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7ObfuscatingStupidity in WesternAnimation.
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10* ''WesternAnimation/TheAmazingWorldOfGumball'' has Sussie, who is often regarded as [[{{Cloudcuckoolander}} the weirdest person in all of Elmore]] ([[{{Cloudcuckooland}} which is saying a lot]]). Despite this, there have been times that show that [[WiseBeyondHerYears she’s surprisingly wise,]] such as “The Question,” and “The Weirdo.” “The Weirdo,” also reveals that the reason that she acts so foolish all the time is because it’s simply what she enjoys and how she wants to live her life.
11* ''WesternAnimation/AmericanDad'':
12** Steve's friend Barry is generally seen as a very unintelligent individual, but in some episodes he is shown to be very good with mechanics. When asked about this, he replies that he doesn't know how he did it. Another episode reveals that he isn't as stupid as he seems: he is actually a very intelligent psychopath who takes pills to control his sadistic impulses. Afterwards, Barry would become the subject of a RunningGag, in which he says disturbing things at random moments, implying that his evil side is just pretending to be his medicated self.
13** Francine is often shown giving basic answers to complicated issues and spouting [[NonSequitur non sequiturs]] at the most inappropriate moments, but she's also shown signs of brilliance. She's a natural at pretty much any form of business, and has almost always been right in arguments against Stan, although that isn't really saying much. She did, however, lead an entire handicapped mafia to their deaths.
14** [[InvertedTrope Inverted]] in the episode "The Long Bomb," in which [[spoiler:arena football player Johnny Concussion fakes his own death and hatches a plot to steal his jersey back from the owner of the Bazooka Sharks after he was kicked from the team due to his numerous head injuries. He disguises himself as a goateed criminal mastermind who speaks eloquently, even though Johnny's normal speech has been noticeably slowed by his concussions.]]
15* ''WesternAnimation/AmericanDragonJakeLong'' has Spud ([[ThemeNaming an apt name]], considering his displayed personality). Spud is very much a {{Cloudcuckoolander}}, but once, when tricked into doing an aptitude test, he gets a perfect score and is sent to a private school for geniuses, where he also is far smarter than any of ''those'' people too. Spud explains that he deliberately plays up his goofier tendencies because he doesn't want the pressure and expectations that would come from people knowing he's a genius. Heck, his genius was foreshadowed by the fact that he went out of his way to invent a "Stacey Tracker" in the first episode of Season 2. He'd rather enjoy life as an easy-going goof.
16* ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'':
17** It's unknown exactly which parts of Bumi's behavior are ObfuscatingStupidity and which (if any, or all) are genuine weirdness. The only thing we do know is there's enough ObfuscatingStupidity for him to really be a ripped and awesome earthbender.
18** Iroh, top to bottom. Looking at the polite old man, you'd never imagine he'd once held the last bastion of resistance to the fire nation in slowly constricting grip. Almost everything he says in adverse situations is well-obfuscated, extremely polite [[DeadpanSnarker deadpan snark]]. Also, when he was imprisoned in Book Three, he pretended to be [[ObfuscatingInsanity insane]] while [[PrisonsAreGymnasiums secretly doing exercises]] in his cell so that, after a while, all of his fat appears to have been replaced with sheer badass muscle.
19** [[TheDragon Princess Azula]] pulls a [[DownplayedTrope downplayed]] version of this this on Long Feng in her plan to take over Ba Sing Se, knowing that he'll betray her when the takeover is complete. She doesn't let him see an idiot, but a teenage princess who appears to be in way over her head. He falls for it and, when he does try to betray her, is completely taken aback at [[MagnificentBastard her ruthlessness and cunning once she turns the tables on him.]]
20* ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries'':
21** Harleen Quinzel may seem to be just another dumb blonde, but before she embarked on a life of crime, she was a psychiatrist at Arkham Asylum. The few times she's not speaking "in character", she speaks with what is arguably a refined English accent, suggesting that she came from "good breeding". Among other things she's done that suggest that she's smarter than your average bear, she has gone toe to toe with Mercy, Lex Luthor's highly trained bodyguard/personal assassin, in hand-to-hand combat on repeated occasions, eventually coming out ahead (well, Quinn was able to walk away, even in handcuffs, Mercy wound up in a hospital bed). She also, upon seeing that Joker was really depressed on one occasion, came up with a plan to capture Batman, and then go that extra mile and actually successfully execute it so effectively that Batman's only way out was to exploit [[MadLove Harley's]] and [[TheOnlyOneAllowedToDefeatYou the Joker's]] psychological issues. Harley ''does'' still have her eccentricities though, and it can be hard to deduce just how smart (or dumb, or ''insane'') she really is. She summed it up best herself:
22--->'''Harley:''' Ha! And here you thought I was just another bubble-headed blond bimbo. Well, the joke's on you, I'm not even a real blonde!
23** Batman/Bruce Wayne does this whenever he encounters his enemies out of costume. His act is so successful that when Hugo Strange discovers his secret and tries to tell some of his other enemies, they dismiss the idea as absurd. As an old man in ''WesternAnimation/BatmanBeyond'', he was not above pretending to be a bit senile.
24* It is implied in ''WesternAnimation/Ben10UltimateAlien'' that the titular character was doing this to some extent throughout the [[WesternAnimation/Ben10 original series]] in order to cope with suddenly having to deal with interstellar and supernatural threats on a daily basis as a ten-year-old boy.
25* ''WesternAnimation/BobbysWorld'' played with this from time to time. While Bobby was, for the most part, genuinely naive, there were times when he would overplay it to cause problems for Derek or Kelly, while appearing innocent. One notable example was when he repeated everything Kelly had said about her ex-boyfriend (who she still liked), in front of said ex-boyfriend (who had come to apologize after their fight), while pretending to not know what it meant (needless to say, he ceased to be apologetic).
26* Sarah Lynn in ''WesternAnimation/BojackHorseman''. She tends to act mostly like a deranged drunken lunatic with little understanding of the world, but she uses this as a shield to protect herself from people who extort her. She also has a passion for architecture and is quite knowledgeable on the subject. Her mother however forces her to be a pop star against Sarah Lynn’s will, so she turns to alcohol and drugs to cope with having a lifestyle she never wanted or asked for.
27* This was WesternAnimation/BugsBunny's strategy in ''WesternAnimation/BarbaryCoastBunny''. After Nasty Canasta stole his gold, Bugs the KarmicTrickster pretends to be a hopelessly naive hayseed during his visit to Canasta's casino. He promptly bankrupts it by effortlessly winning big at ''every'' game of chance.
28* Clam from ''WesternAnimation/CampLazlo'' is a CloudCuckooLander complete with SimpletonVoice, but starting with Season 1's "Prodigious Clamus" and onward, this trope has become one of his primary character traits. To elaborate, he paints a perfect replica of the Mona Lisa in a matter of seconds and plays an entire symphony by blowing a bottle in the aforementioned episode. In another episode, he builds an enormous, perfectly functioning segway-like vehicle from a massive tree trunk complete with steering handles in a few minutes.
29* ''WesternAnimation/CodenameKidsNextDoor'': Implied sometimes with [[AsianAirhead Numbuh Three]], before being confirmed by WordOfGod that [[StepfordSmiler she does so to avoid being depressed]].
30* Quinn Morgendorffer (''WesternAnimation/{{Daria}}'') is a canonical example of the fake-ditz variant. However, it is implied through the series that she hid her intelligence even from herself, for fear of emulating her perpetually unpopular yet brilliant sister Daria.
31* In ''WesternAnimation/{{Detentionaire}}'', [[spoiler:Steve]] pretends to be bad at math so that Greta, who he has a crush on, will tutor him.
