Courage the Cowardly Dog
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Courage

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Courage is the titular character and the main protagonist of Courage the Cowardly Dog and Straight Outta Nowhere: Scooby-Doo! Meets Courage the Cowardly Dog. He is a pink dog who was found by Muriel Bagge after he escaped from the Pets of Tomorrow vet clinic in the town of Nowhere, Kansas.

Physical Appearance[]

Courage

Courage is a small pink dog of undetermined breed (possibly a mix breed) (beagle) with thin and long black ears. He has a black triangular nose and tiny limbs in proportion to his body. His middle toe always seems to point straight ahead regardless of stance, making it appear as though Courage is always tip-toeing. He has numerous large human-like teeth, with one having a circular cavity in it. He has three black spots on his back.

Personality[]

Courage, as the show's title suggests, is an extremely cowardly and anxious dog that is easily frightened by almost anything. Despite this, when his owners or friends are in the face of danger, he will stop at nothing to save them, which easily makes him the bravest and most morally-aligned character throughout the series, living up to his name.

Though he is willing to risk his own life to protect Muriel at all costs, his irrationality sometimes causes others to doubt his intuition. Courage has been presented as an almost entirely selfless character, working to benefit others with usually little to no regard for his own well-being, risking his own life dozens of times simply to assure his owner's safety.

Although his secondary owner, Eustace, is cruel to him, he is not offended by his harsh words and cruel tricks, especially compared to Muriel. This is most likely because he has learned to deal with the jealous man's cruel jokes and short temper over time. Despite this, Courage has been shown to care about Eustace's safety as well (although not as much as Muriel's) and will go great lengths to protect him from danger, even though he is not always as successful in protecting him as he is with Muriel. On some occasions, Courage would team up with Eustace in an attempt to save Muriel or themselves from danger.

Courage is somewhat childish in his spare time, as he has expressed interest in and enjoys playing with toys and building sandcastles, as well as other childish or dog-like activities (such as burying or digging things up).

History[]

Corajito

Courage as a puppy in Remembrance of Courage Past

Courage was a pink puppy born to Henry and Teresa in a large, gated property. Since his parents had an aristocratic fascination with canine objects, Courage's well being was always of the utmost concern. One day when Courage successfully caught a ball, he accidentally got his head stuck in between the bars of the fence which resulted in him being taken to the Pets of Tomorrow veterinarian office. At the office, Courage was freed by a seemingly kind doctor who gave him a lollipop and ushered him out of the room so he could "speak" to his parents alone. His tongue got stuck to the surface of the sucker which then tore off, so young Courage was rushed back to be nurtured by his parents.

When Courage returned, the doctor and his parents were gone, and he could hear their pleading screams from the hallway to find the veterinarian carrying his parents away in a net. His parents begged the doctor to not separate them from their son as Courage rushed after them. Courage came upon 3 doors that reveal a lady showering, a bizarre giraffe, and a giant Ostrich on the other sides. He continues this and runs into room of caged dogs before he finally sees his parents being forced into a rocket ship and fails to rescue them. Eventually, Courage's terror drove him to flee into a garbage chute leading into a back alley, from where he watched his parents being sent into space never to be seen again. Courage tearfully waves goodbye to them, and while he was crying alone he was found by Muriel Bagge.

Muriel took pity on him and took him home with her, and named him Courage since that day.

In the finale episode "Remembrance of Courage Past", the Cruel Veterinarian tries to do the same to Courage after recognizing him from the past. When Muriel and Eustace attempt to rescue Courage, he decides that he can't allow his operation to be discovered and decides to send Muriel and Eustace into space as well. However, Courage rescues his owners and locks the evil vet inside the rocket, which after T-0, the rocket engines underneath then ignites and the rocket launches, foiling the evil vet's plans and beliefs in the process. Muriel thanks him for sending the evil vet to space, and Eustace says that he's "still ain't sitting at the table". Both Courage and Muriel sit on the porch in the present day, with the dog being happy to have her as Eustace grumbles while eating his food and Muriel wondering of the evil vet's fate, Courage growling at the mention of him.

