Summary

• Courage the Cowardly Dog's best episodes blend absurdist comedy with unsettling horror, appealing to both kids and adults with surreal visuals.
• The show's iconic pilot was nominated for an Academy Award, solidifying its status as a cult classic with creepy monsters and unique storytelling.
• With themes ranging from depression to supernatural forces, Courage the Cowardly Dog stands out as a critically acclaimed and memorable children's show.

Courage the Cowardly Dog was one of the most bizarre Cartoon Network originals to appear on the channel, and the best episodes of Courage the Cowardly Dog prove that. Created by animator John R. Dilworth back in 1999, Courage the Cowardly Dog became something of a phenomenon following its four-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, appealing to both kids and adults alike — and providing some serious nightmare fuel along the way.

The show is so well done, in fact, that its pilot — titled “The Chicken from Outer Space” — was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Animated Short. Over the years, the animated Cartoon Network series has become something 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 own right, being nominated for a few Golden Reel awards and even winning an Annie Award.

Courage The Cowardly Dog is available to watch on Max.

15 "Car Broke, Phone Yes/Cowboy Courage"

Season 2, Episode 10

The Courage The Cowardly Dog season 2 episode "Car Broke, Phone 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 features — among other strange sights — a talking anthropomorphized pig. While the pig character and many other aspects of "Cowboy Courage" is certainly unsettling, it's the "Car Broke, Phone Yes" segment that truly makes this Courage The Cowardly Dog episode memorable.

The alien visitors in "Car Broke, Phone Yes" are little more than brains with eyeballs on stalks, who amble around on tentacles that look suspiciously like the human nervous system. The reveal is expertly done too, as the first time Courage encounters one is when it knocks on the door of Eustace and Muriel's house, and it's dressed in a trenchcoat and fedora with only its eyes visible.

14 "Le Quack Balloon/Windmill Vandals"

Season 4, Episode 3

Le Quack is a Courage The Cowardly Dog character who appears in several episodes, though season 4's "Le Quack Balloon" is definitely one of the strongest, and one of half of one of the best episodes of the show overall. In "Le Quack", the titular malicious mallard returns to Courage's home. Being a con artist, the French duck, of course, has a scam in mind. This time, he swaps out a recipe in Muriel's recipe book, making her believe it calls for a rare Swedish vinegar. It's no surprise that this is all a ploy, and his actual plan is to get her to bungee from his balloon to rob a Swedish bank.

The episode sees Courage and Eustace plagued by four undead horsemen who return after centuries to destroy the farmhouse due to a curse on the Eustace and Muriel's windmill.

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

13 "The House Of Discontent/The Sand Whale Strikes"

Season 2, Episode 12

Many memorable Courage The Cowardly Dog episodes blended different animation styles, and one of the best uses of this strange technique was in the season 2 segment "The House Of Discontent", which features one of the most terrifying antagonists in the show. After Eustace fails to leave an offering on the eve of the Harvest Moon, their farmstead is plagued by a poltergeist. They soon learn that the being plaguing them is the Spirit of the Harvest Moon, who is portrayed as a live-action head floating in their basement. The visual is absolutely terrifying, and it's clear to see why this episode is so highly regarded.

The second segment in the episode, "The Sand Whale Strikes", isn't as strong but is still solid. As the title suggests, the Bagge farmstead is plagued by a giant whale that travels through sand. Courage is understandably terrified, as are Eustace and Muriel, and they're only able to save themselves by — bizarre as it seems — giving the whale an accordian.

12 "Little Muriel/The Great Fusilli"

Season 1, Episode 13

There's something many people find inherently unsettling about puppets, and the Courage The Cowardly Dog season 1 episode "The Great Fusilli" made full use of this common fear. The titular Fusilli is a talking alligator who brings his traveling puppet show to Eustace and Muriel's farmstead. However, it soon becomes clear that he's not there to entertain them at all, but to turn them into puppets. Courage doesn't manage 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 where Eustace scares Courage with a mask while shouting "OOGA-BOOGA".

The preceding segment in the episode, "Little Muriel", has Courage perhaps more terrified than he ever has been when his beloved Muriel is swept up by a tornado. Courage is shocked to find that, when she's finally relinquished from its grip, she's been turned into a baby. What makes this especially funny is that, despite her regressed age, she still has her glasses and white hair, appearing like a baby grandma instead of an actual infant.

