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1[[quoteright:350:[[Film/ElDorado https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/john_wayne_cowboy_poster.jpg]]]]
2[[caption-width-right:350:Creator/JohnWayne: The Duke himself.]]
3
4-> ''To the town of Agua Fria rode a stranger one fine day\
5Hardly spoke to folks around him, didn't have too much to say\
6No one dared to ask his business, no one dared to make a slip\
7For the stranger there among them had a big iron on his hip\
8Big iron on his hip''
9-->-- '''Music/MartyRobbins''', ''Big Iron''
10
11
12The Cowboy is the archetypical character of the {{Western}}, perhaps the quintessential American hero. (To those of other countries, the cowboy may as well be the archetype of Americans in general, because AmericansAreCowboys.) In the simplest terms, a "cowboy" is someone whose primary job is tending a herd of cattle on a ranch. In more general terms, it can be any character that has the appearance and mannerisms of a cowboy. Thus, the term "cowboy" is often used as an inclusive term for any Western characters, regardless of whether they are actually ranchers or not.
13
14Subtypes include:
15
16'''Working Cowboy:''' A cowboy who actually has a job herding cattle and spends the majority of his time doing that job. Working cowboys tend to have more worn clothing, scruffier appearances and stronger odors than other types of cowboys. Stories about working cowboys usually focus on the nitty-gritty of ranch work and the dangers of the trail, culminating in the CattleDrive, with a herd of cattle being led across often hazardous terrain to market. A common plotline is for the working cowboy to be a nice fellow at heart, but have his rough appearance attract a woman because AllGirlsWantBadBoys. Expect the parents to initially object, despite older ranch hands, perhaps even the foreman, vouching for the young cowboy's good nature.
17
18The common possessions of a Working Cowboy include: a saddle, a saddle blanket, a rope, some saddle bags and whatever personals he can fit in them (including his hat), as well as a rifle and a six-shooter. If he has his own horse he is well off (relatively) for a cowhand.
19
20'''Drifter Cowboy:''' Largely similar to the Working Cowboy, but he has no set ranch that he's attached to. He instead wanders semi-nomadically between ranches and towns, looking for work, staying when he finds it, and moving on once it dries up. Due to having no strong ties to his current workplace, he may be looked on with distrust and remain at a distance from other characters.
21
22'''Rodeo Rider:''' This fellow is a working cowboy on the off-season, but whenever there's a rodeo, he's off to show off his riding and roping skills. Rodeo riders tend to be more boastful and concerned with winning trophies than other cowboys. Stories about rodeo riders often play up the difficulties their nomadic lifestyle causes with relationships.
23
24'''Singing Cowboy:''' A cowboy who sings as his primary avocation. While it's true that some musical talent was always appreciated on the range, the singing cowboy was really a product of Hollywood. The standard formula for B-movies included at least one musical number, and a singing cowboy could slip one right in naturally while saving the ranch. "Saving the ranch" is the number one plotline for singing cowboy stories, closely followed by "clean up the lawless town." Top singing cowboys included Creator/RoyRogers and Music/GeneAutry, but even Creator/JohnWayne was tested as one in an early movie! Now a DeadHorseTrope; nowadays if you see a singer in a cowboy hat, he's just a Country-Western musician.
25
26'''Philosopher Cowboy:''' This is TheSmartGuy who decides he prefers honest work amid the outdoors rather than the City Life. Plutarch was a big read for literate cowboys, along with the Bible, parts of Shakespeare and whatever small books would fit in a saddlebag. May be called upon to say a few words on portentous occasions. Can come very close to the WarriorPoet.
27
28'''Lone Cowboy/Ranch Owner:''' This is the fellow who is running his own ranch often by himself on a rawhide (Cowboy shoestrings = rawhide) budget, perhaps aided by an old Indian friend or his young wife. Expect him to be the target of the Big Ranches who see him as easy prey. (He's the Cowboy equivalent of the DeterminedHomesteader.) Considered a good male love interest for Western-themed romance novels.
29
30'''Dude Ranch Cowboy:''' Similar to the working cowboy, but whose job is to give "dudes" (tourists) a taste of TheThemeParkVersion of ranch life. Generally more careful of his appearance than the working cowboy, many in fiction being ruggedly handsome. Often has to rescue a tenderfoot who is TooDumbToLive, and can be the TemporaryLoveInterest for a female character. More serious-minded cowboys may be embarrassed by having to work on a dude ranch.
