considers his "enemy" to also be his [[VitriolicBestBuds best friend.]]

* Peri and Entree of ''WesternAnimation/{{Spliced}}'' have this in spades.

* Trevor of ''WesternAnimation/{{Sidekick}}'' acts like this in almost every episode. Eric sometimes acts like it too, but not as consistently.

* Cal of ''WesternAnimation/{{Undergrads}}'', who has more friends and more sex without trying than any of his friends combined when they ''do''. At the same time though he has a ''huge HateDom'' mostly from guys who he has stolen girlfriends from, who have actually ''started a website'' against him.

* Mikey Simon from ''KappaMikey'' is this trope in a highly concentrated form.