Courageous Cat and Minute Mouse is a children's cartoon television show that was produced by Trans-Artists Productions and syndicated by Tele Features Inc. in 1960. The characters were created by Bob Kane as a parody of his earlier works, Batman and Robin, and in many ways, predict the more "campy" aspects of the later live action series, which William Dozier and Howie Horwitz produced as a villain-driven action-comedy lampoon. This series and characters came to be trademarked and copyrighted by Telefeatures, LLC, owners of the copyright as of the middle of May 2016.
In the animated series, the pair are anthropomorphic animal superheroes without known secret identities (the green-eyed caped crimefighter and his squeaky-voiced companion are usually addressed as simply "Courageous" and "Minute") who live in the Cat Cave and, when summoned via the Cat Signal over their television set, race to the scene of the crime in their sleekly feline red Cat Mobile which can convert into both the extendable-winged Cat Plane and submersible Cat Boat and thwart the criminal plots of various villains who threaten Empire City.
Though they fought many miscreants, the duo's recurring arch-enemy, who appeared in nearly every episode, was known as Chauncey "Flat-Face" Frog.
The five-minute length of the cartoons made the series suitable for use as interstitials or airtime fillers, especially to accommodate a movie or show that ended at an unusually early time, as well as animated content for local children's shows.
Heroes and protagonists
Courageous Cat – The protector of Empire City. Whenever fighting bad guys, Courageous Cat would use his all-purpose Cat Gun or a vast variety of different deus ex machina "trick guns" he pulls out of his cape that (like the Green Arrow's trick arrows) fire whatever the situation requires like a rope, some water, a parachute, cages, boxing gloves, lightning-like magnetic rays, or even more bizarre ammunition, and even the occasional actual bullet. (In case of emergency, Courageous also has extra pre-James Bond secret gadgets hidden in his belt buckle and the star emblem on his chest.)
Minute Mouse – Courageous Cat's rodent sidekick.
The Chief – A canine chief of police who calls in the "furry foes of felony" via the Cat Signal.
Marilyn Mouse – Minute Mouse's movie star girlfriend.
Sassy Bones – A blond mouse who is a chanteuse at nightclub called The Pad, with whom Rodney Rodent is enamored.
Periscope Pete – A living, breathing periscope with a bush for a body.
Villains
Chauncey "Flat-Face" Frog – Chauncey is a chortling, cigar-smoking, derby-hatted criminal mastermind whose voice was based on Edward G. Robinson.
Harry Gorilla – Chauncey "Flat-Face" Frog's hulking, half-witted henchman.
Professor Shaggy Dog – A mad scientist with an Einsteinian mop of white hair who is tall, thin and bewhiskered in some episodes and short and bespectacled in others.
Big Shot and Little Shot – A burly bulldog (talks like James Cagney in some episodes) and his short sidekick are a generic gruff gangster who are Chauncey "Flat-Face" Frog's rivals in crime.
The Black Cat – A sinister thief. He is a "cat burglar" who is a caricature of Cary Grant.
Rodney Rodent – A French-accented rat artist gone bad.
Shoo Shoo Fly – A tiny insect whose small size belies its enormous appetite, its name is a reference to Shoofly pie and the tsetse fly.
Robber Rabbit – A gravel-voiced thug in a black turtleneck.
Foxy the Fox – A debonair thief in top hat and tuxedo.
The Great Hambone – An egotistical canine actor and master of disguise.
Professor Von Noodle Stroudel/Strudel – A German-accented scientist who is not so much a villain as unconcerned about the effects of his experiments on the world around him.
Comrade and Commissar – Russian-accented, trench coat-clad foreign dogspies whom Courageous and Minute were never able to apprehend due to their "diplomatic immunity" – true Cold War villains.
The Unmentionables and The Unthinkables – Rival gangs headed by Chauncey "Flat-Face" Frog and Big Shot. Their names are a parody of The Untouchables.
Outrageous Cat – Courageous Cat's Wild West outlaw-style cousin who talks like Yosemite Sam.
Episodes
"Disguise the Limit" – The Frog masquerades as Courageous in order to frame his greatest enemy for a crime Courageous had never committed.
"Monster from Outer Space"
"The Case of the Cousin Outrageous"
"The Case of the Abandoned Movie Sets" – The Frog and Harry use abandoned movie sets for a hideout.
“The Case of the Auto Tycoons"
“The Case of the Backward Clock" – ProfessorShaggy Dog tries to run all the clocks backwards.
“The Case of the Bank Robbery"
“The Case of the Big Ball Game"
“The Case of the Big Movie Star"
“The Case of the Big Party"
“The Case of the Big Pipe Line"
“The Case of the Big Race"
“The Case of the Big Squeeze"
“The Case of the Big Trail"
“The Case of the Blinking Planet"
“The Case of the Boxing Champ"
“The Case of the Carnival Capers” - Robber Rabbit and Screwy cheat Minute Mouse out of his winnings and pickpocket Courageous, leading to a mad chase.
“The Case of the Cat Cave Treasure"
“The Case of the Construction Caper"
“The Case of the Counterfeiters" – The Frog creates counterfeit cash that has more content than the real thing.
“The Case of the Creatures From Down Under"
“The Case of the Crime Kits"
“The Case of Crime and Punishment" – The Frog recounts his life story on how he always gets back in jail after he gets out.
“The Case of the Crime Lab"
“The Case of the Diamond Smugglers"
“The Case of the Draggy Dragster"
“The Case of the Embassy Stake Out"
“The Case of the Fabulous Diamond"
“The Case of the Flying Eye"
“The Case of the Flying Saucer"
“The Case of the Fortune Teller"
“The Case of the Frogmen"
“The Case of the Fugitive at Large"
“The Case of the Gasoline War"
“The Case of the Golden Statue"
“The Case of the Great Circus Mystery"
“The Case of the Gun Mixup" – Minute tries his hand at using Courageous's trick guns, but he consistently uses the wrong gun for the wrong job.
“The Case of the Stolen Cheese” - Robber Rabbit decides to steal imported cheese, but he fails to count on Minute's strong sense of smell.
“The Case of the Stolen Pyramid”
“The Case of the Thinking Cap”
“The Case of the Tin Can Caper” - The Frog uses his mad science to transform valuables into tin cans.
“The Case of the Trampoline Performers”
“The Case of the TV Director”
“The Case of the TV Mystery”
“The Case of the Undercover Agents”
“The Case of the Unmentionables”
“The Case of the Unthinkables” - The Frog leads a gang of thugs that set out to steal an armored car with the cash in it.
“The Case of the Visiting Patient”
“The Case of the Waterfront Caper”
“The Return of the Shoo Shoo Fly"
Home video releases
A&E Home Video released all 130 five-minute-long episodes on DVD in Region 1 on October 29, 2002.
Music
The memorable theme music by Johnny Holiday features a walking bass line and is fashioned after the theme for Peter Gunn. It has most notably been performed in concert by the New York Dolls.
Later appearances
Reruns of Courageous Cat and Minute Mouse were shown on Nickelodeon's Weinerville in the 1990s along with reruns of Batfink and both segments of The Alvin Show.
