Catbert
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Catbert is the "evil director" of human resources in the Dilbert comic strip. As with Ratbert, he was not a planned regular, originally introduced for a series involving an attack on Ratbert the optimist. When the two got home (and after Bob the dinosaur shows his stupidity by stomping on Ratbert's head instead of Catbert), Catbert rebooted Dilbert's computer. Dogbert eventually forced him to leave.
Readers of Dilbert enjoyed the character so much that they spontaneously named him "Catbert", encouraging creator Scott Adams to bring him back. He was reintroduced as the "evil director" of human resources, and in a parody of typical cat behavior he "plays" with his "prey", coming up with sadistic and illogical policies to enforce on the employees. He often works in tandem with the Pointy-Haired Boss.
Catbert officially entered the strip on March 20, 1995, when Dogbert hired him to the company to handle "the downsizing". Indeed, downsizing is Catbert's greatest joy, and he has numerous binders on this subject (and one that says, "hire losers").
The look for Catbert apparently came from a strip earlier in 1994, where a hairless cat friend of Dogbert showed up at the house. After the cat thanked Dogbert for inviting him over (because hairless cats are usually shunned, he said), Dogbert promptly sprayed him with Hair in a Can, giving him a look that was eerily similar to the eventual look for Catbert.
| Dilbert | |
|---|---|
| Characters: | Alice • Asok • Carol • Catbert • Dilbert • Dogbert • Phil, the Prince of Insufficient Light • Pointy-Haired Boss • Ratbert • Wally • Minor characters |
| In other media: | Animated series • Books • Plop: The Hairless Elbonian |
| Terms: | Cow-orker • Imaginary productivity |
| Other: | Scott Adams • Dogbert's New Ruling Class • Elbonia • Dilberito |