View source for Dilbert

{{Short description|American comic strip}}
{{Merge from|Dilberito|discuss=Talk:Dilbert#Proposed merge of Dilberito into Dilbert|date=February 2025}}
{{About|the Dilbert comic strip|other uses|}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2023}}
{{Infobox comic strip
| title       = Dilbert
| image       = Dilbert-20050910.png
| caption     = "Announcement of changes in company [[password policy]]". From left: the [[Pointy-haired Boss]], [[Dilbert (character)|Dilbert]], [[Alice (Dilbert)|Alice]], and [[Wally (Dilbert)|Wally]]<br />(Pub. September 10, 2005)
| alt         = From left to right, the Pointy-Haired Boss, Dilbert, Alice, and Wally all sit at a table. The Pointy-Haired Boss holds a piece of paper and says "Starting today, all passwords must contain letters, numbers, doodles, sign language and squirrel noises."
| author      = [[Scott Adams]]
| current     =
| url         = {{URL|https://scottadams.locals.com/}} (subscription only)
| status      = Running
| first       = {{start date and age|1989|4|16}}
| last        = {{start date and age|2023|3|26}} (no longer syndicated; still running as a webcomic)<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.dailycartoonist.com/index.php/2023/03/12/dilbert-1989-2023/ | title=Dilbert 1989 – 2023 – the Daily Cartoonist | date=March 12, 2023 }}</ref>
| altnames    =
| syndicate   = [[United Feature Syndicate]] ([[United Media]], 1989–June 2011)<br />([[Universal Uclick]]/[[Andrews McMeel Syndication]], June 2011–March 2023)
| publisher   = [[Andrews McMeel Publishing]] (until March 2023)<br>Self-distributed through [[Locals]] (since March 2023)
| genre       = [[Satire]],<br /> [[observational comedy]],<br />
[[surreal comedy]]
| rating      =
| preceded by =
| followed by = Daily Dilbert Reborn
}}

'''''Dilbert''''' is an American [[comic strip]] written and illustrated by [[Scott Adams]], first published on April 16, 1989.<ref>{{cite web |title=Welcome to Dilbert |url=https://dilbert.com/search_results?month=4&year=1989 |website=Dilbert |access-date=December 16, 2019 |archive-date=March 6, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230306013031/https://dilbert.com/search_results?month=4&year=1989 |url-status=dead }}</ref> It is known for its [[satire|satirical]] [[office humor]] about a [[White-collar worker|white-collar]], [[micromanagement|micromanage]]d office with engineer [[Dilbert (character)|Dilbert]] as the [[title role|title character]]. It has led to dozens of books, an [[Dilbert (TV series)|animated television series]], a [[Dilbert's Desktop Games|video game]], and hundreds of themed [[merchandising|merchandise]] items. ''Dilbert Future'' and ''The Joy of Work'' are among the best-selling books in the series. In 1997, Adams received the [[National Cartoonists Society]] [[National Cartoonists Society#Reuben Award|Reuben Award]] and the Newspaper Comic Strip Award for his work. ''Dilbert'' appears online and as of 2013 was published daily in 2,000 newspapers in 65 countries and 25 languages.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.unitedfeatures.com/?title=Bio:Dilbert%20Dailies |title=Dilbert presentation at Kings Features Syndicate |publisher=Unitedfeatures.com |access-date=June 30, 2013 |archive-date=September 27, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110927110414/http://www.unitedfeatures.com/?title=Bio:Dilbert |url-status=dead }}</ref>

In 2023, ''Dilbert'' was dropped by numerous independent newspapers as well as its distributor, [[Andrews McMeel Syndication]] (which owns [[GoComics]], from where the comic was also removed), after Adams published a video where he called Black Americans that disagreed with "[[It's okay to be white]]" a "hate group" and said white Americans should "get the hell away from" them.<ref name="economist.com">{{Cite news |title=Scott Adams's racist comments were spurred by a badly worded poll |newspaper=The Economist |url=https://www.economist.com/united-states/2023/03/02/scott-adamss-racist-comments-were-spurred-by-a-badly-worded-poll |access-date=2023-03-24 |issn=0013-0613}}</ref><ref name="Bernstein">{{Cite news |last=Bernstein |first=Sharon |date=2023-02-26 |title='Dilbert' cartoon dropped after racist rant by creator Scott Adams |language=en |work=Reuters |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/us/dilbert-cartoon-dropped-after-racist-rant-by-creator-scott-adams-2023-02-26/ |access-date=2023-03-24}}</ref> The video was widely described by sources such as ''[[The Economist]]'' and ''[[Reuters]]'' as containing "racist comments" and being a "racist rant".<ref name="economist.com"/><ref name="Bernstein"/> Adams stated that he disavows racism.<ref>{{Cite news | last1=Canva | first1=Michael | last2=Chery | first2=Samantha | title=Scott Adams Faces Backlash Over 'Dilbert' Cartoon | url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/comics/2023/03/06/scott-adams-dilbert-cartoon-controversy/ | newspaper=The Washington Post | date=2023-03-06 | access-date=2024-06-09}}</ref> The following month, Adams relaunched the strip as a [[webcomic]] on [[Locals]] under the name ''Daily Dilbert Reborn''.

== Publication history ==
''Dilbert'' began syndication by [[United Feature Syndicate]] (a division of [[United Media]]) in April 1989.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Comics through time : a history of icons, idols, and ideas.|others=Booker, M. Keith|date = October 28, 2014|isbn=978-0-313-39751-6|location=Santa Barbara, California|oclc=896826610}}</ref>

On June 3, 2010, United Media sold its licensing arm, along with the rights to ''Dilbert'', to [[Iconix Brand Group]].<ref>{{cite press release|url=http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/iconix-brand-group-closes-acquisition-of-peanuts-95534994.html|title=Iconix Brand Group Closes Acquisition of Peanuts|publisher=Iconix Brand Group|website=PR Newswire|access-date=March 17, 2018}}</ref> This led to ''Dilbert'' leaving United Media. In late December 2010, it was announced that Dilbert would move to [[Universal Uclick]] (a division of [[Andrews McMeel Universal]], known as [[Andrews McMeel Syndication]]) beginning in June 2011,<ref>Gardner, Alan. [http://www.dailycartoonist.com/index.php/2010/12/28/dilbert-leaves-united-media-for-universal-uclick/ "DILBERT LEAVES UNITED MEDIA FOR UNIVERSAL UCLICK (UPDATED),"] ''The Daily Cartoonist'' (December 28, 2010).</ref> where it remained until 2023.

In September 2022, [[Lee Enterprises]] ceased running the strip in what Scott Adams reported as 77 newspapers as the publisher declined to include the strip in a new comics page that was instituted throughout the company. He said that he had received complaints about Dilbert mocking the [[environmental, social, and corporate governance]] movement, but that he was not sure if that was the reason for the cancellation.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Casiano |first=Louis |date=September 20, 2022 |title='Dilbert' author Scott Adams says comic strip about corporate office culture removed from 77 newspapers |url= https://www.foxnews.com/us/dilbert-author-scott-adams-says-comic-strip-about-corporate-office-culture-removed-from-77-newspapers |access-date=December 31, 2022 |website=Fox News }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Degg|first=D. D.|url=https://www.dailycartoonist.com/index.php/2022/09/13/lee-enterprises-new-comics-lineup-maybe/|title=Lee Enterprises New Comics Lineup – Update|publisher=Daily Cartoonist|date=September 13, 2022|accessdate=March 4, 2023}}</ref> The ''[[San Francisco Chronicle]]'', owned by [[Hearst Media]] dropped ''Dilbert'' in October 2022 saying the move came after strips joked that [[Reparations for slavery in the United States|reparations for slavery]] could be claimed by underperforming office workers.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Parker |first=Jordan |date=February 25, 2023 |title=Bay Area cartoonist who created Dilbert goes on racist rant, draws condemnation |url=https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/dilbert-17805004.php |access-date=February 28, 2023 |website=San Francisco Chronicle |language=en-US}}</ref>

