"Scooby Doo, Where Are You!" (1969) TV series 1969-1972

User Rating:

8.2/10   

Seasons:

1 | 2

Release Date:

13 September 1969 (USA)

Genre:

Animation | Family | Mystery | Comedy | Adventure

Plot:

A group of friends and their dog (Scooby Doo) travel in a van solving strange and hilarious mysteries

Plot Keywords:

Scooby Doo | Dog | Van | Great Dane | Friend

Cast

Don Messick	...	Scooby Doo (25 episodes, 1969-1970)
Casey Kasem	...	Shaggy (25 episodes, 1969-1970)
Nicole Jaffe	...	Velma (25 episodes, 1969-1970)
Frank Welker	...	Fred (25 episodes, 1969-1970)
Stefanianna Christopherson	...	Daphne (17 episodes, 1969-1970)

Also Known As:

"Mysteries Five" (USA) (working title)
"Mystery Five" (USA) (working title)
"W-Who's S-S-Scared?" (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

30 min (25 episodes) | Argentina:30 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Certification:

UK:U (video rating) | USA:TV-G | Argentina:Atp

Company:

Hanna-Barbera Productions

Trivia:

A number of rumors about "hidden jokes" and "subliminal messages" surround this series: - "Freddy and Daphne go off and have sex when the gang splits up to look for clues. This is why we hardly ever see them actually looking for any clues; we always see Shaggy, Scooby, and Velma by themselves." Actually, the reason we never see Freddy or Daphne when the gang splits-up is because creators/writers Joe Ruby and Ken Spears found writing for Fred and Daphne (the "straight" characters, in contrast to the more comedic other three characters) boring. Therefore, they would always find an excuse to split the gang up, so that they could focus on writing gags for Shaggy, Scooby, and Velma (who in later episodes found herself "splitting-up" with Fred and Daphne, so that the writers could devote even more screen time to Shaggy and Scooby). - "Velma is a lesbian; she has a crush on Daphne." Just because Velma's boyfriend is not a member of the gang like Daphne's is does not make her a lesbian. Neither does her being paired with Daphne when Freddy goes off on his own to find clues. The writers actually seem to imply in a number of episodes that Velma and Shaggy are seeing each other (they are often paired together at dances and such in the series). - "Shaggy is a pothead/ drug addict. That's why he has the munchies and he always sees the ghosts (hallucinations) before the others." and its variant, "Scooby Snacks contain drugs." The first one may be the only rumor on this list with some truth to it. Shaggy is a "beatnik/hippie"-type character, and beatniks and hippies were known for their "free-thinking" ways, which often included the uses of drugs such as marijuana, LSD, etc. However, not all beatniks and hippies used drugs, and it is very possible, considering this is a Saturday morning television show, that Shaggy was one of those beatniks/hippies that didn't. The second one is completely false: Scooby Snacks are nothing more than regular doggie treats (it's not much of a stretch to imagine a guy who'd eat chocolate-covered hot dogs, chocolate-covered corn-on-the-cob, and "liverwurst ala mode" eating doggie treats if you really think about it).

Quotes:

Norville 'Shaggy' Rogers: Scooby-Doo! Where are you?
Scoobert 'Scooby' Doo: Over here!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "The Simpsons: Who Shot Mr. Burns?: Part 1 (#6.25)" (1995)

Soundtrack:

Daydreamin'

Strange but fascinating cartoon

"Scooby Doo" was one weird little cartoon in its day, but a great cartoon all the same. Part of what made it so good was the genuinely surreal feeling of every episode. We have 4 hippie kids and their dog, totally into the 60's culture, and yet none of their surroundings resemble anything like planet Earth. Instead, they drive their groovy van into creepy landscapes consisting of green fog and dark, menacing forests. On the rare occasion when they would leave the Valley of Death and go to an actual city, they would be surrounded by abandoned warehouses and empty construction sites. Take all of this and add that spooky xylophone music, and you have one hell of an atmosphere.

The creepy Gothic settings, however, were off-put by the total cheerfulness and optimism of these kids. Fred especially was disturbingly happy ("Good job, gang!"). It is also strange that reasonably smart and well-adjusted kids like Fred, Daphne, and Velma would choose to hang out with some goofy stoner who talked to his dog (ever notice how he's the only one who can actually HEAR Scooby?). The obvious implication is that he supplied them with "Scooby snacks," but they don't seem to be as tripped out on the evil weed as Shaggy. Then again, maybe that's why they were so happy about everything. Maybe all the weird atmospheres and monsters were just hallucinations. Maybe it was all a fever dream. Who can tell? As for these theories that Fred and Velma were gay... who knows? Maybe they were, maybe they weren't. Whatever the case may be, it all boils down to 4 kids and a dog driving around aimlessly, and occasionally catching people dressed in monster suits. Weird, weird stuff, but still wildly entertaining. It is a classic cartoon that should be remembered for its weirdness.