Lovable Coward / Western Animation

• In the old Beany and Cecil cartoons, resident grownup Cap'n Huffenpuff retreats to his 'secret hiding place' at the first sign of danger.
• Ringo lampshades this in The Beatles cartoon "Penny Lane" as Paul insists on making haste to Liverpool to thwart what he thinks is a plan to rob the Penny Lane district:
  Ringo: Not so fast!
  Paul: Don't you want to be a daring hero?
  Ringo: Who wants to be a hero? I'd rather be what I am...a handsome coward!
• Lofty from Bob the Builder is scared of several things such as heights and mice and sometimes thinks he can't do things he can do, but he's still very kind and gets the job done regardless.
• Tom DuBois from The Boondocks. He's a Nice Guy, but very quick to cry and panic. It doesn't help that he has an extreme phobia of getting raped, which means he tries hard to stay out of prison by not committing any crimes.
• Courage the Cowardly Dog. Subverted: Courage is timid and physically feeble, but never lets his fear get in the way of saving Muriel. It helps that he's resourceful and tenacious…
• The title character of Doug, but more so in the early episodes of the Nick series than after the sale to Disney.
• Frizz and Nug of The Dreamstone, Frizz slightly more so. They're Dirty Cowards storywise (they are supposed to be villains), but one can't help but love them.
• The title character of Eek! The Cat.
• Futurama: "And then Bender ran..."
• Wade Duck in the U.S. Acres segment of Garfield and Friends fits this trope to a T. In fact, most people's favorite character of the series is Wade, even those who did not like U.S. Acres so much as Garfield.
  • The fans loving Wade so much was spoofed in the episode "The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere's Duck". Roy only gets one fan letter for himself. After he cries, he sees Bo drive a truck with hundreds of fan letters for Wade.
• Eduardo from Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends.
• Larry Nepp from Grojband. He's the most soft spoken and popular member of the Newmans.
• Pokey from Gumby is generally very timid and reluctant to go on adventures. He's also Gumby's best friend, and despite whatever happens, he always sticks by Gumby.
• Cringer on He-Man and the Masters of the Universe (1983). (Only as Cringer; he becomes very brave when he's Battle Cat.)
• Hurra from Hip-Hip and Hurra. His partner, Hip-Hip, can easily fit this trope as well.
• Sunil Nevla the mongoose from Littlest Pet Shop (2012). Unless there are cobras present.
• Looney Tunes:
  • Daffy Duck is open about and proud of his cowardice. A textbook example of the Unpopular Popular Character, he's got just as many fans as his rival Bugs Bunny, if not more.
    • Although, as he says in "Ducking the Devil", he's "a greedy little coward", meaning that greed takes priority to fear. At the end of the cartoon, Daffy actually beat up the Tasmanian Devil to get back one dollar that the beast had snatched.
    • That said, many of his actions are more in accordance with those of a Dirty Coward, ready to sacrifice others to save his own skin, without bothering to find out about whether it;s even necessary and bragging and attempting to victimize others until he bites more than he can chew -which is most of the time. He is such a failure though that he ends up being lovable anyway.
  • Sylvester the Cat is depicted as this in his three Chuck Jones shorts. He's very easily frightened, but he is also Properly Paranoid and tries to keep Porky Pig out of danger in spite of the latter's frustration towards his cowardly antics.
• Mr. Bogus actually combines this trope with Cowardly Lion.
• Fluttershy in My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic who puts lovable to a whole new level. Besides, she can Take a Level in Badass when necessary.
• Nature Cat: Nature Cat is often nervous and afraid whenever he hears or is near situations that he finds scary, with water being his most common fear. He often clings into Hal for protection, to the point where he quickly gets wrapped in a blanket to be carried in one episode. Despite being a coward, he's such an endearing cat who likes helping his friends out in need and does his best to overcome his fears in some episodes.
• Nightmare Ned: Ned is a sweet little 10-year-old boy who just happens to be frightened by everything, even his own shadow.
• Trembly Paw from the short-lived 1980s cartoon Paw Paw Bears, who is also an adorable Cowardly Lion and The Smart Guy of the show.
• Ready Jet Go!: Sean is almost always reluctant to go to space, but he is very relatable and endearing.
• Gus from Recess.
• Rocko's Modern Life: Rocko is a shy and timid wallaby who isn't very tough yet you just can't help but love him for his benevolence.
• Scaredy Bat from Ruby Gloom.
• Both Chuckie and his father in Rugrats. Chuckie is scared of just about everything, especially clowns and "that guy on the oatmeal box with the scary hat," while his father is shown in one episode to be terrified of a thunderstorm.
  Chas: I'll be right here if anything frightens my little guy... (both he and Chuckie hear a thunderclap) ...or vice versa!
• The title character of Scaredy Squirrel.
• Scooby-Doo and Shaggy are lovable because they are cowards:
  Eddie Izzard: We love Shaggy and Scooby because they were cowards! Because we can identify with them. We love them! The other guys driving the van? Fuck off!
  • In some incarnations of the Scooby-Doo franchise this is more justified. Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! and Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated are good examples. Here the villain may be a guy in a good disguise pulling a "Scooby-Doo" Hoax, but he's still willing to "off" those meddling kids.
• Kowl in She-Ra: Princess of Power.
• Super Robot Monkey Team Hyperforce Go!: Nova in the episode "Night of Fear".
• South Park: Butters is easily startled, often prone to Comical Overreacting and doesn't usually defend himself from Cartman's manipulative and violent tendencies, or even those of most others. With that all said, there's a reason fans regard him as precious; his very consistent optimism and desire to please and help those around him (even his authoritarian parents) make him a very engrossing character. In-universe, he's also shown tendencies of being a Magnetic Hero whenever he gets the chance to speak out against the immorality around him.
• Mayor Manx from SWAT Kats, who's often seen running from the Monster of the Week.
  Commander Feral: You're a coward, Manx.
  Mayor Manx: You don't get to be mayor for ten terms without being cautious.
• Thomas & Friends has a few engines. Percy and Henry have shades of this Depending on the Writer while Toby is gradually Flanderized into one in later seasons.
• Total Drama:
  • In the first generation, both DJ and Owen are both cowards, the former more so than the latter, but they are both among the most friendly and well-liked contestants in the series.
  • In the second generation, Brick can be a coward at times, but he is well liked among most of his teammates.
• Vampirina has Bridget. She's an overall sweet girl even if she's scared of many spooky things.

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