Did New Mexico Inspire The Creation of This Hit Cartoon Network Show?

WARNING: Under no circumstances should you enter this property. By doing so you risk bodily harm and/or prosecution for trespassing on private property.

New Mexico's history is full of mystery but perhaps one of the biggest mysteries that's online now is whether or not the state was responsible for the creation of a hit Cartoon Network show.

Growing up I loved watching cartoons. Didn't matter if it was Cartoon Network, Nickelodeon or Disney. If you're a fan of old Cartoon Network shows, you probably remember the show with the cowardly purple dog, fittingly called...

If you've seen Courage, you know there's been some creepy stuff & topics shown throughout the show. But that's why we loved it.

Which New Mexico house inspired Courage the Cowardly Dog?

Twitter is not the only place where this has come up. You can find this conversation on Reddit, on Facebook,  and on YouTube.

The story behind the house has a dark history: it was the house that Margaret & William Patterson lived in back in 1957. The couple mysteriously disappeared in 1964. To this day, there have been people who reported hearing ghostly voices within the house. However THIS house was actually in El Paso, NOT Truth or Consequences.

The other big story that fueled this theory was the story of David Parker Ray, aka The Toy Box Killer, who's become an infamous name within the state of New Mexico. Especially around the areas of Truth or Consequences & Elephant Butte.

But we still haven't fully answered the question on whether or not the creator of Courage the Cowardly, John R Dilworth, was inspired by a house in New Mexico. So... was he?

Well according to a Forever Geek article written by Jo Craig, there's no evidence that John drove out to New Mexico & was inspired by one of the abandoned houses there. We was certainly inspired by horror & sci-fi movies; but New Mexico? We don't know really know. As of now, John has not given any details on whether or not the Patterson story was the inspiration behind Courage the Cowardly Dog. Or whether he even traveled to New Mexico for ideas on the show.

There might come a day where the John will come out & say that New Mexico WAS the inspiration for the house in Courage the Cowardly Dog. But for now... it remains a mystery.

EDIT: This story was originally published on September 22, 2022

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