Catbert
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| Catbert | |
|---|---|
| Dilbert character | |
 Catbert |
|
| Created by | Scott Adams |
| Portrayed by | Jason Alexander (TV series) |
| Information | |
| Species | Cat |
| Gender | Male |
Catbert is a fictional cat, and the "evil director of human resources" in the Dilbert comic strip. He was supposed to be a one-shot character but caught on with readers so well that Adams brought him back as the HR director. According to Adams, Catbert has become the mascot of all HR workers.
[edit] Publication history
An unnamed cat appeared in two 1992 strips as the companion of Dilbert's "perfect romantic match"; he or she strongly resembled the later Catbert design. The real Catbert, unnamed, first appeared in a series of comic strips from September 12 to 16, 1994, when he attacked Ratbert and rebooted Dilbert's computer before Dogbert finally kicked him out of the house. Reader response asked for "more Catbert," despite the cat never having been named, and Adams decided to bring him back as the "evil director" of human resources. Catbert appeared again on March 20, 1995, when Dogbert hired Catbert to handle downsizing.
[edit] Characteristics
With the help of his "random policy generator", he comes up with sadistic, illogical and often evil policies to enforce on the employees, such as permanently branding employees, banning coffee drinking in the office, requiring employees to schedule sick time before they actually get sick, and making time spent in the bathroom count as "vacation." He often works in tandem with the Pointy-Haired Boss. Catbert typically celebrates the creation of a new evil policy by purring loudly or by doing the "evil dance".
He often abuses workers by doing things like sending Wally home for wearing shorts, even though Wally's pants reach his ankles.
The TV series version of Catbert is much more helpful than his counterpart in the comic strip, though he still enjoys torturing employees (for instance, transferring Wally to his department when the value of an engineering job has greatly increased).
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