History WesternAnimation / CourageTheCowardlyDog

A crossover movie with [[Franchise/ScoobyDoo]] has been announced. Trailer can be seen [[https://youtu.be/_yku_UyiPE8 here]]

The protagonist Courage himself is voiced by Marty Grabstein, who claimed that the reason why this show is so light on dialogue and that Courage screams or whimpers in gibberish more so than speaking genuine English is that the producers felt a talking dog wouldn't suit well with a horror-oriented cartoon. Er [[Franchise/ScoobyDoo okay then...]] [[OlderThanTheyThink if they say so.]]

The protagonist Courage himself is voiced by Marty Grabstein, who claimed that the reason why this show is so light on dialogue and that Courage screams or whimpers in gibberish more so than speaking genuine English is that the producers felt a talking dog wouldn't suit well with a horror-oriented cartoon.

->''[[WeInterruptThisProgram We interrupt this program]] to bring you... ''[[TitleDrop Courage the Cowardly Dog Show]]'', starring [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Courage, the cowardly dog!]] [[ParentalAbandonment Abandoned as a pup]], he was found by [[CoolOldLady Muriel]], who lives [[MiddleOfNowhereStreet in the middle of Nowhere]] with her husband, [[GrumpyOldMan Eustace]] [[{{Jerkass}} Bagge!]]... But [[WeirdnessMagnet creepy]] [[MonsterOfTheWeek stuff]] [[EldritchLocation happens in Nowhere]]. [[HeroicDog It's up to Courage to save his new home!]]''

Stands to this day as one of Cartoon Network's most acclaimed and beloved series, with praise going towards its dark, surreal atmosphere, skilled use of MediumBlending (its' distinct visual style can be best summed up as Creator/TexAvery meets Creator/DavidLynch), willingness to tackle mature, dark subject matter (usually through metaphor, but occasionally just bluntly), and, perhaps most infamously, [[NightmareFuel/CourageTheCowardlyDog scaring the crap out of most of the children watching.]] It stands as perhaps one of the most popular and praised examples of the DefangedHorrors genre.

In every episode, Courage and his family find themselves caught up in some form of supernatural weirdness, and [[FaceYourFears Courage has to steel his frazzled nerves and save his owners from it]]. A refreshing change of pace from many cartoons of the day was that Courage seldom used force; more often, he relied on his wits (and [[ThePowerOfFriendship a bit of kindness]] now and then) to deal with aliens, ghosts, monsters, criminals, the military, science gone wrong, natural disasters, or whatever sort of freaky happenings life threw at him.

In every episode, Courage and his family find themselves caught up in some form of supernatural weirdness, and [[FaceYourFears Courage has to steel his frazzled nerves and save his owners from it]]. A refreshing change of pace from many cartoons of the day was that Courage seldom used force; more often, he relied on his wits (and [[ThePowerOfFriendship a bit of kindness]] now and then) to deal with aliens, ghosts, monsters, criminals, the military, science gone wrong, or whatever sort of freaky happenings life threw at him.

->''[[WeInterruptThisProgram We interrupt this program]] to bring you... ''[[TitleDrop Courage the Cowardly Dog Show]]'', starring [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Courage, the cowardly dog!]] [[ParentalAbandonment Abandoned as a pup]], he was found by [[CoolOldLady Muriel]], who lives [[MiddleOfNowhereStreet in the middle of Nowhere]] with her husband, [[GrumpyOldMan Eustace]] [[{{Jerkass}} Bagge!]]... But [[WeirdnessMagnet creepy]] [[MonsterOfTheWeek stuff]] [[happens in [[EldritchLocation Nowhere]]]]. [[HeroicDog It's up to Courage to save his new home!]]''

->''[[WeInterruptThisProgram We interrupt this program]] to bring you... ''[[TitleDrop Courage the Cowardly Dog Show]]'', starring [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Courage, the cowardly dog!]] [[ParentalAbandonment Abandoned as a pup]], he was found by [[CoolOldLady Muriel]], who lives [[MiddleOfNowhereStreet in the middle of Nowhere]] with her husband, [[GrumpyOldMan Eustace]] [[{{Jerkass}} Bagge!]]... But [[WeirdnessMagnet creepy]] [[MonsterOfTheWeek stuff]] [[happens in [[EldritchLocation Nowhere]]. [[HeroicDog It's up to Courage to save his new home!]]''

