Courage the Cowardly Dog was a single of the most bizarre Cartoon Network originals to seem on the channel, and the most effective episodes of Courage the Cowardly Dog prove that. Made by animator John R. Dilworth back in 1999, Courage the Cowardly Dog became some thing of a phenomenon following its 4-season run on Cartoon Network. With its mix of absurdist comedy and unsettling horror, the show cemented itself as a landmark in children’s animation, attractive to each children and adults alike — and giving some critical nightmare fuel along the way.

The show is so nicely performed, in reality, that its pilot — titled “The Chicken from Outer Space” — was nominated for an Academy Award for Ideal Animated Quick. More than the years, the animated Cartoon Network series has come to be some thing of a cult classic thanks to its surrealist visuals and odd, but haunting, monsters. Focusing on a dog named Courage, the show follows him and his owners Eustace and Murial as they face off against supernatural forces. The series is critically acclaimed in its personal proper, getting nominated for a handful of Golden Reel awards and even winning an Annie Award.

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15 Car or truck Broke, Telephone Yes/Cowboy Courage

Season two, Episode ten

The Courage The Cowardly Dog season two episode “Car or truck Broke, Telephone Yes/Cowboy Courage” took stabs at two separate genres, as Courage faces down aliens in a sci-fi parodying story, then the following segment is a Western-infused caper that characteristics — amongst other strange sights — a speaking anthropomorphized pig. Whilst the pig character and several other elements of “Cowboy Courage” is definitely unsettling, it is the “Car or truck Broke, Telephone Yes” segment that actually tends to make this Courage The Cowardly Dog episode memorable.

The alien guests in “Car or truck Broke, Telephone Yes” are small a lot more than brains with eyeballs on stalks, who amble about on tentacles that appear suspiciously like the human nervous method. The reveal is expertly performed as well, as the initially time Courage encounters a single is when it knocks on the door of Eustace and Muriel’s property, and it is dressed in a trenchcoat and fedora with only its eyes visible.

14 Le Quack Balloon/Windmill Vandals

Season four, Episode three

Le Quack is a Courage The Cowardly Dog character who seems in many episodes, even though season 4’s “Le Quack Balloon” is absolutely a single of the strongest, and a single of half of a single of the most effective episodes of the show all round. In “Le Quack”, the titular malicious mallard returns to Courage’s residence. Becoming a con artist, the French duck, of course, has a scam in thoughts. This time, he swaps out a recipe in Muriel’s recipe book, producing her think it calls for a uncommon Swedish vinegar. It really is no surprise that this is all a ploy, and his actual strategy is to get her to bungee from his balloon to rob a Swedish bank.

The second segment in the season four episode, “Windmill Vandals”, is substantially a lot more in line with the horror influences that make Courage the Cowardly Dog so memorable. The episode sees Courage and Eustace plagued by 4 undead horsemen who return right after centuries to destroy the farmhouse due to a curse on Eustace and Muriel’s windmill.

13 The Property Of Discontent/The Sand Whale Strikes

Season two, Episode 12

Several memorable Courage The Cowardly Dog episodes blended various animation designs, and a single of the most effective utilizes of this strange strategy was in the season two segment “The Property Of Discontent”, which characteristics a single of the most terrifying antagonists in the show. Soon after Eustace fails to leave an supplying on the eve of the Harvest Moon, their farmstead is plagued by a poltergeist. They quickly study that the getting plaguing them is the Spirit of the Harvest Moon, who is portrayed as a reside-action head floating in their basement. The visual is completely terrifying, and it is clear to see why this episode is so extremely regarded.

The second segment in the episode, “The Sand Whale Strikes”, is not as powerful but is nevertheless strong. As the title suggests, the Bagge farmstead is plagued by a giant whale that travels by means of sand. Courage is understandably terrified, as are Eustace and Muriel, and they are only capable to save themselves by — bizarre as it appears — providing the whale an accordian.

