Inspector Gadget was a cartoon parody of the 1960's television spy parody, Get Smart. Don Adams played the leads in both shows. There are similarities between the two shows. Both agents only had lots of gadgets or devices that they never could use correctly. Both worked for a chief that they invariably infuriated. And of course, both Gadget and Smart were lovable idiots who always won in the end, usually by accident or by someone else's help.