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1[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/underdog_comic.jpg]]
2[[caption-width-right:350:Our hero flies past (left to right) Riff Raff, Simon Bar Sinister, Sweet Polly Purebred, and Cad Lackey.]]
3
4->''"There's no need to fear -- Underdog is here!"''
5
6One of Creator/TotalTelevision's most famous AnimatedSeries, ''Underdog'' was a canine parody of ''Franchise/{{Superman}}'' which debuted on Creator/{{NBC}} in 1964 and moved to Creator/{{CBS}} in 1966. Usually, each half-hour episode consisted of two chapters of a four-part ''Underdog'' story, separated by an unrelated TTV short.
7
8Underdog's alter ego was "humble, lovable Shoeshine Boy". When summoned by TV reporter Sweet Polly Purebred[[note]]"Oh where, oh where has my Underdog gone? Oh where, oh where can he be?"[[/note]], Shoeshine Boy dashed into the nearest phone booth and emerged in his heroic costume. For some unexplained reason, Underdog always [[RhymesOnADime spoke in rhyme]]. His foes included the mad scientist Dr. Simon Bar Sinister and his henchman, Cad Lackey (voice caricatures of [[Film/ItsAWonderfulLife Lionel Barrymore]] and Creator/HumphreyBogart), and the lupine crime boss Riff Raff (based on George Raft).
9
10Supporting segments included ''WesternAnimation/TennesseeTuxedoAndHisTales'', ''WesternAnimation/GoGoGophers'' and ''WesternAnimation/KlondikeKat''. The series' voice talent included Wally Cox as Underdog/Shoeshine Boy and Norma [=McMillan=] as Sweet Polly Purebred.
11
12A live-action film [[InNameOnly that just happened to be called]] ''Film/{{Underdog}}'' was released by Walt Creator/{{Disney}} Pictures in 2007.
13
14Underdog also inspired a well-remembered, well-loved Macy's UsefulNotes/ThanksgivingDay Parade balloon, as evidenced by [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xiMf5cCDy1I this commercial]], made 35 years after the balloon's debut.
15
16You might've heard the theme song thanks to being SampledUp by Music/WuTangClan on their "Wu-Tang Clan Ain't Nuthing ta F' Wit", which was created as part of a bunch of 90s acts redoing old cartoon themes. Parts of the ''Underdog'' theme song could also be heard in ''Wheels!'', an Platform/AppleMacintosh game aimed at disabled children.
17
18[[SimilarlyNamedWorks Not to be confused]] with the more graphic manga of [[Manga/{{Underdog}} the same name]].
19----
20!!There's no need to fear, TV Tropes is here!:
21* AccentUponTheWrongSyllable: "Riff RAFF."
22* AdvertisingCampaigns: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xiMf5cCDy1I Underdog vs. Stewie Griffin]]
23* AffectionateParody: The series is a sendup of ''Franchise/{{Superman}}''.
24* AlliterativeName: An amnesiac Underdog lists many while trying to guess an equally amnesiac Sweet Polly's name in "The Forget-Me-Net, part 4".
25* AmnesiaEpisode: "The Forget-Me-Net" story arc, where Simon Bar Sinister's latest invention causes amnesia on people.
26* AndThenWhat: In one ''Klondike Cat'' cartoon, Klondike actually succeeds in capturing Savoir Faire at the beginning of the episode rather than the end. However, Savoir points out that catching him is the only job Klondike's ever had, and if he's in jail then there's nothing for him to do. Klondike then spends the rest of the episode trying and failing to break his nemesis out of jail.
27* ArrangedMarriage: Underdog was forced into a marriage with an alien princess in "Zot." [[spoiler:He doesn't follow through, though, and the princess marries someone else. And that's after Underdog defeats a [[AttackOfThe50FootWhatever two-headed dragon]] that was menacing the aliens, also making it an inversion of RescueRomance.]]
28* ArtisticLicenseHistory: In "Simon Says- "No Thanksgiving!"" Simon and Cad go back in time to the 1600s to prevent the pilgrims and Indians from having the first Thanksgiving so there will be no Thanksgiving parade to get in the way of him being able to push a button across the street to summon a small army. The problems with this logic and concept are multifold; but to keep it simple: what children's media calls the first Thanksgiving wasn't really the first and what we know the holiday for in modern times was developed over centuries. Nevermind the convoluted nature of Simon's plan rightfully making him into a laughingstock by the end of it.
