Courageous Cat and Minute Mouse facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Courageous Cat and Minute Mouse |
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A&E's DVD release of Courageous Cat & Minute Mouse
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| Created by | Bob Kane |
| Directed by | Marvin Woodward Reuben Timmins Sid Marcus Amby Paliwoda |
| Voices of | Dallas McKennon Roy Halee Dayton Allen |
| Country of origin | United States |
| No. of episodes | 130 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Sam Singer |
| Running time | 5 minutes |
| Production company(s) | Trans-Artists Productions |
| Release | |
| Original network | Syndication |
| Original release | September 14, 1960 – November 30, 1962 |
Courageous Cat and Minute Mouse is a fun children's cartoon from 1960. It was made by Trans-Artists Productions. The show was created by Bob Kane, who also created the famous characters Batman and Robin.
This cartoon was a playful take on superhero stories. It even had some funny, over-the-top parts. These parts were similar to the later live-action Batman TV show.
Contents
What's the Story?
In the cartoon, Courageous Cat and Minute Mouse are animal superheroes. They act like humans, but they don't have secret identities. Everyone just knows them as "Courageous" and "Minute."
They live in a secret place called the Cat Cave. When trouble strikes in Empire City, a special Cat Signal calls them to action. They jump into their cool red Cat Mobile. This car can change into a Cat Plane or even a Cat Boat! They use it to stop bad guys.
Their main enemy is a villain named Chauncey "Flat-Face" Frog. He appeared in almost every episode.
Each cartoon was only five minutes long. This made them perfect for filling short gaps on TV. They were also shown during local children's TV shows. The very first episode aired on September 14, 1960.
Meet the Characters
Heroes
- Courageous Cat – He is the main hero who protects Empire City. Courageous Cat has a special Cat Gun. He also has many "trick guns" hidden in his cape. These guns can shoot ropes, water, parachutes, or even boxing gloves! He also has secret gadgets in his belt and on his chest.
- Minute Mouse – He is Courageous Cat's loyal sidekick.
Friends and Helpers
- The Chief – This dog is the police chief. He calls Courageous Cat and Minute Mouse when there's a crime.
- Marilyn Mouse – She is Minute Mouse's girlfriend. She is a movie star.
- Sassy Bones – A blonde mouse who sings at a nightclub called The Pad.
- Periscope Pete – He is a living periscope with a bush for a body.
Villains
- Chauncey "Flat-Face" Frog – The main bad guy. He laughs a lot and smokes cigars. He wears a derby hat. His voice sounds like a famous old-time actor.
- Harry Gorilla – Chauncey's big, not-so-smart helper.
- Professor Shaggy Dog – A mad scientist. He has wild white hair, like a famous scientist.
- Big Shot and Little Shot – These are two tough gangsters. Big Shot is a strong bulldog, and Little Shot is his short helper. They are rivals to Chauncey Frog.
- The Black Cat – A sneaky thief. He is a "cat burglar" who acts very fancy.
- Rodney Rodent – A rat artist from France who turned to crime.
- Shoo Shoo Fly – A very tiny insect. Don't let its size fool you, it has a huge appetite!
- Robber Rabbit – A rabbit thug with a rough voice. He wears a black turtleneck.
- Foxy the Fox – A very stylish fox thief. He wears a top hat and a tuxedo.
- The Great Hambone – An actor who loves himself. He is a master of disguises.
- Iron Shark – A submarine shaped like a fish.
- Professor Von Noodle Stroudel/Strudel – A German scientist. He isn't really evil, but he doesn't notice how his experiments affect others.
- Comrade and Commissar – These are foreign dog spies. They speak with Russian accents. Courageous and Minute could never catch them because they had "diplomatic immunity."
- The Unmentionables and The Unthinkables – These are rival gangs. Chauncey Frog leads one, and Big Shot leads the other. Their names are a funny reference to another old TV show.
- Outrageous Cat – Courageous Cat's cousin from the Wild West. He talks like a famous cartoon character.
- "Screwy Squirrel." A squirrel who is usually Robber Rabbit's sidekick.
Who Did the Voices?
- Dallas McKennon voiced Courageous Cat and Minute Mouse.
- Roy Halee
- Dayton Allen
Many people thought Bob McFadden did the voices for the main characters. But he said he didn't. It is more likely that Dal McKennon was the voice actor.
Episodes
The show had 130 episodes in total! Here are a few examples:
| No. | Title | Original air date | |
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| 1 | "Disguise the Limit" | September 14, 1960 | |
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The Frog pretends to be Courageous Cat. He tries to frame Courageous for a crime he didn't do.
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| 3 | "The Case of the Cousin Outrageous" | September 28, 1960 | |
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Courageous Cat has to deal with his wild cousin, Outrageous Cat.
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| 6 | "The Case of the Backward Clock" | October 19, 1960 | |
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Professor Shaggy Dog tries to make all the clocks run backward.
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| 18 | "The Case of the Carnival Capers" | February 1, 1961 | |
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Robber Rabbit and Screwy cheat Minute Mouse. They also pickpocket Courageous.
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| 21 | "The Case of the Counterfeiters" | February 22, 1961 | |
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The Frog makes fake money. His fake money is even better than the real thing!
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| 39 | "The Case of the Gun Mix-up" | 1961 | |
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Minute Mouse tries to use Courageous's trick guns. But he keeps using the wrong gun for the job.
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| 46 | "The Case of the King-Size Caper" | 1961 | |
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Professor Shaggy Dog turns Courageous and Minute into giants.
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| 59 | "The Case of the Movie Rays" | 1961 | |
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Professor Shaggy Dog uses movie projectors to create fake images. This causes panic so the Frog can rob banks.
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| 83 | "The Case of the Tin Can Caper" | 1962 | |
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The Frog uses his crazy science to turn valuable things into tin cans.
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Music
The show's theme song is very catchy. It was created by Johnny Holiday. The song has a cool bass line, like the theme for another show called Peter Gunn.
Some famous bands have even played the Courageous Cat Theme in concert. The band New York Dolls included their version on their album Rock'n Roll in 1994.
The theme music was also used in a 1959 episode of the detective show Tightrope!. Later, parts of the song were used in rap songs by Jay-Z (in 1986) and LL Cool J (in 1987). It was also sampled by Soul Coughing in 1994.
In 2019, a band called The Gavoons covered the theme song. It was on an album of TV theme covers.
Cool Stuff to Buy
In 1960, a record company released a 12-inch vinyl record. It was called COURAGEOUS CAT in the story of “Around the World in a Daze”. It featured the voices of Dal McKennon and Johnny Holiday. You can even listen to it online!
Other items you could buy in the early 1960s included puzzles, coloring books, and even a Courageous Cat Halloween costume!
Where Else Did They Appear?
Reruns of Courageous Cat and Minute Mouse were shown on Nickelodeon's Weinerville in the 1990s. They were shown alongside other old cartoons like Batfink.
In Germany and Austria, the show was called Mirakulus und Supermaus. It was part of a German children's TV show called Bim Bam Bino. Some episodes were also released on VHS and DVD there.
Movie Version?
In 2012, there was talk about making a live-action and computer-animated movie based on Courageous Cat. However, the movie was never made. It seems it is no longer being planned.
Where to Watch Now
You can watch all the episodes of Courageous Cat and Minute Mouse on Amazon Prime in the US. Many episodes are also available to stream on PROClassicTV.