->''[[WeInterruptThisProgram We interrupt this program]] to bring you... ''[[TitleDrop Courage the Cowardly Dog Show]]'', starring [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Courage, the cowardly dog!]] [[ParentalAbandonment Abandoned as a pup]], he was found by [[CoolOldLady Muriel]], who lives [[MiddleOfNowhereStreet in the middle of Nowhere]] with her husband, [[GrumpyOldMan Eustace]] [[{{Jerkass}} Bagge!]]... But [[WeirdnessMagnet creepy]] [[MonsterOfTheWeek stuff]] happens in [[EldritchLocation Nowhere]]. [[HeroicDog It's up to Courage to save his new home!]]''

Stands to this day as one of Cartoon Network's most acclaimed and beloved series, with praise going towards its dark, surreal atmosphere (its' visual style can be best summed up as Creator/TexAvery meets Creator/DavidLynch), skilled use of MediumBlending, willingness to tackle mature, dark subject matter (usually through metaphor, but occasionally just bluntly), and, perhaps most infamously, [[NightmareFuel/CourageTheCowardlyDog scaring the crap out of most of the children watching.]] It stands as perhaps one of the most popular and praised examples of the DefangedHorrors genre.

Stands to this day as one of Cartoon Network's most acclaimed and beloved series, with praise going towards its dark, surreal atmosphere, skilled use of MediumBlending, willingness to tackle mature, dark subject matter (usually through metaphor, but occasionally just bluntly), and, perhaps most infamously, [[NightmareFuel/CourageTheCowardlyDog scaring the crap out of most of the children watching.]] It stands as perhaps one of the most popular and praised examples of the DefangedHorrors genre.

->''[[WeInterruptThisProgram We interrupt this program]] to bring you... ''[[TitleDrop Courage the Cowardly Dog Show]]'', starring [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Courage, the cowardly dog!]] [[ParentalAbandonment Abandoned as a pup]], he was found by [[CoolOldLady Muriel]], who lives in the middle of Nowhere with her husband, [[GrumpyOldMan Eustace]] [[{{Jerkass}} Bagge!]]... But [[WeirdnessMagnet creepy]] [[MonsterOfTheWeek stuff]] happens in [[EldritchLocation Nowhere]]. [[HeroicDog It's up to Courage to save his new home!]]''

->''[[WeInterruptThisProgram We interrupt this program]] to bring you... ''[[TitleDrop Courage the Cowardly Dog Show]]'', starring [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Courage, the cowardly dog!]] [[ParentalAbandonment Abandoned as a pup]], he was found by [[CoolOldLady Muriel]], who lives in the middle of Nowhere with her husband, [[GrumpyOldMan Eustace]] [[Jerkass Bagge!]]... But [[WeirdnessMagnet creepy]] [[MonsterOfTheWeek stuff]] happens in [[EldritchLocation Nowhere]]. [[HeroicDog It's up to Courage to save his new home!]]''

->''[[WeInterruptThisProgram We interrupt this program]] to bring you... ''[[TitleDrop Courage the Cowardly Dog Show]]'', starring [[Courage, the cowardly dog! [[ParentalAbandonment Abandoned as a pup]], he was found by [[CoolOldLady Muriel]], who lives in the middle of Nowhere with her husband, [[GrumpyOldMan Eustace]] [[Jerkass Bagge!]]... But creepy stuff happens in Nowhere. [[HeroicDog It's up to Courage to save his new home!]]''

->''We interrupt this program to bring you... ''Courage the Cowardly Dog Show'', starring Courage, the cowardly dog! Abandoned as a pup, he was found by Muriel, who lives in the middle of Nowhere with her husband, Eustace Bagge! ... But creepy stuff happens in Nowhere. It's up to Courage to save his new home!''

