Vincent van Ghoul: Fortunately, no one but a complete fool would ever open that awful box. Flim-Flam: Yeah. No one but a real dodo, a cuckoo bird, a total loon. Daphne: Which reminds me, where are Scooby and Shaggy? Scrappy:Uh-oh...
Lampshaded in an episode of American Dad! ("Finances with Wolves"). The family is in a mall and Hayley is griping about the consumerism run rampant. She asks what kind of idiot would buy into all this; Steve sighs heavily and says"And we widen to reveal...", at which point Stan enters the scene covered in useless junk (and a jacket made of money).
In the Animaniacs version of 'Twas the Night Before Christmas, Thaddeus Plotz says exactly this about Ralph the Guard when deciding who should deliver presents to the Warner Bros. (and Sister):
Mr. Plotz: There must be someone who can deliver this stuff / But where can I find someone stupid enough?
In the Aqua Teen Hunger Force episode "Escape from Leprechaupolis", Frylock receives an obvious scam in his email.
Frylock:[reading email] "Go down to the park and step into the rainbow and you'll be rich with gold. Forward this to 20 people or we will burn your brain from the inside. Go down to the damn park." Man, Who would be stupid enough to check this out? [cut to Carl, waiting at the park] Carl: All right, I'm gonna give this rainbow thing another five minutes, and if it doesn't show up quick, then I am going down to the store and get a hot-rod magazine.
Happens in the "Galactic Pirates of the Corralean" episode of Atomic Betty after Maximus steals a decoy treasure chest. It turns out to be Minimus instead.
Sparky: Chief, you don't think Maximus would be so stupid as to actually open the box? [Maximus' ship explodes] X-5: It would appear, yes, he is that stupid.
In the "Joker's Millions" episode of Batman: The Animated Series, Harley Quinn finds out that Joker has replaced her, and decides to escape from Arkham to get her revenge. When they realize she's missing, the following exchange occurs:
Guard: Maybe she went down the laundry chute. Other Guard: None of these yahoos are crazy enough to pull that old stunt. Poison Ivy:[in her cell and upon hearing this] Ha! [cut to Harley Quinn in a washing machine] Harley Quinn: Help help! Ivy! Anybody! Get me out of here!
Inverted in an episode of Batman Beyond where Ten (of the Royal Flush Gang) robs The Derby, an annual high-stakes poker game held by big-name mobsters. When Terry questions why they didn't have better security, Bruce suggests, "Maybe they just didn't think anyone would be stupid enough."
Minor example in Class of 3000. In the episode "Funky Monkey", the class attempts to hide a gorilla from their music teacher behind their backs. Sunny, of course, doesn't buy it.
Sunny: All I know is you can't expect to fool anyone but an idiot by hiding him behind your back. [Principal Luna walks in] Principal Luna: Good morning, students. Sunny: Luna! Quick! Hide him behind your backs!
Danger Mouse: D.M. gets wind of the Mexican bandit El Loco on the loose, having smuggled himself in our heroes' luggage. He addresses Colonel K:
D.M.: I mean, what sort of idiot would do such a thing? Penfold:[sheepishly] How about a little fellow in a striped tie and glasses... and a tall fellow in a white suit and an eye patch? D.M.: Yes. [beat] Penfold, that sounds very much like us. [Penfold nods]
Dogstar: After the ad for servo-bots airs in "Robot Revolution", Simone says "What kind of idiot would buy something like that from a crook like Bob Santino?". The scene then cuts to her father arriving home to announce he's bought two.
A variant appears in the episode "Armstrong". The triplets ask themselves "who would be crazy enough" to help them combat Armstrong. The three realize at the exact same moment and the next scene takes place at Launchpad's house.
In "Sphinx for the Memories", Donald is being chased by followers of the Garbled One, who want to use his body to host his spirit, and hides behind a door. When one of them asks to look inside that room, another says "He wouldn't be foolish enough to hide in the jackal pit. He'd be torn to shreds." Donald then turns to see a bunch of jackals cornering him and promptly runs out.
In "The Uncrashable Hindentanic", Scrooge needs some Mid Air Repairs done; "Who on board is smart enough to fix the propeller, but stupid enough to climb out there to do it?" Sure enough, Launchpad is the prime candidate.