12 Small Muriel/The Wonderful Fusilli

Season 1, Episode 13

There is some thing several individuals discover inherently unsettling about puppets, and the Courage The Cowardly Dog season 1 episode “The Wonderful Fusilli” produced complete use of this widespread worry. The titular Fusilli is a speaking alligator who brings his traveling puppet show to Eustace and Muriel’s farmstead. Nonetheless, it quickly becomes clear that he’s not there to entertain them at all, but to turn them into puppets. Courage does not handle to save Eustace and Muriel either, and the episode chillingly ends with Courage controlling the Eustace and Muriel puppets and re-enacting the shows opening exactly where Eustace scares Courage with a mask whilst shouting “OOGA-BOOGA”.

The preceding segment in the episode, “Small Muriel”, has Courage probably a lot more terrified than he ever has been when his beloved Muriel is swept up by a tornado. Courage is shocked to discover that, when she’s ultimately relinquished from its grip, she’s been turned into a child. What tends to make this specifically funny is that, regardless of her regressed age, she nevertheless has her glasses and white hair, appearing like a child grandma alternatively of an actual infant.

11 The Quilt Club/Swindlin’ Wind

Season three, Episode 12

Season 3’s “The Quilt Club” is a single of the most disturbing Courage The Cowardly Dog segments ever produced. Muriel joins a club for producing quilts, which is suspiciously run by the Stitch Sisters, who share a physique. Nonetheless, at the initially meeting, Muriel does not meet any of the other members, and alternatively, the two-headed lady arrives and the Farmstead and starts turning Eustace into a human quilt. There is no quilt club right after all, at least not as Muriel wanted, and in actuality, the Stitch Sisters have been collecting ladies all through history by turning them into quilts and stealing their souls.

The second segment, “Swindlin’ Wind”, Eustace, Muriel, and Courage handle to get on the undesirable side of the fortune-telling Chihuahua Shirley the Medium. Eustace tries to swindle Shirley by trading her what she believes is an Oil Deed but is truly an Oil Bill in exchange for an amulet Muriel desires. Enraged, Shirley curses the pair, destining them to con a single-an additional uncontrollably.

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ten “The Demon In The Mattress/Freaky Fred”

Season 1, Episode four

Taking wonderful inspiration from the 1973 horror classic The Exorcist, “The Demon in the Mattress” follows Muriel as she’s possessed by her new mattress, which just so takes place to property a demonic entity — and it is a single of the most effective episodes of Courage the Cowardly Dog. The scenes of Muriel’s possession are amongst the creepiest the show has to provide, and its loving homage to William Friedkin’s classic film has because produced it a single of the most beloved episodes of the show amongst horror aficionados.

Producing a wonderful double bill with the earlier episode, “Freaky Fred” sees Muriel’s disturbing nephew come to remain with the household, as his uncontrollable urge to shave every little thing in sight starts to bubble to the surface. As it turns out, Fred is an escapee from a psychiatric ward, and Courage is forced to fight off his advances whilst he waits for the authorities to arrive.

9 “Remembrance Of Courage Previous/Perfect”

Season four, Episode 13

In “Remembrance of Courage Previous,” the audience learns that Courage’s birth parents had been launched into space by a nefarious veterinarian, which is most likely what kickstarted his intense anxiousness, to start with. Concerned by his current behavior, Eustace and Muriel take Courage to see the incredibly exact same vet, leaving him at the mercy of the megalomaniacal villain. Not all of Courage’s freakiest characters had been supernatural, and this episode acts as a hallmark for a single of the most popular non-entity villains.

