History Main / DumbDodoBird

The dodo was a flightless bird that lived on the island of Mauritius, east of Madagascar in the Indian Ocean. It is placed in the same family of birds as pigeons and doves (Columbidae). If you look at a baby pigeon and depictions of the dodo side by side, you might discover some similarities. Due to their isolation, they were naive towards predators and were wiped out within a few decades of its discovery. However, their images were recorded in various books about animals, and with their rather goofy-looking appearance, they eventually became a popular animal choice in media of various sorts.

* A dodo appears in ''The Peacock Party'', a sequel to ''The Butterfly Ball'', in the poem "The Dodo's Dream". The illustration shows the dodo bursting through an elephant shaped teapot (legs through the bottom, head through the spout/trunk) while surrounded by surreal dream imagery.

* ''The Dodo and the Frog'' was a 1940s and 1950s Creator/DCComics series that featured a dull witted dodo bird and a frog who continually tried and failed to take advantage of him. The duo originally ran as a feature in DC's [[UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfComicBooks Golden Age]] FunnyAnimal humor title ''Funny Stuff,'' eventually taking over the title. Dunbar Dodo and Fenimore Frog eventually returned in the 1980s ''CaptainCarrotAndHisAmazingZooCrew''. Dunbar's employed as a cruise ship captain, while Fenimore (still nursing a grudge) occasionally becomes the monstrous giant Frogzilla.

* In ''ComicStrip/SafeHavens'', Samantha successfully cloned two dodos, Paul and Mary, who turned out to be paragons of stupid, self-destructive behavior. Fortunately, their descendants seem to be more levelheaded, considering the grandchildren see Paul and Mary as 'failed prototypes' and successfully negotiated to keep them out of the dodo sanctuary, to the point of filing restraining orders. [[spoiler: After Mars is terraformed, Paul and Mary decide to make their home there, raising two more chicks (With a third on the way). [[GeniusLoci Mars]], for its part, regards them as pets.

* In ''ComicStrip/SafeHavens'', Samantha successfully cloned two dodos, Paul and Mary, who turned out to be paragons of stupid, self-destructive behavior. Fortunately, their descendants seem to be more levelheaded, considering the grandchildren see Paul and Mary as 'failed prototypes' and successfully negotiated to keep them out of the dodo sanctuary, to the point of filing restraining orders.

* The ''[[VideoGame/DontStarve Don't Starve: Shipwrecked]]'' DLC has the Doydoys, passive mobs which are clearly meant to be dodo birds.

* Dodo birds likely were not stupid at all; they were pigeons, and pigeons are highly intelligent, even by bird standards. They certainly couldn't fly, as mentioned, but that has no bearing on their brains. They became extinct because of CripplingOverspecialisation, having been outcompeted by other species (in particular pigs), due to having no predators (or competition) before those species arrived.

Usually a dodo in media is a comedic, dim bulb whose inability to fly often leads to jokes at their expense. Due to being extinct, they also sometimes appear alongside animals that died out a much longer time ago in pre-historic enviornments. They can sometimes act as {{Cloudcuckoolander}}s or TheFool. In short, Dodos are never taken seriously. But there are some cases where the trend is averted, or at least subverted, if the dodo isn't entirely stupid or out of their mind that is usually the case.

* In ''{{Series/Primeval}}'', dodos are one of the few [[PrehistoricMonster creatures]] to come out of the time anomalies that are entirely harmless in themselves. Unfortunately, they also carry parasites that [[EverythingTryingToKillYou are as viciously infective as deadly to humans]].

* ''Film/SesameStreetPresentsFollowThatBird'' has the Dodo family, a DysfunctionalFamily of the highest degree whose dissaproval of Big Bird's imaginary friend kickstarts the movie's plot.

* ''VideoGame/SlyCooperThievesInTime'' has a Dodo guard, that attacks by swinging its' beak, throwing rocks, and rolling eggs. Each time it lands a hit thats not a counter-attack, it does a HappyDance.

* In ''Webcomic/LeagueOfSuperRedundantHeroes'', Franchise/{{Batman}} {{Expy}} Flying-Fox Man has had numerous ComicBook/{{Robin}} Expy sidekicks ... {{ahem}}... "crime-solving junior partners" who are named "Dodo". And tends to get themselves killed often.

* Dodo from ''ComicStrip/AnimalCrackers'', although he is not as dumb as he is temperamental and too stubborn to realize he's flightless.

* A time-travel episode of ''WesternAnimation/WildKratts'' shows the Kratt brothers going back in time to early 17th century Mauritius to see dodo birds.

* Dodo birds likely were not stupid at all; they were pigeons, and pigeons are intelligent by bird standards. They certainly couldn't fly, as mentioned, but that has no bearing on their brains. They became extinct because of CripplingOverspecialisation, having been outcompeted by other species (in particular pigs), due to having no predators (or competition) before those species arrived.

