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NAME: Scoobert
NICKNAMES: Scooby-Doo, Scooby
ADDRESS: The doghouse behind Shaggy’s house
SEX: Male
AGE: 7 (in dog years)
HAIR: Brown with black spots
HEIGHT: 12 paws high
WEIGHT: 70 pounds
EYES: Black
DRESS: Blue collar with gold diamond - shaped tag stencilled with the initials ‘SD’
FAVOURITE PHRASES: ‘Scooby-Dooby-Doo!’, ‘Scooby snack?’, ‘Relp!’
OCCUPATION: Man’s best friend (Daphne and Velma’s too)
CHILDREN: None
RELATIVES: Scooby-Dum, Scooby-Dee, Yabba-Doo, Dooby-Dooby, Dixie-Doo, Mommy-Doo, Daddy-Doo, Rooby, Howdy and Skilly
LIKES: Scooby Snacks, pizza, ice cream and assorted junk food
DISLIKES: Anything that goes bump in the night, including assorted witches, ghouls, goblins, demons, ghosts and monsters
A huge, lumbering Great Dane, Scooby-Doo typically cowers with fright as the mascot of Mystery, Inc. Loveable but cowardly, Scooby must be coaxed into scary situations with the promise of a Scooby Snack - usually delivered by brainy pal Velma.
Though afraid of monsters, ghouls, witches, ghosts - and his own shadow - Scooby fortunately overcomes his fright and helps his friends in solving cases, often performing his way out of thrilling encounters. Once entrenched in a mystery, Scooby employs his acting skills with comic flair, as the teenagers sometimes disguise him in human-like costumes to aid their investigations.
Closest to Shaggy in the throng of teens surrounding him, Scooby and the beatnik consume mass quantities of food, ranging from mango milkshakes to pepperoni pizzas. Their insatiable appetites help fuel them for an endless string of classic chase scenes with a soon-to-be-unmasked villain.
NAME: Norville Rogers
NICKNAMES: Shaggy
ADDRESS: 224 Maple Street, Coolsville
SEX: Male
AGE: 17
HAIR: Brown
HEIGHT: 6’ 0”
WEIGHT: 160 pounds
EYES: Black
DRESS: Olive V-neck T-shirt, brown jeans and black shoes
FAVOURITE PHRASES: ‘Scooby-Doo, where are you? ‘here we go again!’, ‘Like wow!’, ‘Zoinks!’
OCCUPATION: Beatnik teenager
MARITAL STATUS Single
LIKES: Food - lots of it - and particularly pizza
DISLIKES: Ghosts, monsters and the general domain of scary stuff
Shaggy’s furry mane gives him his nickname. A lanky, clowning dimwit, Shaggy and his sloppy appearance could have been a forerunner of the 90s grunge look. He also could be called the human version of Scooby since this gangly teen quivers at the sound of his own squeaking shoes. Perpetually hungry, he would rather dive into a feast than a new case. He carries a soupspoon in his rear pocket as a symbol of his continuing appetite for food and often finds himself competing with Scooby for any available cuisine.
Although Shaggy never wants to be a part of solving mysteries, he always musters up his courage and does his part in accompanying his friends on every investigation.
As an amateur ventriloquist, Shaggy can sometimes give unsuspecting villains the notion that Scooby speaks. This trick causes even more confusion to reign as Mystery, Inc. - in their gaggle of adventures - encounter an assortment of scoundrels bewildered by Shaggy’s ploys.
NAME: Fred Jones
ADDRESS: 123 Tuna Lane, Coolsville
SEX: Male
AGE: 16
HAIR: Blonde
HEIGHT: 5’ 11”
WEIGHT: 185 pounds
EYES: Dark
DRESS: White sweater, red scarf, blue trousers, brown monkstrap shoes
FAVOURITE PHRASES: ‘Let’s split up gang’, ‘I guess that wraps up another mystery’, ‘Here’s our plan’
OCCUPATION: Leader of the pack
MARITAL STATUS: Single
LIKES: Inventing gadgets, piecing together a mystery before it is solved
DISLIKES: Getting tricked by a villain
WHEN HE GROWS UP: Becomes a mystery writer
The 16-year-old leader of Mystery, Inc. Fred uses his instincts and insatiable curiosity to lead his fellow detectives into strange places they would ordinarily never enter under any circumstances.