->''We interrupt this program to bring you... ''Courage the Cowardly Dog Show'', starring Courage, the cowardly dog! Abandoned as a pup, he was found by Muriel, who lives in the middle of Nowhere with her husband, Eustace Bagge![[note]]"Gah!"[[/note]] But creepy stuff happens in Nowhere. It's up to Courage to save his new home!''

->''We interrupt this program to bring you... ''Courage the Cowardly Dog Show'', starring Courage, the cowardly dog! Abandoned as a pup, he was found by Muriel, who lives in the middle of Nowhere with her husband, Eustace Bagge]]! But creepy stuff happens in Nowhere. It's up to Courage to save his new home!''

->'''Nowhere Newsman:''' ''[[WeInterruptThisProgram We interrupt this program]] to bring you... [[TitleDrop Courage the Cowardly Dog]] Show, starring [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Courage, the cowardly dog]]! [[ParentalAbandonment Abandoned as a pup]], he was found by [[GrannyClassic Muriel]], who lives in [[MiddleOfNowhereStreet the middle of nowhere]] with her husband, [[GrumpyOldMan Eustace]] [[{{Jerkass}} Bagge]]! (Gah!) But [[WeirdnessMagnet creepy stuff]] [[MonsterOfTheWeek happens in]] [[EldritchLocation Nowhere]]. It's up to Courage [[HeroicDog to save his new home]]!''\\
'''Eustace:''' (turns off TV) ''[[CatchphraseInsult Stupid dog!]] [[NeverMyFault You made me look bad!]]'' (pulls out mask) ''OOGA BOOGA BOOGA!''\\
'''Courage:''' '''''[[OverlyLongScream AAAAAHHHHH!!!]]'''''

->'''Nowhere Newsman:''' ''[[WeInterruptThisProgram We interrupt this program]] to bring you... [[TitleDrop Courage the Cowardly Dog]] Show, starring [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Courage, the cowardly dog]]! [[ParentalAbandonment Abandoned as a pup]], he was found by [[GrannyClassic Muriel]], who lives in [[MiddleOfNowhereStreet the middle of Nowhere]] with her husband, [[GrumpyOldMan Eustace]] [[{{Jerkass}} Bagge]]! (Gah!) But [[WeirdnessMagnet creepy stuff]] [[MonsterOfTheWeek happens in]] [[EldritchLocation Nowhere]]. It's up to Courage [[HeroicDog to save his new home]]!''\\

The title character, the high-strung and inexplicably pink canine Courage, is the beloved pet of Eustace and Muriel Bagge, an elderly couple who live on a dusty old farm in the middle of Nowhere (literally; they live in a town called Nowhere). Well, he's the beloved pet of the sweet-hearted Muriel, anyway - the mean and crotchety Eustace thinks he's just a "stupid dog", and torments Courage whenever he thinks he can get away with it (and even when he knows he can't).

->'''Nowhere Newsman:''' ''[[WeInterruptThisProgram We interrupt this program]] to bring you... [[TitleDrop Courage the Cowardly Dog]] Show, starring [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Courage, the cowardly dog]]! [[ParentalAbandonment Abandoned as a pup]], he was found by [[GrannyClassic Muriel]], who lives in [[MiddleOfNowhereStreet the middle of Nowhere]] with her husband, [[GrumpyOldMan Eustace]] [[{{Jerkass}} Bagge]]! But [[WeirdnessMagnet creepy stuff]] [[MonsterOfTheWeek happens in]] [[EldritchLocation Nowhere]]. It's up to Courage [[HeroicDog to save his new home]]!''\\