31
32'''Ram Ranch Cowboy:''' A GayCowboy, more often than not ManlyGay. He is likely to exhibit many traits associated with machoism and/or sexuality, such as [[{{Hunk}} a muscular physique]], [[BiggerIsBetterInBed a large and pleasurable schlong]], and a tendency to [[WalkingShirtlessScene spend a considerable amount of time shirtless]]. Count on his partner to be just as masculine as he is, and when he's present, especially in RuleThirtyFour works, expect him to [[ThePiratesWhoDontDoAnything not actually partake in any ranch work or gunslinging]] in favor of getting into sexual escapades.
33
34'''Cowgirl:''' The DistaffCounterpart of the Cowboy. Generally a PluckyGirl in Western garb, who can ride and shoot as well as any man (except the protagonist), but who is seldom seen doing any of the filthier ranch chores. In fiction, almost always the love interest for the protagonist, or the young man the protagonist is helping this week. May be a plentiful source of titillation (though to be fair, cowboys can be that too.) and can overlap with FarmersDaughter. [[JustForFun/IThoughtItMeant Not to be confused with]] females who are a LittleBitBeastly and bovine-based, or the result of mixing CuteMonsterGirl and OurMinotaursAreDifferent. Of course, nothing's stopping you from making a cow-girl a cowgirl, or vice versa.
35
36Geography plays an important role in determining cowboy characters.
37
38On the plains, larger ranches based around the water holes are to be expected with a significant number of Working Cowboys, with a scattering of Rodeo Riders.
39
40In the mountains expect smaller ranches, with the result of more Lone Cowboys and Philosopher Cowboys (they like smaller operations where their intellect can be appreciated), and the ranches are more open to a Drifter Cowboy.
41
42In the deserts and badlands, expect cowboys to be [[GoingNative closer to the Indians]], with two or three characters referred to as Apache, or raised by Apache. A lot more emphasis is placed on water scarcity, similar to the mountains in character composition, but expect more outlaws, both as rustlers and among the legitimate Working Cowboys. This is a land for [[TheStoic hard men]], and if you do the work people don't ask questions.
43
44Singing Cowboys might be anywhere, but are less likely in the Badlands, although they appear there too, sometimes as a way of showing the softer side of men.
45
46In fiction, black cowboys are much less common than they were in RealLife. After UsefulNotes/TheAmericanCivilWar, a lot of freed slaves came west to make a living away from their former masters and the new "sharecropping" paradigm. Only in relatively recent times, however, has it become customary for visual media to reflect this.
47
48Similarly, in fiction, [[GayCowboy gay cowboys]] are relatively uncommon, despite the fact that historians agree that many cowboys were gay men who moved from cities to ranches in order to escape persecution. (Even though the rural areas associated with cowboys are expected to be more politically conservative, and therefore less accepting of open homosexuality).
49
50Mexican and Mexican-American cowboys, called ''Vaqueros'', tend to fare better in media presentations, known for their riding and roping skills. Vaqueros are in fact the precursors to what we consider cowboys. It's from them that we get the equipment and the word "rodeo" and many of the events included in it, after all. This used to be mixed with unfortunate negative stereotypes, however. Many early vaqueros were Amerindians who worked in missions in colonial New Spain. Vaquero was anglicized as "buckaroo," which became a term for cowboys in the Great Basin and California.
51
52The Australian term for this profession is "Jackaroo", with "Jillaroo" for women (although there is a UsefulNotes/RugbyLeague team called the North Queensland Cowboys).
53
54This character type often overlaps with:
55* '''TheGunslinger:''' Most ranches were staffed by working cowboys, but usually at least a few were "good with a gun" despite not being professional gunfighters. All of them were expected to wield a gun if the ranch was attacked (known as "riding for the brand"), loyalty was highly prized, and drifter cowboys were often suspect for this reason. If a fight was expected the boss might go ahead and hire him some gunfighters.
56* '''TheDrifter:''' A fair amount of ranch work is seasonal, and a cowboy without a solid reputation often had to go where they needed extra hands, rather than hold down a steady position -- and not a few had the wanderlust.
57* '''{{Outlaw}}:''' The EvilCounterpart of the Cowboy is TheRustler, who uses the same skills to steal cattle and horses.
58
59Compare the CowboyCop, who keeps the frontier attitude towards law enforcement; and the SpaceCowboy, who is the SpeculativeFiction version.