His all-American good looks and football player-like agility make Fred the group member most likely to succeed as the person in charge. In addition to his superior sleuthing, Fred ranks as an amateur inventor. Initially in the series, his zany creations helped diffuse Mystery, Inc.’s adversaries. Even without inventions, Fred pieces together the solution to the case with common sense and clear-headed thinking. He and Velma usually put their clues together to determine the culprit.
Before each case’s conclusion, Fred, with his catchphrase ‘Let’s split up gang,’ doles out duties which often pair him searching for information with Daphne, and team Velma with Shaggy and Scooby. Presiding over the activities and mayhem also allows Fred to surmise ‘Well, I guess that wraps up another mystery,’ at the end of each show.
NAME: Velma Dinkley
ADDRESS: 316 Circle Drive, Coolsville
SEX: Female
AGE: 16
HAIR: Dark Brown
HEIGHT: 4’ 9”
WEIGHT: 110 pounds
EYES: Dark
DRESS: Orange cowl-neck sweater, red skirt, Clark Kent style frames
FAVOURITE PHRASES: ‘Jinkies!’,’ What would you do for a Scooby Snack?’, ‘I think we’ve got our mystery solved’
OCCUPATION: Super bright teenage detective
MARITAL STATUS: Single
LIKES: A good intellectual challenge, reviewing the clues of a mystery after a case is solved, science class
DISLIKES: Recognising a clue later than when it first appeared
WHEN SHE GROWS UP: Becomes a research scientist for NASA
The youngest member of the group, Velma projects a plain, tomboy-type presence - complete with spectacles, freckles, and cropped hair - which belies the sophisticated infrastructure of her mind.
Velma’s brain functions similarly to a computer, programmed to provide scientific and logical solutions to complex mysteries. No matter what perplexing clues the villain leaves behind, Velma deduces their significance.
However, despite her reputation as the smartest girl in high school and her consistently correct, clever analyses, Velma rarely gets taken seriously. Her perky, inquisitive demeanour always has her doggedly pursuing the details of the next mystery.
NAME: Daphne Blake
ADDRESS: 900 Easy Street, Coolsville
SEX: Female
AGE: 16
HAIR: Red
HEIGHT: 5’ 7”
WEIGHT: 125 pounds
EYES: Dark
DRESS: Aubergine coloured dress with pink stripes at the waist and hemline, light purple headband, violet pumps with bows
FAVOURITE PHRASES: ‘I don’t see anything to be afraid of, ’Ohhh, Scooby’
OCCUPATION: Beautiful teenager
MARITAL STATUS: Single, but may be betrothed to Fred
LIKES: A good mystery, the spoils of wealth - like the groovy Mystery Machine, and keeping coifed
DISLIKES: Abandoning a case, the fact that - in each case - she inevitably becomes trouble’s target
WHEN SHE GROWS UP: Writes for a detective magazine
A 16-year-old teen beauty, Daphne shines with a resilient spirit. Though confined to the same purple and pink outfit, Daphne still manages to radiate a fashionable image.
Like Fred she is eager to venture into the unknown, especially as she hopes to become a mystery writer. Whenever Fred’s enthusiasm languishes, her urgings for resolution rekindle the team leader’s interests. Her father’s wealth allows Mystery, Inc. the privilege of using such equipment as the Mystery Machine, boats and wireless radios, among other devices.
Daphne’s single drawback lies in her danger-prone nature. She is truly trouble’s target. When confronted with the choice of opening three doors, she will undoubtedly open the one with a crocodile, monster or phantom lurking behind it.