32* ''WesternAnimation/{{Doug}}'': Doug's friend Skeeter is shown to mostly come off as a ditz pretty often, but in the episode "Doug's Brainy Buddy", he gets a perfect score of 1,000 in the intelligence test, not even knowing it was a test to begin with. If that isn't enough, he is revealed to be quite well read, much to Doug's surprise. His intelligence, as a result, prompts him to transfer to college, which he later turns down due to not being able to air guitar and the college students smoking there as well.
33* In ''WesternAnimation/DragonsRaceToTheEdge'', It is revealed at the end of the fifth season that [[spoiler:Trader Johann]] had been [[EvilAllAlong evil all along]]. In all previous appearances, he plays the role of a simpleton and a [[TheFool fool]] who doesn't seem to be able to shut up once he gets going. No one ever takes him seriously, even when he does things that would be seen as malicious had anyone else been the one to do it. The idea that he could be a [[DiabolicalMastermind mastermind]] and a [[TheChessmaster chessmaster]] is inconceivable. It's only after he reveals himself to [[Characters/HowToTrainYourDragonFilmsHiccupHorrendousHaddockIII Hiccup]] that the Dragon Riders are able to connect the dots.
34* Cosmo from ''WesternAnimation/TheFairlyOddParents'' is hinted at to be this. Multiple times, in fact. Cosmo was actually the more intelligent one at the very beginning of the series' run. He sometimes has random bouts of intelligence seemingly from nowhere, only to immediately follow it with another stupid moment.
35* ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'':
36** Actress Lauren Conrad is depicted as a closeted genius who, among other things, ''created a real-life [[Film/StarTrekIITheWrathOfKhan Genesis project]]''. She wants to keep her intelligence a secret because "America doesn't like smart people," which is why UsefulNotes/GeorgeWBush got elected twice.
37** When Cleveland tries to be an unlicensed psychiatrist, he posits that Adam West is faking his lovable insanity in order to hide his actual, homocidal insanity. West's response indicates Cleveland was correct.
38* Madame Foster from ''WesternAnimation/FostersHomeForImaginaryFriends'' uses her (partially faked) senility to hide how canny she can sometimes be.
39* In ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'' it's hinted that Amy might be doing this. She is an engineering student (though in one DVD commentary, the writers admitted that they'd completely forgotten that), so maybe she's a GeniusDitz. It was confirmed in "That Darn Katz". Amy came up with an idea to use the Earth's rotation to generate energy for her thesis so she could finally get her doctorate. She had spent the night before drinking and having sex with Kif and went into the exam in her underwear.
40** Nibbler, who hides his hyper-intelligence with a mask of ultra-stupidity and a tendency towards doing cute things. [[spoiler: He was rather pissed when he later found out that he forgot to erase their memories after his recent escapades, but no one pointed this out to him because they found his antics adorable. He'd been intentionally doing stupid things and was very embarrassed after the revelation.]]
41* An episode of ''WesternAnimation/GarfieldAndFriends'' has Garfield pretending to be an idiot in order to get back some money another cat stole from Odie, and Garfield uses play money to bribe the other cat into giving the money back.
42* The DarkerAndEdgier ''WesternAnimation/GIJoeResolute'' premiere has Cobra Commander stating he was pulling this trope in earlier series, but it didn't work so he's dropping the disguise and getting serious. It's notable that Cobra Commander kills a lot more people and is much less tolerant of his subordinates attempting to pull crap on him, but otherwise acts just as bonkers as his previous 1980s incarnation. This version was certainly GenreSavvy enough to have backups for ''both'' the super weapon and communication jammer, and a bomb shelter that can [[spoiler:resist a blast from said super weapon]]. He is still surrounded by incompetents who went to the [[ImperialStormtrooperMarksmanshipAcademy Stormtrooper Academy for Accuracy]] or mouthy psychotics like Zartan and Storm Shadow. They only failed because GI Joe were slightly more competent and accurate. It's quite a different kind of bonkers though; in the old cartoons he'd have some idiotic plot to rule the world by rigging a mayoral election or tricking some rich old man into marrying TheBaroness using mind control perfume. In ''Resolute''? [[AxCrazy He destroys Moscow without warning and hacks his own troops apart]].\
43Although this is crossing into comic book territory, it should be noted that Cobra Commander's original comic book persona...predating even [[WesternAnimation/GIJoeARealAmericanHero the original cartoon]]...was ruthless and crazy since the beginning. From secretly brainwashing his own high command in case they turned on him, to managing a Cobra that actually manages to kill more than a couple of established GI Joes, to even killing his own son Billy in later comics...it's easy to see why the Sunbow cartoon had to tone him down into the bumbling fool we all knew and loved as kids. You don't mess around with Cobra Commander in the comics! As ''Resolute'' attempted to go back to his original persona more, the speech about pretending to be a bumbler could be considered something of a [[FourthWall nod]] to this extreme difference.