29* ArtisticLicensePolitics: "The Tickle Feather Machine" has Simon and Cad sabotage Election Day with special feathers that leave their victims in a state of uncontrolled rolling laughter, making them unable to vote so the villains can cast their votes to make Simon dictator of the United States. Nevermind that such a poll could never go through, the electoral college is never brought up even once.
30* AsideComment: In part 1 of "Simon Says- "No Thanksgiving!"", soon after Simon assures Cad that he has a plan to ensure the success of his takeover scheme, the latter faces the audience while voicing his concern about Simon's potential failure and humiliation.
31* AstonishinglyAppropriateInterruption: This exchange when Simon shows Polly several test subjects for his Valentine Vault:
32-->'''Simon''': Look at this, my dear. Earlier, these were happy, healthy people. But now they are-
33-->'''Sweet Polly''': ''(horrified)'' Valentines!
34* BattyLipBurbling: One of the things Underdog does under Simon's control in "The Phoney Booths".
35* BeachEpisode: Never in the series, but a comic by Underdog's creator Joe Harris (never intended for release to the public, until he released it himself) had Underdog and Polly going to the beach and playing super-volleyball with a horde of robotic aliens in a story called "The Nug of Nog." See it [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4tX9EY5_pvc here]].
36* BecomingPartOfTheImage: This happened several times.
37* BenevolentBoss: Unlike a lot of villains with their henchmen, Simon treats Cad kindly and respectfully. Their relationship is so solid that Cad feels completely free to speak up when he spots a flaw in Simon's plan, and Simon genuinely appreciates and values Cad's constructive criticisms.
38* BigBad: Dr. Simon Bar Sinister
39* BigGuyLittleGuy: Cad towers over Simon.
40* BrainwashedAndCrazy: Simon's "Phoney Booths" from the episode of the same name attach a siren like device to the head of anyone who goes inside one, making them his brainwashed minion. Shoeshine Boy mistakenly heads inside one to change into Underdog, turning Underdog into another of Simon's slaves. It's only after he tries to make Underdog hurt Sweet Polly that Underdog fights off the control and breaks free through HeroicWillpower.
41* BuffoonishTomcat: Klondike Kat that is the [[ButtMonkey bumbling,]] [[TheKlutz clumsy,]] [[TheFool and lucky]] {{Comedic Hero}}.
42* CallBack: Part 1 of "The Flying Sorcerer's" has Bric and Brac abducting aliens from the Magnet Planet and Zot.
43* CaptainCrash: Underdog. One episode where he has to drive an armored car shows he [[DrivesLikeCrazy drives about as well as he flies]].
44* CardCarryingVillain: Riff Raff ''loves'' being Public Enemy Number One, and once devoted an entire plan simply to recover that title.
45* CartoonishSupervillainy: Simon Bar Sinister.
46* CatsAreMean: EvilOverlord Overcat was not just ''mean''; he could match Underdog as far as personal might was concerned.
47* CatchPhrase: Underdog is full of them:
48** "When ([[MadLibsCatchphrase there's some kind of trouble]]), I am not slow./ It's hip, hip, hip, and away I go!"
49** "There's no need to fear./ Underdog is here!"
50** "Where, Oh Where Has My Underdog Gone?"
51** "The secret compartment of my ring I fill/ with an Underdog super energy pill."
52** Simon Bar Sinister would frequently preface an imperative with "Simon says..."
53** Go Go Gophers' Running Board (to Ruffled Feather): "Oopie doopie! You-um genius!"
54** Klondike Kat had two: "Klondike Kat always gets his mouse," and "OH, I'LL MAKE MINCEMEAT OUTTA THAT MOUSE!"
55*** Major Minor, Klondike's superior, has "...And sometimes gets his Major!" in response to the first catchphrase whenever Klondike's schemes to catch Savoir Faire end up throttling him as well.
56*** Not to mention said mouse constantly reminding us that "Savoir Faire is everywhere!"
57* CharacterOverlap: Officer Flim Flanigan, a recurring character in ''[[WesternAnimation/KingLeonardoAndHisShortSubjects The Hunter]]'' cartoons, appears in "A New Villain" and "Batty Man."