60
61Also be aware that Cowboy, with a capital "C" has a very specific meaning when discussing Tombstone, Arizona and the shootout at the OK Corral. In Tombstone, the Cowboys were a violent gang of rustlers opposed by Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday. This is an example of how the term can be misused, as Doc would be insulted to be called a "cowboy" or a "Cowboy."
62
63Some say that the Cowboy is the third faction in the war between the {{Pirate}} and the {{Ninja}}, but the Cowboys work for a living, thank you kindly. Besides, they're more concerned with their traditional enemies: [[CowboysAndIndians Indians]], [[DeterminedHomesteader farmers]], shepherds and [[TheRustler rustlers]].
64
65----
66!!Examples
67
68[[foldercontrol]]
69
70[[folder:Advertising]]
71* When Philip Morris decided to rebrand its Marlboro cigarettes from a hoity-toity "ladies' smoke" to a man's cigarette, they could think of no better symbol of rugged American manliness than the cowboy. This ad campaign was wildly successful, and the Marlboro Man ads ran for decades. [[http://www.snopes.com/radiotv/tv/marlboro.asp And yes, "he" died of lung cancer.]]
72[[/folder]]
73
74[[folder:Anime and Manga]]
75* Being a [[TheWestern Western]], the manga ''Manga/{{Miriam}}'' has its share. Douglas and Miriam both work on a ranch, as do Douglas' friends Card and Joel.
76* Ippei from ''Anime/VoltesV'' got his experience from being a cowboy. He even lived in a ''covered wagon'' as a kid.
77* "Calico" Yorki of ''Manga/OnePiece'' plays on the singing cowboy trope as the leader of a band of adventurous musical pirates.
78* ''Franchise/YuGiOh'':
79** Richie Merced from ''Manga/YuGiOhR'' uses a deck with this theme.
80** The theme is also very prevalent in the Crashtown arc of ''Anime/YuGiOh5Ds'', tending to lean towards the {{outlaw}} side.
81* ''Literature/{{Anpanman}}'' has a Western town in the desert, which is where the cowboy characters live and protect. These characters include Hamburger Kid, Yakisobapanman, and Croquette Kid, along with their horses (Pickles, White Sauce, and Ketchup, respectively). Outside of the Western town is Arinkokiddo, an ant cowboy with [[ShrinkRay shrink and growth pistols]] that rides a grasshopper for his steed.
82* Cowboy Andy from the ''Anime/CowboyBebop'' episode "[[Recap/CowboyBebopSession22CowboyFunk Cowboy Funk]]" is a bounty hunter (called "Space Cowboys" InUniverse) with a cowboy theme, including using a horse for locomotion and carrying a six-shooter. This is really out of place in the 23rd century, and the crew of the ''Bebop'' at first refuse to believe Spike after he runs into him.
83* ''Manga/FairyTail'': Secondary characters Alzack Connell and Bisca Moulin dress up the part and use magic guns in battle. Bisca also used to play the Outlaw part prior to joining Fairy Tail, and even mentions to have migrated from the west.
84[[/folder]]
85
86[[folder:Comic Books]]
87* ''ComicBook/AstroCity'': The story "Confessions" features a cowboy-themed supervillain named "The Gunslinger", though interestingly he is half-American and half-Vietnamese, his father having been a soldier during the Vietnam War [[spoiler:whose murder the Gunslinger is avenging by killing the corrupt unit who had killed him]]. In addition to the cowboy-themed outfit, he also has a pair of laser pistols and rocket cowboy boots.
88* ''Franchise/TheDCU'':
89** ''ComicBook/{{Superman}}'': Terra-Man, a villain, has a cowboy theme, but all of his equipment is actually extremely high-tech alien gear, and [[{{Pegasus}} his (flying) horse has wings]].
90** ''ComicBook/{{Vigilante}}'': Greg Saunders, the first Vigilante, is a singing cowboy-turned-masked crimefighter.
91* ''ComicBook/TheLifeAndTimesOfScroogeMcDuck'': The titular AntiHero works as a regular Working Cowboy for a few years in his late teens under the alias "Buck Mcduck". While he's late to really cash in on the cowdriving industry in the middle west, he manages to TakeALevelInBadass during his stay and decides to go north to begin creating his own wealth as his own boss as a result of this.