In February 2023, hundreds of newspapers owned by [[media conglomerates]] including [[Andrews McMeel Syndication]] dropped the comic in response to a [[YouTube]] video published by Adams on February 22, 2023,<ref>{{cite web |last1=Adams |first1=Scott |author1-link=Scott Adams |title=Episode 2027 Scott Adams: AI Goes Woke, I Accidentally Joined A Hate Group, Trump, Policing Schools |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K6TnAn7qV1s&t=16m |time=16m |website=youtube.com |via=YouTube |language=en |format=video |date=February 22, 2023}}</ref> during which he advised [[white people]] to "get the hell away from [[black people]]" following publication of a [[Rasmussen Reports]] poll which Adams said showed that [[African-American]] people collectively form a "hate group".<ref>{{cite web |last1=Degg |first1=D.D. |title=Andrews McMeel Drops Scott Adams |url= https://www.dailycartoonist.com/index.php/2023/02/26/andrews-mcmeel-drops-scott-adams/ |website=The Daily Cartoonist |date=February 26, 2023 |publisher=The Daily Cartoonist, LLC |access-date=February 27, 2023}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=February 25, 2023 |title=Hundreds of newspapers drop 'Dilbert' comic strip after racist tirade from creator Scott Adams |url=https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/25/business/dilbert-comic-strip-racist-tirade/index.html |access-date=February 25, 2023 |publisher=[[CNN]] }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Chron |first=Matthew Kitchen |date=February 25, 2023 |title=Houston Chronicle to cease printing 'Dilbert' following cartoonist's racist video |url=https://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/article/scott-adams-dilbert-17805858.php |access-date=February 28, 2023 |website=Chron |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=AMU severing relationship with Dilbert creator Scott Adams|url=https://www.andrewsmcmeel.com/amu-severing-relationship-with-dilbert-creator-scott-adams/ |website=Andrews McMeel Universal |access-date=February 27, 2023 |date=February 27, 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/26/us/dilbert-newspapers-racism.html|title=Newspapers Drop 'Dilbert' Comic After Creator's Rant About Black 'Hate Groups'|work=The New York Times|first=Neduardo|last=Medina|date=February 26, 2023|access-date=February 26, 2023}}</ref> The poll found that 53% of [[black Americans|African-Americans]] agree with the statement "[[It's okay to be white|It's okay to be White]]", while 26% disagreed, and 21% responded they were "not sure".<ref>{{cite news |last=Tremoglie |first=Christopher |date=March 6, 2023 |title=Poll: Only 54% of black people think it's 'OK to be white' |url=https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/restoring-america/community-family/poll-only-54-of-black-people-think-its-ok-to-be-white |work=[[Washington Examiner]]|location=Washington |access-date=March 13, 2023}}</ref> [[Gannett]], including its [[USA Today]] network (including the ''[[Detroit Free Press]],'' ''[[The Indianapolis Star]],'' ''[[The Cincinnati Enquirer]]'', and ''The [[The Arizona Republic|Arizona Republic]])'' also dropped the strip following Adams's comments.<ref>{{Cite news |date=February 25, 2023 |title=Newspapers Pull "Dilbert" After Creator Scott Adams Calls Black People a "Hate Group" |url= https://www.motherjones.com/media/2023/02/dilbert-scott-adams-racist-black-people-hate-group-comic/ |access-date=February 25, 2023 |work =[[Mother Jones (magazine)|Mother Jones]]}}</ref> Such major newspapers as ''[[The Washington Post]]'', the ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'', ''[[The Seattle Times]]'', ''[[The Atlanta Journal-Constitution]]'', and ''[[The Plain Dealer]]'' all ceased to syndicate Dilbert and published editorials denouncing Adams.<ref>{{cite web | last=Quinn | first=Chris | title=We are dropping the Dilbert comic strip because of creator Scott Adams' racist rant: Letter from the Editor | location= Cleveland |work=The Plain Dealer| date=February 24, 2023 |url= https://www.cleveland.com/news/2023/02/we-are-dropping-the-dilbert-comic-strip-because-of-creator-scott-adams-racist-rant-letter-from-the-editor.html | access-date=February 25, 2023}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=February 25, 2023 |title='Dilbert' Dropped by Washington Post, LA Times as More Papers Condemn Scott Adams' Racist Rant |url=https://www.thewrap.com/dilbert-dropped-washington-post-la-times-scott-adams-racist/ |access-date=February 25, 2023 |work=[[The Wrap]] }}</ref><ref name="feb25latimes">{{Cite news |date=February 25, 2023 |title=Los Angeles Times ceases publication of 'Dilbert' |url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/story/2023-02-25/los-angeles-times-ceases-publication-of-dilbert |access-date=February 25, 2023 |work=Los Angeles Times}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=February 25, 2023 |title=Why The Atlanta Journal-Constitution will no longer run 'Dilbert' |url=https://www.ajc.com/news/why-the-atlanta-journal-constitution-will-no-longer-run-dilbert/M7IW7MQJXBDSXHHIWIAEXOEIQM/ |access-date=February 25, 2023 |work=[[Atlanta Journal-Constitution]] }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=February 25, 2023 |title=E-N drops 'Dilbert' because of creator's comments about Black Americans |url= https://www.expressnews.com/news/local/article/dilbert-creator-scott-adams-comments-17805449.php/ |access-date=February 25, 2023 |work=[[San Antonio Express-News]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=February 25, 2023 |title=Letter from the Editor: Why we are no longer running the comic strip 'Dilbert' |url=https://www.oregonlive.com/opinion/2023/02/letter-from-the-editor-why-we-are-no-longer-running-the-comic-strip-dilbert.html |access-date=February 25, 2023 |work=The Oregonian}}</ref> The ''Los Angeles Times'' also stated it had removed four ''Dilbert'' cartoons from its pages in the preceding nine months when they did not meet the newspaper's standards.<ref name=feb25latimes/> In response, Adams announced that on March 16, 2023, he would launch ''Dilbert Reborn'' on the subscription website [[Locals]], describing it as "spicier than the original".<ref>{{cite news |last1=Cavana |first1=Michael |last2=Chery |first2=Samantha |title=The bewildering descent of Scott Adams and 'Dilbert' |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/comics/2023/03/06/scott-adams-dilbert-cartoon-controversy/ |access-date=March 6, 2023 |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=March 6, 2023}}</ref>

== Themes ==
The comic strip originally revolved around the character [[Dilbert (character)|Dilbert]] and his "pet" dog [[Dogbert]] in their home. Many early plots revolved around Dilbert's engineer nature, bizarre inventions, and [[Narcissism|megalomaniacal]] ambitions. Later, the setting of most of the strips was changed to Dilbert's workplace and the strip began to satirize technology, workplace, and company issues. The strip's popular success is attributable to its workplace setting and themes, which are familiar to a large and appreciative audience.<ref>{{cite journal |url=http://blogs.hbr.org/2013/10/how-dilbert-practically-wrote-itself/ |title=How "Dilbert" Practically Wrote Itself |last1=Ennes |first1=Meghan |date=October 18, 2013 |journal=Harvard Business Review |access-date=October 28, 2014}}</ref> Adams said that switching the setting from Dilbert's home to his office was "when the strip really started to take off".<ref>{{Cite web|author=Adams, Scott|title=The Loser Decision|publisher=The Dilbert blog|date=July 23, 2007|url=http://dilbertblog.typepad.com/the_dilbert_blog/2007/07/the-loser-decis.html}}</ref> The workplace location is [[Silicon Valley]].<ref>{{Cite comic|Cartoonist = [[Scott Adams|Adams, Scott]]|story = Sunday, September 9, 2012|title = Dilbert|Date = September 9, 2012|publisher = Universal UClick|url = http://dilbert.com/strip/2012-09-09|access-date = June 20, 2017|archive-date = April 11, 2019|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20190411142516/http://dilbert.com/strip/2012-09-09|url-status = dead}}</ref>

''Dilbert'' portrays corporate culture as a [[Kafkaesque]] world of [[bureaucracy]] for its own sake, where [[office politics]] preclude productivity, employees' skills and efforts are not rewarded, and [[busy work]] is praised. Much of the humor involves characters making ridiculous decisions in reaction to [[management|mismanagement]].

==Characters==
{{Main|List of Dilbert characters}}
{{More citations needed section|date=January 2020}}

=== Dilbert ===
{{Main|Dilbert (character)}}
The strip's central character, Dilbert is depicted as a technically minded engineer. Until October 2014, he was usually depicted wearing a white dress shirt, black trousers and a red-and-black striped tie that inexplicably curved upward. After October 13, 2014, his standard apparel changed to a red polo shirt with a name badge on a lanyard around his neck.<ref>{{Cite web | url=http://dilbert.com/strip/2014-10-13 | title=Dilbert Comic Strip on 2014-10-13 &#124; Dilbert by Scott Adams | access-date=May 30, 2016 | archive-date=August 26, 2017 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170826114630/http://dilbert.com/strip/2014-10-13 | url-status=dead }}</ref> He is a skilled engineer but has poor social and romantic lives.