Powers and Skills[]

Courage is shown doing many unrealistic and impossible feats of a typical cartoon character. This is a concept known as Toonforce, allowing him to perform vast feats that don't follow the laws of physics. However, these seem to be done for comedic effect rather than abilities Courage can actually control.

Powerful Lungs[]

Perhaps Courage's greatest signature is his scream. Courage can scream so loudly that he can break a hole open in a wooden floor large enough to swallow a rogues' gallery of his previous foes (Ball of Revenge"). In some instances Courage has been shown able to survive underwater and in outer space for prolonged periods of time. Courage's 'super screams' have even proven powerful enough to destroy planetary bodies and stars in "The Magic Tree of Nowhere".

Silent-Scream[]

(Self-explanatory)

Shapeshifting[]

Courage has been shown morphing his physical body structure many times throughout the show's run, including shifting into animals, monsters, people, and even his physical composition. However, these occurrences seem to be a form of expression particularly when Courage is warning others of danger, rather than actual shapeshifting abilities.

Superhuman Qualities[]

Courage has displayed an inhuman amount of resistance to physical pain in many episodes. Courage was able to withstand an assault from Mecha Courage in "Courage vs. Mecha-Courage: and take loads of damage, as it seems he is invincible to being killed. He is also superhumanly strong and fast, evident from when he hopped the entire way to Paris as a Kangaroo Monster in "The Transplant" and when he picked up the God Bone that was multiple times his size and to smash three Dog Skeletons after they assaulted him in "Stormy Weather".

Regeneration[]

Courage has been known to heal from injuries of even colossal (and realistically fatal) proportions in no time. In one episode, his tongue regrew after he had it ripped off, and with the injuries he receives they simply disappear without reasonable explanation.

Materialization[]

Courage has been shown pulling large and impossible objects from seemingly thin air.


Other Skills[]

Courage has many other skills such as cooking, fixing things, survival skills, tracking skills, Fourth wall breaking, laying eggs and golden eggs, etc...

Sightings[]

Episodes[]

Couragebigfoot

Other[]

Quotes[]

  • "I have a bad feeling about this."
  • "I know I'm not gonna like this."
  • "I just know something bad is going to happen."
  • "...or my name is (random name)... and it's not!"
  • "Something smells fishy, or my name is 'Stinky Lou Lou'... and thank goodness it's not!" ... ... ...
  • "The things I do for love."
  • "What have you done with Muriel?"
  • "It's Muriel! She's in trouble!
  • "Muriel! I'll save you!"
  • "What do I do?! What do I do?!"
  • "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!"
  • "Oh no...!"
  • "Thank you! Thank you! Very good show!"
  • "Do I have a choice?"
  • "Courage! That's me!"
  • "Courage-Dooby-Doo!"
  • "Well, goodnight, folks! Bye!"

Relationships[]

Muriel Bagge[]

Eustace Bagge[]

Computer[]

Hunchback[]

Space Chicken's Son[]

Outfits[]

Courage has been seen wearing a big variety of pieces of clothes, outfits, suits and costumes in the series, here is a list of them for fun!

Episodes where courage wears additional or new pieces of clothing and outfits:

