Courage the Cowardly Dog

Courage the Cowardly Dog
Courage
Format	Animated television series
Run time	30 Minutes
Creator(s)	John R. Dilworth
Starring	Marty Grabstein Thea White Lionel G. Wilson Arthur Anderson Ian James Corrlet Jim Cummings John R. Dilworth Billie Lou Watt Billy West Tom Kenny
Country	USA
Network	Cartoon Network
Original run	November 12, 1999 – November 22, 2002
No. of episodes	54

Courage the Cowardly Dog is an animated series about a fuchsia dog named Courage and his owners Muriel Bagge, a kindly old Scottish woman, and Eustace Bagge, a mean, nasty grumpy old farmer, living together in a farmhouse in the middle of the town of Nowhere, Kansas (which looks and is often decribed as The Middle of Nowhere). It was created by John R. Dilworth, who directed each episode, and is produced and aired by Cartoon Network.

Overview

Courage the Cowardly Dog centers around the exploits of Courage, a small fuchsia dog who is afraid of the most mundane of things. However, his fear is usually warranted: Eustace, Muriel and Courage are constantly attacked or run into various monsters, aliens, curses, and other forms of evil Courage must face.

The opening of the show documents Courage's past: Abandoned as a puppy, he was found by Muriel, who lives with her husband Eustace in the middle of Nowhere, Kansas. Eustace always resented Courage's presence in the home and continually attempts to scare the living daylights out of Courage by whipping out a giant green mask, screaming "Booga! Booga! Booga!" Afterwards, Eustace laughs at Courage's expense, until Muriel comically bludgeons him over the head with a rolling pin.

Courage first appeared on the What a Cartoon! show in an animated short named "The Chicken from Outer Space".

Characters

Courage

Courage, the main character of the show, is a dog ironically named Courage, though cowardice is a visible trait of his. He was abandoned as a puppy, left in the cold, and found by Muriel Bagge, who took him in and gave him affection. Courage is afraid of nearly everything, which makes getting harassed from Eustace easy and frequent. Deep down though, Courage is actually very brave. He always overcomes his fright of the evil he must face to save his family, usually saying to the viewer unenthusiastically before hand, "the things I do for love."

Muriel Bagge

Muriel Bagge is Courage's sweet, innocent Scottish-accented grandmother-like owner. She loves to be hospitable, to cook and clean, to sit in her rocking chair, but the one thing she loves the most is Courage, and the feeling is very mutual. She's so sweet she can't seem to be able to tell when danger is approaching, and occasionally invites evil into the house, even if Courage frantically warns her. In nearly every episode Muriel is captured or threatened in some way, and Courage is the only one who can save her. Once saved, she is usually always none-the-wiser of the risks Courage took.

Eustace Harold "Horace" Bagge

Eustace Bagge is Muriel's husband, the farmer. Eustace doesn't like Courage much at all, calling him a "Stupid dog," and enjoys constantly teasing him and kicking him when he's down. He only loves money and his truck and greed drives many of his actions, as all he really cares about is being rich. This fact results in many of the problems Courage must resolve in the show. In some episodes Eustace plays the part of the antagonist. Usually at the end of an episode something bad happens to Eustace, such as being blasted to the moon, eaten, zapped, mummified, transformed, possessed, and other misfortunes. Lionel Wilson, the original voice of Eustace, passed away in a transition from the show's seasons. Lionel had retired from the show after a lengthy illness, and was replaced as Eustace's voice by Arthur Anderson.

Computer

Courage's computer in the attic of the farmhouse that can speak on its own in a witty and snide British accent, often calling Courage a twit. When in trouble, Courage constantly asks the computer for information on what do to. Computer was once attacked by a virus, which virtualized and kidnapped Muriel. Courage had to virtualize himself via the scanner to get rid of the virus and save Muriel. In another episode the computer was struck by lightning and came to life, possessing Muriel and went out into the world to experience life to its fullest, performing death-defying stunts that attracted the attention of the media under the name of "Mega Muriel the Magnificent. After a while, Computer tired of the excitement of living and left Muriel, returning to the attic.

Dr. Vindaloo M.D. Quack

Dr. Vindaloo is the Bagge family doctor who is more of quack than a physician. Whenever something bad happens, Courage generally calls upon the Hindu doctor first when his octogenarian owners are ill, injured, or physically mishapen.

Dilung

Dilung is a recurring character who is generally antagonizing to any character he encounters, insisting that they "watch where you're going, ya foo." He is generally referred to as "the punk kid."He is Malaysian by origin.

Ma Bagge

Ma Bagge is also a recurring character and Eustace's mother. She hates Eustace and loves Courage. She lives in a trailer and is allergic to chocolate.