NAME: Scrappy-Doo
NICKNAME: Scrappy
ADDRESS: Scooby’s place
SEX: Male
AGE: 5 (in dog years)
HAIR: Brown
HEIGHT: 3 feet
WEIGHT: 40 pounds
EYES: Black
DRESS: Blue collar with a blue tag
FAVOURITE PHRASES: ‘Puppy Power!’, ‘Charge’
OCCUPATION: Puppy
MARITAL STATUS: Single
LIKES: Making a hero out of his Uncle Scooby
DISLIKES: Losing, getting into trouble
A bundle of energy badly in need of an outlet, Scrappy-Doo and his constant movement usually mean trouble - especially for Uncle Scooby. Scrappy’s feistiness and courage is in direct proportion to Scooby’s fickleness and cowardice.
Like an adrenaline-charged, naive child, Scrappy stands ready and willing to leap, bound and charge into any situation. Then as Scrappy falters in the midst of a crisis, Scooby must rescue him.
Scrappy idolises his famous uncle and often his boasts propel them both into a host of predicaments. While Scooby tries to avoid danger, Scrappy revels in it. As he powers himself into sticky situations, he is usually too busy checking into things and buzzing about to realise the peril he provokes.
Yet no matter how much trouble he creates - and he creates a lot! - the gang cannot stay mad at him because he always has good intentions.
NAME: Deputy Dusty
ADDRESS: Above the Tumbleweed Jail, somewhere in the desert land of the Wild West
SEX: Male
AGE: 22
HAIR: Dark Brown
HEIGHT: 5’ 8”
WEIGHT: 130 pounds
EYES: Dark
DRESS: Denim jacket, blue jeans, white T-shirt, grey Stetson, wire-frame glasses and a proudly displayed, gleaming Deputy badge
FAVOURITE PHRASES: ‘What in tarnation happened to those crazy criminals?’
OCCUPATION: Tumbleweed Deputy
MARITAL STATUS: Single
LIKES: Making chilli, getting help from Yabba and Scrappy and tackling tough desperadoes
DISLIKES: The varmints who keep coming into town and messing things up, even the most insignificant infraction of the law
Dusty first appeared in ‘Scooby, Scrappy and Yabba Doo’ in September 1982 and is a dead ringer for Shaggy. Dusty prefers a neater haircut, dons glasses and speaks with a twang.
His zest for fear compares favourably with Shaggy’s. Though he wears his deputy badge with pride - and will not tolerate the slightest infraction of the law - Dusty lacks the real courage to back his commitment.
Faced with a pack of desperadoes, Dusty must always depend on Yabba and Scrappy to carry him through with their abundant supply of bravado. Dusty’s culinary skills prove to be more admirable and to Yabba’s delight he makes the meanest pot of chilli in the West.
NAME: Yabba-Doo
NICKNAME: Yabba
ADDRESS: With Dusty in Tumbleweed
SEX: Male
AGE: 7 (in dog years)
HAIR: White with black spots
HEIGHT: 12 paws
WEIGHT: 70 pounds
EYES: Black
DRESS: Grey Stetson, red handkerchief
FAVOURITE PHRASES: ‘Yippidy Yabbadie Dooo!’, ‘Well I’ll be a coyote’s cousin!’
OCCUPATION: Assistant Deputy, Uncle to Scrappy Doo
MARITAL STATUS: Single
LIKES: Chilli snacks, Dusty’s chilli (the hotter the better), helping dusty out of scrapes, caring for Scrappy, roarin’ Wild West adventures
DISLIKES: Thieves and scoundrels taking advantage of Deputy Dusty
Yabba-Doo first appeared in ‘Scooby, Scrappy and Yabba-Doo’ in September 1982.
Yabba is a western version of Scooby-Doo, Yabba-Doo wears a big-brimmed cowboy hat and speaks with a decisive drawl. Unlike the frightened and timid Scooby, Yabba-Doo is always raring to go and lassoes a heap of problems by charging headlong into situations.
He may boast of single-handedly rounding up a herd of wild buffalo and fighting off a pack of snarling coyotes, but that expertise never seems to be unleashed when fending off villains, as he crashes into closed doors, falls into open holes and gets his feet stuck in buckets.
Despite his clumsiness, Yabba provides inspiration to his cousin Scrappy who intently listens to - and then somehow learns - the way of the Wild West. Chilli Snacks, like his cousin’s Scooby Snacks, give him the ammunition he needs to ward off danger.