=== Pointy-Haired Boss (PHB) ===
Dilbert's boss, known only as the Pointy-Haired Boss, is the unnamed, oblivious manager of the engineering division of Dilbert's company. Adams states that he never named him so that people can imagine him to be their boss. In earlier strips he was depicted as a stereotypical late-middle-aged balding middle manager with jowls; it was not until later that he developed his signature pointy hair and the jowls disappeared. He is hopelessly incompetent at management, and he often tries to compensate for his lack of skills with countless group therapy sessions and business strategies that rarely bear fruit. He does not understand technical issues but always tries to disguise this ineptitude, usually by using buzzwords he also does not understand. The Boss treats his employees alternately with enthusiasm or neglect; he often uses them to his own ends regardless of the consequences to them. Adams himself wrote that "he's not sadistic, just uncaring". His level of intelligence varies from near-vegetative to perceptive and clever, depending on the strip's comic needs. His utter lack of consistent business ethics, however, is perfectly consistent. His brother is a demon named "Phil, the Prince of Insufficient Light", and according to Adams, the pointy hair is intended to remind one of devil horns.

=== Wally ===
One of the longest-serving engineers, Wally was originally a worker trying to get fired to obtain a large severance package. He hates work and avoids it whenever he can. He often carries a cup of coffee, calmly sipping from it even in the midst of chaos or office-shaking revelations. Wally is extremely cynical. He is even more socially inept than Dilbert (though far less self-aware of the fact). Like the Pointy-Haired Boss, Wally is utterly lacking in ethics and will take advantage of any situation to maximize his personal gain while doing the least possible amount of honest work. Until the change to "business dorky" wear of a polo shirt, Wally was invariably portrayed wearing a short sleeved dress shirt and tie. Adams has stated that Wally was based on a Pacific Bell coworker of his who was interested in a generous employee buy-out program—for the company's worst employees. This had the effect of causing this man—whom Adams describes as "one of the more brilliant people I've met"—to work hard at being incompetent, rude, and generally poor at his job to qualify for the buy-out program. Adams has said that this inspired the basic laziness and amorality of Wally's character. Despite these personality traits, Wally is accepted as part of Dilbert, Ted, Alice, and Asok's clique. Although his relationship with Alice is often antagonistic and Dilbert occasionally denies being his friend, their actions show at least a certain acceptance of him.  For Asok, Wally serves as something of a guru of counterintuitive "wisdom". Wally exasperates Dilbert at times but is also sometimes the only other co-worker who understands Dilbert's frustrations with company idiocy and bureaucracy. While Dilbert rages at the dysfunction of the policies of the company, Wally has learned to use the dysfunction to cloak, even justify, his laziness.

=== Alice ===
One of the more competent and highest paid engineers. She is often frustrated at work because she does not get proper recognition, which she believes is because she is female. She has a quick, often violent temper, sometimes putting her "Fist of Death" to use, even with the Pointy-haired Boss. Alice is based on a woman that Adams worked with named Anita, who is described as sharing Alice's "pink suit, fluffy hair, technical proficiency, coffee obsession, and take-no-crap attitude."

=== Dogbert ===
Dilbert's anthropomorphic pet dog is the smartest dog on Earth. Dogbert is a megalomaniac intellectual dog, planning to one day conquer the world. He once succeeded, but became bored with the ensuing peace, and quit. Often seen in high-ranking consultant or technical support jobs, he constantly abuses his power and fools the management of Dilbert's company, though considering the intelligence of the company's management in general and Dilbert's boss in particular, this is not very hard to do. He also enjoys pulling scams on unsuspecting and usually dull customers to steal their money. Despite Dogbert's cynical exterior, he has been known to pull his master out of some tight jams. Dogbert's nature as a pet was more emphasized during the earlier years of the strip; as the strip progressed, references to his acting like a dog became less common, although he still wags his tail when he perpetrates his scams. When an older Dilbert arrives while time-traveling from the future, he refers to Dogbert as "majesty", indicating that Dogbert will one day indeed rule the world again, and make worshipping him retroactive so he could boss around time travelers.

=== Catbert ===
'''Catbert''' is the "evil director of [[human resources]]" in the ''Dilbert'' comic strip. He was supposed to be a one-time character but resonated with readers so well that Adams brought him back as the HR director. Catbert's origins with the company are that he was hired by Dogbert. Dogbert hired him because he wanted an H.R. Director that appeared cute while secretly downsizing employees.<ref>{{cite web| url = https://dilbert.com/strip/1995-03-20| title = Dilbert.com}}</ref>

=== Asok ===
{{Main|Asok (Dilbert)}}
A young intern, Asok works very hard but does not always get proper recognition. He is intensely intelligent but naive about corporate life; the shattering of his optimistic illusions becomes frequent comic fodder. He is [[Indian people|Indian]] and graduated from the [[Indian Institutes of Technology]] (IIT). The other workers, especially the Boss, often unwittingly trample on his cultural beliefs. On the occasions when Asok mentions this, he is normally ignored. His test scores (a perfect 1600 on the old [[SAT]]) and his [[IQ]] of 240 show that he is the smartest member of the engineering team. Nonetheless, he is often called upon by the Boss to do odd jobs, and in meetings his ideas are usually left hanging. He is also seen regularly at the lunch table with Wally and Dilbert, experiencing jarring realizations of the nature of corporate life. There are a few jokes about his psychic powers, which he learned at the IIT. Yet despite his intelligence, ethics, and mystical powers, Asok sometimes takes advice from Wally in the arts of laziness, and from Dilbert in surviving the office. As of February 7, 2014, Asok is officially gay, which never affects any storylines but merely commemorates a decision by the [[Supreme Court of India|Indian Supreme Court]] to uphold a British-era anti-gay law,<ref name="SHYAMANTHA">{{cite news|last=Shyamantha|first=Asokan|title=India's Supreme Court turns the clock back with gay sex ban|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-india-rights-gay-idUSBRE9BA05620131211|access-date=December 11, 2013|newspaper=[[Reuters]]|date=December 11, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web | url=http://dilbert.com/strips/comic/2014-02-07/ |title = Dilbert Comic Strip on 2014-02-07 &#124; Dilbert by Scott Adams}}</ref> a decision which was overturned on September 6, 2018.<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2018/09/indias-supreme-court-overturns-sodomy-ban-landmark-ruling/ |title = India's Supreme Court overturns sodomy ban in a landmark ruling|date = September 6, 2018}}</ref>

=== The CEO ===

The CEO of the company is bald and has an extremely tall, somewhat pointed cranium. He is only slightly less clueless than the Pointy-Haired Boss.

=== Ted ===
An engineer who is often seen hanging out with Wally. He is referenced by name more often in older comics, but he is still seen occasionally. He has been accepted into Dilbert's clique. He has been fired and killed numerous times (for example, being pushed down a flight of stairs and becoming possessed), in which case a new Ted is apparently hired. In addition to this, he is often promoted and given benefits over the other employees. Ted has a wife and children who are referenced multiple times and seen on at least one occasion. Adams refers to him as ''Ted the Generic Guy'', because whenever he needs to fire or kill someone he uses Ted, but slowly over time Ted has become his own character.

=== Tina ===

Also known as Tina the Tech Writer. She has a less forceful personality than Alice and often seems to get taken advantage of by the other employees.  Her job of writing technical directions for her company's software cannot be an easy one as none of their products work as designed.

=== Carol ===

Carol is the long-suffering secretary (she prefers the title Executive Assistant) to the Pointy-haired Boss.  Her hair style is a much smaller triangle than that of Alice.  She hates her job, but once told Dilbert that spending time with her family of a husband and two children is like fighting porcupines in a salt mine, although when the job gets to be too much she is glad to get back to them.

