What is this guys appeal?

I can understand your point.
I'm an American too, and when I first saw Mr. Bean, it didn't appeal to me very much, actually I thought it was sort of stupid, but then, I started to watch Blackadder. It is totally the opposite type of comedy compared to Mr. Bean, it's very smart and very clever, in my opinion. If you like John Cleese's humor in Monty Python and Fawlty Towers, Blackadder contain most of the humor found in most British sitcoms and not to mention its parody of the English history as well.
Another show that showcased Rowan's talents would be "Not the Nine O'Clock News", this show contains similarities to those of Monty Python and, also, political and social tones and parodies like SNL (when it was good), and Rowan was and still is great in it.

Now, Mr. Bean has an appeal that does not require any thoughts or any type of thinking process. I guess you can say that Mr. Bean operates on children's level or people who just like slapstick comedy and weird faces. The type of humor in Mr. Bean does not belong to either the categories of "The Office" or "Monty Python," you are right on this, it is something totally different. But it had been labeled a British humor, since the character had become such a success to British comedy. Also, noted the fact that British humor has its varieties, it can be dry like "The Office," as you mentioned, or it can be like "Monty Python," or it can be something totally different like Borat, or something satirical like "Little Britain" and such. Plus, in the Mr. Bean movies, most jokes are repetitive from those of Rowan Atkinson's one man show, and a few earlier Mr. Bean episodes, something that might be funny back then, for most people, compare to now.

I recommend you watch "Blackadder," "Not the Nine O'Clock News," and "Rowan Atkinson Live," maybe your opinion may change. Earlier episodes of Mr Bean are also very smart and are very funny, there are a lot of good materials in them.
If you are looking for movies Rowan was in, "Keeping Mum" is the only movie in which I thought Rowan was flawless.
I really do hope you change your mind about him. Rowan is really a wonderful actor and he is one of my favorite to watch.

Appeal? It's his body, man! http://rowansexy.ytmnd.com

Presonally I think Bean is his weakest character. Rowan Atkinson is best when he is the dry insulting character that is smarter than everyone in the room. Mr Bean is simply a mime much like the guys with white faces pretending to be stuck in a box.

I hope he is returns to a sardonic character much like Blackadder or some of the skits in his HBO show.

Nicely put. I concur, I don't hate him I am interested to know what exactly his appeal is. I imagine his market is under the age 17, but I know "Bean" came out in 1997(when I was 14)and not I or anybody I knew(In America)went and saw it. (Or rented it) I just remember people saying my older brother looked like Bean. I did love him in Hot Shots Part Deux, but that was one scene. He must kill in the UK because I would never roll the dice with him in a leading role. I just don't get Rowan.

if you dont say he is good, then i agree with everything else. :)

I love mr. bean I think that character is completley genius. I have a very dry sense of humor, so I enjoy jokes I don't have to think about. Mr. Bean is exactly that a bunch of jokes no one has to think about, you just get 'em right off the bat. Rowan atkinson is hilarious as bean and was friggin' awesome in johnny english.

It's all personal preference. I first saw the Mr. Bean British tv show when I was 14, it was also around this time I started watching another British comedy, 'Absolutely Fabulous.' I liked Mr. Bean because it was stupid, dry humor. The fact that someone could actually be like him and do the things he does was just funny to me. The situations he gets into and how he gets out of them. Some of it is predictable and it has been done before but it's coming from someone else. It's kinda like music, not everyone is going to like the same type of music as you and vice versa. As I got older I didn't watch it much anymore and I didn't like the movie 'Bean' and I had no desire to even watch this new movie but I may reconsider.

A dry sense of humor doesn't mean one that requires little thought. If anything, dry humor requires some attention and thought, because most of the jokes are delivered as 'throw-away' lines. Mr. Bean is the anti-dry humor. If you can even consider that character humor, it would be extremely moist.