Ewoks: In "The Raich", Wicket accidentally releases a vicious monster known as the Raich by removing the magic cap that imprisoned it. When he, Princess Kneesaa, Teebo, and Latara rushed back to their village to get advice from their shaman, Master Logray, they hesitate when they hear Chief Chirpa say "No Ewok would be foolish enough to set him free again" and that that Ewok would be branded a disgrace to the tribe. Fortunately, the four Ewoks learned that a two-headed Gonster created the magic cap that trapped the Raich, so they set out to find them. The moment they find the Gonster:
Kneesaa: Please, help us before the Raich eats my pet, Baga! Gonster: The Raich?! Now who would be stupid enough to let him loose? (Teebo, Latara, and Kneesaa immediately look at Wicket) Wicket: Well, I... uh, sort of r-removed the cap a-and the R-Raich sort of, you know, tore it up.
In "Back to Norm", Crocker creates a fake painting of Trixie against a hard wall and tries to lure Timmy over with an extremely obvious fake voice, even Norm the genie wonders what idiot would fall for it. Naturally, Timmy makes a full-speed, leading to a Painted Tunnel, Real Train scenario.
In "Viral Vidiots", after Timmy uses magic to help his mother make a popular viral video, Wanda comments that she feels uneasy about magic being on the internet where someone might see it.
Timmy: What kind of loser would stay online all day trolling for magical creatures? (Cut to Mr. Crocker's) Mr. Crocker: I can't take you out of the tub now, Mother! I'm trolling for magical creatures!
Family Guy hung a lampshade on this trope in the episode "He's Too Sexy for His Fat," in which Lois responds to Chris' decision not to undergo liposuction: "That was a very grown-up decision. I mean, what kind of lazy, narcissistic, irresponsible moron would even consider doing something as unbelievably foolish as getting liposuction? Who, I ask you? Who?" This line is immediately followed by the appearance of a newly svelte Peter.
In the episode "Why Must I Be a Crustacean in Love?", the following exchange occurs after Zoidberg has gone berserk in a New New York City health club:
Leela: I wonder why Dr. Zoidberg is acting this way. Out of all of us, he always seemed the most normal. Zoidberg:[with rubber bands holding his claws shut] I am normal. Amy, take off these rubber bands and I'll show you how normal I am! Amy:[whose clothes have been ripped and torn] Fool me seven times, shame on you. Fool me eight or more times, shame on me. [later...] Amy:[holding two rubber bands] Dr. Zoidberg said I should hold these while he's gone. Bender:[facepalm] Zoidberg:[warbles ferociously] (everyone else screams in terror] Bender:Moron!
Also, in the episode "The Series Has Landed", while they're at a theme park on the moon and browsing the souvenirs:
Leela: Who buys this crap? Bender: Idiots who need gifts for other idiots. [Fry walks in from off screen, holding two moon-themed T-shirts] Fry: Hey, look what I got you guys!
And again in "Bender Should Not Be Allowed on Television":
In one episode, Garfield gets a TV fitness guru kicked off the air by using cue cards from other shows to trick him into doing ridiculous things on camera, like wearing a dress and hopping on one leg while honking like a goose. On his way home, he contemplates if the guy getting cancelled over it was a little extreme, thinking that nobody would actually follow the things he read off the cards. Once he gets home, he finds Jon wearing a dress and hopping up and down on one leg while honking like a goose.
Throughout the series, Odie has repeatedly made his first appearance in an episode after the use of this trope, to the point that Garfield began lampshading it. "63 shows and he hasn't missed a cue yet." Also lampshaded in a segment on comedy method, where at one point, Garfield talks about comedy timing, and demonstrates by using some variation on this trope, followed by Odie jumping in, with some kind of costume.
However this is subverted at one point, when Garfield asks who would be dumb enough to be out in the middle of a blizzard... and Odie appears right beside him, causing Garfield to comment that not even he was stupid enough to be out there.
It also happens several times in the U.S. Acres cartoons, such as in "Flop Goes the Weasel". Booker uses a box trap in order to try and catch a worm. When the alarm to his trap goes off, he rushes to check on it. When Roy asks, "Who's dumb enough to get caught in a trap like this?", Odie comes out of the box.