=== Dave ===
Introduced in 2022, Dave is the strip's first black character, although he identifies as white, messing up the company's [[Environmental, social, and corporate governance|ESG]] and diversity scores, possibly deliberately, as it is not clear whether he is serious or not.  Dave has proved controversial, with at least one newspaper chain deciding not to run the strips featuring him.<ref>{{Cite web |date=May 3, 2022 |title=Dilbert Presents Black Character, Gets Dragged |url=https://www.dailycartoonist.com/index.php/2022/05/03/dilbert-presents-black-character-gets-dragged/ |access-date=June 22, 2022 |website=The Daily Cartoonist |language=en-US}}</ref>

=== Elbonia ===
Elbonia is a fictional non-specific under-developed country used when Adams wants "to involve a foreign country without hurting overseas sales". He says "People think I have some specific country in mind when I write about Elbonia, but I don't. It represents the view that Americans have of any country that doesn't have cable television—we think they all wear fur hats and wallow around waist-deep in mud".<ref>Seven years of Defective People"&nbsp;— page 184, "Elbonians"</ref><ref group=note>However, in a storyline from November 21–26, 2016, Dilbert visits Elbonia. The only location seen is his hotel room and a car rental, neither of which are covered in mud.{{cite web| url = https://dilbert.com/strip/2016-11-23| title = Dilbert.com 2016-11-23}}</ref> The entire country wears the same clothing and hats, and all men and women<ref>{{cite book| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=G0KlbdTvOE8C&q=elbonia+beard+women&pg=PA89| title=Dilbert 2.0: 20 Years of Dilbert| author=Scott Adams| date=October 21, 2008| access-date=July 1, 2021| publisher=Andrews McMeel Publishing| isbn=978-0740777356| page=89| quote=".. I made all Elbonians look identical, even the women, with long black beards ..."}}</ref>
have full beards. They are occasionally bitter towards their wealthier western neighbors, but are quite happy to trade with them. The whole country is covered in mud, and has limited technology.

Elbonia is located somewhere in the former [[Eastern Bloc]]: a strip dated April 2, 1990, refers to the "Tiny [[East European]] country of Elbonia." It is an extremely poor, [[Least Developed Countries|fourth-world]] country that "has abandoned [[Communism]]".<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.dilbert.com/strips/comic/1990-04-02/| title = Dilbert.com 1990-04-02| access-date = April 24, 2018| archive-date = October 24, 2013| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20131024131729/http://www.dilbert.com/strips/comic/1990-04-02/| url-status = dead}}</ref> The national bird of Elbonia is the [[Frisbee]].<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.dilbert.com/strips/comic/1991-10-14/| title = Dilbert.com 1991-10-14| access-date = April 24, 2018| archive-date = January 9, 2015| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150109092234/http://dilbert.com/strips/comic/1991-10-14| url-status = dead}}</ref>

=== Phil ===
The Pointy-Haired Boss's brother Phil.  His full title is Phil, the Prince of Insufficient Light & Supreme Ruler of Heck. His job, one step down from Satan, is to punish those who commit minor sins.  His 'Pitch-Spoon' is feared by those who do. He is known to 'Darn to Heck' people who do things like using cell phones in the bathroom, steal office supplies, or those who simply do something annoying. In one strip, it was mentioned that being in Heck is not as bad as being in a cubicle.

=== Ratbert ===
Ratbert is an escaped lab rat who lives in Dilbert's house. Ratbert was not originally intended to be a regular, instead being part of a series of strips featuring a lab scientist's cruel experiments. The character is often seen in strips set in Dilbert's home and is frequently a foil / co-conspirator in Dogbert's machinations.

==Legacy==
The popularity of the comic strip within the corporate sector led to the Dilbert character being used in many business magazines and publications, including several appearances on the cover of ''[[Fortune (magazine)|Fortune Magazine]]''.<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=K8zJw-CshBYC&dq=Dilbert+character+has+being+used+in+many+business+magazines&pg=SA2-PA5 |title=Current Trends in Management |publisher=Nirali Prakashan |isbn=978-93-80064-06-2 |language=en}}</ref> Many newspapers ran the comic in their business section rather than in the regular comics section—similar to the way that ''[[Doonesbury]]'' is often featured in the editorial section, due to its pointed commentary.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Cogan |first1=Brian |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=exnm6T0ALvsC&dq=Doonesbury+is+often+featured+in+the+editorial+newspaper+section&pg=PA303 |title=Encyclopedia of Politics, the Media, and Popular Culture |last2=Kelso |first2=Tony |date=2009 |publisher=ABC-CLIO |isbn=978-0-313-34379-7 |language=en}}</ref>

===Criticism and parody===
Media analyst [[Norman Solomon]] and cartoonist [[Tom Tomorrow]] said<ref>{{cite book |last1=Solomon |first1=Norman |author-link1=Norman Solomon |author-last2=Tomorrow |author-first2=Tom |author-link2=Tom Tomorrow |date=1997 |title=The Trouble with Dilbert: How Corporate Culture Gets the Last Laugh |url=https://archive.org/details/troublewithdilbe00solo_0 |location=Monroe, Maine |publisher=Common Courage Press |isbn=1-56751-132-5}}</ref> Adams's caricatures of corporate culture seem to project empathy for white-collar workers, but the satire ultimately plays into the hands of upper corporate management itself. Solomon describes the characters of ''Dilbert'' as dysfunctional, none of whom occupies a position higher than [[middle management]], and whose inefficiencies detract from general corporate values such as productivity and growth<!-- -the following clause removed for lack of sense:, a very favorable outlook for managers- -->. Dilbert and his coworkers often find themselves baffled or victimized by the whims of managerial behavior, but they never seem to question it openly. Solomon cites the [[Xerox]] corporation's use of ''Dilbert'' strips and characters in internally distributed pamphlets:

{{blockquote|text=Xerox management had recognized what more gullible ''Dilbert'' readers did not: ''Dilbert'' is an offbeat sugary substance that helps the corporate medicine go down. The ''Dilbert'' phenomenon accepts—and perversely eggs on—many negative aspects of corporate existence as unchangeable facets of human nature... As Xerox managers grasped, ''Dilbert'' speaks to some very real work experiences while simultaneously eroding inclinations to fight for better working conditions.}}

Adams responded in the February 2, 1998, strip<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.dilbert.com/strips/comic/1998-02-02/ |title=Dilbert comic strip for February 2, 1998 |publisher=Dilbert.com |access-date=June 30, 2013 |archive-date=July 23, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130723191751/http://dilbert.com/strips/comic/1998-02-02 |url-status=dead }}</ref> and in his book ''The Joy of Work'' with a sarcastic reiteration.

In 1997, [[Tom Vanderbilt]] wrote in a similar vein in ''[[The Baffler]]'' magazine:

{{blockquote|text=Labor unions haven't adopted ''Dilbert'' characters as insignia. But corporations in droves have rushed to link themselves with ''Dilbert''. Why? ''Dilbert'' mirrors the mass media's crocodile tears for working people—and echoes the ambient noises from [[Wall Street]].}}

In 1998, [[Bill Griffith]], creator of ''[[Zippy the Pinhead]]'', chided ''Dilbert'' for crude drawings and simplistic humor. He wrote,
{{blockquote|Long since psychically kidnapped by the gaudy, mindlessly hyperactive world of television, (readers) no longer demand or expect comic strips to be compelling, challenging, or even interesting. Enter ''[[Cathy]]''. And ''Dilbert''. Sure, comics are still funny. It's just that the humor has almost no "nutritional" value. In the tiny space allotted to them, daily strips have all too successfully adapted to their new environment. In this Darwinian set-up, what thrives are simply drawn panels, minimal dialogue, and a lot of head-and-shoulder shots. Anything more complicated is deemed "too hard to read". A full, rich drawing style is a drawback. Simplicity, even crudity, rules.<ref>Griffith, Bill (November 10, 1996) [http://www.zippythepinhead.com/pages/aaarticles.html "Comics at 100."] Articles by Bill Griffith. (Retrieved 9-12-2016.)</ref>|title=|source=}}

Adams responded by creating two comic strips called ''Pippy the Ziphead'', in which Dogbert creates a comic by "cramming as much artwork in [it] as possible so no one will notice there's only one joke", and it's "on the reader".<ref>{{cite web |title=Dilbert comic strip for May 18, 1998 |url=http://dilbert.com/strip/1998-05-18 |access-date=June 30, 2013 |publisher=Dilbert.com |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151015215555/http://dilbert.com/strip/1998-05-18 |archive-date=October 15, 2015 |url-status=live }}</ref> Dilbert says that the strip is "nothing but a clown with a small head who says random things", and Dogbert responds that he is "maintaining [his] artistic integrity by creating a comic that no one will enjoy."<ref>{{cite web |title=Dilbert comic strip for 19 May 1998 from the official Dilbert comic strips archive |url=https://dilbert.com/strip/1998-05-19 |access-date=September 11, 2009 |publisher=Dilbert.com |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200530220500/https://dilbert.com/strip/1998-05-19 |archive-date=May 30, 2020 |url-status=live }}</ref> In September of the same year, Griffith mocked Adams's ''Pippy the Ziphead'' with a strip of the same name drawn in a simplistic, stiff, ''Dilbert''-like style set in an office setting and featuring the characters Zippy and Griffy retorting, "I sense a joke was delivered." "Yes. It was. My one joke. Ha."<ref>
{{cite web|url=http://zippythepinhead.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=20-Sep-98&Category_Code=sun1998&Product_Count=37 |title=Zippy the Pinhead comic strip for 20 September 1998 from the official Zippy the Pinhead comic strips archive |publisher=zippythepinhead.com |access-date=December 6, 2009}}</ref>

