Despite not being Courage the Cowardly Dog’s titular character, Muriel Bagge is undeniably the beating heart of the show. A kind, soft-spoken Scottish woman, Muriel has a great deal of love for both Courage and her husband, Eustace – but is constantly forced to intervene in Eustace’s attempts to bully and antagonize their pet dog.
Courage pays this kindness back by ensuring his owners don’t perish at the hands of the grotesque monsters that constantly invade Bagge farmhouse. Still, although she appears in almost every single episode of the show, there’s still a great deal you may not know about Muriel Bagge – and here are ten examples.
She’s Voiced by Thea White
Whereas most popular animated shows tend to populate their casts with accomplished voice actors and well-known industry figures, Courage the Cowardly Dog shook things up a little by casting relatively unknown actress Thea White as the show’s beloved matriarch, Muriel Bagge.
To this day, White’s role as Muriel remains her most well-known by far, having no other credits on IMDb either before or after the show’s run aside from a one-off voice role in a show called Pecola. Still, White nails the role, with her marriage to a Scottish musician likely influencing Muriel’s pitch-perfect accent.
She’s an Award-Winning Chef
Despite the fact that one of the show’s running gags is that Muriel uses far too much vinegar in her cooking – thanks to the unwarranted advice of her deceased Aunt Gertrude – Muriel has been the recipient of several culinary awards over the course of the show.
The episode “Journey to the Center of Nowhere” ends with Muriel winning the award for best eggplant, while she’s also won the award for best dog food. In fact, Muriel is such a talented chef that Katz makes it his mission to steal her award-winning toffee apple recipe in the episode “Katz Kandy”.
Her Blood Type is ABXYZ
It’s revealed in the episode “Bad Hair Day” that Muriel’s blood type is actually ‘ABXYZ’, which is considered incredibly rare – due in large part to it being entirely fictional.
Still, this information is enough for Eustace’s mother, Ma Bagge, to abduct Muriel, hoping to perform several tests on her for her company, Growth Industries. While Eustace seems ambivalent towards his mother’s nefarious plans, Courage luckily manages to reach Muriel and save her skin once again.
She Wanted To be an Actress
Muriel displays an affinity for many different kinds of art over the course of Courage the Cowardly Dog, with knitting, sewing, cooking, and music being amongst her wide array of talents.
While we see many of these talents in action during the show’s four-season run however, we don’t get much of a glimpse into her skills as an actress. As it turns out, Muriel has an unfulfilled passion for acting, even starring in H.M.S. Pinafore in her younger years.
She Doesn’t Have the Nicest Family Tree
For as sweet and good-natured as Muriel Bagge is, it seems these personality traits don’t run in the family. In fact, most of Muriel’s family featured throughout the show end up serving as antagonists to some degree.
While the likes of Aunt Gertrude are ultimately harmless, despite being a nuisance to Courage and Eustace, a man claiming to be her Uncle Angus is revealed to be the villain Rumpledkiltskin, who attempts to force Muriel into making 5000 kilts. Most famously however, Muriel’s nephew is the fan-favorite Freaky Fred – a psychotic ex-barber who’s been committed to an insane asylum due to his uncontrollable urge to shave everything in sight.
Her Good Heart Makes Her a Target for Monsters
Though Muriel’s unapologetic kindness is the reason many fans of Courage the Cowardly Dog love her so much, it’s also no coincidence that the character is often the first to fall victim to the show’s creepy cavalcade of villains.
After all, Muriel’s tendency to see the best in otherwise bad people is evident by her marriage to the unpleasant Eustace, and this personality trait extends to the many creatures featured in the show, leading her to trust characters who ultimately plan on harming her.
She Wasn’t Always So Nice
In stark contrast to the elderly Muriel’s typically calm, rational demeanor, Muriel’s younger self is loud, messy, boisterous and mischievous, as is shown in the episode “Little Muriel”, in which she’s turned into a three-year-old by a mysterious tornado.
With Courage forced to take care of her while attempting to reverse the tornado’s effects, young Muriel proves to be incredibly demanding and bratty, making the poor dog’s life a living hell – albeit very briefly.
She Was Voiced by a Man in the Show’s Pilot Episode
Voiced by actress Thea White for the entirety Courage the Cowardly Dog’s beloved four-season run, the show’s decidedly standalone pilot episode “The Chicken from Outer Space” – which funnily enough was nominated for an Oscar for Best Animated Short – is the only exception to this.
In the episode, Muriel – as well as every other character on the show – is brought to life by voice actor and radio personality Howard Hoffman. Still, since Muriel is mostly silent during the episode, it’s not all that noticeable – but remains an interesting fact, nonetheless.
She’s an Accomplished Sitar Player
While Muriel is often seen taking on the kinds of hobbies stereotypically associated with older women – including knitting, cooking, gardening, etc. – one of Muriel’s quirkier talents is her penchant for playing the sitar.
In fact, Muriel’s sitar-playing skills are so great that she’s invited to play at Radio City Music Hall in New York during the episode “Courage in the Big Stinkin’ City”, with her world-class performance garnering rapturous applause from an admiring audience.
Her Life Before the Show Was Extremely Busy
Since both Muriel and Eustace Bagge appear to be retired by the time Courage the Cowardly Dog begins, not much about Muriel’s early life, hobbies or work is really seen in the show, with the character often appearing to be quiet and sedentary most of the time.
With that said, Muriel’s life before the events of the show was arguably even more hectic than her monster-filled twilight years. A talented cheerleader and girl scout in her younger years, Muriel also attended college, worked as a secretary, and presumably assisted Eustace in his duties at Bagge Farmhouse, as well as becoming proficient in sitar and piano-playing, knitting, cooking, acting and gardening somewhere along the way.