Cosmo Kramer in Seinfeld is known for the utterly bizarre nature of his existence — he is uncoordinated to the point of tripping over himself constantly, and at the same time, he is quite eccentric when it comes to either personal philosophy or the hottest controversy.
Then again, there have been several occasions in which Kramer has proven that he is smarter than given credit for — and it must be stated that he isn't less equipped in the intelligence department than anyone else. The only problem is that his solutions are so outlandish that they are often disregarded as random ramblings.
Tricks Brandt-Leland Into Thinking He Works There
Kramer is accidentally assumed to be working at Brandt-Leland when he decides to help one of their staff use a scanner (although his real reason for being there is more bathroom-related).
For some reason, he chooses to continue the charade and goes to work at the usual time, regardless of the lack of salary, claiming that the routine is helpful. Sure, Kramer is discovered in a few days and promptly "let go," but the fact that he plays the role so well is quite impressive.
Successfully Impersonates A Detective
Jerry inherits an ancient statue from his grandpa, Irving, that George desperately desires (so his parents will finally stop complaining about the time he broke an identical figurine as a child). This plan combusts when the statue vanishes, only to resurface in the apartment of Elaine's cleaning lady.
Having concluded that Rava's boyfriend stole it, Jerry and George try to get Michael to confess, but nothing pans out. That is until Kramer wears a bunch of Irving's clothing and impersonates a detective to scare Michael into hiding his face in a corner, while he re-steals the figurine for George. Illegal, but smart.
He's Extremely Talented At Manipulation
Kramer is generally fantastic at convincing people to flout the conventions of society, especially those like Jerry, who are naturally finicky and fastidious about everything. To draw a comparison, Jerry discards every item in his bathroom on the off-chance that one of them might have been dropped in the toilet bowl, but he agrees to urinate in a mall basement because his wacky neighbor says he can.
Another instance is when Kramer manipulates Elaine into kidnapping some poor dog and abandoning it far away. Perhaps it only works when his friends are under duress, but the point is that it works.
His Various Get-Rich-Quick Schemes
Kramerica Industries, Kramer's attempt at becoming an entrepreneur, is not as ditzy as it sounds. He actually devises some pretty fascinating and theoretically useful inventions, like his "bladder" that he claims would "put an end to maritime oil spills."
Other examples include his idea for a DIY pizza pie place and his extremely unethical bid to create his own Cuban cigars. However, isn't exactly known how many of these schemes were successful, if at all.
Invents The Bro (The Manssiere)
George is uncomfortable upon learning about his father, Frank's gynecomastia (enlargement of breast tissue in men), as he believes that it could be his genetic fate. Kramer, on the other hand, is spurred on to create a bra for men, which he proudly calls The Bro.
Frank vehemently refers to it as "The Manssiere," but this is not the problem with the overall idea. When Farkus, the undergarment seller, wonders if he can date Estelle Costanza, her furious husband puts an end to their arrangement. Who knows how much money The Bro could have made Kramer?
Stealing Food From Jerry's Apartment
There are three whole levels to this scenario — Kramer stealing Jerry's food because the latter had once claimed "what's mine is yours," Jerry being occasionally upset but mostly forgiving of the repetitive thefts, and Kramer's truly genius ploy (possibly unconsciously generated) to save as much money as possible.
Besides, there's really no point for him to spend on food when he can just as easily procure it from his neighbor's fridge, is there? At least Kramer buys his own fruit now and then, although he acts like an elitist about it.
Doesn't Beat Around The Bush
The main problems that Jerry, Elaine, and George usually face when interacting with other people is that they are averse to confrontation, which means they sugarcoat their words when the person involved really needs to hear the truth.
Kramer's lack of discretion might be annoying, but it displays a certain sense of social intelligence — he is somewhat aware that honesty is often the best policy, and has been proven right many times. One prominent case being when Kramer bluntly tells Audrey that she "needs a nose job," a candor that she appreciates.
The Beach/Ocean
One of Kramer's ideas that is extremely sellable is his cologne that smells like the beach. Unfortunately, Calvin Klein declines his offer for a partnership, claiming that nobody wants to smell like wet sand.
In a much later episode, however, Kramer discovers that CK had the audacity to go ahead and make a similar perfume, except they called it "Ocean," rather than "The Beach." This proves the validity of his concept, as well as his business acumen.
He Can Afford To Live In Manhattan
Kramer never seems to run out of money, which doesn't make a lot of sense given the context of his existence — he has a vintage wardrobe and can also afford to pay for the endless redesigning of his living room?
Jerry suspects that Kramer may have been a trust fund baby, a fact that remains unconfirmed. More importantly, he would need a rather steady flow of income to pay the rent for his Manhattan apartment, even if it is heavily rent-controlled. Kramer's doing something right or wrong, but he's got the cash, anyway.
The Coffee Table Book About Coffee Tables
Kramer almost achieves peak success with his Coffee Table Book of Coffee Tables, reaching a point where he gets to make a special appearance on Live with Regis and Kathie Lee.
Of course, he proceeds to do a Kramer and spit coffee all over the hostess, which destroys his book tour almost instantly. Weirdly, he claims that Hollywood is interested in the Coffee Table Book of Coffee Tables, although it is not clear who would watch a movie about this subject.