the Great Fusilli
The Great Fusilli is the main antagonist of the eponyous episode. He is a human-sized crocodile or alligator with a thick Italian accent that owns a traveling theatre in search of potential stars to join his troupe, luring them in with the prospects of fame and fortune. However, he does so by literally turning his "stars" into his own personal marionettes that can only act on their own will when he or someone else controls them.
History[]
At the Bagg's farm, Courage , Muriel, and Eustace are curious when the Great Fusilli arrives in his traveling theatre and offers to perform for them. Although Muriel is thrilled, Courage is wary of the strager, while Eustace is unimpressed since he feels his TV is enough entertainment for him. He is even more skeptical when he points out that he doesn't see any actors. The Great Fusilli however states that they all have the opportunity to become actors themselves with a chance at fame. Although Muriel is unsure she is capable, Fusilli convinces her to give a small act, giving her a simple script to recite. When she does so, she is met not only with Fusilli's applause, but with addittional cheers that seem to be coming from nowhere. When Fusilli states that the audience loves her, she askes where the audience is, to which he merely replies that "the audience isalways here." Muriel then puts on her own juggling act, inadvertantly invloving Eustace, which convinces him that both of them are star material and will become famous and rich, finally catching Eustace's attention, and offers to let them join his troupe to travel the world. Courage is horrified, because he believes Fusilli is trying to take Eustass and Muriel away from him. While Fusilli leads Muriel and Eustace to his dressing room, Courage tries to disuade them from acting, but this only causes Eustace to boot him out of the room. With nothing else to do, Courage decides to put on his own little dancing number on stage, which once again impresses Fusilli, and convinces Courage to go along with him. Fusilli hints that everyone who has acted on this stage ultimately never leaved him. He then gathers Courage, Muriel, and Eustace together to perform a show together, which once again is met with cheers from the "audience", but due to being pied during the act, Courage blindly leaves the set to clean up, and stumbles onto a closet where a large number of human-sized puppets are hung up, alarming Courage, which turns to panic when he sees three vacant hooks with his, Muriel's, and Eustace's names on them, and realizes Fusilli's foul intentions. While Courage hurries back to the stage, Fusilli is already at work, and uses magic strings from the Comedy and Tragedy masks from the ceiling of his theatre to turn Muriel and Eustace in puppets. When Courage tries to take Muriel away, Fusilli attempts to eliminate Courage for trying to ruin his act, but Courage manages to avoid him by hiding in the powder jar in the dressing room, covering himself completely in white powder while doing so. Fusillie then proceeds to play with his two newest marionettes, until Courage confronts him, still covered in white powder. Fusilli mistakes Courage for a phantom, and in a panic dives off the balcony onto the stage below with a rough landing, while Courage retrieves the puppet Muriel and Eustace and flees, leaving Fusilli alone on the stage. Caught up in the spotlight, he impulsively acts out the same lines he gave Muriel at the beginning, unwittingly falling into his own trap, and is himself turned into a puppet, but despite this, he still retains his will and control. He is not seen again after this, but it is presumed that he either reversed his transformation like Muriel and Eustace did in the following episodes, or has graciously and willingly chosen to remain a living puppet as the lead star of his own theatre, and is once again traveling the world.