58* ChasteHero: He seems to be rather eager to escape Polly's advances.
59* CliffHanger: Most episodes were structured as four-part serials, with cliffhangers at the end of the first three.
60* CombatTentacles: The Guard from "The Bubbleheads."
61* CoolGate: Simon Bar Sinister has one bearing his surname.
62* CounterfeitCash: The opening of every episode shows a customer tossing a nickel to Shoeshine Boy, and Shoeshine Boy [[TastyGold biting the nickel]]. This was an old trick dating back to TheGreatDepression, to tell if a nickel was real or just a wooden disc painted to look vaguely nickel-like. (He was adhering to the old adage "Don't take any wooden nickels!" and proving that GoodIsNotDumb).
63* CriminalDoppelganger: One of Underdog's enemies was his exact double, Tap-Tap the Chiseler, who didn't have any of Underdog's powers. It didn't stop Tap-Tap from using Underdog's image to get stuff like bombs without anyone batting an eye.
64* DamselInDistress: Sweet Polly Purebred, in practically every episode. Subverted, however, in [[spoiler:"The Phony Booths", where Polly takes it upon herself to stop the [[MassHypnosis Phony Booths]]. By that time, Simon Bar Sinister has gotten Underdog under his control, so he sends Underdog to stop Polly. However, LoveRedeems, and because of this, Polly saves Underdog for a change]].
65* DamselOutOfDistress: Polly doesn't always just wait to be rescued, even though it's usually necessary.
66* DartboardOfHate: After Underdog is turned into a valentine, Simon considers hanging him on a wall and using him as a dartboard.
67* DastardlyWhiplash: Simon Bar-Sinister, minus the typical evil mustache.
68* DaywalkingVampire: Batty Man apparently doesn't have any trouble with sunlight, as he's seen out in broad daylight in both his appearances.
69* DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment: Shoeshine Boy is a shoeshine boy.
70** In "Go Snow", Simon expresses desire for "money and power, and money and power, and money and power!"
71* DepravedDwarf: Simon is shorter than most characters, including his henchman Cad, and is a mad scientist.
72* DisneyDeath: Underdog himself several times, ''e.g.'', in "A New Villain" and "The Silver Thieves".
73* DistressCall: Polly's cry for help is in tune to ''Where, Oh Where Has My Little Dog Gone?''. It always works.
74* DoesNotKnowHisOwnStrength: Would get him into some serious trouble if it weren't for his HeroInsurance.
75* TheDon: Riff Raff is a parody of the trope.
76* TheDoorSlamsYou: Happens to Simon twice during his election campaign in "The Tickle Feather Machine"
77* DumbMuscle / {{Evil Minion|s}}: Cad to Simon, as well as Mooch to Riff Raff. Then again, they're not much dumber than the average citizen on this show.
78* EarlyInstallmentCharacterDesignDifference: In "Go Snow", "The Big Shrink" and "Weathering the Storm", Cad's complexion was pallid. Starting with "The Phoney Booths", he gained, among other design tweaks, a healthier complexion.
79* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness:
80** The first cartoon has little in common with the others. There's no Sweet Polly (it remains the only cartoon she's not in), no villain, no CliffHanger, and Underdog is a completely moronic, bumbling idiot {{Jerkass}} who demolishes two banks to rescue a boy trapped in a bank vault (at first, Underdog goes to the wrong bank by mistake) and does not sound as heroic when speaking as Underdog (he still sounds more like he's Shoeshine Boy but talking in rhyme.) The rest of the series portrays Underdog as much more competent.
81** Simon Bar Sinister's first appearance, like the first episode, is also a one-off with no cliffhanger. Simon notably does not have Cad with him, making it the only time Simon causes trouble without his henchman.
82** Early on, Underdog didn't need -- or even have! -- the "super energy pills" for his strength. When they were first introduced, they were for a short-duration burst of extra power to fight things that his normal awesome level of strength couldn't handle. In later episodes, they became his entire power source and he lost all of his powers if he didn't take them regularly.
83* ElectionDayEpisode: Simon Bar Sinister disperses treated feathers across the entire United States, keeping every American rolling on the ground laughing on Election Day. Only Simon and his henchman, Cad Lackey, are coherent enough to cast votes, electing Simon as United States Dictator by a total of two votes (the issue of the Electoral College isn't raised).