44* Downplayed, then [[spoiler: DoubleSubverted [[DidYouJustScamCthulhu after formulating a plan]] [[MagnificentBastard to trick Bill]]]] with Grunkle Stan of ''WesternAnimation/GravityFalls''. He's not particularly intelligent at first appearance, ultimately just playing on the gullibility of a town that virtually any outsider can outsmart, but he is obfuscating his awareness of the town's weirdness, and the viewers are more than aware of this thanks to the ''very first'' episode's ending implying that he has some dangerous secrets of his own. However, the rest of the characters don't know this, and he's presented as being totally clueless to the various supernatural occurrences happening around him throughout Season 1, even when he personally experiences them. He ''admits'' it was a deliberate act by Season 2, explaining that he hoped his obfuscating stupidity would deter the kids from investigating the town's strangeness themselves, but even then, the other characters remain in the dark about his secret project and how much he actually knows until "Not What He Seems".
45--> (from "Scary-oke" after Dipper accidently [[spoiler: raises the dead]]
46-->'''Dipper''': (sheepishly) "Well, least you can't deny magic exists anymore, right?"\
47{{Beat}}\
48'''Stan''': "[[WhamLine Kid, I've always known.]]"\
49'''Dipper''': "Wait, ''what are you talking about?''"\
50'''Stan''': "I'm not an idiot Dipper! Of course this town's weird! And the one thing I know about that weirdness is that it's ''Dangerous!''"\
51'''Stan''': "... I've been lying about it to try and keep you ''away'' from it! To try to protect you from it!"
52** Subverted with [[spoiler: Old Man [=McGucket=]]]. In "The Society of the Blind Eye", Dipper concludes that [[spoiler: the crazy guy is the Author, and his insanity is a cover. It turns his insanity is not only genuine, but an unintentional and self-inflicted side-effect of trying to forget what he learned while working with the actual Author]].
53** Nathaniel Northwest, Gravity Falls' town founder (or at least, that's what the historical records say to cover up the embarrassment that was Quentin Trembley) was described as an idiot who died eating tree bark in an attempt to prove he was a wizard. However, flashbacks show him to be a shrewd but cruel man who amassed a fortune through the ruthless manipulation and exploitation of others. It's possible his degeneration into insanity happened later in life.
54* In ''WesternAnimation/TheGrimAdventuresOfBillyAndMandy'', a new kid named Bobby takes over Billy's position as the stupid kid because everyone was sick of Billy. As it turns out, Bobby is only pretending to be stupid in order to replace him at his household.
55* Prince Adam does this in ''WesternAnimation/HeManAndTheMastersOfTheUniverse1983''. He puts on a lazy, clumsy, cowardly, combat-incompetent rich kid act to help erase any suspicions that he might be He-Man. Every so often, however, he reveals a tremendous depth of knowledge on Eternia's ancient cultures and science, he's been able to use his intellect to defeat bad guys when even He-Man's strength had failed, and with one notable exception that saw his father get kidnapped, when he is forced to play the hero as Prince Adam instead of He-Man he can be surprisingly effective.