11 "The Quilt Club/Swindlin' Wind"

Season 3, Episode 12

Season 3's "The Quilt Club" is one of the most disturbing Courage The Cowardly Dog segments ever made. Muriel s a club for making quilts, which is suspiciously run by the Stitch Sisters, who share a body. However, at the first meeting, Muriel doesn't meet any of the other , and instead, the two-headed woman arrives and the Farmstead and begins turning Eustace into a human quilt. There's no quilt club after all, at least not as Muriel wanted, and in actuality, the Stitch Sisters have been collecting women throughout history by turning them into quilts and stealing their souls.

The two-headed woman arrives and the Farmstead and begins turning Eustace into a human quilt.

The second segment, "Swindlin' Wind", Eustace, Muriel, and Courage manage to get on the bad 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 actually an Oil Bill in exchange for an amulet Muriel wants. Enraged, Shirley curses the pair, destining them to con one-another uncontrollably.

10 “The Demon In The Mattress/Freaky Fred”

Season 1, Episode 4

Taking great 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 happens to house a demonic entity — and it's one of the best episodes of Courage the Cowardly Dog. The scenes of Muriel’s possession are among the creepiest the show has to offer, and its loving homage to William Friedkin’s classic movie has since made it one of the most beloved episodes of the show among horror aficionados.

Making a great double bill with the previous episode, “Freaky Fred” sees Muriel’s disturbing nephew come to stay with the family, as his uncontrollable urge to shave everything in sight begins 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 while he waits for the authorities to arrive.

9 “Remembrance Of Courage Past/Perfect”

Season 4, Episode 13

In “Remembrance of Courage Past,” the audience learns that Courage’s birth parents were launched into space by a nefarious veterinarian, which is likely what kickstarted his intense anxiety, to begin with. Concerned by his recent behavior, Eustace and Muriel take Courage to see the very same vet, leaving him at the mercy of the megalomaniacal villain. Not all of Courage's freakiest characters were supernatural, and this episode acts as a hallmark for one of the most famous non-entity villains.

The show’s final episode, appropriately titled “Perfect”, serves as a great distillation of what’s so great about Courage the Cowardly Dog, and is one of the best episodes of Courage the Cowardly Dog. The story sees the physical embodiment of Courage’s fear and doubt manifest as a ‘teacher,’ hoping to cure the dog of his neuroticism. By the end of the episode, however, Courage learns that he’s perfect just the way he is.

8 “Queen Of The Black Puddle/Everyone Wants To Direct”

Season 1, Episode 9

Contrasting the show’s previous episode, “Queen of the Black Puddle” sees an attractive demon steal Eustace away from Muriel, much to her dismay, and is one of the best episodes of Courage the Cowardly Dog. While Courage is eventually able to save the day, the Queen appears in several other episodes of Courage the Cowardly Dog, becoming one of its multiple recurring villains, proving the installment's longevity and the villain's legacy.

It's certainly one of those episodes that toes the line between the program being for adults vs children, which is partially what makes the series so great.

“Everyone Wants to Direct” is a notably darker story, however, following a zombified director who plans on resurrecting his deceased partner – who resides under the Bagges’ farmhouse – and devouring the entire family. It's certainly one of those episodes that toes the line between the program being for adults vs children, which is partially what makes the series so great.

7 “The Hunchback Of Nowhere/The Gods Must Be Goosey”

Season 1, Episode 8

Whereas most Courage the Cowardly Dog episodes feature some kind of supernatural antagonistic force as a source of anxiety for the easily-scared Courage, “The Hunchback of Nowhere” turns things on its head by having his own cruel owner Eustace becomes the episode’s sole villain – bullying his dog after he befriends a nomadic, deformed hunchback. It's one of the best episodes of Courage the Cowardly Dog, and one of the few instances where Eustace's inherent villainy is actually called out.

In the episode’s second story, “The Gods Must Be Goosey”, a lovestruck goose god takes a liking to Muriel, plotting to steal her away from Eustace – a plan that Courage is forced to put a stop to. Muriel is often overlooked in the show, despite being endearingly sweet and good-natured. Therefore, it's only right that one of the best episodes of Courage the Cowardly Dog should focus on her.

6 “The Mask”

Season 4, Episode 7

Featuring one of the show’s most spine-chilling monsters, “The Mask” is one of only two double-length episodes of Courage the Cowardly Dog. One of the best 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 reason behind the being’s anger.

As it turns out, one of the creature’s friends has been abducted by the evil Mad Dog, and Courage is eventually able to save her – putting an end to the masked being’s hatred of dogs. The episode resulted in one of the show's most iconic and terrifying villains, giving chills to children and adults alike. It's one of several Courage The Cowardly Dog episodes that's genuinely unnerving, regardless of the age of the viewer, to the point that it's genuinely surprising it was ever aired in the first place as part of a children's show.