84* ElectricityKnocksYouOut: Underdog tries to thwart Electric Eel during a robbery. However the Eel lures Underdog into an electric field, which saps his strength and leaves him in a heap, [[DownplayedTrope though conscious]]. Underdog weakly begs not to be thrown into a lake, so the Eel does exactly that. This was some BriarPatching by Underdog, as the electric charge in his body gets dissipated by the water, restoring him to health.
85* EveryEpisodeEnding: The episode always ends with a parody of the familiar "Look! Up in the sky!" phrase from ''Series/TheAdventuresOfSuperman'', with one civilian even mistaking Underdog for a frog. Also, Underdog crashing into a building.
86* EveryoneCallsHimBarkeep: In his civilian disguise, Underdog is called Shoeshine Boy because he, er, shines shoes.
87* EvilCounterpart: With a hero called Underdog, it was practically inevitable that there would be a [[CatsAreMean villain named Overcat]]. He's unlike Underdog in every way: whereas Underdog is a small, good-natured dog who uses his powers to help others, Overcat is a hulking, loudmouthed {{Jerkass}} cat who uses his own powers to bully his entire planet into submission.
88* EvilTwin: Tap-Tap the Chisler, a criminal who looks exactly like Underdog. Upon discovering the similarity, Riff Raff dresses him up like Underdog and has him go on a crime spree to frame the real Underdog, who is currently incapacitated under some rubble. When the real Underdog breaks out, he's now hated by everyone thanks to Riff Raff and Tap-Tap's plan. Underdog eventually proves his innocence, but Tap-Tap eventually breaks out of prison in a later episode and attempts to blow both himself and Sweet Polly up in revenge against Underdog.
89* EvilWearsBlack: Several villains include black in their ensembles, notable examples including Simon Barsinister, the witch of Pickyoon and Batty Man.
90* ExplainExplainOhCrap: In the end of the "Just in Case" arc, when Riff Raff and his gang are robbing a passenger cruise and loading them in his invisible ghost ship.
91
92-->'''Ship Captain:''' You'll never get away with this, Riff!
93-->'''Riff Raff:''' How can we lose? You can't find us because you can't see us! Just look out there. We're loading supplies on that ship. What can you see? Not a thing! Nothing but Underdog, a paint brush, and a ship and - [[OhCrap UNDERDOG!? A PAINT BRUSH!? HE'S BACK, AND HE'S PAINTING OUR SHIP!]]
94* FailuresOnIce: In part 1 of "The Big Dipper", Simon's first attempt to suck up water with the eponymous machine only turns the water to ice, which Cad slips on as he notices this.
95* FakeDefector: Underdog pretends to join Riff Raff and Tap-Tap the Chisler in "From Hopeless to Helpless" to discover where they've hidden the Hope Diamond.
96* FallingIntoJail: One of the bridging sequences shows the villain Riff Raff shaking down a citizen for money. Literally, Riff holds the man by his ankles and shakes out money. TheHero, Underdog, arrives on scene to deliver a flying jab to Riff's midsection, which makes Riff drop his victim. Underdog then delivers a fearsome left hook that sends Riff through a brick wall and into the city jail. It even says "Jail" on the wall.
97* FirstNameBasis: Cad is usually only called by his first name. His last name, "Lackey", is only mentioned once in the show, by Simon in "Weathering the Storm- part 1", when it's revealed that they hijacked the moon rocket Sweet Polly was on and were about to take her hostage.
98* FlyingBrick: Although Underdog is occasionally described as having a "computer-like brain" and sometimes devises clever solutions to problems, he's mostly a straightforward fighter type.
99* FrameUp: Underdog is framed by Riff Raff in two separate serials, "From Hopeless to Helpless" and "The Gold Bricks."
100* FurryConfusion: Humans and talking animals living together? Say what you want about TheMovie but at least it makes a point of averting this.
101* GoingForTheBigScoop: Polly. ComicBook/LoisLane would be proud.