  • "The Demon in the Mattress": Courage dresses up with Muriel's bed clothes to cast the ritual to free Muriel's body from the Mattress Demon.
  • "The Clutching Foot": Courage wears a black beanie and coat on his attempt to rob the bank vault.
  • "Everyone Wants to Direct": Courage wears Benton's disguise glasses to get ready for the ending close-up.
  • "The Snowman Cometh": Courage wears a large parka style blue coat and mittens to keep himself warm on The Arctic. Strangely, he doesn't wear anything to keep his legs warm.
  • "The Revenge of the Chicken from Outer Space": Courage wears a helmet while escaping with Muriel from the Space Chicken on a motorcycle.
  • "Klub Katz": Courage dresses up with typical tourist clothes after Muriel announces a vacation. He wears a hawaiian style shirt, a tropical lei and white shorts, also carrying two large suitcases with him.
  • "Journey to the Center of Nowhere": Courage wears the iconic eggplant costume, to warn Muriel about the plan of the Evil Eggplants, and also disguise himself as "The Great Eggplant" and guide the eggplants to attack the food market instead of Muriel. Failing to so due to the costume having a visible manufacture label sticking out.
  • "Little Muriel": Courage wears a pilot hat given by the pilot before jumping off the plane fed up by Little Muriel.
  • "The Great Fusilli": Courage dresses up with a small set of theater clothes to present himself on the stage. The set consisting of simply a straw hat and a blue & white striped button shirt.
  • "Robot Randy": Courage wears a decayed dirty rag laced with a rope while enslaved by Randy.
  • "Family Business": Courage wears an orange hard hat while mining for Lincoln's head on Mount Rushmore.
  • "1000 Years of Courage": Courage wears a small rotten banana suit offered by the Banana Suit Dealer to disguise and go undercover among the Banana People. Later he is seen to be dressed as a sort of ancient soldier, with a protective helmet, and a chestplate with a banana printed on the middle, also carrying a banana flag to command the banana people to attack King Kong.
  • "Courage Meets The Mummy": Courage dresses up as a Royal Servant for the Mayan Princess, wearing an ancient mayan hat, a gold wrap skirt, and a jade necklace.
  • "Mission to the Sun": Courage wears an astronaut suit throughout the episode.
  • "Forbidden Hat of Gold": Courage becomes buff for a brief moment, he wears a red thong in that form. Which is also visible in "Courage The Fly" as one of his transformations.
  • "Serpent of Evil River": Courage wears a full scuba suit to find and save Muriel from Carmen.
  • "Cowboy Courage": In the story, Courage imagines himself as The Sheriff, who wears a big, slightly torn off cowboy hat pinned with a little arrow. He is also gifted with a Sheriff Star by the Town's Mayor, which is kept pinned to his chest.
  • "Muriel Meets Her Match": Courage wears a helmet while chasing Maria and Mano in a motorcycle.
  • "Courage vs. Mecha-Courage": Courage wears a full ancient roman gladiator armor to battle against Mecha Courage. The armor consisting of a typical roman helmet and chestplate, he also carries a shield and a spiky wooden bat to fight.
  • "The Ride of the Valkyries": At the beginning of the episode, Courage wears a Valkyrie helmet. Later in the episode, Courage wears a black priest vestment, acting as the wedding officiant for the marriage of the Troll King and Brunhilde.
  • "Scuba Scuba Doo": For a good portion of the episode, Courage wears a scuba suit, differing from the suit wore in Serpent of Evil River, here consisting only of a glass helmet and flippers. Later while Courage pilots the submarine warplane, he is seen with a classic aviator hat and a red scarf. After the plane blows up, Courage loses the hat, but mantains the scarf.
  • "Katz Under The Sea": Courage disguises as a puppet using a set of teather clothes, consisting of a blue suit with a white shirt underneath, a red bowtie with white dots and a seemingly functional set of puppet strings, which are visible under his mouth. He stays with this outfit until it rips apart from Courage bloating up from drinking. At the end of this episode Courage is seen wearing a marine hat as he shoots the radio with a toy tanker ship.
  • "Mondo Magic": On the beginning of the episode, Courage wears the magic top hat found inside Mondo's magic kit, and wears it for the rest of the episode, also using it for his magic tricks.
  • "Courage Under The Volcano": Wicky Wicky Woo welcomes Courage to the island with a flower lei, which ends up being too wide for his neck, and ends up falling down to his lower body, which leaves him slightly self-conscious for a moment. At the end of the episode, Courage wears another tropical flower lei on his lower body again, to dance the Hula.
  • "A Beaver's Tale": Courage wears a black fedora and shades while playing his yo-yo on the Hot Jazz Club.
  • "Rumpledkiltskin": Courage is seen with a robin hood outfit after climbing up the tower with a pickaxe, later he wears a kilt while performing his mimic play.
  • "House Calls": Courage dresses up as a painter to paint Dr. Gerhart's House in order to calm it down, wearing a white painter coat and a blue beret with a C printed on, likely meaning C for Courage. He then wears a white nightgown and nightcap to vacuum inside the House.
  • "Profiles in Courage": Courage folds Paper Eustace into a paper hat, then proceeds to wear him on his head.
  • "Squatting Tiger, Hidden Dog": Courage wears a typical asian conic hat on the beginning of the episode.
  • "Aqua-Farmer": Courage dresses up as a psychiatrist with a white button coat, a non-magic top hat, and a mask with fuzzy eyebrows, glasses with green eyes, big nose and a full beard. Disguising himself as "Dr. Von Bumblemigher", to treat Eustace's low self-esteem.
  • "Food of the Dragon": Courage wears a little lobster bib during the pirate feast. Later in the episode Courage wears a white lab coat while treating for William, searching for ways to enable him to fly. Courage also wears goggles to inspect William's fins for a brief moment.
  • "Son of the Chicken from Outer Space": Courage runs away in red heels at the sight of the Space Chicken's Son, screaming like a little girl.
  • "Remembrance of Courage Past": Courage as a puppy is seen to wear a big diaper at all times.
    • Honorable Mentions:
    • "Shirley The Medium": Courage doesn't wear any clothing in this episode, however while taking off the clothes from the clothes line, he takes what seems like a nightgown and places it in front of him, possibly wondering if it fits him or looks nice on him.
    • "Swindlin' Wind": Although not intentionally, Courage settles a golden bear trap in his mouth in such a way, making it look like golden dentures for a brief moment.
    • In "Queen of the Black Puddle" and "Feast of the Bullfrogs", It's seen that Courage wears Muriel's sleeping/bath cap when he bathes.