92* ''ComicBook/LoboDell'': The first black character who headlined his own (short-lived) series was Lobo (not to be confused with Creator/DCComics' ComicBook/{{Lobo}}), a post-civil war cowboy who became a [[TheDrifter drifter]].
93* ''ComicBook/LoveEverlasting'': An assassin styled as a cowboy with six-shooters, a cowboy hat and jacket with fringes, shows up to kill main character Joan whenever she pushes back too hard against the current romance story she's living through.
94* ''ComicBook/LuckyLuke'': The eponymous hero fits the Rodeo Rider type (and being TheAce, he rides horses for whole minutes and ties up calves in seconds).
95* ''Franchise/MarvelUniverse'':
96** ''ComicBook/FantasticFour'': In ''Fantastic Four'' #541, "Le Cowboy" of Le Heroes des Paris is a French appropriation of American stereotypes, in homage to TheWildWest.
97** ''ComicBook/TwoGunKid'': The Two-Gun Kid stands out from [[Characters/MarvelComicsWesternCharacters the other Western characters Marvel has featured]] (the ComicBook/RawhideKid, ComicBook/KidColt, Gunhawk, etc.) in that he wears a mask and has a SecretIdentity rather than merely a colorful nickname. He also has a far wider scope of adventures: he has time-traveled to the modern era twice and is a reserve [[ComicBook/TheAvengers Avenger]]. He was {{retcon}}ned as being the inspiration for the Angel (he tells Dr. Thomas Halloway, who he knew will become the Angel, about the coming age of superheroes). The Angel was among the first [[UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfComicBooks Golden Age]] Marvel characters, so the Two-Gun Kid is by extension the first masked hero and the foundation of the era of superheroes with secret identities. Since he's [[CrusadingLawyer a lawyer by profession]] and takes on a cowboy persona to fight crime, he falls mostly into the category of the Philosopher Cowboy (though more likely to quote Jefferson or Washington than Plutarch or Aristotle).
98[[/folder]]
99
100[[folder:Fan Fiction]]
101* The titular character in ''Fanfic/TheBlackWrangler'' dresses like one, complete with a Stetson cowboy hat, spurred boots, and a ScarfOfAsskicking. She even carries a pair of revolvers.
102* Houston from ''Fanfic/PacificWorldWarIIUsNavyShipgirls'' dresses as a cowgirl, complete with stereotypical Southern accent, HandCannon revolver, and Texas-themed cowboy boots.
103[[/folder]]
104
105[[folder:Film]]
106* No two men are more iconic as Cowboys than Creator/JohnWayne and Creator/ClintEastwood. [[WhatCouldHaveBeen Although they were never in a film together.]][[note]]Supposedly, [[WhatCouldHaveBeen there were talks at one point of the two starring in the same move,]] [[CoolVsAwesome culminating in a showdown between the two where John Wayne wins,]] but nothing ever came of it because according to the Duke himself, the only way he could defeat Clint Eastwood in a gunfight would be to shoot him InTheBack, [[HonorBeforeReason which he would never do.]][[/note]]
107* ''Film/BrokebackMountain'' is about a doomed romance between a working cowboy and a rodeo rider--though they both started as sheepherders.
108* ''Film/TheNewtonBoys'': Joe and Jess Newton are ranch hands and horse tamers who usually wear cowboy hats and dusters and are content enough with their jobs that it takes Willis a while to convince them to join him robbing banks. They [[spoiler:resume that lifestyle after the gang's dissolution.]]
109* Several characters in ''[[Film/TheMagnificentSeven1960 The Magnificent Seven]]'' are gunslingers working as drifter cowboys at the start of the movie.
110* The ''Franchise/ToyStory'' films have Woody, and ''WesternAnimation/ToyStory2'' introduces his DistaffCounterpart Jessie, the Yodeling Cowgirl.
111* Joe in ''Film/ATownLikeAlice''
112* ''Film/{{Hud}}'', being a film about a cattle ranch in the NewOldWest, has actual working cowboys who actually herd cattle.
113* Creator/RoyRogers was the archetypal singing cowboy, starting with ''Film/UnderWesternStars'' and going through over a hundred more B-Movies.
114[[/folder]]
115
116[[folder:Literature]]
117* PlayedWith in ''Literature/RiverOfTeeth''. The setting is the WildWest and the main characters are cowboys in every sense except that they ride and herd hippos instead of horses or cattle, respectively. They are called "hoppers" within the story.
118* Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's epic poem ''Evangeline'' contains an early example of this trope (being published in 1847 and being about the expulsion of the Acadians and its aftermath in the 18th century). As the eponymous character travels America in search of her lost love, she encounters her old village blacksmith, who has since become a herdsman in the prairies of west Louisiana:
119-->Just where the woodlands met the flowery surf of the prairie,\
120Mounted upon his horse, with Spanish saddle and stirrups,\
121Sat a herdsman, arrayed in gaiters and doublet of deerskin.\
122Broad and brown was the face that from under the Spanish sombrero\
123Gazed on the peaceful scene, with the lordly look of its master.\
124Round about him were numberless herds of kine, that were grazing\
125Quietly in the meadows, and breathing the vapory freshness\
126That uprose from the river, and spread itself over the landscape.
127[[/folder]]
128
129[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
130* ''Series/TheLoneRanger'' and ''Series/TheRifleman'' are two early examples.
131* Rick from ''Series/TheWalkingDead'', despite being a modern day police officer, wears the hat, carries a revolver and even rides a horse for a while after the ZombieApocalypse kicks off the plot.
132* Many characters in ''Series/HellOnWheels'' are these.
133* On ''Series/MalcolmInTheMiddle'' Francis worked as a dude ranch cowboy for a while. One episode had Francis and Otto (the ranch's German owner) run afoul of a pair of working cowboys who kept tearing down the Grotto's fence to let their cattle through. At the end of the episode Francis asked [[StatingTheSimpleSolution if anybody had ever thought to install a gate]], and it cuts to everybody involved celebrating happily.
134* ''Series/IronKing'', an ''Series/{{Ultraman}}'' ripoff from the 1970s, has a singing cowboy as one of the characters.
135* {{Creator/Nickelodeon}} show, ''Series/HeyDude'', was set on a dude ranch.
136* ''Series/HorribleHistories'' had a [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LiL3fyX4STQ musical number]] describing what the life of a working cowboy was actually like.
137* One episode of ''Series/{{Firefly}}'' has Mal meeting some cattle buyers. Who are also apparently cattle ''rustlers'' when they feel the urge. Cue gunfight at the corral ...
138* The sixth season of ''Series/MyKitchenRules'' feature a working cowboy from Texas: Robert, who consistently brighten the mood of the table with stories of his past experience with bulls, cattles, and other animals.
139* ''Series/HaveGunWillTravel'' often featured cowboys as guest characters. In one particularly memorable episode, Paladin (Creator/RichardBoone) befriends a lone cowboy who happens to be Native American--then accepts a fee from [[SmallTownTyrant a big spread rancher]] to force the small rancher to sell his land. [[spoiler:Paladin had spotted that metal deposits on the land were slowly poisoning the cattle, making the spread worthless for ranching.]]
140* The main character of ''Film/MayIPleaseEnter'' is, at the very least, dressed completely in cowboy-clothing and spends his time WalkingTheEarth, though whether or not he's a "real" cowboy is left ambiguous.
141* James "Jim" West (Creator/RobertConrad) in ''Series/TheWildWildWest''. And just about 50 per cent of the [[MonsterOfTheWeek villains of the week]] and a good 80 per cent of the {{mooks}} with the occasional {{Bandito}}.
142[[/folder]]
143
144[[folder:Music]]
145* There is an entire subgenre of "cowboy songs", many of which were created and sung by actual cowboys (some lost forever, now) while others have been made up from whole cloth in more recent times.
146* This ''used'' to be a prominent theme in Main/CountryMusic, from the 60's to the 90's, with most artists leaning into the aesthetic by wearing a cowboy hat. It faded out at TurnOfTheMillennium and it's almost unheard of in TheNewTens post-"bro-country" genre shift. But notable entries include:
147** Glen Campbell's "Rhinestone Cowboy" compares his attempts to become famous via his music to a rodeo rider.
148** Many, ''many'' Music/GarthBrooks songs, but the two most famous are probably "Rodeo," which tries to frame rodeo-ing as a kind of addiction, but sort of makes it sound like DontDoThisCoolThing and "Beaches of Cheyenne," about a woman who commits SuicideBySea when she gets word her cowboy lover has died after drawing the wrong bull at the rodeo.
149** Music/TobyKeith's "Should Have Been a Cowboy," which is ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin
150** Music/TheChicks' "Cowboy Take Me Away," about longing to be in the wild open with your cowboy lover.