=== Language ===
<!-- Other articles link here, add {{anchor|Language}} if you change this heading -->
Adams has invited readers to invent words that have become popular among fans in describing their own office environments, such as ''induhvidual''. This term is based on the [[American English]] slang expression "[[wikt:duh|duh]]!" The conscious misspelling of ''individual'' as ''induhvidual'' is a [[pejorative]] term for people who are not in Dogbert's New Ruling Class (DNRC).<ref>{{cite book |last=Aden |first=Roger C. |date=2007 |title=Popular Stories and Promised Lands: Fan Cultures and Symbolic Pilgrimages |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vxvm5oxF1aYC&pg=PA136 |edition=1st |publisher=University Alabama Press | pages=135–137 | isbn=978-0817354725 }}</ref> Its coining is explained in ''Dilbert Newsletter'' #6. The strip has also popularized the usage of the terms ''cow-orker'' and [[Pointy-haired Boss|''PHB'']].<ref>{{Cite web |date=August 11, 2002 |title=Dilbert.com - DNRC - Read the Newsletter |url=http://www.dilbert.com/comics/dilbert/dnrc/html/newsletter17.html |access-date=January 28, 2022 |website= |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020811101942/http://www.dilbert.com/comics/dilbert/dnrc/html/newsletter17.html |archive-date=August 11, 2002 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=PHB|url=http://catb.org/jargon/html/P/PHB.html|access-date=January 28, 2022|website=catb.org}}</ref>

===Management===
In 1997, Adams masqueraded as a management consultant to [[Logitech]] executives (as Ray Mebert), with the cooperation of the company's vice-chairman. He acted in much the way that he portrays management consultants in the comic strip, with an arrogant manner and bizarre suggestions, such as comparing [[mission statement]]s to broccoli soup. He convinced the executives to change their existing mission statement for their New Ventures Group from "provide Logitech with profitable growth and related new business areas" to "scout profitable growth opportunities in relationships, both internally and externally, in emerging, mission-inclusive markets, and explore new paradigms and then filter and communicate and evangelize the findings".<ref>[https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/19971116/2572663/dilbert-creator-fools-execs-with-soap-story ''Dilbert Creator Fools Execs With Soap Story''], [[Associated Press]], from the Web page of ''[[The Seattle Times]]'', November 16, 1997.</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20000914093255/http://www.mit.edu/~jcb/humor/scott-adams-mgmt-consultant ''Dilbert Creator Fools Executives''], AP story, in full, preserved on [[Massachusetts Institute of Technology]] humor bulletin board, November 15, 1997. Link to the archive.org version.</ref><ref>[http://www.reason.com/news/show/30913.html ''The Dilbert Doctrines: An Interview with Scott Adams'', by Virginia Postrel], [[Reason (magazine)|Reason]], February 1999.</ref>

Adams has worked with companies to develop "dream" products for Dilbert and company. In 2001, he collaborated with design company [[IDEO]] to come up with the "perfect cubicle", since many of the ''Dilbert'' strips make fun of the standard [[Cubicle|cubicle desk]] and the environment that it creates.<ref>{{Cite news |author=Porter Anderson |title=Fred Dust: Designing for Dilbert |publisher=CNN Career |date=August 28, 2001 |url=http://archives.cnn.com/2001/CAREER/jobenvy/08/28/dilbert.fred.dust.focus/index.html |access-date=March 10, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070429114333/http://archives.cnn.com/2001/CAREER/jobenvy/08/28/dilbert.fred.dust.focus/index.html |archive-date=April 29, 2007 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|author=Porter Anderson|title=Scott Adams: Dilbert's Ultimate Cubicle|publisher=CNN Career|date=August 28, 2001|url=http://www.cnn.com/2001/CAREER/jobenvy/08/28/dilbert.scott.adams/index.html|access-date=March 10, 2007}}</ref>

This project was followed in 2004 with designs for Dilbert's Ultimate House<ref>{{Cite web |date=2004-10-01 |title=Dilbert Ultimate House |url=http://www.dilbert.com/comics/dilbert/duh/index.html |access-date=2023-03-18 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041001095014/http://www.dilbert.com/comics/dilbert/duh/index.html |archive-date=October 1, 2004 }}</ref> (abbreviated as DUH). An energy-efficient building was the result, designed to prevent many of the little problems that seem to creep into a normal building.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Boehl |first=Jessica |date=January 1, 2005 |title=Dilbert's Ultimate House Completed |url=https://www.buildinggreen.com/newsbrief/dilberts-ultimate-house-completed |access-date=January 23, 2023 |website=BuildingGreen |language=en}}</ref> For instance, to save time spent buying and decorating a Christmas tree every year, the house has a large (yet unapparent) closet adjacent to the living room where the tree can be stored from year to year.

===Webcomics===
In 1995, ''Dilbert'' was the [[List of early webcomics|first]] syndicated comic strip to be published for free on the Internet.<ref name="Gallo">{{cite magazine|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/carminegallo/2013/10/23/dilbert-creator-scott-adams-reveals-the-simple-formula-that-will-double-your-odds-of-success/#54f98fbd1a3e|magazine=[[Forbes]]|title=Dilbert Creator Scott Adams Reveals The Simple Formula That Will Double Your Odds Of Success|last=Gallo|first=Carmine|date=October 23, 2013}}</ref> Putting his email address in each ''Dilbert'' strip, Adams created a "direct channel to [his] customers", allowing him to modify the strip based on their feedback.<ref name="Gallo"/> [[Joe Zabel]] stated that ''Dilbert'' had a large influence on many of the [[webcomic]]s that followed it, establishing the "[[nerd]]core" genre as it found its audience.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://webcomicsreview.com/examiner/issue050912/history1.html | publisher=The Webcomics Examiner | title=The Artistic History of Webcomics&nbsp;— A Webcomics Examiner Roundtable|author=Various|year=2005|archive-date=November 24, 2005|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051124120515/http://webcomicsreview.com/examiner/issue050912/history1.html|ref=Examiner}}</ref>

In April 2008, [[United Media]] instituted an interactive feature on Dilbert.com, allowing fans to write speech bubbles. Adams has spoken positively about the change, saying, "This makes cartooning a competitive sport."<ref>{{Cite news|author=Brad Stone|title=Scott Adams Hands "Dilbert" Pen to Fans|url=http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/04/18/scott-adams-hands-dilbert-pen-to-fans/|work=The New York Times|date=April 18, 2008|access-date=May 14, 2008|archive-date=January 14, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150114221900/http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/04/18/scott-adams-hands-dilbert-pen-to-fans/|url-status=dead}}</ref>{{update inline|inaccurate=yes|date=December 2016}}

==Awards==
Adams was named best international comic strip artist of 1995 in the [[Adamson Awards]] given by the Swedish Academy of Comic Art.

''Dilbert'' won the National Cartoonists Society's [[National Cartoonists Society#Reuben Award|Reuben Award]] in 1997,<ref>{{Cite web |title=National Cartoonists Society |url=https://www.nationalcartoonists.com/awards/ }}</ref> and was also named the best syndicated strip of 1997 in the [[Harvey Award]]s.<ref>{{Cite web |title=1997 Harvey Award Nominees and Winners |url=http://www.hahnlibrary.net/comics/awards/harvey97.php |access-date=January 23, 2023 |website=www.hahnlibrary.net}}</ref> In 1998, ''Dilbert'' won the [[Max & Moritz Prize]] as best international comic strip.<ref>{{Cite web |date=November 27, 2017 |title=Max und Moritz Award since 1984 |url=https://www.comic-salon.de/en/max-und-moritz-award-1984 |access-date=January 23, 2023 |website=Comic-Salon |language=en}}</ref>