102* GrandFinale: "The Vacuum Gun". Simon brings several old villains, including Riff Raff, Electric Eel and Batty Man, BackForTheFinale. The end of the episode apparently has [[spoiler: all the villains KilledOffForReal when, after Simon tries to use the Vacuum Gun for the last time on Underdog, Underdog uses his "[[SuperBreath Atomic Breath]]" and sucks all the villains and the Vacuum Gun towards him, uses the Vacuum Gun on the villains, then exhales into the Vacuum Gun, causing it to [[StuffBlowingUp explode]]]].
103* GratuitousIambicPentameter: Underdog speaks entirely in rhymed couplets, albeit not always with much concern for meter.
104* HappyDance: Simon and Cad do this in "The Phoney Booths" after Underdog gets brainwashed by one of the eponymous booths.
105* HauntedHouse: In "The Gold Bricks." [[spoiler:The ghosts were really all just special effects set up by Riff Raff.]]
106* HelplessWithLaughter: One EvilPlan of Simon's involves spreading small feathers over the entire United States, leaving the American population unable to cast a vote due to laughing too much. Only Simon and his henchman, Cad Lackey, were able to cast votes, electing Simon Dictator of The United States.
107** Batty Man's laughing gas guns provide the same effect.
108* HeroicDog: ''Super'' heroic dog.
109* HeroInsurance: Few superheroes cause more collateral damage than Underdog. He'll even do things like break off the top of a skyscraper to use as a weapon against [[AttackOfThe50FootWhatever some giant monster]]. Underdog frequently lampshades this destructiveness, especially in early episodes.
110-->'''Underdog:''' I am a hero who never fails/I can't be concerned with such details.
111* HoistByHisOwnPetard: Often Simon will be defeated by ending up on the receiving end of his own inventions, including in "The Big Shrink," "The Forget-Me-Net," "The Tickle Feather Machine," and "Simon Says Be My Valentine."
112* HonestAdvisor: While Cad is generally slow-witted, he easily finds flaws in Simon's plans sometimes, and never hesitates to point them out. In response, Simon takes whatever measures are necessary to correct these flaws, though in one case he took preliminary measures to make his plan foolproof, only being foiled by unforseen circumstances, including Underdog's unknown involvement.
113* HowWeGotHere: Most of "Underdog vs. Overcat" is a flashback explaining what led to the eponymous characters' fight.
114* HumanPopsicle: Underdog (and several other town citizens) get this treatment in "Go Snow."
115* IAmVeryBritish: Klondike Kat's superior officer, Major Minor, is this, being a rare good guy caricature of Creator/TerryThomas, right down to the [[BritishTeeth gap-toothed smile]].
116* IllTimedSneeze: In "The Vacuum Gun- part 2", Polly is eavesdropping on Simon when she sneezes, giving away her presence.
117* IncredibleShrinkingMan: Simon's Shrinking Water has this effect on all it's targets.
118* InstrumentOfMurder: Simon Bar Sinister built a weather machine modeled closely after a pipe organ. Each key on its keyboard could loose some kind of weather phenomenon, including typhoons and earthquakes. However, early tests of the device tended to wreck Simon's laboratory first, so he and [[TheDragon Cad Lackey]] hijacked a moon rocket to install the device on Earth's airless satellite.
119* IronicName: An underdog is an archetypal character who is expected to lose. Underdog is a superhero and thus never loses.
120* KilledOffForReal: The Witch of Pickyoon evaporates when Underdog destroys her magic broom. She is the only villain to actually die in the entire series.
121* LetsGetDangerous: Klondike Kat's traps for Savoir Faire would usually fail, often in hilarious fashion, but the moment Klondike Kat gets so frustrated that he exclaims, "I'll make mincemeat outta that mouse!" you can almost be certain his next trap will work.
122* LightningBruiser: Underdog is capable of moving so fast that he becomes invisible, and has used this trick to defeat opponents more powerful than himself.
123-->'''Underdog:''' He's too big to be as fast as me/ And he can't fight what he can't see!
124* LimitedAnimation: Since the animation production was done by the Mexican-based Gamma Productions (who also animated ''WesternAnimation/RockyAndBullwinkle'' for Creator/JayWard Productions), this trope naturally comes into play.