151** Waylon Jennings' "Mammas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys," which does what "Rodeo" was trying to do.
152** Music/GeorgeStrait's [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wtVeDaZxAXo Amarillo by Morning]]' is a song about the Rodeo Rider and his lifestyle. 'Everything that I've got is just what I've got on ... '
153** Music/MartyRobbins "El Paso" and "Big Iron," which provides the page quote.
154* "Music/HoldingOutForAHero" by Bonnie Tyler: In the music video there are {{outlaw}} cowboys [[EvilWearsBlack dressed in black]], and a good cowboy dressed in white, and all of them ride on horseback.
155* Music/PaulaCole's "Where Have All The Cowboys Gone?" a song about a woman stuck in an AwfulWeddedLife, wondering where all the men are who embody this trope.
156-->''Where is my John Wayne?\
157Where is my prairie song?\
158Where is my happy ending?\
159Where have all the cowboys gone?\
160Where is my Marlboro Man?\
161Where is his shiny gun?\
162Where is my lonely ranger?\
163Where have all the cowboys gone?''
164
165[[/folder]]
166
167[[folder:Pinball]]
168* All of the characters in ''Pinball/EightBall Deluxe.'' Justified as the game takes place in a cowboy bar.
169* The SpiritualSuccessor, ''Pinball/SharkeysShootout'', has "Tex", complete with large black hat and bolo tie.
170* As a ShoutOut to ''Eight Ball Deluxe'', ''Pinball/CueBallWizard'' is full of them, complete with a cowboy wearing a white hat as the main opponent.
171[[/folder]]
172
173[[folder:Professional Wrestling]]
174* El Texano, an evil cowboy in Lucha Libre Internacional/Universal Wrestling Association later revealed to be a FallenAngel sent to Earth to rid it of Wrestling/ElSanto. His son, El Texano Jr. continues the evil cowboy tradition by illegally whipping his opponents with bull ropes but not too sure about the other part.
175* Wrestling/StanHansen is a {{trope codifier}} for cowboy [[TheGimmick gimmick]]s in the USA and Japan, particularly for a violent swinging clothesline which would come to be known as a lariat, or [[AsianSpeekeeEngrish LARIOTO]]!
176* Wrestling/BobOrtonJr was best known as the bodyguard of Wrestling/RoddyPiper and being the father of Wrestling/{{WWE}} Superstar, Wrestling/RandyOrton.
177* Wrestling/{{CMLL}} has Yuca La Potranquita, a masked cowgirl from Mexico city and Wrestling/{{AAA}}'s La Legión Extranjera employed Virginian cowgirl Lorelei Lee. Lee tends to turn anyone she {{tag|team}}s with into a cowgirl/boy as well.
178[[/folder]]
179
180[[folder:Radio]]
181* ''Radio/OurMissBrooks'': Tex Barton, a stereotypical teenaged cowboy, is a Madison High School student in a few episodes i.e. "School T.V. Set", "Bargain Hats for Mother's Day," "Tex Barton Basketball Star."
182* ''Radio/APrairieHomeCompanion'' had the recurring "Lives of the Cowboys" skit, in which two modern-day cowboys engaged in SeinfeldianConversation and the occasional unlikely adventure.
183* ''Radio/TheSixShooter'' starred Creator/JimmyStewart as a [[TheDrifter drifter]] cowboy with [[TheGunslinger superior shooting skills]].
184* ''Radio/RidersRadioTheater'' stars three Singing Cowboys.
185[[/folder]]
186
187[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
188* It's called "the Weird West", so of course you can expect to see pretty much every version of the Cowboy on the list in ''TabletopGame/{{Deadlands}}''... well, except for the Singing Cowboy; guys like that are likely to get mugged, shot, and then [[ZombieApocalypse shot again for good measure]].
189* A common character type in the ''TabletopGame/AllFleshMustBeEaten'' supplement ''Fistful o' Zombies''. The singing cowboys get their own gameworld.
190[[/folder]]
191
192[[folder:Theme Parks]]
193* In the final scene of the original version of ''Ride/JourneyIntoImagination'', one of the roles that Figment is shown as in the Film realm is a cowboy, representing the Western genre.
194[[/folder]]
195
196[[folder:Video Games]]
197* The [[LegacyCharacter Link]] in ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTwilightPrincess'' is a Working Cowboy who works on the Mayor's ranch herding goats.
