This is a list of characters from the Cartoon Network animated series, Courage the Cowardly Dog.
Main characters
Courage
Voiced by Howard Hoffman (pilot) and Marty Grabstein (series; "The Fog of Courage"; Straight Outta Nowhere: Scooby-Doo! Meets Courage the Cowardly Dog)
Courage is the title character and protagonist of the series. An overly frightened pink beagle who lives in Nowhere, Kansas. Courage was abandoned as a puppy after his parents were sent into outer space, but was adopted by Muriel Bagge. Her husband Eustace regularly mistreats him. Ironically, given his name, Courage is a genuine coward and he often expresses his distress with over-the-top, piercing shrieks. Regardless, he still goes to great lengths to protect his owners. To the end, he often gets injured, sometimes quite brutally, and only surviving through his determination and/or pure luck. Despite his cowardice, Courage is very clever and resourceful when the situation demands it, outsmarting the villains most of the time. He also often displays super strength, carrying Muriel and Eustace with relative ease. Aiding him at saving the day is a self-aware, sarcastic and seemingly omniscient computer that he keeps in the attic. He got his name when Muriel found him as a puppy alone in an alley and remarked that he must be quite brave to be there by himself.
Muriel Bagge
Voiced by Howard Hoffman (pilot) and Thea White (series; "The Fog of Courage"; Straight Outta Nowhere: Scooby-Doo! Meets Courage the Cowardly Dog).
Muriel Bagge is Courage's owner and Eustace's wife. She is a plump, kind, hard-working Scottish woman who took Courage in when he was an abandoned puppy. Muriel often carries a rolling pin that she hits Eustace with whenever he harasses Courage. She also likes tea and usually tends to her garden, as well as being an accomplished sitar player. Muriel also has a great fondness for cooking; however, her recipes tend to include an excessive amount of vinegar, much to the distaste of both her dog and husband. Most of all, she loves sitting in her rocking chair with Courage on her lap and watching television. Due to her kindness and sweet nature, Muriel is an easy (and often attractive) target for villains. The crossover movie Straight Outta Nowhere: Scooby-Doo! Meets Courage the Cowardly Dog was White’s final role before she died of liver cancer in 2021.
Eustace Bagge
Voiced by Howard Hoffman (pilot), Lionel Wilson (Episodes 1–33), Arthur Anderson (Episodes 34–52), Wallace Shawn ("The Fog of Courage"), and Jeff Bergman (Straight Outta Nowhere: Scooby-Doo! Meets Courage the Cowardly Dog)
Eustace Bagge is Muriel's husband. He is an elderly, skinny, greedy, cynical, and sarcastic American man who is obsessed with his vintage truck. Eustace wears glasses identical in appearance to Muriel's. His brown hat shields his glistening bald head. Eustace is the current owner of the farmhouse, which was previously owned by his now-deceased brother Horst. Eustace regularly yells at Courage and calls him a "Stupid dog!" He regularly dismisses Muriel as well, but he still does love his wife, as evidenced by his concern for her well-being in a few episodes, like "Demon in the Matteress".
Lionel Wilson originally voiced the character, but left midway through the third season due to illness (and eventually died five months after the show ended) and was replaced by Arthur Anderson. However, some vocals and sounds of grunts, laughs, screams and catchphrases from Wilson have been used while Anderson was recording. In the 2014 short titled The Fog of Courage, Wallace Shawn replaced Anderson as the voice of Eustace. In the crossover special with Scooby-Doo, Straight Outta Nowhere: Scooby-Doo! Meets Courage the Cowardly Dog, veteran voice actor Jeff Bergman plays Eustace.
Supporting characters
Courage's Computer
Voiced by Simon Prebble (series), Paul Schoeffler ("The Fog of Courage") and Jeff Bergman (Straight Outta Nowhere: Scooby-Doo! Meets Courage the Cowardly Dog)
Courage's computer that speaks with an English accent and gives him advice on how to deal with crazy situations. He is very cynical and sarcastic towards Courage and has a habit of regularly cracking jokes in any situation.