125* LionsAndTigersAndHumansOhMy
126* LovedINotHonorMore: In the episode "The Witch of Pickyoon", Underdog meets a witch who will only wake his love interest from an eternal sleep if he helps her TakeOverTheWorld. Proving himself to be smarter than [[Franchise/StarWars Anakin Skywalker]], he flat out refuses (before accidentally saving the girl anyway with a TrueLovesKiss).
127* MadLibsCatchphrase: Underdog's phrase: "When [there's some kind of trouble], I am not slow./ It's hip, hip, hip, and away I go!"
128** There's also "Simon says [insert command here]!"
129* MadeOfExplodium: The telephone booths that Shoeshine used to become Underdog.
130* MadScientist: Simon Bar Sinister, who would create a new machine to take over the world, but was always stopped by Underdog.
131* MaliciousMisnaming: The Electric Eel calls Underdog "Blunderdog" twice in "A New Villain".
132* MeaningfulName: Simon Bar Sinister's first name is a reference to the game "Simon Says", a phrase with which he prefaces his commands. As a sort of BilingualBonus and GeniusBonus, in heraldry a "bar sinister" is a diagonal bar imposed over a noble coat of arms to indicate that the bearer is a recognized but illegitimate son of the noble, i.e. a bastard child. Hence, Simon Bar Sinister's name means "Simon the Bastard" as a delightfully obscure in-joke.
133** And then there's Cad Lackey, whose first name alludes to his villainy, while his last name refers to his lowly status as Simon's sidekick.
134* MindControlDevice: Simon Bar Sinister's Phoney Booths. [[spoiler:Underdog was called into action to stop this, only to end up under Simon's control, then he snaps out of it when he is told to attack Sweet Polly.]]
135* MiningForCookies: The home planet of the villain Overcat possesses "milk wells" which are similar to oil wells. One episode is kicked off when the milk wells begin to run dry and he first steals Earth's supply of milking cows and then [[DamselInDistress Sweet Polly Purebred]] to act as milk maid.
136* MonsterOfTheWeek: Underdog often fights one of these in episodes where the villain isn't Simon Bar Sinister or Riff Raff.
137* MyFriendsAndZoidberg: The finest and strongest warriors of the planet Zot are Clarn, Boad, Goad, Garn, Tarn, Churn, Ram, Ban... and Seymour.
138* NicknameBasis: Mooch is only called as such.
139* NoCelebritiesWereHarmed: A few of the villains' voices were patterned after a few classic Hollywood stars- such as George Raft for Riff Raff, or Lionel Barrymore and Humphrey Bogart for Simon Barsinister and Cad Lackey, respectively.
140* NowLetMeCarryYou: More often than not, circumstances would contrive to make a weakened Underdog lose access to his ring, requiring Polly to find it or otherwise protect him in the second act. The two make a great team!
141* OfficerOHara: Officer Flim Flanigan.
142* OmnicidalManiac: The following hostile species would do anything to wipe out humanity.
143** The Bubbleheads: They live underwater, causing natural disasters to kill people.
144** The Magnet Men: They would let Earth suffer freezing to death unless they give them all of their metal.
145** The Mole Men: They steal all crops so everybody would be too fatigued and weak to do anything.
146* OOCIsSeriousBusiness: If Underdog ever said something [[RhymesOnADime without rhyming]], you know the business is ''very'' serious.
147-->'''Polly:''' Hurry, Underdog! [[YourPrincessIsInAnotherCastle You've got to stop the tidal wave machine!]]
148-->'''Underdog:''' [[BigWhat What?!]]
149* OurVampiresAreDifferent: Batty Man.
150* PaperThinDisguise: Aside from the various villains, Underdog himself. This is {{Lampshade|Hanging}}d in the movie.
151* PepperSneeze: In "The Tickle Feather Machine- part 2", the first invention Simon tests on Cad is a gun that shoots pepper, and thus makes him sneeze nonstop.
152* PrimaryColorChampion: He has a red outfit, a blue cape, and a white chest insignia.
153* PsychoElectro: Electric Eel, who acquired his power from an electrified prison fence.
154* PunnyName: Pops up now and then, from the names of criminals like Riff Raff[[note]]based on George Raft[[/note]], Dinah Mite and Batty Man to places such as Cape Carnival and the jewelry store Tympanni's.
155* PuttingOnTheReich: There are shades of this for the Great Planet Granite and their dictator Captain Marblehead. Gravel salutes in appropriate fashion and addresses him as ''my leader'' or ''o peerless leader'' and variants thereof.