==Media==
===Comic strip compilations===
====Chronological====
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Title !! Strips collected !! Date published !! Pages !! ISBN !! Notes
|-
| ''Always Postpone Meetings with Time-Wasting Morons'' || April 16, 1989&nbsp;– October 21, 1989 || October 1992 || 112 || {{ISBNT|978-0886876883}} ||
|-
| ''Shave the Whales'' || October 22, 1989&nbsp;– August 4, 1990 || April 1994 || 128 || {{ISBNT|978-0836217407}} ||
|-
| ''Bring Me the Head of Willy the Mailboy!'' || August 5, 1990&nbsp;– May 18, 1991 || March 1995 || 128 || {{ISBNT|978-0836217797}} || The strip dated March 31, 1991, was not included.
|-
| ''It's Obvious You Won't Survive by Your Wits Alone'' || May 19, 1991&nbsp;– December 13, 1992 || August 1995 || 224 || {{ISBNT|978-0836204155}} ||
|-
| ''Still Pumped from Using the Mouse'' || December 14, 1992&nbsp;– September 27, 1993 || March 1996 || 128 || {{ISBNT|978-0836210262}} ||
|-
| ''Fugitive From the Cubicle Police'' || September 28, 1993&nbsp;– February 4, 1995 || September 1996 || 224 || {{ISBNT|978-0836221190}} ||
|-
| ''Casual Day Has Gone Too Far'' || February 5, 1995&nbsp;– November 19, 1995 || March 1997 || 128 || {{ISBNT|978-0836228991}} ||
|-
| ''I'm Not Anti-Business, I'm Anti-Idiot'' || November 20, 1995&nbsp;– August 31, 1996 || March 1998 || 128 || {{ISBNT|978-0836251821}} ||
|-
| ''Journey to Cubeville'' || September 1, 1996&nbsp;– January 4, 1998 || August 1998 || 224 || {{ISBNT|978-0836267457}} ||
|-
| ''Don't Step in the Leadership'' || January 12, 1998&nbsp;– October 18, 1998 || March 1999 || 128 || {{ISBNT|978-0836278446}} ||
|-
| ''Random Acts of Management'' || October 19, 1998&nbsp;– July 25, 1999 || March 2000 || 128 || {{ISBNT|978-0740704536}} ||
|-
| ''Excuse Me While I Wag'' || July 26, 1999&nbsp;– April 30, 2000 || April 2001 || 128 || {{ISBNT|978-0740713903}} ||
|-
| ''When Did Ignorance Become a Point of View?'' || May 1, 2000&nbsp;– February 4, 2001 || September 2001 || 128 || {{ISBNT|978-0740718397}} ||
|-
| ''Another Day in Cubicle Paradise'' || February 5, 2001&nbsp;– November 11, 2001 || March 2002 || 128 || {{ISBNT|978-0740721946}} ||
|-
| ''When Body Language Goes Bad'' || November 12, 2001&nbsp;– August 18, 2002 || March 2003 || 128 || {{ISBNT|978-0740732980}} ||
|-
| ''Words You Don't Want to Hear During Your Annual Performance Review'' || August 19, 2002&nbsp;– May 25, 2003 || October 2003 || 128 || {{ISBNT|978-0740738050}} ||
|-
| ''Don't Stand Where the Comet is Assumed to Strike Oil'' || May 26, 2003&nbsp;– February 29, 2004 || May 2004 || 128 || {{ISBNT|978-0740745393}} ||
|-
| ''The Fluorescent Light Glistens Off Your Head'' || March 1, 2004&nbsp;– December 5, 2004 || May 2005 || 128 || {{ISBNT|978-0740751134}} ||
|-
| ''Thriving on Vague Objectives'' || December 6, 2004&nbsp;– September 11, 2005 || November 2005 || 128 || {{ISBNT|978-0740755330}} ||
|-
| ''Try Rebooting Yourself'' || September 12, 2005&nbsp;– June 18, 2006 || October 2006 || 128 || {{ISBNT|978-0740761904}} ||
|-
| ''Positive Attitude'' || June 19, 2006&nbsp;– March 25, 2007 || July 2007 || 128 || {{ISBNT|978-0740763793}} ||
|-
| ''This is the Part Where You Pretend to Add Value'' || March 26, 2007&nbsp;– January 5, 2008 || May 2008 || 128 || {{ISBNT|978-0740772276}} ||
|-
| ''Freedom's Just Another Word for People Finding Out You're Useless'' || January 6, 2008&nbsp;– October 12, 2008 || April 2009 || 128 || {{ISBNT|978-0740778155}} ||
|-
| ''14 Years of Loyal Service in a Fabric-Covered Box'' || October 13, 2008&nbsp;– July 25, 2009 || October 2009 || 128 || {{ISBNT|978-0740773655}} ||
|-
| ''I'm Tempted to Stop Acting Randomly'' || July 26, 2009&nbsp;– May 2, 2010 || December 2010 || 128 || {{ISBNT|978-0740778063}} ||
|-
| ''How's That Underling Thing Working Out for You?'' || May 3, 2010&nbsp;– February 12, 2011 || November 2011 || 128 || {{ISBNT|978-1449408190}} ||
|-
| ''Teamwork Means You Can't Pick the Side that's Right'' || February 13, 2011&nbsp;– November 20, 2011 || April 2012 || 128 || {{ISBNT|978-1449410186}} ||
|-
| ''Your New Job Title Is "Accomplice"'' || November 21, 2011&nbsp;– August 26, 2012 || May 2013 || 128 || {{ISBNT|978-1449427757}} || rowspan=2| Strips from August 27, 2012, to October 7, 2012, were not collected.
|-
| ''I Sense a Coldness to Your Mentoring'' || October 8, 2012&nbsp;– July 14, 2013 || October 2013 || 128 || {{ISBNT|978-1449429386}}
|-
| ''Go Add Value Someplace Else'' || July 15, 2013&nbsp;– July 20, 2014 || October 2014 || 168 || {{ISBNT|978-1449446604}} ||
|-
| ''Optimism Sounds Exhausting'' || July 21, 2014&nbsp;– August 1, 2015 || November 2015 || 168 || {{ISBNT|978-1449463007}} ||
|-
| ''I'm No Scientist, But I Think Feng Shui Is Part of the Answer'' || August 2, 2015&nbsp;– July 23, 2016 || November 2016 || 208 || {{ISBNT|978-1449471965}} ||
|-
| ''Dilbert Gets Re-accommodated'' || July 24, 2016&nbsp;– June 10, 2017 || November 2017 || 144 || {{ISBNT|978-1449484392}} ||
|-
| ''Cubicles That Make You Envy the Dead'' || June 11, 2017&nbsp;– April 29, 2018 || November 2018 || 144 || {{ISBNT|978-1449493783}} ||
|-
| ''Dilbert Turns 30'' || April 30, 2018&nbsp;– February 24, 2019 || October 2019 || 159 || {{ISBNT|978-1524851828}} || Features the top 50 Dilbert comics of the last decade.
|-
| ''Eagerly Awaiting Your Irrational Response'' || February 25, 2019&nbsp;– January 12, 2020 || October 2020 || 144 || {{ISBNT|978-1524860714}} ||
|-
| ''The Office Is a Beautiful Place When Everyone Else Works from Home'' || January 13, 2020&nbsp;– November 29, 2020 || December 2021 || 144 || {{ISBNT|978-1524868963}} ||
|-
| ''Not Remotely Working'' || November 30, 2020&nbsp;– October 17, 2021 || December 2022 || 144 || {{ISBNT|978-1524875633}} || The October 18, 2021 through March 12, 2023 strips will not be published in collection by Andrews McMeel.
|}

====Special====
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Title !! Date published !! Pages !! ISBN !! Notes
|-
| ''Build a Better Life by Stealing Office Supplies: Dogbert's Big Book of Business'' || November 1991 || 112 || {{ISBNT|978-0886876371}} ||
|-
| ''Dogbert's Clues for the Clueless'' || August 1993 || 112 || {{ISBNT|978-0836217377}} ||
|-
| ''Seven Years of Highly Defective People'' || August 1997 || 256 || {{ISBNT|978-0836236682}} || strips from 1989 to 1995 with handwritten notes by Adams
|-
| ''Dilbert Gives You the Business'' || August 1999 || 224 || {{ISBNT|978-0740700033}} || collection of favorites before 1999
|-
| ''A Treasury of Sunday Strips: Version 00'' || August 2000 || 224 || {{ISBNT|978-0740705311}} || color version of all Sunday strips from 1995 to 1999
|-
| ''What Do You Call a Sociopath in a Cubicle? Answer: A Coworker'' || August 2002 || 224 || {{ISBNT|978-0740726637}} || compilation of strips featuring Dilbert's coworkers
|-
| ''It's Not Funny If I Have to Explain It'' || October 2004 || 240 || {{ISBNT|978-0740746581}} || strips from 1997 to 2004 with more of Adams's handwritten notes
|-
| ''What Would Wally Do?'' || June 2006 || 224 || {{ISBNT|978-0740757693}} || strips focused on Wally
|-
| ''Cubes and Punishment'' || November 2007 || 224 || {{ISBNT|978-0740768378}} || collection of comic strips on workplace cruelty
|-
| ''Problem Identified: And You're Probably Not Part of the Solution'' || July 2010 || 224 || {{ISBNT|978-0740785344}} ||
|-
| ''Your Accomplishments Are Suspiciously Hard to Verify'' || August 2011 || 208 || {{ISBNT|978-1449401023}} ||
|-
| ''I Can't Remember If We're Cheap or Smart'' || October 2012 || 208 || {{ISBNT|978-1449423094}} ||
|}