Courage has also had his body, skin or fur changed in different ways without directly changing his physical body form:

  • "Hard Drive Courage": Courage becomes three-dimensional for a small portion of the episode, while still mantaining all of his 2D characteristics, that are distorted by the mirrors on the room he finds himself at the moment. Later in the episode his skin becomes green with binary codes.
  • "Curtain of Cruelty": Courage's fur becomes visibly soft, fluffy and cuddly when applied Muriel's homemade fabric softener.
  • "Rumpledkiltskin": Late in the episode, Courage goes inside the kilt sewing machine, turning his skin into tartan fabric, then finishing the mimic game with both Rumpledkiltskin and Muriel guessing "kilt skin".
  • In "Klub Katz" and "1000 Years of Courage", It's seen that Courage's body becomes yellow-green when he is nauseous. His eyes, ears and nose also change colour, turning into different shades of yellow. His tongue becomes dark green.
  • In "Dr. Le Quack, Amnesia Specialist", "Freaky Fred, "Quilt Club" and "Perfect", It's possible to see Courage's skin without his pink fur, which sometimes it's also seen that Courage wears a blue underwear below his fur. He seems highly uncomfortable with having his skin exposed, this could possibly be due to his trauma after Fred's shenanigans on his episode. The exception to this is on Quilt Club, as he willingly ripped his skin off to save Muriel, good boy!

