“He’s gotta be strong, and he’s gotta be fast, and he’s gotta be dumb and polite.” — leh-sarah of Tumblr.

For a few years now, one of my very favorite character archetypes has been “The Himbo.” And what, exactly, is a himbo?

Basically: it’s a portmanteau of “him” and “bimbo,” and it’s a term that’s been around since 1988. At first, it was applied to any man who was attractive and not all that bright (Keanu Reeves once said he was honored to be called a himbo) and in some circles it was considered a pejorative (Sylvester Stallone personally hates the term).

But as time’s gone by, “himbo” has evolved into a badge of honor, a label that’s desirable and praiseworthy. Today, a himbo refers to a hunk who may not be book smart, may say stupid things or not get obvious jokes, but is emotionally intelligent.

A himbo drinks his daily allotment of Respect Women Juice. He treats others with kindness and is beloved by animals. A himbo’s heart is earnest and always in the right place, even when he makes mistakes or knocks things over with his giant, muscle-y arms.

“Pure of heart, broad of chest, thick as a post,” is a handy identification guide, and that pure of heart bit is paramount. A true himbo is a good dude who would never purposefully hurt anyone; he may be physically intimidating, but you’d always feel safe around one. Hence why I love himbos so much, when so much media is saturated with toxic dudes. This week, I’m paying my respects to some of the All-Time Greatest Himbos, starting with:

15. Jason Mendoza (“The Good Place”)

Jason (portrayed by Manny Jacinto) may not be as big and beefy as most himbos, but he is extremely handsome — and extremely, extremely dumb. He’s also completely sincere, even when discussing the most ridiculous topics (“Claustrophobic? Who would ever be afraid of Santa Claus?”), and unendingly supportive of his friends (“You got a dope soul and hella ethics.”). And if you ever need a Molotov cocktail? Jason’s your guy.

14. Charles Bingley (“Pride and Prejudice” by Jane Austen)

Mr. Darcy’s BFF is a sterling example of a Fancy Himbo, and Simon Woods’ take on him in the 2005 adaptation is arguably the best to date. He’s giggly, he’s giddy, he’s the excitable golden retriever to Darcy’s aloof cat. And he looks at Jane Bennet like she hung the moon, even as he bumbles his way through conversations. His naïveté makes him susceptible to outside influence, but he feels deeply and is unfailingly honest.

13. Steve Harrington (“Stranger Things”)

When we first meet Steve (Joe Keery), he’s a popular jock, and he does make some mean-spirited choices when his relationship with Nancy is threatened by rival Jonathan. But by season two, Steve’s blossomed into a true himbo: a guy who’s handy with a nail-bat when interdimensional monsters are attacking, who’s a Grade A babysitter, who mentors the younger Dustin and befriends the cool outcast Robin at their crappy mall job. Steve has fantastic hair, a big heart and is willing to throw himself headlong at Russian soldiers to save his friends.

12. Bolin (“Avatar: The Legend of Korra”)

Bolin checks almost every box on the himbo list. He’s the big, brawny guy of Korra’s Team Avatar, an earthbender capable of tossing giant rocks at bad guys. Bolin’s very straightforward and talks openly about what he wants, and isn’t afraid crying will make him less masculine. He’s silly, has a cute animal companion in Pabu, the fire ferret, and clearly gives really fantastic hugs.

11. Andy Dwyer (“Parks and Recreation”)

While I’m no longer a fan of Chris Pratt for various and sundry reasons, I still love the character that jump-started his career. From season two on, Andy is an overgrown man-child more endearing than annoying thanks to his sunny demeanor. His relationship with the sardonic April is a fun attraction-of-opposites dynamic, and I appreciate Andy has surprising depths while still being the sort of guy to buy dinosaur-shaped chicken nuggets and NERF guns when his wife sends him to the store for groceries.

10. Vash the Stampede (“Trigun”)

Speaking of surprising depths: on a Western-themed planet, Vash is a goofy gunslinger with an astronomical bounty on his head — $$60 billion, to be precise — for reportedly destroying an entire city. Yet every bounty hunter that goes after him is shocked to discover the “Humanoid Typhoon” is actually a smiley idiot who preaches love and peace and refuses to kill his enemies, despite his supernatural prowess with a gun.

9. Adora and Scorpia (“She-Ra and the Princesses of Power”)

Some may disagree, but I absolutely believe ladies can be himbos, too, at least as the archetype is seen today. The newest version of “She-Ra” boasts several lady himbos, but the two greatest have to be Adora — who transforms into the eight-foot-tall titular warrior princess — and Scorpia, who’s big and buff, rocks a fantastic undercut and has pincers for hands. They’re both charmingly oblivious to so many things, very forthright, self-sacrificingly loyal to their friends and the epitome of Disaster Lesbians.