===Business books===
* ''[[Dilbert principle|The Dilbert Principle]]''
* ''Dogbert's Top Secret Management Handbook''
* ''[[The Dilbert Future]]''
* ''[[The Joy of Work]]''
* ''[[Dilbert and the Way of the Weasel]]''
* ''Slapped Together: The Dilbert Business Anthology'' (''The Dilbert Principle'', ''The Dilbert Future'', and ''The Joy of Work'', published together in one book)

===Other books===
* ''Telling It Like It Isn't''&nbsp;— 1996; {{ISBN|0-8362-1324-6}}
* ''You Don't Need Experience If You've Got Attitude''&nbsp;— 1996; {{ISBN|0-8362-2196-6}}
* ''Access Denied: Dilbert's Quest for Love in the Nineties''&nbsp;— 1996; {{ISBN|0-8362-2191-5}}
* ''Conversations With Dogbert''&nbsp;— 1996; {{ISBN|0-8362-2197-4}}
* ''Work is a Contact Sport''&nbsp;— 1997; {{ISBN|0-8362-2878-2}}
* ''The Boss: Nameless, Blameless and Shameless''&nbsp;— 1997; {{ISBN|0-8362-3223-2}}
* ''The Dilbert Bunch''&nbsp;— 1997; {{ISBN|0-8362-2879-0}}
* ''No You'd Better Watch Out''&nbsp;— 1997
* ''Please Don't Feed The Egos''&nbsp;— 1997; {{ISBN|0-8362-3224-0}}
* ''Random Acts of Catness''&nbsp;— 1998; {{ISBN|0-8362-5277-2}}
* ''You Can't Schedule Stupidity''&nbsp;— 1998; {{ISBN|0-8362-5632-8}}
* ''Dilbert Meeting Book Exceeding Tech Limits''&nbsp;— 1998; {{ISBN|0-7683-2028-3}}
* ''Trapped In A Dilbert World – Book Of Days''&nbsp;— 1998; {{ISBN|0-7683-2030-5}}
* ''Work—The Wally Way''&nbsp;— 1999; {{ISBN|0-8362-7480-6}}
* ''Alice in Blunderland''&nbsp;— 1999; {{ISBN|0-8362-7479-2}}
* ''All Dressed Down And Nowhere To Go''&nbsp;— 2002; {{ISBN|0-7407-2931-4}}
* ''Dilbert's Guide to the Rest of Your Life: Dispatches from Cubicleland''&nbsp;— 2007; {{ISBN|0-7624-2781-7}}
* ''Dilbert Sudoku Comic Digest: 200 Puzzles Plus 50 Classic Dilbert Cartoons''&nbsp;— 2008; {{ISBN|0-7407-7250-3}}
* ''[[Dilbert 2.0: 20 Years of Dilbert]]''&nbsp;— 2008; 576 pages, ≈6500 strips, and Adams's notes from 1989 to 2008.

===Merchandise===
* ''Corporate Shuffle'' by [[Richard Garfield]]&nbsp;— 1997; A Dilbert-branded card game similar to Wizards of the Coast's ''The Great Dalmuti'' and the drinking game [[President (card game)|President]].
* The [[Dilberito]], a vegan microwave [[burrito]] offered in four flavors: Barbecue with barbecue sauce, Garlic & Herb with sauce, Indian with mango chutney, and Mexican with salsa.
* ''Totally Nuts''&nbsp;— 1998; A limited edition [[Ben & Jerry's]] ice cream flavor whose description was listed as: "Butter almond ice cream with roasted hazelnuts, praline pecans & white fudge coated almonds".
* A line of Dilbert mints that possessed the names Accomplish-mints, Appease-mints, Appoint-mints, Empower-mints, Harass-mints, Improve-mints, Invest-mints, Manage-mints, Pay-mints, Perform-mints, and Postpone-mints.
* Dilbert: the Board Game&nbsp;— 2006; by Hyperion Games; A Dilbert-branded board game that was named one of ''[[Games World of Puzzles#Games|Games]]'' magazine's Top 100 Games
* Day-by-Day calendars featuring the comic strip are available every year.
* ''Dilbert: Escape From Cubeville''&nbsp;— 2010; A Dilbert-branded board game released in the Dilbert store section of dilbert.com.

===Unaired pilot===
In 1997, a live action pilot for ''Dilbert'' was produced for [[UPN]] but never aired. The pilot featured an actor who played Dilbert whom Adams describes as "fit for a starring role in a romantic film" as well as an animatronic Dogbert. This pilot is considered to be [[lost media]], although the [[Library of Congress]] owns a copy.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://adage.com/article/news/tv-s-upfront-networks-choosy-fertile-field-pilots-stars-ice-t-caruso-films-fargo-player-eye-small-screen/68303/ | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141013085830/http://adage.com/article/news/tv-s-upfront-networks-choosy-fertile-field-pilots-stars-ice-t-caruso-films-fargo-player-eye-small-screen/68303/ | archive-date=October 13, 2014 | title=Tv's Upfront: Networks Can Get Choosy in Fertile Field of Pilots: Stars from Ice-T to Caruso and Films Like 'Fargo' and 'The Player' Eye Small Screen }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://catalog.loc.gov/vwebv/holdingsInfo?searchId=14259&recCount=25&recPointer=16&bibId=11722456 | title=LC Catalog - Item Information (Full Record) }}</ref>

===Animated series===
{{Main|Dilbert (TV series)}}
''Dilbert'' was adapted into a [[UPN]] animated television series starring [[Daniel Stern (actor)|Daniel Stern]] as [[Dilbert (character)|Dilbert]], [[Chris Elliott]] as [[Dogbert]], and [[Kathy Griffin]] as Alice.<ref>{{Cite news |last=James |first=Caryn |date=January 25, 1999 |title=TELEVISION REVIEW; Just Made For People Who Hate Their Jobs |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1999/01/25/arts/television-review-just-made-for-people-who-hate-their-jobs.html |access-date=January 23, 2023 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> The series ran for two seasons from January 25, 1999, to July 25, 2000. The first season centered around the creation of a new product called the "Gruntmaster 6000". It was critically acclaimed and won an [[Emmy Award]], leading to its renewal for a second season. The second season did away with the serial format and was composed entirely of standalone episodes, many of which shifted focus away from the workplace and involved absurdist plots such as Wally being mistaken for a religious leader ("[[Dilbert (TV series)#Episodes|The Shroud of Wally]]") and Dilbert being accused of mass murder ("[[Dilbert (TV series)#Episodes|The Trial]]"). The second season's two-episode finale included Dilbert getting pregnant with the child of a cow, a [[hillbilly]], [[robot]] DNA, "several dozen engineers", an elderly billionaire, and an [[Extraterrestrial life|alien]], eventually ending up in a custody battle with [[Stone Cold Steve Austin]] as the Judge.

When UPN declined to renew the series for its third season, Adams stated, "I lost my TV show for being white when UPN decided it would focus on an African-American audience." Adams wrote on Twitter in 2020. "That was the third job I lost for being white. The other two in corporate America."<ref>{{cite web|last=Rogers|first=Zachary|title=Dilbert' comic strip removed from nearly 80 papers, author says|work=WPDE News|url=https://wpde.com/news/nation-world/dilbert-comic-strip-removed-from-nearly-80-papers-author-says-scott-adams-cartoon|date=September 21, 2022|accessdate=February 26, 2023}}</ref> The four-disc DVD called "Dilbert: The Complete Series" was released and contains thirty episodes. The first disc contains episodes 1–7, the second disc contains episodes 8–13, the third disc contains episodes 14–21, and the fourth disc contains episodes 22–30.