Trivia[]

Courage Stuffy

Courage stuffy from 2012

  • Courage is one of seven characters (the others being Muriel, Eustace, Shirley, Dr. Vindaloo, Computer, and Katz) to appear in every season.
    • He and Muriel are the only characters to be seen in every episode (as Eustace was not seen or heard in "Cajun Granny Stew").
  • Courage spoke coherent English quite often in the first season, but from the second season onwards his dialogue became increasingly limited to gibberish, mumbling, and screams, only coherently speaking occasionally. According to his voice actor Marty Grabstein, this was a deliberate decision.[2]
  • Courage's breed is often the subject of debate. Most sources say that he is a beagle (just like Snoopy from Peanuts), but others claim that he is a mutt or some sort of terrier.
  • Courage is the only character (besides Katz and Le Quack) who ever speaks directly to the audience. The frequency with which he does so (nearly every episode) makes it one of his trademark characteristics.
    • Courage has many sounds that he's known for, such as his strange laugh at the end of some episodes, or whenever he is in serious pain after a life-threatening injury.
  • During Courage's first flashback in "Remembrance of Courage Past", his mother reveals his father's name when she calls him as he was playing with Courage.
  • Courage's favorite food is chicken dumplings ("Remembrance of Courage Past"). In episodes such as "Scuba Scuba Doo" and "Food of the Dragon", he is shown to like shellfish, particularly lobster claws in the former, and oysters in the latter, but has difficulty opening its shell and gets himself injured in the process.
  • It is shown in the episodes "Klub Katz" and "Cowboy Courage" that Courage has a fondness for root beer. This could be a reference to Snoopy, as Courage's breed is often said to be a beagle.
  • There are many points in the show where Courage is seen eating chocolate. This is erroneous, as chocolate is actually poisonous to dogs.
  • Courage is good at making shadow puppets as shown in "The Hunchback of Nowhere".
  • It is revealed in "The Great Fusilli" that Courage is capable of perfectly mimicking Muriel's and Eustace's voices.
  • Courage can apparently lay 14-Karat golden eggs as shown in Muted Muriel.
  • Courage made a cameo in the OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes crossover episode "Crossover Nexus", as one of the heroes defeated by Strike.
  • According to Grabstein himself, there was difficulty casting the character.
    • Associate producer Risa Neuwirth said 350 actors auditioned for the role before Grabstein was cast.[2]
  • In the Italian version he is called "Leone", which means lion, which is a subtle nod to the Cowardly Lion from The Wizard of Oz. In the Latin Spanish one he is referred to as "Coraje" (literal spanish for "courage") and in the Español version, his name is "Agallas" ("Tener agallas" is the Spanish for "having the guts").
  • A plush of Courage was released in 2012 by Italian company BattleFBA. It was only sold in Italy; however, American fans have purchased it, and it has been sold on the American eBay.
  • Courage makes a cameo in John R. Dilworth's short film Life in Transition but is colored yellow instead to pink.
  • Courage could theoretically be made of rubber, there are some indications on the show that prove this, such as:
    • In various episodes when Courage gets strangled, rubber stretching noises can be heard.
    • In "King of Flan", when Courage convinces Muriel he isn't holding any flan, Muriel throws Courage across the kitchen followed by bouncing rubber dodgeball sounds, supposedly made by Courage hitting the floor.
    • It's seen throughout the show that Courage's body is fairly stretchy and squishy, just like actual rubber.
    • It's also seen sometimes that Courage's body responds with squeaky toy-like sounds to harsh physical moves, such as getting stepped over or rammed.
  • Courage has a unique walking pattern of tip-toeing in a jumpy manner. The only other character seen with this walking pattern in the show is Kitty, for a very brief moment.
  • Courage seems to not be very good at spelling, more specifically while typing on the Computer keyboard, Which the Computer himself often pokes fun at Courage for his spelling errors. This could be for a handful of reasons, such as Courage not being taught how to spell, the majority of the times he goes to the computer feeling highly anxious and typing too fast, or some potential disorder such as dyslexia.

Gallery[]

See: Courage/Gallery

Sources[]

  1. ↑ https://youtu.be/-D2zdmaaq0g
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Marty Grabstein interview, March 13, 2003, Couragede.Tripod.com, Retrieved June 28, 2019.


Main characters
Courage • Muriel Bagge • Eustace Bagge
Villains
Other characters
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