198* Cassidy of ''VideoGame/{{Brawlhalla}}'' is a Cowgirl sheriff.
199* Some of these are around in ''VideoGame/FalloutNewVegas'', given its Western theme. It even includes a Singing Cowboy that you can hire for a casino looking for entertainment acts! The perk named 'Cowboy' works with the stereotypical weapons a cowpoke would use, too. Who needs assault or laser rifles when you can use a .45-70 lever-action?
200* John Marston from ''VideoGame/RedDeadRedemption'', a Working Cowboy who has his own ranch and maintains it along with his family. By the beginning of the game, he's forced back into TheGunslinger life and has to leave the ranch to save his family from a GildedCage.
201* ''VideoGame/TheMaidOfFairewellHeights'': The Cowgirl variation. There's a Cowgirl costume when entering the landscape picture world in Artie's room.
202* ''VideoGame/DiscoElysium'' manages to romanticize and deconstruct the concept simultaneously. Talk to Paledriver, and she will sing you a tragic ballad of a woman who loves a ''boiadero'' (the local equivalent), and waits for him while he drives cattle, and when he returns, she asks him to marry her. He promptly strangles her and [[RidingIntoTheSunset heads off for the wild plains again]]. Paledriver then calls the woman a stupid girl, and claims that she should have known that nothing, even love, will ever tie down the heart of a ''boiadero''.
203* Celine Logan from ''VideoGame/WrestleQuest'' is a sister of Brink Logan, has the cowgirl attitude, attire and accent to match. Not only that, but her moves names are based on things you’d expect from cowpoke.
204[[/folder]]
205
206[[folder:Webcomics]]
207* Cowboys are common in the wilder areas of Mars as depicted in ''Webcomic/CwynhildsLoom''.
208* [[http://www.redmeat.com/redmeat/meatlocker/theoldcowboy.html The Old Cowboy]] from ''Webcomic/RedMeat'' is the Ranch Owner type.
209* Several of the characters in ''Webcomic/ZombieRanch'' fit the working cowboy type -- even if they're technically no longer wrangling cows.
210[[/folder]]
211
212[[folder:Web Original]]
213* A cowboy appeared as a villain in the ''WebVideo/{{lonelygirl15}}'' episode "The Cowboy". He did not appear again, most likely because the rights to the character are owned by Glenn Rubenstein.
214* ''Series/TheWeather'': "Snow" had a cowboy character venturing through the snow with their horse.
215[[/folder]]
216
217[[folder:Western Animation]]
218* Quickstrike from ''WesternAnimation/BeastWars'', a villainous metal [[MixAndMatchCritters scorpion/cobra hybrid]] has the personality if not the looks, with a generous helping of Redneck added to the mix.
219* Cowboy Stackhouse from ''WesternAnimation/JimmyTwoShoes''
220* ''WesternAnimation/MollyOfDenali'': In "Culture Clash", Molly and Tooey dress like cowboys and talk with Southern accents to make Trini (who moved to Alaska from Texas) feel at home. This backfires.
221* ''WesternAnimation/MrBenn'': In "Cowboy", Mr. Benn was originally going to watch a cowboy film, but the queue outside the cinema was so dreadfully long, he decided instead to ''be'' a cowboy. You wouldn't expect this adventure would turn into a game of hide-and-seek with him and the Indians. The Indian team would seek Mr. Benn, and the cowboy team would seek one of the Indians, who turned out to be hiding at the top of their totem pole where no one else would think to look. If not for Mr. Benn's ingenuity, the cowboys would have lost that game, as they already had done so many times before.
222* Applejack from ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' lassos wayward critters, herds stampeding cattle, eagerly gets into fights, runs the family farm, enters into rodeos, and is almost never caught without her hat. The only thing she ''doesn't'' do is ride horses, [[AccessoryWearingCartoonAnimal for obvious reasons.]] Overall, she's probably the Working Cowgirl.
223** Braeburn, her cousin, acts like a good old-fashioned eager cowpoke. Aside from being a farmer, what with the cows probably not appreciating getting poked.
224* ''WesternAnimation/SimonInTheLandOfChalkDrawings2002'': One of the residents of the Land Of Chalk Drawings is a cowboy.
225* [[CompositeCharacter Shocker/Montana]] from ''WesternAnimation/TheSpectacularSpiderMan'', the cowboy thing obviously stemming from the Montana part of his character.
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