Top 10 Dumbest Animated TV Characters

Cal, from MTV’s “Undergrads” series, is tall, blond and handsome. He’s a hit with the ladies, who don’t seem to care that there’s not a single brain in that pretty little head of his. Cal is oblivious to pretty much everything. That makes him a perfect foil to frat boy Rocko, whose dislike of Cal is blatantly obvious to everyone – except Cal.

Dumb was taken to a new level with Mike Judge’s iconic “Beavis and Butt-head.” The title characters are two teenaged slackers and would-be delinquents. Social misfits with no compassion, they classify under the categories of either “cool” or “sucks.” Beavis is marginally more intelligent than Butt-head – but we’re talking microscopic differences here.

Being dumb doesn’t keep a character from being other things. Philip J. Fry from “Futurama,” for example, is about as dumb as toast – but he’s also caring, simple and appealing. But make no mistake: he is dumb. Fry may not always be on the ball, however he still manages to come through in a pinch – sometimes. Besides – it’s not easy when everyone around you has 1,000 years more education than you do.

Stimpson J. Cat, the Stimpy of “Ren & Stimpy,” is a mindless but basically pleasant cat. His trademark vacant stare and dopey smile, complete with tongue lolling out of the side of his mouth, tell you that there’s no one home upstairs. Stimpy proves that ignorance is bliss – although for those around him (like Ren), it’s not always quite so blissful.

Life for a genetically modified lab mouse can be pretty good – if that mouse happens to be Pinky of “Pinky & the Brain.” Exactly what those scientists modified isn’t quite clear, but it sure wasn’t his brain; he’s basically empty-headed. Still, that doesn’t keep him from being happy, carefree and caring. And on occasion, Pinky’s irrational mind actually comes up with some good ideas.

Ed – with only one “d” – is the brainlessly happy-go-lucky member of the “Ed, Edd & Eddy” trio. Ed’s as strong as he is dumb, which means you really don’t want to mess with him. But he’s also kindhearted, good-natured and never knowingly misuses his strength. A daydreamer, Ed has a tremendous love of comic books and monster movies – and an unfortunate fear of soap.

The friendly yin to Mandy’s cynical yang, Billy of “The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy” is about as nice a guy as you could care to meet. That doesn’t stop him from being stupid – intensely stupid, as a matter of fact. It also doesn’t stop him from causing trouble – inadvertently, of course. Also, it’s a good idea to avoid mentioning clowns around Billy; just sayin’.

“Family Guy” is overloaded with idiots, but Chris Griffin manages to win the stupidity prize – barely – over the not-too-bright likes of Mayor Adam West and Peter Griffin. After all, this is a guy who gives names to his pimples and sticks army figures up his nose. It’s tempting to call him as dumb as a rock, but truth to tell, a rock may actually be smarter.

Homer Simpson may be a complete moron, but even he outpaces little Ralph Wiggum in the brains department – though not by much. Ralph’s high-pitched musings reveal a brain that functions – if that’s the word for it – in a totally random manner; he’s kind of chaos theory made human. Whether gluing his head to his shoulder or running in a Presidential primary, Ralph can be counted on to bring inanity to a new level.

Before we reveal our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions:
- Johnny Bravo “Johnny Bravo” (1997-2004)
- Cosmo “The Fairly OddParents” (2001-)
- Lola Bunny “The Looney Tunes Show” (2011-)
- Towelie “South Park” (1997-)
- Derpy Hooves “My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic” (2010-)

Nobody could ever call SpongeBob SquarePants smart – except in comparison to his best bud, Patrick Star. Patrick’s not just dumb; he’s also slothful, lazy and lacking in social graces. But it’s Patrick’s stupidity that really stands out: whether he’s forgetting how to eat, creating new words or confusing condiments with musical instruments, Patrick stands out as thedumbest cartoon character on TV.

Do you agree with our choices? What other dimwitted cartoon characters should we have included on this list? For more enthralling top 10s published daily, be sure to subscribe to WatchMojo.com.