If you grew up in the late nineties, chances are you’ve got at least one core memory of sitting in a dark living room while a pink dog screamed his lungs out on a glowing CRT television. It was weird. It was surreal. Honestly, it was kinda terrifying for a "kids' show." But while we all know the creator John R. Dilworth, there’s a name that doesn’t get shouted from the rooftops nearly enough: David Steven Cohen.
David wasn't just some guy in the credits. He was the head writer. Basically, if an episode of Courage the Cowardly Dog made you question reality or gave you nightmares about CGI Ramses demanding his slab, David probably had his hands all over the script. Sadly, the animation community lost him in March 2025. He was 66 (though early reports mistakenly said 58), and he left behind a legacy that shaped the childhood "trauma"—the good kind—of an entire generation.
Who was the man behind the Nowhere madness?
David Steven Cohen didn't start with pink dogs. His career was a wild ride through eighties and nineties pop culture. Think ALF. Think Pee-wee’s Playhouse. He even worked on Living Single with Queen Latifah. The guy had range.
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But animation was where he really dug in. He co-wrote the screenplay for Balto, that 1995 movie about the wolf-dog that basically everyone our age cried to at least once. When he joined the Courage team in season one, he wasn't the boss yet. He started as a writer, but his voice was so distinct—so perfectly tuned to the "creepy but heartfelt" vibe—that he eventually became the head writer for the bulk of the series.
He wrote or oversaw nearly half the episodes. That’s a massive chunk of the show's DNA.
The "David Cohen" episodes that still haunt us
When people talk about why Courage was different, they usually point to the atmosphere. It wasn’t just slapstick. It was psychological. David understood that kids actually like being a little bit scared. It makes the world feel bigger and more mysterious.
He had a knack for taking something mundane—like a vacation or a haircut—and twisting it into something fever-dreamish. You’ve probably seen the interview where he talks about the writing process. He didn't want to make a "homogeneous" show. He wanted the writers' individual weirdness to bleed through the screen.
- Klub Katz: Remember the creepy cat on the island who turned people into objects? That was Cohen.
- The Sand Whale Strikes: Pure surrealism.
- 1000 Years of Courage: A look into a bizarre future that felt way too bleak for a Saturday morning.
- Last of the Starmakers: This one actually hurt. It was beautiful and tragic, showing that the show had a soul beneath all the screaming.
He worked on the "More Macaroni" skit, too. You know the one. Eustace being Eustace. "Too much cheese!" It’s a meme now, but back then, it was just another example of the show's perfect comedic timing.
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Why his writing style actually worked for kids
Most children's programming is safe. It’s colorful, loud, and predictable. Courage was the opposite. It was desaturated, quiet, and deeply unpredictable. David Steven Cohen was a huge part of why the show never talked down to its audience.
He didn't shy away from themes of abandonment, aging, or the literal existential dread of living in the middle of "Nowhere." The farmhouse wasn't just a house; it was a fortress against the unknown. And Courage? He was the most relatable hero ever because he was terrified. He wasn't some brave warrior. He was a shaking mess who did the right thing anyway. Cohen’s scripts leaned into that humanity.
Honestly, the show was a gateway drug for horror fans. Ask any modern horror director in their thirties what they watched as a kid. Nine times out of ten, Courage is on that list.
Beyond the farmhouse: A massive career
While Courage is the heavy hitter, David’s reach was huge. He was nominated for two Primetime Emmys for The Wubbulous World of Dr. Seuss. He won a WGA Award for an episode of that same show called “The Song of the Zubble-Wump.” He even wrote for Arthur and Peg+Cat, proving he could do "sweet and educational" just as well as "disturbing and surreal."
He was a composer too. A producer. A friend to the animation community. When Jerry Beck, the famous animation historian, broke the news of David's passing on Facebook, the outpouring of love was immediate. People didn't just remember his shows; they remembered him as a "true friend to all."
What we get wrong about Courage the Cowardly Dog
There’s this weird misconception that the show was just "weird for the sake of being weird." People think it was a fluke. It wasn't. It was calculated.
David and John R. Dilworth were students of film. They pulled from German Expressionism, silent films, and classic horror. When you see a weird camera angle or a jump-cut to a hyper-realistic close-up of a tooth, that’s not an accident. That’s high-level storytelling. David’s job as head writer was to make sure those visuals had a narrative backbone. Without the writing, it’s just a series of scary images. With David’s scripts, it was a story about loyalty and the things we do for the people (and elderly Scottish ladies) we love.
The legacy of Nowhere
So, why does David Steven Cohen matter now? Because we're in an era of reboots and nostalgia bait. But nothing feels like Courage. Nothing.
We recently got that Scooby-Doo crossover, Straight Outta Nowhere, but even that felt like it was chasing the ghost of what David and the original crew built. His death marks the end of an era of truly experimental cable animation. He showed us that you could be "scared but courageous." That’s a lesson that sticks with you way longer than any "don't talk to strangers" PSA.
How to honor David's work today
If you want to actually appreciate what this man did, don't just scroll through TikTok clips. Do this instead:
- Re-watch "The Last of the Starmakers": It’s peak Cohen. It balances the "weird" with genuine emotional weight that most adult dramas can't hit.
- Look up his interviews: There’s a great one on the Second Rate Film School YouTube channel where he talks for an hour about the "Freaky Fred" episode and the grind of writing for Cartoon Network.
- Share the credits: Next time you see a clip of Nowhere, Kansas, remember the guy who wrote the words.
David Steven Cohen wasn't just a writer for a cartoon. He was an architect of our childhood imaginations. He taught us that the world is a scary place, but if you've got a computer that talks back to you and a lady who makes great vinegar-based snacks, you might just be okay.
Rest in peace, David. Thanks for the nightmares.
Next Steps for Fans: You can find almost the entire run of Courage the Cowardly Dog on Max (formerly HBO Max) or for purchase on platforms like Amazon. If you're interested in the deeper history of the show, check out John R. Dilworth's "Stretch Films" archives for behind-the-scenes sketches that David likely used to build his scripts.