56* In ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeague Unlimited'', the Question's conspiracy nut persona is probably an act. At the very least, he isn't entirely imagining things, or having delusions of grandeur about his ability to gather info - this is highlighted by the fact that ''Batman'' asks him to ferret out a link between Cadmus and Luthor. When he [[spoiler:attempts to assassinate Luthor to stop Superman from doing so]], he notes that the Justice League's reputation will survive this [[ThouShaltNotKill otherwise unconscionable action]] because he is, in his words, "a well-known crackpot".
57** He then proceeds to spout conspiracy theories in response to every question he's asked under torture, in a more amusing equivalent to a soldier's 'Name, Rank, and Serial Number.'
58** Franchise/TheFlash did it first, though it wasn't really expanded upon until the ''Unlimited'' episode ''Flash and Substance,'' where he demonstrated that his happy-go-lucky persona hid a hero who was, perhaps, even more in control of his home city than Batman, all the more impressive because he achieves it all with a smile.
59* ''WesternAnimation/{{Kaeloo}}'': Kaeloo typically acts like a naive moron who has no understanding of the world around her, but is often suggested to secretly be a lot more clever than she lets on. This is confirmed in Episode 54 during a game of truth or dare, where Mr. Cat asks her if she really is an idiot or if she just acts that way on purpose. Kaeloo admits that to some extent, she is faking her stupidity.
60* According to EpilepticTrees about ''WesternAnimation/KimPossible'', [[ThisLoserIsYou Ron Stoppable]] is just acting as bumbling as he is, because if he didn't, Kim would be devastated that Ron is better at life than she is. Cue Evil Ron, who gets to be completely badass.
61** In an early episode of ''WesternAnimation/KimPossible'', Kim rescues Nakasume, a Japanese toy manufacturer, from Drakken and Shego. Nakasume conveys his thanks to Kim by whispering into his secretary Yoshiko's ear, who then translates. Nakasume appears later in the Kim Possible movie ''So the Drama'', in which it is learned that he is actually fluent in English, but enjoys whispering in Yoshiko's ear.
62** In the season 4 episode "Larry's Birthday", Professor Dementor's henchmen kidnap Kim's RPG-obsessed cousin Larry (wrongly thinking that he was Ron) as part of Dementor's plan to steal Kim's battle suit. Larry acted like this was just an elaborate RPG scenario and went along with the kidnapping, seemingly siding with Dementor when he managed to kidnap Kim and Ron. At which point Ron (who has played against Larry before) smiles and asks, "Yo, Lar! We looking at a Scenario Nineteen here?" Larry answers, "Precisely," and reveals that he was wise to Dementor's plan and had been wearing Kim's battlesuit all along to keep Dementor from stealing it, and even uses the suit to take Dementor down.
63* In ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra'', Varrick initially seems to be a goofy, loud, excitable UnclePennybags. He then proceeds to escape Unalaq's blockade with incredible ease and an [[RefugeInAudacity audacious]] escape plan, and soon thereafter [[spoiler:starts manipulating New Team Avatar into serving his WarForFunAndProfit schemes while still feigning friendship]].
64* ''WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes:'' Slowpoke Rodriguez is barely mobile and doesn't think about much aside from his next meal. However, he quickly proves to every bit as dangerous as Speedy Gonzales, thanks to being a crack shot and an expert at hypnotism.
65* ''{{WesternAnimation/Motorcity}}'': The Duke of Detroit's soldiers do this in the finale, where they cower and generally argue with each other to be much of a help when the heroes (the Burners) are being attacked by Kane's forces, one even notes that his laser has been jammed up with gum. It's later revealed that this was all part of a complicated ruse to get the heroes to think the Duke was weak, and when he actually teams up with the Burners, the guards go on the offensive and successfully fight back the Kane robots and troops.
66* ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'': Rainbow Dash in the early parts of the show. She had a BookDumb facade that she presented early on, due to insecurity and not wanting to be perceived as an egghead. Post CharacterDevelopment though, she has overcome her insecurities and is no longer afraid to show how smart she is. It turns out she is actually brilliant, and has a form of HyperAwareness (RequiredSecondaryPowers of being able to fly as fast as she does).
67* An episode of ''WesternAnimation/PepperAnn'' culminates in several characters revealing secrets about themselves including [[TheDitz Cissy Rooney]], who admits that she plays up the DumbBlonde stereotype because she doesn't want people to be intimidated by her intelligence.
68* As stupid as Dum-Dum is on ''WesternAnimation/ThePerilsOfPenelopePitstop'', he came up big on Penelope's behalf twice. He used a feather to rescue her from a man-eating plant (throwing it into the plant so it caused it to gag and spit Penelope out) and the nabbing the Hooded Claw's hat and cape so Penelope could win a scavenger hunt. Penelope kissed Dum-Dum each time for his efforts.
69* ''WesternAnimation/ThePenguinsOfMadagascar'' had a walrus named Rhonda, who started to live in Marlene the otter's habitat as her "roommate". Rhonda proves to be quite an annoyance to Marlene eventually, and she demands the penguins to get rid of her. [[spoiler: However, when the penguins ''did'' get rid of Rhonda, it turns out that they were right about her being [[TheMole a spy for Dr. Blowhole.]]]]
70** Private's uncle Nigel used this as a cover to hide the fact he was really a super spy. At least until he was caught by The Red Squirrel, who refused to believe it.
71* Perry the Platypus on ''WesternAnimation/PhineasAndFerb'' does this. He pretends to be a domesticated animal, but every day he goes to work as a secret agent thwarting the schemes of a MadScientist.
72* Bubbles of ''WesternAnimation/ThePowerpuffGirls1998'' is essentially the show's ditzy blonde. "Him Diddle Riddle" twists this on its ear as Him makes the girls take their UsefulNotes/SATs as part of a series of tasks to save the Professor. Buttercup scores a 35, Blossom a 10, and Bubbles--whose test was patterned out as a flower--scored 1075. Series head writer Amy Rogers points this out as proof that Bubbles is the smartest Powerpuff.
73* ''WesternAnimation/RoswellConspiraciesAliensMythsAndLegends'':
74** Fitz, part of the Alliance's [[THoseTwoGuys Detail Team]], frequently does this to further the coverup.
75** [[spoiler: Sid, a crazy ConspiracyTheorist in Roswell, is actually a former Alliance operative, and a Shadoen infiltrator. ]]
76* One episode of ''WesternAnimation/SherlockHolmesInTheTwentySecondCentury'' has Holmes pretend to be insane to solve the case of why Lestrange mysteriously went nuts.
77* It wasn't known in earlier seasons, but eventually became clear that Maggie from ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' can walk perfectly, shoot people, eat with a spoon, and use the Internet. She just lets everyone believe that she's a normal baby.
78** It's occasionally hinted that Nelson's [[{{Jerkass}} ignorant thug persona]] in ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' is at least partially an act to cover a more sensitive and intelligent soul.
79** This applies to ''all'' the bullies. Kerney, despite being a teenager and ''the father of a teenager'', apparently is competent enough to pull his weight at church meetings, for instance.
80** In the episode "Summer of 4 Ft. 2'', Lisa tires of her usual bookworm self and while on summer vacation plays the part of an average anti-intellectual "cool" kid to win friends. She occasionally slips up, however.
81--->'''Lisa''': Ah, a gift from my favourite crustacean! (''Gulps'')\
82'''Rick''': Hey, did you learn that word from a teacher for something?\
83'''Lisa''': No...I...heard it on ''Series/{{Baywatch}}''.\
84'''Other kids''': Oh yeah!...Baywatch!...David Hasselhoff, man.