8. Prince Charming (“Cinderella 3: A Twist in Time”)

Typically, I’d never recommend the direct-to-DVD Disney sequels, which are cheaply produced shameless money grabs. But “Cinderella 3″, which is genuinely hysterical, is that rare, shining exception to the rule. And the best thing about the whole film is Himbo Prince Charming, who earnestly listens to Cindy’s mouse friends as they explain the problem, only to shake his head with a smile and apologize for not understanding them. (He also yeets himself through a window when his father orders him to not take another step, and you have to appreciate a dude that’s that thick and dramatic, lol.)

7. Kevin (2016′s “Ghostbusters”)

G’bless Chris Hemsworth. The man has a knack for playing himbos, and he commits 110%. In the all-ladies “Ghostbusters”, Hemsworth’s receptionist Kevin is God’s Perfect Idiot, who wears glasses without lenses (because “they kept getting dirty”), tries to answer a phone that’s inside an aquarium (“You know, an aquarium is a submarine for fish.”) and unintentionally plagiarizes the 7-Eleven logo. He’s so, so dumb, but he makes up for that in prettiness.

6. Jake (“Silverado”)

“Why doesn’t Kevin Costner play morons anymore?” asked my friend Sus. “He plays a properly good idiot. Just an astoundingly dumb dude with a sunny nature and nothing going on upstairs.” She was referring to his turn in this underrated Western, where his Jake is a flamboyant adrenaline junkie who smooches pretty girls, leaps out of haylofts onto his horse and twirls his pistols with much excited hooting. And she was absolutely right.

5. Kazuma Kuwabara (“YuYu Hakusho”)

Of the four main heroes of “Hakusho”, Kuwabara was always my guy. He’s the tall, homely, beefy one with a head like a brick, a ginger pompadour and far too much chivalry than is good for him. Desperately in love with literal ice princess Yukina, he’s also willing to have his butt kicked by an entire gang of delinquents if it’ll save his precious little kitty cat (aw!). Kuwabara is a rough tough with a heart of gold and an unbreakable code of honor, who follows his friends into supernatural danger no matter what the personal cost is.

4. Thor (the Marvel Cinematic Universe)

Hemsworth’s second appearance on this list, as a literal God Tier Himbo! The Space Golden Retriever of the MCU, Thor can be excused some of his stupidity, since he’s oblivious to a lot of Midgardian (aka Earth) culture, and is very much a man of action. He romances ladylove Jane with talk about particle physics, yes, but still doesn’t understand you need a computer to receive e-mails. Thor’s a generally well-meaning guy who just happens to have the ability to channel lightning and arms as big around as my entire body.

3. Carrot Ironfoundersson (the “Discworld” series by Terry Pratchett)

He’s a 6′6″ dwarf (well, he’s technically a human, but he was raised by dwarves, so it still counts) and the rightful, prophesized king of Ankh-Morpork — but he’d rather be a city watchman than a ruler, so everyone just plays along. Outwardly, he’s thicker than a post, oblivious to innuendo; but there’s evidence Carrot’s sharper than everyone thinks and uses the simpleton cover to his own benefit. He’s more honest than the day is long, is a devoted boyfriend to werewolf Angua and he idolizes the surly Sam Vimes, who can do no wrong in his bright blue eyes. When I think of dependable, loyal, sincere, or good-hearted, I think of Captain Carrot, who once helped stop a war by arresting both sides for disturbing the peace.

2. Kronk (“The Emperor’s New Groove”)

Yzma’s henchman is far too kind for his nefarious job, as is proven at the start of the movie when he can’t go through with killing the transformed Kuzco. An accomplished cook and wilderness guide, Kronk loves spinach puffs, bird-watching, making his own theme music, listening to his shoulder angel/demon and jumping rope. As is so often the case with himbos, he has a gift for connecting with animals (he even speaks Squirrel), is unendingly polite, sleeps with a teddy bear and, ultimately, always makes the right choice.

1. George of the Jungle (“George of the Jungle”)

Ahh, George! The “Ur Himbo”, as my friend Sus calls him. Possibly the first of the himbo class as we now know it. George (Brendan Fraser) is a true babe in the woods, in that he’s never had contact with other humans and so accepts everything at face value. He’s gentle and playful, loves animals (especially his “big gray peanut-loving poochie Shep”, the elephant), puts flowers in his hair to feel pretty, is unendingly respectful with ladylove Ursula and only flexes his substantial muscles when it’ll protect his friends, family or home. George is the sweetest of all himbos, thanks in large part to (the always delightful) Fraser’s wide-eyed and innocent performance.