NAME: Scooby-Dum
ADDRESS: Ma and Pa Skillet’s house in Hokefenokee Swamp, Georgia
SEX: Male
AGE: 7 (in dog years)
HAIR: White with black spots
HEIGHT: 12 paws
WEIGHT: 70 pounds
EYES: Black
DRESS: Red collar round his neck and a red fishing hat that fits squarely over his ears
FAVOURITE PHRASES: ‘Scooby-Dooby-Dum,’ ‘Uhhh’, ‘Duhhh’
OCCUPATION: Hapless hound
MARITAL STATUS: Single
LIKES: Funky Fritters, Fenokee Fizz, visits and hugs from Scooby, dreams of becoming a police dog
DISLIKES: The Gator Ghoul and other ghosts and goblins
Scooby-Dum first appeared in ‘The Scooby-Doo/Dynomutt Show in September 1976. He is Scooby’s Southern bred cousin and lives in Hokefenokee Swamp, Georgia with his Ma and Pa Skillet.
Always as afraid as Scooby-Doo, Scooby-Dum cannot rely on thespian skills - or intelligence - to get out of scrapes. He just clings instead to Scooby-Doo, hoping the mystery will be solved as soon as possible.
In the appetite arena, his fondness for Funky Fritters rivals Scooby-Doo’s Scooby Snack consumption. He seems perpetually befuddled by the antics of his ‘city’ cousin Scooby-Doo and the Mystery, Inc. gang.
NAME: Scooby-Dee
ADDRESS: Hollywood
SEX: Female
AGE: 7 (in dog years)
HAIR: Snow white
HEIGHT: 10 paws
WEIGHT: 50 pounds
EYES: Violet
DRESS: Pink collar with a gold heart
FAVOURITE PHRASES: ‘Fiddle dee dee!’
OCCUPATION: Glamorous, gentle leading actress
MARITAL STATUS: Single
LIKES: Attention from Scooby-Doo and Scooby -Dum, receiving film awards like the Golden Rover
DISLIKES: Problems on the set
Scooby-Dee first appeared in ‘The Scooby-Doo/Dynomutt Show and is another cousin of Scooby-Doo’s.
She lives in Hollywood where she works as a glamorous movie-dog actress. Batting her eyelashes, Scooby-Dee speaks with a gentle cultured Southern accent.
Her beautiful fur and pretty poise make her irresistibly alluring to her cousins Scooby-Doo and Scooby-Dum, who both dream of romancing her.
NAME: Vincent Van Ghoul
ADDRESS: forbidding castle
SEX: Male
AGE: Ageless, since he is a warlock, but looks to be about 65 in human years
HAIR: Black with a white streak running through the centre of his scalp
HEIGHT: 10 paws
WEIGHT: 170 pounds
EYES: Blue
DRESS: Black cape with grey collar, a ruby encrusted gold medallion hangs around his neck
FAVOURITE PHRASES: ‘Only you can return the demons to the chest!’
OCCUPATION: Boss, mentor, mission-giver, soothsayer, warlock
MARITAL STATUS: Single
LIKES: His crystal ball, giving orders, catching
DISLIKES: The 13 ghosts plaguing the world since being unleashed from their locked box, Weerd and Bogel
Vincent Van Ghoul first appeared in ‘The 13 Ghosts of Scooby-Doo’ in September 1985.
A mystical mentor, Vincent Van Ghoul tackles the obstacles facing Scooby, Shaggy, Daphne, Velma and Flim Flam with relish, as he mentally manoeuvres around the antics of the Chest of Demons escapees.
Typically droll and sour, Vincent could generally be regarded as cranky and mean-spirited. Yet his help always comes through for the gang when they most need it, revealing him gentle and warm at his core.
As a warlock, he has lived for centuries and he treasures the comforts of his creaky castle and his prophetic crystal ball.
NAME: Flim Flam
ADDRESS: Roams the world, but Mystery Machine based
SEX: Male
AGE: 11
HAIR: Black
HEIGHT: 4’ 3”
WEIGHT: 65 pounds
EYES: Black
DRESS: Yellow sweatshirt, red sneakers
FAVOURITE PHRASES: ‘I’ve got an idea!’