85** A very unusual moment of Obfuscating Stupidity comes from the episode "Mother Simpson"; unusual because it comes from the usually dense-as-brick Chief Wiggum. It's revealed by the end of the episode that Wiggum intentionally led the FBI astray in order to help Homer's fugitive mother Mona escape Springfield, leading one to wonder whether the stupid things he did in the episode were genuine or to just throw the feds off track.
86** In a deleted scene, Homer tells his mother he's trying to bring the nuclear plant down from the inside.
87** This spills into many other tropes, from the aforementioned BookDumb, to GeniusDitz, to possibly even one named after [[TheDitz Ralph]] and many others.
88** Ralph almost singlehandedly took over the town by acting lovably stupid. (we don’t actually know the outcome, since the ending was a cliffhanger after the big reveal).
89* ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'':
90** UsefulNotes/SarahPalin, in the show's take on the 2008 US election, proves to be far more intelligent when outside the public eye.
91** Ike of all people if you skipped a few seasons. It is most obvious in "About Last Night...", but by "Fatbeard" it has either become canon or OnlySaneMan territory with nobody noticing.
92** Nathan, a boy with Down's Syndrome who acts as an antagonist to Jimmy. Despite his disability, he actually has no evident mental impairment, but whenever he either needs an adult on his side or needs to hide his actions from them, he'll pretend to be stupid. This is especially apparent in the episode "Crippled Summer", where a RunningGag is that Mimsy keeps yelling out what Nathan's plans are whenever a camp counselor is about to walk by.
93--->'''Mimsy:''' Gee wiz, boss, we're gonna kill all the blue team, and Jimmy, huh!?\
94'''Nathan:''' Shhh!\
95'''Counselor Steve:''' You boys excited for the canoe race?\
96'''Nathan:''' Yes, Counselor Steve. I like the fun canoe.
97* ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants'':
98** In "I'm With Stupid," [=SpongeBob=] fakes being stupid in an effort to make Patrick look good in front of his parents. Sadly, [[BelievingTheirOwnLies Patrick ends up taking it too seriously and ends up believing SpongeBob really is stupid]].
99** Combined with the StereotypeReactionGag in "Squirrel Jokes", where Sandy, normally [[TheSmartGuy one of the most intelligent]] and [[OnlySaneMan level-headed]] characters on the show, gets back at Spongebob telling a bunch of jokes about how dumb squirrels are by actually acting dumb, culminating in acting like she doesn't even know he needs water in her house.
100** Plankton had been throwing card games with Mr. Krabs for 15 years to get him to drop his guard so he could eventually defeat him and force the latter to wager [=SpongeBob=] as an employee in the game.
101** Patrick lampshades this in "The Card" when he does various things that would have damaged the rare MM&BB trading card in various ways:
102--->'''Patrick:''' [=SpongeBob=], you can't expect my usual brand of stupidity. I like to mix it up. Keep you on your toes.
103* ''WesternAnimation/StarTrekLowerDecks'':
104** "[[Recap/StarTrekLowerDecksS1E07MuchAdoAboutBoimler Much Ado About Boimler]]": Mariner deliberately downplays her competence in front of her old academy friend Captain Ramsey because she knows Ramsey is considering giving her a senior command post on another ship. When Ramsey calls her out on this, Mariner admits that although she has the knowledge and skills to be a high-ranking Starfleet officer, she's not emotionally ready for that yet.
105** "[[Recap/StarTrekLowerDecksS2E06TheSpyHumongous The Spy Humongous]]": Played with. On the one hand, the Pakleds act like they don't know who can negotiate peace, but have actually been giving Freeman the run-around while their spy tries to steal Starfleet secrets. On the other hand, he is actually an idiot and is easily tricked into giving up their plan when Freeman realizes what's going on.
106** "[[Recap/StarTrekLowerDecksS4E06ParthFerengisHeartPlace Parth Ferengi's Heart Place]]": Grand Negus Rom feigns being a baseball-obsessed Manchild as part of his and Leeta's negotiation tactics, though the former isn't an act and he invites everyone to his batting cages after the deal is signed.