The show’s final episode, appropriately titled “Perfect”, serves as a wonderful distillation of what’s so wonderful about Courage the Cowardly Dog, and is a single of the most effective episodes of Courage the Cowardly Dog. The story sees the physical embodiment of Courage’s worry and doubt manifest as a ‘teacher,’ hoping to remedy the dog of his neuroticism. By the finish of the episode, on the other hand, Courage learns that he’s great just the way he is.

eight “Queen Of The Black Puddle/Absolutely everyone Desires To Direct”

Season 1, Episode 9

Contrasting the show’s earlier episode, “Queen of the Black Puddle” sees an eye-catching demon steal Eustace away from Muriel, substantially to her dismay, and is a single of the most effective episodes of Courage the Cowardly Dog. Whilst Courage is at some point capable to save the day, the Queen seems in many other episodes of Courage the Cowardly Dog, becoming a single of its many recurring villains, proving the installment’s longevity and the villain’s legacy.

“Everyone Desires to Direct” is a notably darker story, on the other hand, following a zombified director who plans on resurrecting his deceased companion – who resides beneath the Bagges’ farmhouse – and devouring the complete household. It really is definitely a single of these episodes that toes the line involving the system getting for adults vs youngsters, which is partially what tends to make the series so wonderful.

7 “The Hunchback Of Nowhere/The Gods Have to Be Goosey”

Season 1, Episode eight

Whereas most Courage the Cowardly Dog episodes function some sort of supernatural antagonistic force as a supply of anxiousness for the effortlessly-scared Courage, “The Hunchback of Nowhere” turns factors on its head by getting his personal cruel owner Eustace becomes the episode’s sole villain – bullying his dog right after he befriends a nomadic, deformed hunchback. It really is a single of the most effective episodes of Courage the Cowardly Dog, and a single of the handful of situations exactly where Eustace’s inherent villainy is truly known as out.

In the episode’s second story, “The Gods Have to Be Goosey”, a lovestruck goose god requires a liking to Muriel, plotting to steal her away from Eustace – a strategy that Courage is forced to place a quit to. Muriel is frequently overlooked in the show, regardless of getting endearingly sweet and great-natured. Consequently, it is only proper that a single of the most effective episodes of Courage the Cowardly Dog ought to concentrate on her.

six “The Mask”

Season four, Episode 7

Featuring a single of the show’s most spine-chilling monsters, “The Mask” is a single of only two double-length episodes of Courage the Cowardly Dog. One particular of the most effective episodes of Courage the Cowardly Dogs sees Courage attacked by a terrifying, pale creature adorned with a creepy porcelain mask – prompting him to investigate the purpose behind the being’s anger.

As it turns out, a single of the creature’s good friends has been abducted by the evil Mad Dog, and Courage is at some point capable to save her – placing an finish to the masked being’s hatred of dogs. The episode resulted in a single of the show’s most iconic and terrifying villains, providing chills to youngsters and adults alike. It really is a single of many Courage The Cowardly Dog episodes that is genuinely unnerving, regardless of the age of the viewer, to the point that it is genuinely surprising it was ever aired in the initially spot as aspect of a children’s show.

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Season 1, Episode 7

Extensively thought of a single of the creepiest episodes of Courage the Cowardly Dog amongst fans, “King Ramses’ Curse” opens with Courage stumbling across an ancient stone tablet, which he requires back to the farmhouse. Obtaining out its extraordinary worth, Eustace refuses to return it, incurring the wrath of an ancient pharaoh who sends 3 nasty plagues the family’s way. It really is a single of the most effective episodes of Courage the Cowardly Dog, thanks to its bizarre animation style and an even weirder song.

Meanwhile, “The Clutching Foot” pits Courage against a mob of fungal gangsters, who start to take more than the family’s physique components a single by a single – beginning with Eustace’s foot – forcing Courage to undertake their dirty operate to spare them. Soon after “King Ramses’ Curse,” it was a great selection on the showrunners’ aspect to have a lighter adhere to-up, producing a single of the most balanced episodes of the complete show.

four “Last Of The Starmakers/Son Of The Chicken From Outer Space”

Season four, Episode ten

The season four Courage The Cowardly Dog episode “Last Of The Starmakers/Son Of The Chicken From Outer Space” is probably the most sci-fi flavored in the complete series. A further space-centric story, “Last of the Starmakers” introduces Courage to a effective, extraterrestrial Starmaker, who have to retrieve her eggs right after crash-landing on the Bagge family’s farm – serving as a single of the show’s weirdest ever ideas. Nonetheless, weirdness is the Television show’s greatest strength, and it is a single of the most effective episodes of Courage the Cowardly Dog for the reason that of that.