* Dodo Birds themselves couldn't fly, as mentioned. They became extinct because of CripplingOverspecialisation, having been outcompeted by other species (in particular pigs), due to having no predators (or competition) before those species arrived.

* ''WesternAnimation/AmericanDad'' "Steve and Snot's Test-Tubular Adventure": Stan brings home Daren, a dodo cloned by the {{CIA}} that has to be repeatedly saved from [[TooDumbToLive killing itself]]. The first time Stan introduces Daren, it coats itself in oil, breads itself, and sits in a pan on the stove after lighting the burner.

* His son, Gogo Dodo, is a regular character in ''WesternAnimation/TinyToonAdventures'', to the point where he's in the theme song! Like his father, he looks nothing like the real thing.

* ''VideoGame/PlantsVsZombies2ItsAboutTime'': One of the zombies in the Frostbite Caves (which takes place during the Ice Age) is the Dodo Rider Zombie, an imp riding a dodo that's normally grounded but [[AirborneMook "flies"]] when it encounters ice floes. It's actually not as dumb as it seems, considering that the Imp managed to train it as a mount and ''teach it to fly''.

Technically a Subtrope to DumbDinos as dodos, being birds, are dinosaurs. See DogsAreDumb and MooseAreIdiots for other animals portrayed with similarly low intelligence.

* ''WesternAnimation/ThePiratesInAnAdventureWithScientists'' has Polly, a Dodo bird that acts as the Pirate Captain's PirateParrot. She becomes quite important to the film's plot after a scientist recognizes her for what she is. Is smarter than most examples, though.

[[folder:Newspaper Comics]]
* In ''ComicStrip/SafeHavens'', Samantha successfully cloned two dodos, Paul and Mary, who turned out to be paragons of stupid, self-destructive behaviour. Fortunately, their descendants seem to be more levelheaded, considering the grandchildren see Paul and Mary as 'failed prototypes' and successfully negotiated to keep them out of the dodo sanctuary, to the point of filing restraining orders.
[[/folder]]

* In the Distant Marsh stage from Soul Calibur IV, you can spot dodos roaming around.

* Marzipan of ''WebAnimation/HomestarRunner'' has a long-running interest in preserving endangered species. In the cartoon of the same name, Homestar sets out to catch her the unbelievably endangered dodo-like bird called the "Yello Dello."

* ''WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes'' had Yoyo Dodo in one of their most famous cartoons, "WesternAnimation/PorkyInWackyland", who looked nothing like the real thing (being green with a little red/pink umbrella on his head), and is a RealityWarper of the highest order.
** His son, Gogo Dodo, is a regular character in ''WesternAnimation/TinyToonAdventures'', to the point where he's in the theme song!" Like his father, he looks nothing like the real thing.

* Marzipan of ''WebOriginal/HomestarRunner'' has a long-running interest in preserving endangered species. In the cartoon of the same name, Homestar sets out to catch her the unbelievably endangered dodo-like bird called the "Yello Dello."

* A time-travel episode of ''WildKratts'' shows the Kratt brothers going back in time to early 17th century Mauritius to see dodo birds.

* In ''ComicStrip/SafeHavens'', Samantha successfully cloned two dodos, Paul and Mary, who turned out to be paragons of stupid, self-destructive behaviour. Fortunately, their descendants seem to be more levelheaded, considering the grandchildren see Paul and Mary as 'failed prototypes' and successfully negotiated to keep them out of the dodo sanctuary.

* In ''ComicStrip/SafeHavens'', Samantha successfully cloned two dodos, who turned out to be paragons of stupid, self-destructive behaviour. Fortunately, their descendants seem to be more levelheaded.

* In ''ComicStrip/SafeHavens'', Samantha successfully cloned two dodos, who turned out to be paragons of stupid, self-destructive behaviour.

* ''The Dodo and the Frog'' was a 1940s and 1950s Creator/DCComics series that featured a dull witted dodo bird and a frog who continually tried and failed to take advantage of him. The duo originally ran as a feature in DC's [[TheGoldenAgeOfComicBooks Golden Age]] FunnyAnimal humor title ''Funny Stuff,'' eventually taking over the title. Dunbar Dodo and Fenimore Frog eventually returned in the 1980s ''CaptainCarrotAndHisAmazingZooCrew''. Dunbar's employed as a cruise ship captain, while Fenimore (still nursing a grudge) occasionally becomes the monstrous giant Frogzilla.

* Marzipan of ''WebOriginal/HomestarRunner'' has a long-running interest in preserving endangered species. In the cartoon of the same name, Homestar sets out to catch her the unbelievably endangered dodo-like bird called the "Yellow Dello." [[spoiler: Which he cooks for her.]]