The Craziest 'Doug' Fan Theories

Redditor siatabiri offers a more innocent but heartbreaking explanation for why Mr. Dink is the way he is, i.e., seemingly desperate to force a friendship with Doug. The theory has two possibilities, but essentially comes down to the same result: either the Dinks had a son born around the same time as Doug whom they lost as a baby, or they had a son who died around Doug's age before Doug moved into the neighborhood.

Mr. Dink goes a long way to build a relationship with Doug, almost as if he's driven by a pathological need to fill the void of his lost son. It's also noted that Mrs. Dink has a motherly affect perhaps because she was once a mother.

JSwiftX from Retro Junk has a simple, armchair psychologist explanation for why Roger Klotz is a bully: he was abused as a child. 

“By and large, just about ALL aggressive bullies are indeed the victims of aggressive bullying themselves, which is almost always via the hands of a family member or close acquaintance. As a means of masking the inferiority of not having a father figure, Roger attempts to form a synthetic family consisting of all of the schoolhouse ruffians, an act which makes him his OWN paternal figure, in a way.”

So it's not simply an explanation for why Roger bullies people, but a deeper dive into his psychology which tries to explain his need to surround himself with a pseudo "family" – something that is often indicative of abandonment issues.

Similar in practice to the theory that Doug is crazy, one theory argues that the events in Doug are part of the boy's narrative which he writes in his journal. Essentially, the theory goes that Doug writes his own story.

This explains why everyone is differently colored as real ethnic differences are mundane to a child. His alter ego as a superhero, Quailman, is further evidence that a child is writing the story. It's a much nicer theory than those claiming Doug is either insane or addicted to drugs.

Doug and Patti are the two main "flesh colored" people in the show, and Redditor pricelle notes that they are presented as having "lower/working-class lifestyle." Conversely, the purplish Dink has grandiose political aspirations and spends lavishly, while Skeeter (who is either blue or green depending on your eyes/TV) is a super genius.

The heart of the theory is that white people are depicted as mundane or below average, while colored people are notably superior. 

This (wisely) anonymous theory on Wilton Drive makes the argument that Patti Mayonnaise is secretly a lesbian.

"She REALLY likes sports – Seriously, she spent half of the episode in a basketball jersey. Sometimes she spoke in a deep voice to be funny, but we [deduced] that it might have been her actual voice that she hides with her Southern accent. She never showed any interest in Doug other than friendship, and let’s be honest... Doug was a TOTAL babe. She never seemed to do well in 'girly' situations. Exhibit A: Cooking."

This theory, however, only identifies Patti as a "tomboy," and notes that she doesn't conform to gender stereotypes. That is far cry from proving she's a lesbian. 

CartoonJustice wants to bridge the gap between your childhood and adulthood, bringing two of your favorite shows together: Doug and Scrubs. This Redditor argues that the protagonist of Scrubs, JD, is Doug as an adult, citing multiple similarities to support the argument:

"JD and Doug both share extreme daydreaming; None of their friends or family intercede to stop this; Both have extreme fears of failure and keep a diary; They share a love of blonds who are over competitive; They both continually self-sabotage their love life; Both have a best friend of color... 

So Doug Yancey Funnie, traumatized by his parents's divorce gives up on his dreams of music and decides to go to medical school. His daydreaming and awkwardness follow him into adult hood. After a falling out with Skeeter he meets his new best friend in med school."