In U.S. Acres "Mystery Guest", Roy puts on a Mystery Guest Game, offering to give away the farmer's tractor if anyone can figure out who the mystery guest is. The mystery guest is none other than Garfieldwearing only a mask over his eyes.
Orson: Roy, there is no one in the world who is so stupid, they don't know who that is. (cut away to Orson's brothers watching the Mystery Guest Game on their TV) Wart: Gee, I wonder who that is.
Goof Troop: In "Terminal Pete", Pete hurts his head and ends up in the hospital. He recovers, but the doctor wants to have a few x-rays taken before he leaves. When a gopher gets in a shot during the x-ray, the doctor finds this hilarious and makes jokes about Pete dying from a "terminal chest gopher". However, both Goofy and Pete take him seriously and believe Pete's gonna die. After Pete disappears to do a crazy stunt, Goofy is confronted by Peg, who wants to know what's going on, as well as the doctor, who wants to know why Pete hasn't paid his bill.
Goofy: Well, doc, uh, Pete was a little disappointed that you couldn't save him from that terminal chest gopher stuff. Peg: Terminal chest gopher stuff? (to the doctor) What terminal chest gopher stuff?! Doctor: Well, I was making a little joke and your husband didn't think it was funny. Goofy: You were only joking? Doctor: Of course I was only joking! Who's dumb enough to believe in something as silly as "Terminal chest gopher", for goodness sakes?! Max: (to PJ) I know two names for the top of the list.
The reverse happens in The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy. Grim gives Billy a gumball machine that yields a limitless supply of gum, but warns him never to swallow it; he does anyway, but Billy starts reacting oddly (not getting the "unimaginably horrible rash from another dimension" that Grim claimed it would cause). When Grim and Mandy tell him to hand the gumball machine over, he refuses, and threatens to eat the whole thing — and he does. When Mandy asks what it will do to him, Grim says, "I don't know! No-one's ever been stupid enough to swallow the whole bottomless gumball machine!" What happens is hilarious: It causes Billy to vomit a huge quantity of gum with such force that it propels him like a rocket, circling the Earth, and covering several major landmarks — and Grim and Mandy — with gum. When he finally lands, then he gets the rash.
The Hair Bear Bunch episode "Goldilocks and the Three Bears" has spoiled actress Twinkles Sunshine re-writing the fairy tale (with the Bunch in the movie) to accommodate an evil prince as a chew toy. The director asks where he can find somebody dumb enough for the part. Enter zookeeper Peevly.
Used indirectly on Invader Zim. The episode "Bad Bad Rubber Piggy" opens on an episode of Professor Membrane's show about time travel. After demonstrating the consequences of time travel, Membrane proclaims "anyone who would build a space-time object replacement device is a complete moron!". Guess what Zim's doing at that exact moment?
In the Beach Episode of Jimmy Two-Shoes, when seeing people dancing on TV, Heloise mutters "Who dances like that?" in a clearly condescending tone. Naturally, Jimmy and Beezy provide the answer.
Every time Kaeloo or Mr. Cat asks this question, the answer is revealed to be Stumpy.
One episode had Mr. Cat, Stumpy and Quack Quack scamming people by selling them "lucky underwear". When Kaeloo sees a commercial for it on TV, she laughs and asks who would be dumb enough to fall for that. She then looks around and sees that literally everyone except her is wearing a pair of "lucky underwear".
Looney Tunes: In A Star is Bored, when Daffy goes to a studio casting director for a big part just as he's looking for a stunt double for Bugs' latest movie.
Casting Director:(on the phone) Yeah, I know we need a double on the Bugs Bunny picture, but where can I get anyone stupid enough to take the job?
Daffy:(bursts in) Okay, boss! Hang up! A star is born, and that star is me!
Casting Director: I'll call ya right back. I, uh, I think I've got a pigeon.
Daffy:Pigeon? I'm not a pigeon, I'm a duck. D-U-K, duck! Loaded with talent! Do card tricks and impersonations; I work at weddings, bar mitzvahs. Have tux, will travel!
