When good TV goes bad: why Scooby-Doo went to the dogs
Through all the cartoon’s iterations, one thing remained constant: the baddie was a bitter human in a rubbish costume. Then came Mystery Incorporated
Growing up, there is no bigger worry than bogeymen hiding in your cupboard or monsters camping under your bed. But – as Scooby-Doo would advocate – there is no such thing. Because every time Scoob and the gang discover a mummy or a ghost, off comes the mask and it’s merely the janitor, shaking his head at those meddling kids.
There have been many outings for the world’s most famous great dane over the years. There’s Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! with the original crime-fighting cast of Fred (handsome but bossy), Velma (geeky but the most switched-on), Daphne (clumsy, optimistic), Shaggy (hungry) and our Scoob (“Raggy!”), who dart around in their garishly painted Mystery Machine. You might also remember throwing your proverbial slipper at the world’s most annoying sidekick, Scrappy-Doo (“Puppy Power!”), who sends Fred and Velma their P45s in The New Scooby and Scrappy-Doo Show. You may have even stumbled upon What’s New, Scooby-Doo?, which ran from 2002 to 2006 but still looked as if it could have been made in the 70s, even if the monsters were holograms and everyone was using mobile phones.
Things are made rather complicated if you tune in to watch Scooby nowadays (bored weekend, lazy day off work or – worse still – you’ve got kids) as TV schedulers mix up the old Doo with the new. Fred and Velma are back and Scrappy has been sent to the dog pound. Bleary-eyed at 6am, it can be difficult to remember which decade you’re supposed to be in.
Besides, Scooby-Doo may sometimes leave you with a few mysteries of your own. What exactly was in those Scooby Snacks that made them so addictive to both humans and canines? Were they legal? Are Fred and Daphne secretly doing it behind Velma’s back? How is Scoobert a real name, even for a dog? Despite all his, there’s always one constant: there’s no such thing as ghosts and monsters, because – when the villain is unmasked – it’s always a bitter human in a rubbish costume. Take The Neon Phantom, who was just a bloke in lit-up Lycra. Or the Headless Spectre, AKA a guy with his shirt pulled over his head. The Ghost Clown wasn’t even a clown, but a hypnotist in some face paint.
However, 2010’s Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated changed all that and, in the process, made a big old mess of things. As well as some untoward office romances blossoming behind the Mystery Machine doors (Velma is secretly going out with Shaggy. Velma and Shaggy! And Fred and Daphne are engaged!), there are actual ghosts and proper monsters. Hide under the duvet at the Evil Entity, a mass of tentacles and eyeballs who is obsessed with the total destruction of the universe. Quiver behind the sofa at Charlie the Haunted Robot, who is still a haunted robot when the gang unmask him. And jump into Shaggy’s arms at a race of alien creatures called the Anunnaki, who travel to Earth every 1,000 years from another dimension and inhabit the bodies of animals (yes, really).
Scoob-thusiasts may note that actual ghosts, monsters and aliens have long frequented the many straight-to-video Scooby movies. But, erm, they don’t count. In a traditional half-hour escapade, the slime monster needs to turn out to be a jaded professor not some transdimensional being. How are we supposed to sleep at night, Scoob? Zoinks!
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