156* RadioDrama: Had a one-off one in 1999, produced for Boston-area radio stations by co-creator W. Watts Biggers, to help promote his Victory over Violence organization; Biggers himself played Underdog, while Boston newscaster Tom Ellis narrated. Here, Barsinister was using his new "Switchpitch" baseball, to turn positive people negative, and become king of Boston; his plans were foiled as usual by Underdog and Polly.
157* RecapEpisode: The first half of the first part of "The Tickle Feather Machine" is spent recalling Simon Bar Sinister's past capers, including the Shrinking Water, the Weather Machine, the Snow Gun and the Forget-Me-Net, before going to the present time where Simon decides to run for dictator in order to TakeOverTheWorld.
158* RedAndBlackAndEvilAllOver: This is Cad's ensemble.
159* RememberTheNewGuy: "Simon Says 'Be My Valentine!'" has Simon and Cad working with two other crooks who were neither working with them before this arc, [[WhatHappenedToTheMouse nor are they shown again after it]].
160* RhymesOnADime: This once became Underdog's AchillesHeel in a comic book story, when Simon Barsinister undertook to commit crimes based upon the word "orange".
161* RisingWaterRisingTension: Happens with Underdog and Sweet Polly while they're trapped in the Vacuum Gun.
162* RoguesGallery: For most of the show's run, Underdog had exactly two recurring enemies: Simon Bar Sinister and Riff Raff. For the GrandFinale, Simon recruits Raff along with 2 other villians introduced in the final season, Batty Man and Electric Eel.
163* RuleOfThree: The Big Dipper machine malfunctions in 3 different ways before it's fixed enough to work properly.
164* SayMyName: The antidote to the Forget-Me-Net.
165* SecretCompartment: In some episodes, Underdog is weakened, and needs a HeroicSecondWind. Fortunately, he has a vitamin pill for that purpose, which is stored inside an insignia ring on his finger.
166-->'''Underdog:''' The secret compartment of my ring I fill. With an Underdog super energy vitamin pill.
167* SeeTheInvisible: Underdog was able to overcome Riff Raff's invisible ghost ship by painting it.
168* SequelEpisode: "Tricky Tap by Tap-Tap" serves as a sequel to "From Hopeless to Helpless." But since the former ended up airing first, it unintentionally inverted things and turned "From Hopeless to Helpless" into a Prequel Episode.
169* ShakeSomeoneObjectsFall: One of the opening sequences shows Riff Raff literally shaking a man down for money.
170** Cad does the same thing while he and Simon are robbing a bank at the beginning of "The Forget-Me-Net".
171* ShoeShineMister: Underdog's secret identity.
172* ShoutOut:
173** While amnesiac, Underdog thinks he's "Apple Mary", a name shared with an old apple-seller from a 1930s comic strip of the same name.
174** In "The Forget-Me-Net, part 3" Simon consults a book called "The Name Game", like the Shirley Ellis song of the same name.
175** Batty Man is obviously a pun on ''ComicBook/{{Batman}}''.
176** In "Simon Says 'Be My Valentine!', part 1", Simon asks for "a few funny valentines" to be brought to him as test subjects for his Valentine Vault, referencing the song "My Funny Valentine".
177* SilverHasMysticPowers: At least, it does if you're an alien cloud, whose people are out to steal all the Earth's silver.
178* SpectacularSpinning: When characters overcame their EasyAmnesia from the Forget-Me-Net, they would spin in the air.
179** Underdog once spun so fast that he [[{{Invisibility}} could no longer be seen]]. [[ArtisticLicensePhysics Or heard.]] (Then again, his enemy was on the moon at that point.)
180* StealthInsult: At the time of the show, a Bar Sinister was thought to mean illegitimacy in heraldry. In other words, Simon Bar Sinister was "Simon the Bastard.
181* StealthPun: Simon's Camera Ray literally captures people on film!
182* SuperSerum: Underdog's "Super Energy Pill" or "Energy Vitamin Pill" — sometimes removed from syndicated broadcasts.
183* TakeOverTheWorld: Simon Bar Sinister's goal, most of the time.
184* TakenForGranite: Underdog/Shoeshine, Polly, and several others in "The Marbleheads."