->'''Narrator:''' ''[[WeInterruptThisProgram We interrupt this program]] to bring you... [[TitleDrop Courage the Cowardly Dog]] Show, starring [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Courage, the cowardly dog]]! [[ParentalAbandonment Abandoned as a pup]], he was found by [[GrannyClassic Muriel]], who lives in [[MiddleOfNowhereStreet the middle of Nowhere]] with her husband, [[GrumpyOldMan Eustace]] [[{{Jerkass}} Bagge]]! But [[WeirdnessMagnet creepy stuff]] [[MonsterOfTheWeek happens in]] [[EldritchLocation Nowhere]]. It's up to Courage [[HeroicDog to save his new home]]!''\\
'''Eustace:''' (turns off TV) ''[[CatchphraseInsult Stupid dog!]] [[NeverMyFault You made me look bad!]]'' (pulls out mask) ''BOOGA BOOGA BOOGA!''\\

->'''Narrator:''' ''[[WeInterruptThisProgram We interrupt this program]] to bring you... [[TitleDrop Courage the Cowardly Dog]] Show, starring [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Courage, the cowardly dog]]! [[ParentalAbandonment Abandoned as a pup]], he was found by [[GrannyClassic Muriel]], who lives in [[MiddleOfNowhereStreet the middle of Nowhere]] with her husband, [[GrumpyOldMan Eustace]] [[{{Jerkass}} Bagge]]! But [[WeirdnessMagnet creepy stuff]] [[MonsterOfTheWeek happens in Nowhere]]. It's up to Courage [[HeroicDog to save his new home]]!''\\

The title character, the high-strung and inexplicably pink canine Courage, is the beloved pet of Eustace and Muriel Bagge, an elderly couple who live on a dusty old farm in the middle of Nowhere (literally; they live in Nowhere, Kansas). Well, he's the beloved pet of the sweet-hearted Muriel, anyway; the mean and crotchety Eustace thinks he's just a "stupid dog", and torments Courage whenever he thinks he can get away with it (and even when he knows he can't).

!!Trope pages:

->'''Narrator:''' ''[[WeInterruptThisProgram We interrupt this program]] to bring you... [[TitleDrop Courage the Cowardly Dog]] Show, starring [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Courage, the cowardly dog]]! [[ConvenientlyAnOrphan Abandoned as a pup]], he was found by [[GrannyClassic Muriel]], who lives in [[MiddleOfNowhereStreet the middle of Nowhere]] with her husband, [[GrumpyOldMan Eustace]] [[{{Jerkass}} Bagge]]! But [[WeirdnessMagnet creepy stuff]] [[MonsterOfTheWeek happens in Nowhere]]. It's up to Courage [[HeroicDog to save his new home]]!''\\

In every episode, Courage and his family find themselves caught up in some form of supernatural weirdness, and Courage has to steel his frazzled nerves and save his owners from it. A refreshing change of pace from many cartoons of the day was that Courage seldom used force; more often, he relied on his wits (and [[ThePowerOfFriendship a bit of kindness]] now and then) to deal with aliens, ghosts, monsters, criminals, the military, science gone wrong, or whatever sort of freaky happenings life threw at him.

->'''Narrator:''' ''[[WeInterruptThisProgram We interrupt this program]] to bring you... [[TitleDrop Courage the Cowardly Dog]] Show, starring [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Courage, the cowardly dog]]! [[ConvenientlyAnOrphan Abandoned as a pup]], he was found by [[GrannyClassic Muriel]], who lives in [[MiddleOfNowhereStreet the middle of Nowhere]] with her husband, [[GrumpyOldMan Eustace]] [[{{Jerkass}} Bagge]]! But [[WeirdnessMagnet But creepy]] [[MonsterOfTheWeek stuff happens in Nowhere]]. It's up to Courage [[HeroicDog to save his new home]]!''\\

->'''Narrator:''' ''[[WeInterruptThisProgram We interrupt this program]] to bring you... Courage the Cowardly Dog Show, starring [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Courage, the cowardly dog]]! [[ConvenientlyAnOrphan Abandoned as a pup]], he was found by [[GrannyClassic Muriel]], who lives in [[MiddleOfNowhereStreet the middle of Nowhere]] with her husband, [[GrumpyOldMan Eustace]] [[{{Jerkass}} Bagge]]! But [[WeirdnessMagnet But creepy]] [[MonsterOfTheWeek stuff happens in Nowhere]]. [[HeroicDog It's up to Courage to save his new home]]!''\\