C Archives — Page 19 of 43 — The Cartoon Databank

Crazylegs Crane was a dimwitted bird whose troubles stemmed from his own self-inflicted blundering. His lack of common sense was a perpetual source of shame and mortification to his son Crane Jr. The two made their home in a swamp, where Crazylegs spent a good deal of time pursuing a potential meal known as Dragonfly — a fire-breathing dragonfly fond of singing and rhyming. Although Crazylegs and Dragonfly were natural adversaries, on occasion they teamed up as friends.

Crazylegs Crane began as a recurring character in a number of theatrical shorts before gaining his own show. His first appearance came in the 1969 Tijuana Toads short titled “Go For Croak”. He made a guest appearance in five additional Tijuana Toads shorts, as well as three Blue Racer and one The Dogfather theatrical shorts. Crazylegs finally got his own series in 1978, airing on television as a segment on The All-New Pink Panther Show. DePatie-Freleng Enterprises produced a total of sixteen Crazylegs Crane episodes.

Courage may have been labeled a coward, but the panicked pooch had reason to be scared! Living with the elderly couple Eustace and Muriel Bagge, on an isolated farm in the middle of Nowhere Kansas, Courage routinely found himself defending his owners from paranormal elements that threatened their simple existence. With stories similar in tone to those of 1950’s B-movie horror flicks, the desolate location provided the perfect backdrop for all manner of creepy encounters.

Inevitably, it fell on the shoulders of Courage to recognize whatever new danger loomed, while his owners remained mostly unaware of their peril. Loyal to the last, Courage desperately strove to make his masters aware of their danger and to keep them from harm — all the while in a near panic!

While Courage was loyal to both of his masters, it was the motherly and affectionate Muriel whom he adored. Muriel’s cranky husband Eustace, on the other hand, was a self-centered sourpuss with a temper, who considered Courage nothing more than a “stupid dog!”, of which he reminded the canine often.

Courage may forever be underappreciated, stuck as he is with the epithet of “coward,” but overcoming four season’s worth of supernatural adversaries must surely earn him a little respect.