OCCUPATION: Diminutive con artist and detective
LIKES: Devising schemes, giving the gang orders he believes are brilliant
DISLIKES: Weerd and Bogel
Flim Flam first appeared in ‘The 13 Ghosts of Scooby-Doo’ in September 1985.
A pint-sized con, Flim Flam helps Scooby-Doo, Shaggy and the gang chase ghosts and goblins back into the Chest of Demons. Always ready with an idea that seldom works, Flim Flam and his grand ideas are at odds with his diminutive stature.
Happy to be part of the gang, Flim Flam uses his insatiable curiosity to weasel in and out of cases. His compact nature makes him the perfect choice for getting in and out of jams, providing the bait for a creature to chase.
NAME: Weerd, Bogel
ADDRESS: Wherever a demon is
SEX: Male
AGE: Hundreds of years old
HAIR: Weerd sports a spikey coif while Bogel barely sprouts two strands
HEIGHT: Hard to measure since they are ghosts, but Weerd towers and Bogel squats
WEIGHT: 65 pounds each
EYES: Dark
DRESS: Pasty, white, protoplasmic, amorphous shrouds
FAVOURITE PHRASES: ‘Let’s get ‘em!’
OCCUPATION: Troublemaking ghosts
LIKES: Getting the Scooby gang into trouble, opening and releasing the contents of the Chest of Demons
DISLIKES: Vincent Van Ghoul, Scooby-Doo, Shaggy, Daphne, Flim Flam and Scrappy-Doo
Weerd and Bogel first appeared in ‘The 13 Ghosts of Scooby-Doo’ in September 1985.
This duo are the mean-spirited Laurel and Hardy of the spirit world. Weerd (the tall thin one) and Bogel (the short chubby one) do their best to foil the plans of Vincent Van Ghoul, Scooby and the others.
Always in cahoots with the Chest of Demons ghoul whom Scooby and the gang are pursuing, Weerd and Bogel demonstrate their inimitable lunacy by botching the demons quest for freedom.
Bungling, fumbling, buffoons, the duo despise Scooby and his good intentions, and always hope his failure will fuel their success - though it never does.
NAME: Red Herring
ADDRESS: Trouble Trace in Coolsville
SEX: Male
AGE: 12
HAIR: Red
HEIGHT: 4’ 7”
WEIGHT: 102 pounds
EYES: Black
DRESS: Army like fatigues and sleeveless jacket, white T-shirt
FAVOURITE PHRASES: ‘I didn’t do it!’
OCCUPATION: Neighbourhood bully
LIKES: His bicep-emblazoned tattoo, denying accusations
DISLIKES: Freddy Jones
Red Herring first appeared in ‘A Pup Named Scooby-Doo’ in September 1988.
He is the town bully of Coolsville and often becomes the prime suspect in a Scooby-Doo Detective Agency case. Freddy Jones’s chief adversary, Red Herring prides himself on his menacing growl and imposing brawn.
Though the gang usually resigns itself to knowing that Red did not commit the crime, he revels in the fact that he has deterred them from the true culprit.
So sure is he that they will initially blame him, Red has even been known to phone the gang from out of the country telling them he has an alibi for what ever case they are working on, since he is on vacation. Although clues do not even remotely point to him, Freddy always assumes Red has committed the crime in question.
This van is a wildly colourful ode to the late 60s and early 70s. The Mystery Machine grooves along sporting psychedelic daisies, a luggage/ski rack and a four-wheel drive. Blue wave shapes going up its lower sides and front and other 70s inspired shades of aqua, burnt orange covering it,
The Mystery Machine has a front seat that can magically fit everyone. The vehicle’s features make it a perfect accompaniment to a wealth of mystery treks, as it provides the gang’s main means of transportation. Through the years, electronic equipment, control boards and a phone have been added as options.
In the 13 Ghosts of Scooby-Doo, The Mystery Machine evolved into its most high-tech incarnation yet, complete with banks of monitors, computerised controls and other surveillance equipment. That series also saw The Mystery Machine, then red with a wide red stripe, transform into an aeroplane.