The second segment in the episode is a adhere to-up to Courage the Cowardly Dog’s Oscar-nominated brief film “The Chicken from Outer Space,” “Son of the Chicken from Outer Space” sees the offspring of the short’s titular villain return to Earth to terrorize Courage and his household. The adhere to-up may well be just as great as the original, seeing the story of the evil chicken come to a satisfying ending.

three “The Tower Of Dr. Zalost”

Season two, Episode 13

Whilst it is not a single of Courage the Cowardly Dog’s creepiest stories, the double-length second season episode “The Tower of Dr. Zalost” has come to be a firm favored amongst viewers regardless, due to its concentrate on the a lot more mature subject of depression, and it is a single of the most effective episodes of Courage the Cowardly Dog. The episode tells the story of the lonely Dr. Zalost, who fires cannonballs across the town of Nowhere that bring about widespread depression.

Thankfully, Muriel’s ‘happy plums’ are at some point capable to counteract the impact of Zalost’s cannonballs – and even remedy the depression of Zalost himself, providing the story an unsually wholesome ending. The episode is critically acclaimed thanks to its themes and storyline. This Courage The Cowardly Dog episode from season two was nominated for a Golden Reel Award for Ideal Sound Editing in 2003 but however did not win.

two “The Curse Of Shirley/Courage In The Major Stinkin’ City”

Season two, Episode two

The second episode of season two of Courage The Cowardly Dog was a single of the strongest in the show, and handful of that came right after had been capable to match it. With Eustace’s cruel attitude getting a single of the core components of Courage the Cowardly Dog, his actions ultimately come back to haunt him in “The Curse of Shirley,” in which the titular psychic chihuahua locations a hex on him right after he gleefully destroys the gifts offered to her by Muriel and Courage.

“Courage in the Major Stinkin’ City” on the other hand, sees the household take a trip to New York when Muriel is selected to play the sitar at Radio City Music Hall, and it is a single of the most effective episodes of Courage the Cowardly Dog. Naturally, factors go south when a giant cockroach forces Courage to retrieve an ‘evil package’, with Muriel’s life hanging in the balance. The installment ended up winning a Golden Reel Award in 2001 for Ideal Sound Editing.

1 “A Evening At The Katz Motel/Cajun Granny Stew”

Season 1, Episode 1

It really is extremely uncommon that a pilot is a single of a series’ most effective installments, but “A Evening at the Katz Motel/Cajun Granny Stew” completely encapsulates the complete series and is a single of the most effective episodes of Courage the Cowardly Dog. The initially half of the episode sees a single of the show’s most infamous antagonists, Katz, operating a motel that Eustace and Muriel verify into, but factors quickly go bump in the evening as he unleashes spiders on the household.

“Cajun Granny Stew” sees a fox attempting to win a stew competitors, and the only ingredient he’s missing is the Granny. Courage have to save Muriel from the evil fox ahead of she’s added into the mix. This installment is what began it all, and it was a bombastic entrance into Cartoon Network’s original lineup. The episode subsequently ended up winning an Annie Award for Outstanding Person Achievement for Production Design and style in an Animated Tv Production.

Courage the Cowardly Dog

Courage the Cowardly Dog is a cartoon that follows the titular pet Courage, who faces his uncontrollable worry and anxiousness whilst fighting off numerous supernatural creatures that threaten his owners, the elderly Muriel and Eustace. The Cartoon Network series aired from 1999 to 2002 with 4 seasons and 52 episodes.

Release Date

November 12, 1999

Seasons

four

Network

Cartoon Network