107* ''WesternAnimation/StarWarsTheCloneWars'':
108** [[Recap/StarWarsTheCloneWarsS1E7DuelOfTheDroids "Duel of the Droids"]]: It's revealed that R3-S6's incompetence is because he's a Separatist spy who is intentionally sabotaging them.
109** [[Recap/StarWarsTheCloneWarsS1E11DookuCaptured "Dooku Captured"]]: Hondo pretends he has no idea who Dooku is upon first meeting him, all the better for being able to relieve him of his weapons and take him hostage.
110* ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse'': [[spoiler:Navy]] does this in order to get her ship back [[spoiler: and to mess with Steven, Peridot, and Lapis.]]
111* Baloo from ''WesternAnimation/TaleSpin'' (and to some extent, ''WesternAnimation/TheJungleBook1967'' as well) often seemed very dense and unsophisticated, suffering from endless financial problems and even having trouble spelling correctly. However it was shown many, many times that Baloo is probably a certifiable genius, and it's not just his flying skill (which would put him in line with the GeniusDitz) although that alone is certainly something to boast. Baloo shows an uncanny knack for geography even when navigator Kit isn't around, seeing through deception, insight, philosophy, and even mechanical skill and an abstract understanding of machines (though not to Wildcat's extent obviously). All the more impressive when one realizes that he does all of this based off of instinct, as his denseness is mostly attributed to being largely uneducated (which was somewhat more common in the 1930s when the series takes place anyway), as well as his own lazy nature.
112* ''WesternAnimation/TotalDrama'':
113** Sierra in ''World Tour'' is smarter than she lets on. As part of her being a extremely devoted LoonyFan, she knows the show's rules back and forward, and is extremely GenreSavvy; the most stand-out form of this is that she pretends to become [[AlphaBitch Heather's]] latest pawn while secretly planning [[HoistByHisOwnPetard to turn it on her]].
114** Sugar in ''Pahkitew Island'' is a {{downplayed|trope}} villainous example. While she is legitimately BookDumb, she is a lot more conniving and sinister than what her oafish behavior and HalfWittedHillbilly accent might suggest; this behavior stems from her pageant days.
115* WordOfGod is that it's deliberately left open to interpretation whether ''WesternAnimation/UncleGrandpa'' is actually stupid or if he's TheChessmaster whose screwups are all part of his plan. Lampshaded as early as the third episode, where Uncle Grandpa very obviously and hamfistedly dodges a question over whether he was aware of something that ended up pivotal to the outcome of the episode, or if it was just a coincidence.
116* Sargeant Hatred of ''WesternAnimation/TheVentureBrothers'' pretends to be a bumbling and friendly villain through season three because he knows being nice to Doctor Venture is the best way to get at the Monarch without violating guild rules.
117** On the good guy side of this trope is Timoty Treister, head of the O.S.I. Who comes off like an insane Teddy Roosevelt, with the personality of Foghorn Leghorn. But as the man himself says he's no "Short-busser" and knows things even the jaded Hunter Gathers doesn't.
118* Every so often, Wander of ''WesternAnimation/WanderOverYonder'' lets his mask of being an oblivious, daydreaming ManChild slip off and reveal that he knows exactly what's going on around him and how dangerous [[CardCarryingVillain Lord Hater]] is. Averted with Sylvia, as she ''always'' knows what's going on.
119* On ''WesternAnimation/TheWeekenders'', when the gang were looking for dates for the school dance, Lor's suggestion for attracting boys was to pretend to be stupid.
120* ''WesternAnimation/YoungJustice2010'': Every member of the Flash family (with the possible exception of Jay). Yes, they're a bunch of happy-go-lucky jokesters, but they are also extremely intelligent when it comes to science. Which is to be expected, given that they got their powers from a science experiment. This is taken up to eleven with Impulse[[spoiler:, who acts like a little kid in a candy store for his entire introductory episode, after which TheStinger reveals that it's all an act he uses to hide the fact that he comes from a BadFuture]].
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