Scooby-Doo bounded onto television screens in September 1969 when the series became the highly rated staple of two U.S. network schedules - it did not end its run until 1991 - making it the longest running cartoon in TV history. This Hanna-Barbera creation has never lost its popularity and remains one of Cartoon Network’s highest rating series - it is a favourite with children and a cult leader for adults.
When the character debuted 25 years ago in Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! William Hanna and Joe Barbera and their staff were taking cartoons in a new direction. Proving to be a risky proposition, Scooby-Doo would be the first cartoon to incorporate an action-adventure format with humans (four teenagers) in supporting roles. In 1969, CBS’s head of children’s programming, Fred Silverman, wanted to bring a new look to Saturday morning TV. The networks had been attacked for violence in programmes such as Superman and Space Ghost.
Silverman suggested Hanna-Barbera develop a mystery show featuring whimsical teenagers. The initial presentation Hanna-Barbera gave to CBS was full of haunted houses, monsters and eerie locations. Silverman planned to use the show as a centrepiece for the new Autumn schedule. When the series - then with the possible titles of Mysteries Five and Who’s Scared? - was presented to the network management who rejected it, considering the show too scary for a Saturday morning kids audience.
Now stuck with a Saturday morning schedule with no anchor programme, Silverman desperately explored options to rearrange the show. According to him he was inspired by the Frank Sinatra song Strangers in The Night where Sinatra improvised the refrain ‘Scooby-dooby-doo’. That phrase became Silverman’s solution. Call the dog Scooby-Doo, make him fun, and turn him into the show’s star. The series developed into more comedy than mystery and the network bought it.
In the new version, Hanna-Barbera’s top cartoon featured a teenage cast that included the all-American blond Fred, their leader, bespectacled Velma, the group’s brain, pretty Daphne, trouble’s target and hippie Shaggy, the squeaky-voiced, bumbling buddy. Scooby-Doo was a chicken-hearted but humorous Great Dane, coaxed into every situation with the promise of a Scooby Snack. The gang travelled throughout the country in their van, The Mystery Machine, on the trail of supernatural adventures.
Every episode of the classic Scooby-Doo is basically the same. The team arrives in The Mystery Machine in a foreboding spot. A villain looms (in a scary disguise and sometimes in conjunction with a curse) and ruins the local trade and atmosphere. Chase scenes prevail in each episode as the team splits up with Fred and Velma finding clues, Daphne falling into trouble, Shaggy and Scooby becoming hungry again and discovering and then avoiding the monster. Violence never occurs in their missions. With a little deductive reasoning and a lucky break by Scooby, they unravel the mystery. Fred and Velma reveal that the villain is actually a real person creating the problem. They expose the villain posing as a ghost/witch/monster/demon/ghoul to scare others away from his or her greedy goal. Almost inevitably, the villains claim they would have succeeded in their evil efforts ‘if it weren’t for those pesky/meddling kids and that dog’.
Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! debuted on 13th September 1969 and became an instant hit. The blend of humour and mystery appealed to young audiences and the combination of inventive scary monsters, funny characters, silly gags and real clues to solve the mystery proved endless. In its first season the show-boasted ratings that have never been equalled on Saturday morning television.
Between 1972 and 1974, the show was known as The New Scooby-Doo Movies, which continued the format and incorporated caricature guest stars such as Sonny and Cher (who were trying to take a vacation when their spooky hotel appeared to be terrorised by a shark monster), stars who were under contract at CBS at the time or other Hanna-Barbera original or licensed characters such as Josie and The Pussycats and Speedbuggy.
The New Scooby-Doo Movies ended their original run in 1974 and from then until 1976 CBS repeated Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! and despite the repetition, the series continued to gain high ratings. Because of this CBS decided it was not necessary to make new episodes and so Hanna and Barbera sought another network to air the series on. Ironically, Scooby switched to ABC as Silverman was now there and he orchestrated the whole move. With great fanfare and many new episodes, Scooby-Doo began anchoring the ABC Saturday morning schedule. The new, first ever 90 minute show The Scooby-Doo/Dynomutt Show paired new episodes of Scooby-Doo with a new series Dynomutt Dog Wonder.
