The blonde stereotype has been around for ages, and it’s not just exclusive to women anymore.
Aside from the blondies themselves, the dumb stereotype has been fueled further by their portrayal in movies, TV shows, and even animation.
Who could forget blonde cartoon characters like Johnny Bravo, Dee Dee, and even Harley Quinn?
While some come across as custom-made dumb blondes, there are some smart blonde cartoon characters as well. And you’ll find 10 of them listed below.
10 Smartest Blonde Cartoon Characters
10. She-Ra
- Show/Movie: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power
- Voice Actor(s): Melendy Britt (1985 series), Aimee Carrero (2018 reboot)
Whether you prefer the original She-Ra: Princess of Power or its 2018 reboot, one thing is common- She-Ra is a badass blonde in both series.
Introduced as a Horde Captain, Adora soon discovers her real identity as the Princess of Eternia and the twin sister of He-Man. Soon, Adora is given the Sword of Protection and develops her heroine alter-ego, She-Ra.
This brainiac always had a knack for technology and gadgets, and her abilities increased once she got the Sword of Protection.
9. John Smith
- Show/Movie: Pocahontas
- Voice Actor(s): Mel Gibson, Jess Harnell, Donal Gibson
John Smith is a handsome sailor/explorer/soldier with the silkiest golden locks you’ll ever see on a Disney man.
Right off the bat, John Smith got hyped up as a legend, and the rest of the movie goes on to show why. From fighting savages to exploring new lands, he excels at everything. That’s why Governor Ratcliffe chose him to lead the voyage to Virginia.
The fact that he committed treason to uphold his values and beliefs, and protect Pocahontas, shows how brave he is.
8. Barbie
- Show/Movie: Barbie Movies
- Voice Actor(s): Kate Higgins, America Young, Kelly Sheridan
Barbie is THE blonde of all blondes.
Ruth Handler created the doll for his daughter, so she could have more adult dolls to play with. This was back in the 1950s. Now, Barbie has become one of the biggest brands.
There are over 40 animated films starring Barbie, and a live-action Barbie will be released in July this year.
As for Barbie, the character, she has to be one of the smartest cartoon characters with blonde hair. This beauty has the brains to become a robotic engineer, a supermodel, a doctor, and a lot more.
7. Kristof Bjorgman
- Show/Movie: Frozen
- Voice Actor(s): Jonathan Groff
You’d think a boy raised by trolls would be a dummy, but thankfully Kristof’s saviors were the smart kind of trolls, and they raised Kristoff right.
Kristof is an ice harvester for Arendelle, who lives with a reindeer named Sven. But Princess Anna turned this loner into a savior by making a deal with him. She bought him the supplies from Oaken, and in return, she wanted Kristof’s help in tracking down Elsa and putting an end to the untimely Winter.
Of course, after falling for Anna, Kristof did much more than that.
6. Smurfette
- Show/Movie: The Smurfs
- Voice Actor(s): Katy Perry
Gargamel created Smurfette to be the troublemaker of the Village and get the Smurfs fighting over her. Originally she was a rugged brunette with zero game.
However, post her plastic smurfery, Smurfette becomes the only blonde and the only female Smurf in the village. She’s smart, adventurous, and a little too curious.
Although she’s mostly seen helping out and doing chores, Smurfette has a reputation for taking on new projects and leaving them midway to start something new.
This blue ball of energy isn’t afraid to volunteer for dangerous tasks and usually accompanies Papa Smurf and Grouchy Smurf on dangerous missions.
5. Rapunzel
- Show/Movie: Tangled
- Voice Actor(s): Mandy Moore, Delaney Rose Stein, Ivy George
She is naive since she’s never left the tower and was fed lies by her evil stepmother, but Rapunzel is definitely not a dumb blonde. In fact, she’s one of the most creative Disney Princesses which is evident from her art-filled room.
Stuck in the tower for ages, Rapunzel expresses her inner wishes on the canvas like a true artist.
Aside from her artistic talents, Rapunzel is also quite cunning. She was able to manipulate a professional con artist, Flynn Rider, to help her break out of the tower and take her to see the floating lanterns.
4. Lisa Simpson
- Show/Movie: The Simpsons
- Voice Actor(s): Yeardley Smith, Sabine Bohlmann
Lisa is the only blonde, spiky hair cartoon character capable of rivaling Goku’s Super Saiyan hairstyle.
Known as the geeky overachiever, Lisa is the smartest character from The Simpsons. Along with excellent academic performance, this 8-year-old has mastered multiple musical instruments thanks to her IQ of 159.
Her intelligence is attributed to her non-existing relationship with Homer. Homer has had little to no involvement in Lisa’s upbringing and hence hasn’t affected her intelligence. She’s the more rational one of her family, but her Homer and Marge DNA do take over sometimes.
3. Cindy Vortex
- Show/Movie: Jimmy Neutron
- Voice Actor(s): Carolyn Lawrence, Tara Strong
One of the many geniuses on the show, Cindy Vortex was once considered the most intelligent person in her town. That was before she moved to Retroville and became the second most intelligent person after Jimmy Neutron.
And if Jimmy’s the one beating you in intelligence, you’re not exactly a loser, are you?
However, Cindy didn’t take well to losing her title and continuously challenges, berates, and criticizes Jimmy every step of the way.
Despite this competitive jealousy, Cindy cares a lot for Jimmy and even looks up to him. Secretly, they’re both crushing on each other, HARD!
2. Fred Jones
- Show/Movie: Scooby Doo
- Voice Actor(s): Frank Weller
Fred Jones is much more than just the driver of The Mystery Machine. This blonde-locked hunk is the second-smartest member of the gang, behind Velma, and is the leader as well.
He is the mastermind behind every trap set up to capture the supposed “monsters.” Although Scooby and Shaggy are the first ones to fall for Fred’s traps, his traps do get the job done.
When he’s not solving mysteries with the gang, he’s writing novels about them. And once he’s done writing novels, Fred is helping out Daphne with her Investigative TV show.
1. Susan Storm
- Show/Movie: Marvel Animated Universe
- Voice Actor(s): Kari Wahlgren
Susan “Sue” Storm, also known as the Invisible Woman of the Fantastic Four, is one of the smartest blondes in the Marvel universe.
Unlike her brother Johnny, the Human Torch, Susan followed in her father’s footsteps. She was considered a child prodigy and was already surpassing her potential as a teenager. With an IQ of 170, Susan eventually got doctorates in four different biochemical fields.
Susan was the one who studied the mutational changes in all the Fantastic Four members and developed a deeper understanding of Reed Richards and Johnny’s powers.
We’re done
That’s my list of some of the smartest blonde cartoon characters that have appeared in American animation. While some of these are bombshells, none of these characters fit the dumb blonde stereotype.
Here’s hoping for a more honest blonde representation in animation.