Megas XLR: In "The Return", after Coop defeats all of Magnanimous' initial line-up, he (unsurprisingly) announces on galactic television for all other fighters in the universe to Bring It. After Jamie and Kiva point out on what he just did, Coop proclaims that no one would be dumb enough to challenge the champion... just as hundred of competitors arrive to claim the belt.
Milo Murphy's Law: When Cavendish begins to suspect Milo is an agent working against them, it results in the following exchange:
Dakota: So, you think this kid is doing some undercover agent stuff at a middle school dance? Is that your theory? Cavendish: What better cover is there? No one but an idiot would suspect it. Dakota: ...I didn't say it.
Muppet Babies (1984): In "Whose Tale Is It, Anyway", Baby Bean Bunny goes missing and young Janice suggests finding him using the old Box-and-Stick Trap.
Skeeter: Wow! That's really neat-o, Janice. Piggy: Are you kidding? Nobody's stupid enough to fall for a trap like that! (Scooter gets caught in the box) Scooter: Very clever.
Lucy: I've never seen it rain so hard for such a long time. Linus: I'm just glad I'm inside. Lucy: Well, good grief. Only a real blockhead would be out in a rain like this. [cut to Charlie Brown standing on the pitcher's mound] Charlie Brown: Where is everybody? We're supposed to have a ballgame today!
In You're the Greatest, Charlie Brown, the kids discuss the upcoming Junior Olympics, and how a student from their school is entered in every event except for the decathlon.
Linus: I sure don't want to enter that event. You have to compete in ten different things! That's too much work! Lucy: Boy, who'd be that dumb, to want to enter the decathlon? Charlie Brown: Hi, everybody!
Happens in The Penguins of Madagascar episode "Best Laid Plantains". King Julien is tempted to try some of the plantains belonging to the two thuggish gorillas, Bada and Bing. When asking others should he do it, everyone (except Mort) says no. Skipper says, "Even you can't be that stupid." Later, Julien (and Marlene) wind up eating all of the plantains and running away. When Bada and Bing find out, they go on a rampage, but are stopped by the penguins. When they explain why they were rampaging, the penguins huddled up:
Skipper: Someone ate their plantains. Who would be so stupid? Private, Kowalski, and Rico: Julien. Skipper: Agreed!
In Phineas and Ferb: Star Wars, the title characters and a merchant are discussing the Death Star Plans and have just discovered the station's fatal flaw. The merchant asks, "What kind of idiot would design that?" Cut to Darthenshmirtz.
In the Pound Puppies (2010) episode "Nightmare on Pound Street", Squirt wonders "what kind of goofball" would be afraid of the Halloween decorations Olaf is hanging up. Cue Niblet cowering from some rubber spiders.
Rocky and Bullwinkle: At least once, the narrator would ask "But who would be stupid enough to [plot contrivance]?" as a lead-in to an entry by Bullwinkle — "I would!"
In The Secret Show, when a clown declares that he would rule the world, Victor dismisses the threat, stating that there's no way anyone should believe that a lone clown could ever rule the world. Cue Gilligan Cut to the whole planet taken over.
Daily: "Trust me" he said! Now, that Clown has taken over the blippin planet!!
In the episode "Homer's Barbershop Quartet", we learn that his band's picture was put on a can of something called Funny Foam.
Homer: Yeah, they pulled it off the market when they found out it was toxic. But I figure, if you're stupid enough to eat it, you deserve to die. BART! Bart:[spraying Funny Foam into his mouth] What?
"You said 'no one's dumb enough to pay a twenty dollar processing fee'!"
Apu: Now, these hot dogs have been here for three years. They are strictly ornamental. There's only one bozo who comes in and buys them! Homer: But I eat... oh.
In "Homer and Apu", Apu finds some expired ham and decides to sell it at a reduced price instead of throwing it away:
Apu: No, this time I have gone too far. No one will fall for... Homer: Woohoo! Cheap meat! Ooh! This one's already open!
Homer pulls this on himself in "The Old Man and The C Student", when he acquires a surplus of springs and decides to sell them on.
Homer: I should have no problem selling a thousand springs. Marge: To who? Homer: Idiots. [begins absentmindedly playing with a spring] Ooh! These are fun!
"Sideshow Bob's Last Gleaming" has one that targets the entire Simpson family.
