Dogbert
Dogbert is Dilbert's anthropomorphic talking pet dog from the Dilbert comic strip. According to creator Scott Adams, the character is based on, if not a member of, the beagle breed. Dogbert was originally created only so Dilbert would have someone to talk to, but as the strip progressed, Adams developed the character to be an anti-hero, metaphorically personifying the dark, cynical side of Adams's own personality. According to the strip from June 8, 1997, Dogbert even celebrates Scott Adams' birthday as his own, as Dogbert is written as being born on June 8, 1957.
Characterization
Dogbert is a megalomaniac; one of his dreams is to conquer the world and enslave all humans, and he has actually achieved this status several times through methods such as hypnosis and masquerading as a space alien or a prophet. Often, though, he quickly relinquishes his post, for instance due to boredom, someone foiling his chance, his conviction that people do not deserve to have him as leader, or his desire to go nap on a soft pillow. In both the strip and TV show he ended up the ruler of Elbonia, although he quickly relinquished the title. He has also run for President of the United States on at least two occasions as a third-party candidate, apparently losing. Dogbert appears to have sided with conservative politics, as implied during his brief tenure as a radio host. During his 2008 Presidential run, Dogbert seemed to espouse Republican political views, including a hardline on terrorism and skepticism towards global warming. Dogbert also seems to have no problem killing people.
Dilbert
Dilbert is an American comic strip written and illustrated by Scott Adams, first published on April 16, 1989. The strip is known for its satirical office humor about a white-collar, micromanaged office featuring engineer Dilbert as the title character. The strip has spawned several books, an animated television series, a video game, and hundreds of Dilbert-themed merchandise items. Dilbert Future and The Joy of Work are among the most read books in the series. Adams received the National Cartoonist Society Reuben Award in 1997 and the Newspaper Comic Strip Award in the same year for his work on the strip. Dilbert appears online and in 2,000 newspapers worldwide in 65 countries and 25 languages.
Themes
The comic strip originally revolved around Dilbert and his "pet" dog Dogbert in their home. Many plots revolved around Dilbert's engineer nature or his bizarre inventions. Also prominent were plots based on Dogbert's megalomaniacal ambitions. Later, the location of most of the action moved to Dilbert's workplace and the strip started to satirize technology, workplace, and company issues. The comic strip's popular success is attributable to its workplace setting and themes, which are familiar to a large and appreciative audience; Adams has said that switching the setting from Dilbert's home to his office was "when the strip really started to take off". The workplace location is Silicon Valley.
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