The officer of Nowhere

The officer of Nowhere is the police officer.He works with an old guy whose name is never said. He seems to hate Nowhere

Episode list

Pilot

1. The Chicken From Outer Space

Season 1

1. A Night at the Katz Motel / Cajun Granny Stew 12 November 1999
2. The Shadow of Courage / Dr. Le Quack Amnesia Specialist 19 November 1999
3. Courage Meets Bigfoot / Hothead 26 November 1999
4. The Demon in the Mattress / Freaky Fred 3 December 1999
5. Mother's Day / Night of the Weremole 17 December 1999
6. The Duck Brothers / Shirley the Medium 14 January 2000
7. King Ramses' Curse / The Clutching Foot 21 January 2000
8. The Hunchback of Nowhere / The Gods Must Be Goosey 28 January 2000
9. Queen of the Black Puddle / Everyone Wants to Direct 2 March 2000
10. The Snowman Cometh / The Precious, Wonderful, Adorable, Loveable Duckling 9 March 2000
11. Heads of Beef / Klub Katz 16 March 2000
12. Revenge of the Chicken from Outer Space / Journey to the Center of Nowhere 23 March 2000
13. Little Muriel / The Great Fusilli 30 March 2000

Season 2

1. The Magic Tree of Nowhere / Robot Randy 31 October 2000
2. Curse of Shirley / Courage in the Big Stinkin' City 7 November 2000
3. Family Business / 1000 Years of Courage 14 November 2000
4. Courage Meets the Mummy / Invisible Muriel 19 January 2001
5. Human Habitrail / Mission to the Sun 22 February 2001
6. Courage the Fly / Katz Kandy 16 March 2001
7. Nowhere TV / Mega Muriel the Magnificent 3 April 2001
8. Bad Hair Day / Forbidden Hat of Gold 10 April 2001
9. Serpent of Evil River / The Transplant 17 April 2001
10. Car Broke, Phone Yes / Cowboy Courage 26 October 2001
11. Evil Weevil / McPhearson Phantom 2 November 2001
12. The House of Discontent / The Sand Whale Strikes 9 November 2001
13. The Tower of Dr. Zalost 16 November 2001

Season 3

1. Muriel Meets Her Match / Courage vs. Mecha Courage 12 January 2002
2. Campsite of Terror / The Record Deal 8 February 2002
3. Stormy Weather / The Sandman Sleeps 15 March 2002
4. Hard Drive Courage / The Ride of the Valkyries 7 June 2002
5. Scuba Scuba Doo / Conway the Contaminationist 14 June 2002
6. Katz Under the Sea / Curtain of Cruelty 21 June 2002
7. Feast of the Bullfrogs / Tulip's Worm 28 June 2002
8. So in Louvre Are We Two / Night of the Scarecrow 5 July 2002
9. Mondo Magic / Watch the Birdies 12 July 2002
10. Fishy Business / Angry Nasty People 19 July 2002
11. Dome of Doom / Snowman's Revenge 26 July 2002
12. The Quilt Club / Swindlin' Wind 2 August 2002
13. The King of Flan / Courage Under the Volcano 9 August 2002
14. The Wind Whispers Courage / They Must Be Giants 23 August 2002 Music Special

Season 4

1. A Beaver's Tale / The Nutcracker 6 September 2002
2. Rumpledkiltskin / Housecalls 13 September 2002
3. Le Quack Balloon / Windmill Vandals 20 September 2002
4. The Uncommon Cold / Farmer-Hunter, Farmer-Hunted 27 September 2002
5. Bride of the Swamp Monster / Goat Pain 4 October 2002
6. Muriel Blows Up / Profiles in Courage 11 October 2002
7. The Mask 18 October 2002
8. Squatting Tiger, Hidden Dog / Muted Muriel 25 October 2002
9. Aqua-Farmer / Food of the Dragon 25 October 2002
10. The Last Starmakers / Son of the Chicken From Outer Space 1 November 2002
11. Courageous Cure / Ball of Revenge 8 November 2002
12. Cabaret Courage / Wrath of the Librarian 15 November 2002
13. Remembrance of Courage Past / Perfect 22 November 2002

In total, there were 53 Courage the Cowardly Dog episodes, including the Music Special.

Trivia

• Eustace Bagge is derived from Useless Bag because he treats Muriel like a slave and only thinks of himself, in a similar manner to an abusive husband, and also bears a similarity to Gaston.

• Episode 2.8 Bad Hair Day is mainly a spoof of Michael Crichton's 1978 mystery film Coma.

• Many of the episodes have classical music playing in the background when certain situations occur.

• The first episode "The chicken from outer space" was nominated for an academy award the same year it aired.

• There is a song "Courage the Cowardly Dog" by They Might be Giants.

Courage the Cowardly Dog in other languages

• Chinese
  • Taiwan: 膽小狗英雄; dan siao go ying xiong, literally "Ying Xiong, the cowardly dog"

NOTE: 英雄 (ying xiong) means "Hero"

• Bulgarian: Кураж, страхливото куче
• French: Courage, le chien froussard
• Hebrew: אמיץ הכלב הפחדן, literally "Brave, the Cowardly dog"
• Hungarian: Bátor, a félénk kutya
• Italian: Leone, il cane fifone
• Japanese: おくびょうなカーレッジくん
• Danish: Frygtløs, den frygtsomme hund
• Macedonian: Храброст, плашливото куче
• Norwegian: Tapper, den feige hunden
• Polish: Chojrak, tchórzliwy pies
• Latvian: Gļēvais suns Drosminieks (Cowardly dog named Courage)
• Portuguese
  • Brazil: Coragem, o cão covarde
• Spanish
  • Latin America: Coraje, el perro cobarde