In 1977, Scooby headlined the first two-hour Saturday morning cartoon show in network history, Scooby’s All-Star Laff-A-Lympics. The show, inspired by Silverman’s success with Battle of the Network Stars, starred more than 45 Hanna-Barbera cartoon characters participating in track and field competitions. The contests were staged among three teams - the Scooby Doobys, the Yogi Yahooeys and the Really Rottens. The show was trimmed to 90 minutes in 1978 and renamed Scooby’s All Stars.
In 1979, Scooby-Doo was teamed with a new partner, his feisty nephew Scrappy in Scooby and Scrappy-Doo. The overzealous pup instigated a wealth of trouble for the pair. The series premise mirrored that of Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! and Scrappy became very popular with audiences. This led to The Richie Rich/Scooby-Doo Show from 1980 - 82 which was built around simple gags for Scooby, Scrappy and Shaggy rather than just mysteries. This changed again in 1982 with the introduction of a Wild West cousin, Yabba-Doo in Scooby, Scrappy and Yabba-Doo - this show is regarded widely as a mistake in the Scooby chronicles.
With a return to the old mystery formula in 1983, Daphne rejoined Scooby, Scrappy and Shaggy as a reporter for a teen magazine investigating mysteries. With two mysteries per show, the series was called The New Scooby and Scrappy-Doo Show. 1984 brought new half-hours of adventure in The New Scooby-Doo Mysteries and Fred and Velma also rejoined the escapades for certain stories.
Taking Scooby in a radical new direction in September 1985, The 13 Ghosts of Scooby-Doo has been acclaimed for its more serious spin on Scooby. Incorporating a harder action-adventure format, the series added characters to help and foil Scooby, Scrappy, Shaggy and Daphne (see synopses for Vincent Van Ghoul, Weerd and Bogel and Flim Flam). Despite the innovative concept, the series succumbed to low ratings.
However success returned two seasons later with A Pup Named Scooby-Doo, which premiered in September 1988 and featured the return of the original gang as 1980’s hip-hop 12 year olds residing in and solving mysteries around Coolsville. The series was extremely popular, again hitting a right note with the youth of the 80s.
The series parodied many aspects of the original - Freddy, aside from being addicted to tabloids, had a habit of being almost always wrong when it came to solving a mystery. He usually blamed the neighbourhood bully Red Herring, who never did it. Daphne’s fastidiousness with fashion - including an abhorrence for all things polyester - became a running joke, and her father’s wealth gave her a prima donna air. Velma carried around a computer and enjoyed maniacal runs on her motorised skateboard. Scooby and Shaggy stayed goofy and warm-hearted. There was a revival of chase and song sequences and the gag of having every villain, once caught; say ‘I would have gotten away with it too, if it weren’t for you meddling kids and that dog!'
In addition to a range of series, Scooby starred in a prime-time special in 1980, Scooby-Doo Goes Hollywood, in which he tries to star in pictures, then decides he cannot desert his television fans. In 1987, Hanna-Barbera began a series of TV films - three of them featuring Scooby. Scooby-Doo and the Boo Brothers had Scooby, Shaggy and Scrappy working with three wacky ghosts to find a hidden treasure. Scooby-Doo and the Ghoul School found the trio discovering their students are young monsters. Scooby-Doo and the Reluctant Werewolf followed Scooby, Scrappy and Shaggy travelling to Transylvania to find a cure for Shaggy, who had turned into a werewolf. Scooby’s most recent appearance was in the 1993 special Arabian Nights. The show featured Scooby and Shaggy spinning tales to keep an angry shah detained.
Today, Scooby-Doo is still enjoyed by millions in over 50 countries. On Cartoon Network it is constantly in the top five rated programmes and in fact Scooby mania continues to grow with television and radio stars and the general public acknowledging both their children’s and their own love for the series - Scooby-Doo is truly a cartoon classic that continues to appeal to different generations the world over.
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Meet the Gang!
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