185* TastyGold: A non-gold variation -- Shoeshine Boy routinely bit the coins he received in payment for his services.
186* ThanksgivingEpisode: Simon Bar Sinister tries to stop Thanksgiving from ever happening because the Thanksgiving Day Parade was preventing him from crossing the street, keeping him from reaching a device he had cached there. [[ComplexityAddiction Given that he had a time machine, it probably would have been easier for him to either go back a few hours and cross the street then, go back a couple days and tell his subordinates that the scheme will be postponed until a day when a parade isn't blocking the street, or go back a couple weeks and move the device to the other side of the street, but these notions never occur to him.]]
187* ThenLetMeBeEvil: Subverted. When Underdog is framed by Riff Raff and Tap-Tap and discovers the truth, he decides that he might as well join forces with Riff Raff for real since he's considered a criminal anyway. However, it turns out he was really faking teaming up with him to discover where Riff Raff hid the Hopeless Diamond.
188* ThroughAFaceFullOfFur: Underdog's face quickly turns bright red upon receiving praise.
189* TickleTorture: What the Tickle Feather Machine provides.
190** Also, in "The Big Shrink- part 4", Polly tickles Simon with a feather to make him reveal the antidote for his Shrinking Water.
191* TitleDrop: Several episodes have these.
192* TrapDoor: Riff Raff uses one on henchmen who make stupid suggestions.
193* TrueLovesKiss: Once done with Sweet Polly thanks to a WickedWitch.
194* ValentinesDayEpisode: "Simon Says, "Be My Valentine!"", in which Simon built a machine that turns his victims into life-sized images on valentine cards, including Underdog. In the end, the tables are turned and the bad guys are on cards.
195* VillainousFriendship: Simon and Cad generally get along pretty well. In fact, in "Weathering the Storm", when Polly discovers they hijacked her moon rocket, Simon even refers to Cad as his friend while talking to her.
196* WeWillMeetAgain: After Underdog defeats Overcat, the feline bully vows to return to Earth someday and fight the canine hero again.
197* WeaponizedCamera: Simon created a special camera in "Simon Says" (his first-ever appearance in the show), that, when it hits the victim, turns said victims into photographs, and he intended to do so to our hero and Sweet Polly and then kill them both by tearing up their photographs. Underdog defeated Simon by employing a mirror to make the ray bounce back towards him. The effects are reversible by switching the lens in the opposite direction.
198-->'''Simon:''' Simon says, "Hold it"!
199* WeatherControlMachine: Simon had two. The first of which was his cloud-making machine in "The Big Shrink", which he used to make it rain his shrinking water over the city to shrink everyone to the size of his thumb. Later, in "Weathering the Storm", he combined this with an OminousPipeOrgan.
200* WholesomeCrossdresser: Underdog in "Forget-Me-Net." [[ItMakesSenseInContext It's a long story...]]
201* WickedWitch: The titular witch in "The Witch of Pickyoon".
202* WingdingEyes:
203** Happens OncePerEpisode for Underdog each time he takes his Super Energy Vitamin Pills; each time he takes one, we see his eyes display fireworks going off, stars flashing and the United States flag waving before small letter "U's" are displayed.
204** Anyone who entered Simon Bar Sinister's Phoney Booths gain spiral eyes due to being under Simon's control, [[spoiler: including Underdog himself when he was called into action.]]
205* WorthlessYellowRocks: The cloud people of "The Silver Thieves" need silver but have nothing but a planet full of worthless gold! They apparently also assumed gold is just as worthless to humans, as Polly has to tell them [[CouldHaveAvoidedThisPlot how it could have been avoided]] if they had offered to trade gold for silver on Earth instead of stealing it.
206* XRayVision: His can set things on fire, apparently, making them more like [[EyeBeams Heat Vision]].
207----
208-->'''Man 1:''' Look, in the sky! It's a plane!\
209'''Man 2:''' It's a bird!\
210'''Woman:''' [[{{Cloudcuckoolander}} It's a frog!]]\
211'''Man 1:''' A ''frog?''\
212'''Underdog:''' Not plane, nor bird, or even frog! It's just little old me— (''*[[WatchOutForThatTree CRASH!!]]*'', giggles sheepishly) Underdog.

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