===Animated web shorts===
On April 7, 2008, dilbert.com presented its first Dilbert animation. The new Dilbert animations are animated versions of original comic strips produced by RingTales and animated by [[Powerhouse Animation Studios]]. The animation videos run for around 30 seconds each and are added every weekday. The comic shorts have a different voice cast than the television series, with [[Washington (state)|Washington]]-based radio personality Dan Roberts providing the voice of the title character.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://radioinsight.com/headlines/222403/dan-roberts-joins-kolw-as-brand-manager-afternoon-host/ | title=Dan Roberts Joins KOLW as Brand Manager/Afternoon Host - RadioInsight | date=March 31, 2022 }}</ref> On December 10, 2009, the RingTales produced animations were made available as a calendar application for mobile devices.<ref>{{cite web|title=Dilbert Animated Calendar |url=http://www.metranome.net/calendars.php |date=December 10, 2009 |access-date=December 16, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110723205352/http://www.metranome.net/calendars.php |archive-date=July 23, 2011 }}</ref>

===Cancelled film adaptation===
As early as 2006, Adams and United Media had been struggling to get a film adaptation of the comic strip off the ground. Adams envisioned the idea as a live-action film, with Dogbert and Catbert as animated characters.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://dilbertblog.typepad.com/the_dilbert_blog/2007/09/movies-and-dilb.html|title=The Dilbert Blog: Movies and Dilbert|author=Scott Adams|access-date=July 1, 2022|date=September 19, 2007}}</ref> Film director [[Chris Columbus (director)|Chris Columbus]] was in talks to direct the film in 2007, with Tariq Jalil on board as producer.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.pajiba.com/trade_news/exclusive-ken-kwapis-to-direct-liveaction-dilbert-movie.php|access-date=July 1, 2022|date=May 26, 2010|author=Dustin Rowles|title=Exclusive: Ken Kwampis to Direct Live-Action Dilbert Movie|publisher=Pajiba|archive-date=January 28, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200128170617/https://www.pajiba.com/trade_news/exclusive-ken-kwapis-to-direct-liveaction-dilbert-movie.php|url-status=dead}}</ref>

In May 2010, it was announced that a live-action ''Dilbert'' film was in development. [[Ken Kwapis]] was announced as director, fresh off the heels of ''[[He's Just Not That Into You (film)|He's Just Not That Into You]]'' and directing several episodes for [[NBC]]'s [[The Office (American TV series)|''The Office'']].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://collider.com/dilbert-live-action-ken-kwapis-scott-adams/|publisher=[[Collider (website)|Collider]]|access-date=July 1, 2022|title=Ken Kwapis to Helm Live-Action DILBERT Movie|date=May 26, 2010|author=Matt Goldberg}}</ref> Jahil remained as producer, with Phoenix Entertainment and Intrigue Entertainment joining the producing team.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.slashfilm.com/509216/ken-kwapis-to-direct-live-action-dilbert-movie/|access-date=July 1, 2022|publisher=[[/Film]]|title=Ken Kwapis To Direct Live-Action Dilbert Movie?|date=May 26, 2010|author=Russ Fischer}}</ref>

But in December 2017, in an interview by ''[[The Mercury News]]'', Adams said that it would be impossible to make the film after his public support of [[Donald Trump]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.mercurynews.com/2017/12/06/win-bigly-scott-adams-dissects-trumps-persuasion-skills/|title='Dilbert' creator Scott Adams talks new book and why he backs Donald Trump|access-date=July 1, 2022|date=December 6, 2017|publisher=[[The Mercury News]]|author=Chuck Barney}}</ref>

===Video games===
* ''[[Dilbert's Desktop Games]]''&nbsp;— 1997; a video game designed for the PC.
* ''Young Dilbert in Hi-Tech Hijinks''&nbsp;— 1997; A Dilbert-branded computer game aimed at teaching young children about technology.
* ''Dilberito'' — 2000; a [[Flash game]].<ref name="k448">{{cite web |last=Keates |first=Emma |date=2020-03-09 |title=In memory of the Dilberito, a stomach-ruining Dilbert tie-in once called "the blue jeans of food" |url=https://www.avclub.com/in-memory-of-the-dilberito-a-stomach-ruining-dilbert-t-1842213522 |access-date=2024-08-23 |website=AV Club}}</ref>

=="Drunken lemurs" case==
In October 2007, the Catfish Bend Casino in [[Burlington, Iowa]] notified its staff that the casino would soon be closing for business. David Steward, an employee of seven years, then posted on an office bulletin board the ''Dilbert'' strip<ref>{{Cite news|author=Scott Adams|title=Dilbert|url=http://dilbert.com/strips/comic/2007-10-26/|date=October 26, 2007|access-date=April 24, 2008|archive-date=January 9, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150109104110/http://dilbert.com/strips/comic/2007-10-26|url-status=dead}}</ref> of October 26, 2007, that compared management decisions to those of "drunken [[lemur]]s". The casino called this "very offensive"; they identified him from a surveillance tape, fired him, and tried to prevent him from receiving [[unemployment benefits]]. However, an administrative law judge ruled in December 2007 that he would receive benefits, as his action was deemed as justified protest and not intentional misbehavior. Adams stated that it might be the first confirmed case of an employee being fired for posting a ''Dilbert'' cartoon.<ref>{{Cite news|author=Clark Kauffman |title=Bosses fire worker who put up 'Dilbert' comic |url=http://desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071219/NEWS/712190360/-1/politics |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120707110155/http://desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071219/NEWS/712190360/-1/politics |url-status=dead |archive-date=July 7, 2012 |work=Des Moines Register |date=December 19, 2007 |access-date=December 20, 2007}}</ref> On February 20, 2008, the first of a series of ''Dilbert'' strips showed Wally being caught posting a comic strip that "compares managers to drunken lemurs".<ref>{{Cite news|author=Scott Adams|title=Dilbert|url=http://dilbert.com/strips/comic/2008-02-20/|date=February 20, 2008|access-date=April 25, 2010|archive-date=January 7, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150107111213/http://dilbert.com/strips/comic/2008-02-20|url-status=dead}}</ref> Adams later stated that fans of his work should "stick to posting ''[[Garfield]]'' strips, as no one gets fired for that."

==Guest artists==
On February 29, 2016, Adams posted on his blog<ref name="GuestArtists2016">{{cite web|last1=Adams|first1=Scott|title=Dilbert's Changed Look Explained|url=http://blog.dilbert.com/post/140211504101/dilberts-changed-look-explained|access-date=March 26, 2016|date=February 29, 2016|archive-date=March 27, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160327002146/http://blog.dilbert.com/post/140211504101/dilberts-changed-look-explained|url-status=dead}}</ref> that he would be taking a six-week vacation. During that time, strips would be written by him but drawn by guest artists who work for [[Universal Uclick]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.journalnow.com/news/ask_sam/ask-sam-what-has-happened-to-dilbert/article_39e84332-13d4-58db-84d8-0e5b5beb1e46.html|title=SAM|work=[[Winston-Salem Journal]]|last=Clodfelter|first=Tim|date=March 5, 2016}}</ref> [[Jake Tapper]] drew the strip on the week of May 23.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.journalnow.com/news/ask_sam/ask-sam-why-is-there-another-primary/article_5e156c40-32d3-5290-ad69-269c3338f597.html|title=SAM|work=[[Winston-Salem Journal]]|last=Clodfelter|first=Tim|date=May 24, 2016}}</ref> The other guest artists were John Glynn, Eric Scott, Josh Shipley, Joel Friday, Donna Oatney and Brenna Thummler.  Jake Tapper also drew the cartoon strip the week of September 23–28, 2019.

==See also==
{{Portal|Comics|Cartoon}}
* [[Dilbert principle]]
* [[Peter principle]], the opposite (and original basis) of the Dilbert principle
* ''[[Plop: The Hairless Elbonian]]'', another comic series by Adams

== Notes ==
{{Reflist|group=note}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Wikiquote}}
{{Commons category}}
* {{official website}}
* {{cite web |url= https://www.nationalcartoonists.com/awards |title= National Cartoonists Society |series= Awards |work= Reuben |url-status= live |archive-date= July 4, 2007 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20070704213732/http://www.reuben.org/ncs/awards2.asp <!-- as of 2007 archive last updated 2005!? --> }}
* {{cite web |url= https://www.businessinsider.com/scott-adams-favorite-dilbert-comics-2013-10 |title= Dilbert Creator Scott Adams Presents His 10 Favorite Strips |date= October 9, 2013 |display-authors= 0 |first= Jenna |last= Goudreau |publisher= [[Business Insider]] }}

{{Dilbert|state=expanded}}
{{Scott Adams}}
{{Andrews McMeel Universal}}
{{Early webcomics}}

{{Authority control}}

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