Chief Wiggum: Shut your wordhole! We gotta get this place clean for the air show. Sideshow Bob:Air show? Buzz cut Alabamians spewing colored smoke from their whiz jets to the strains of "Rock You Like a Hurricane"? What kind of country-fried rube is still impressed by that?! [Cut to the Simpson family expressing great excitement about the air show]
The Smurfs (1981): In "The Enchanted Quill", the Dean Of Wizards wish to be rid of the Bratty Half-Pint, Scruple, but are afraid that expelling him would tarnish the school's reputation. Therefore, they decide to let another wizard take Scruple on as an apprenctice, but a teacher claims that "No wizard would be that foolish". However, the dean, Mordor, believes that there might be one wizard foolish enough. Cut to Gargamel.
In the South Park episode "The Tooth Fairy's Tats 2000" the kids are running a tooth racket where they collect the money from under other kid's pillows. A sting operation is set up to catch them in the act, with a news report about a kid getting $600 and his exact location.
Cameraman: Naw, come on. D'ya really think anyone will fall for somethin' that stupid? Cartman: Six hundred dollars, you guys! Come on, get your stuff together!
SpongeBob SquarePants has this exchange, while Squidward is working the night shift and complaining about how pointless his job is.
Squidward: Open twenty-four hours a day; what a stupid idea! Who wants a Krabby Patty at three in the morning? [cut to Patrick, in his bed, as his alarm clock goes off]
Patrick: Oh, boy! 3 AM! [he pulls a hamburger out from under his blanket and starts eating it]
Lois Lane: Sabotage? Clark Kent: Had to be. Luthor's way too careful to foul up like that. Lois Lane: Who'd want to destroy Luthor? (Clark stares at her incredulously) ...Well, yeah. But who'd be crazy enough to try?
The Captain:Your dad's lifetime rival King Trevor of Equis likes to play pranks on him.
Rapunzel:By just drawing a silly face on dad's statue? I can't imagine any intelligent person finding this funny.
Eugene: Ha ha ha ha ha.
In the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles episode "Super Rocksteady and Mighty Bebop", Shredder complains to Krang when Krang's mind control device makes its victims act like children instead of becoming willing slaves, and Krang protests "only a complete idiot" would invent something like that. As he realizes what he'd just said ("A complete idiot?"), he hollers at Rocksteady and Bebop, who sure enough had earlier accidentally damaged the device without telling their bosses.
From the episode "Garbage In, Garbage Out". Justified in Wreck-Gar's case since he would automatically assume the role of whatever was last said to him.
[Megatron, Starscream, and Lugnut currently on board Omega Supreme without any weapons] Starscream:[to Shockwave]Lucky you! Meantime, we get to float up here and get picked off by the Cybertronian Defense cannons! Megatron: No Autobot would be foolish enough to fire on their greatest weapon. [cut to Autobot Council meeting] Sentinel Prime: I say we fire on Omega Supreme!
This happens at least twice to Bumblebee in season one ("You mean they actually sell spare parts on the open market? What kind of malfunction would be crass enough to buy this stuff?), and he does it to himself in the Grand Finale.
Bumblebee: Who'd be crazy enough to volunteer for that mission? [beat] Why's everyone looking at me? Why's everyone always looking at me?
In The Venture Bros. Season 3 premiere, we learn in a flashback that The Monarch used to work as Phantom Limb's henchman while moonlighting as The Monarch and seduced Dr. Girlfriend during this period. When Phantom Limb catches them in the act, he doesn't recognize him (as he's off uniform) and demands he identify himself. The Monarch then makes up the name "Manotaur" on the spot after looking at the big "M" on the hood of the Monarchmobile. Phantom Limb is then summoned by the Council and before leaving tells "Manotaur" he is now on Phantom Limb's "shit list". The present Dr. Girlfriend, who is learning of this via video footage, claims it's impossible that Phantom Limb (probably the most competent and intelligent villain on the show) would be stupid enough to fail to recognize his own henchman. In the episode's epilogue, we see Phantom Limb descending on a retired, completely innocent, and looking-nothing-like-the-Monarch Manotaur...
Phantom Limb:No-one "retires" from Phantom Limb's shit list!
