The Mystery Machine

The Mystery Machine is a van and main mode of transportation for Mystery Incorporated in the Scooby-Doo animated franchise. It is owned by Fred Jones, and he has driven it in most incarnations; except for the Scooby-Doo and Scrappy-Doo shorts and Shaggy & Scooby-Doo Get a Clue!, in which Fred had apparently given his ownership to Shaggy Rogers.

Description
The Mystery Machine's appearance is generally that of a panel van from the 1960s, although its exact model has been disputed for years since the debut of Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! The vehicle is painted primarly in a medium aqua blue with a wavy, green stripe overlaid in its middle portion, along with two orange flowers decorated on each side. Also on its sides is a green panel with "THE MYSTERY MACHINE" decorated in orange paint. The front of the van has a spare tire carrier, painted in green and with an orange flower in the center. Two roof racks protrude on top of the van for storage purposes, and it is also equipped with hubcaps or wheels that have a flower decoration in the center.

TV series

 * Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!
 * The New Scooby-Doo Movies
 * The Scooby-Doo Show
 * Dynomutt, Dog Wonder
 * 1.1 "Everyone Hyde!"
 * 1.2 "What Now, Lowbrow?"
 * Scooby-Doo and Scrappy-Doo
 * The New Scooby and Scrappy-Doo Show
 * The New Scooby-Doo Mysteries
 * What's New, Scooby-Doo?
 * Shaggy & Scooby-Doo Get a Clue!
 * Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated
 * Teen Titans Go!
 * 2.5 "I See You"
 * Be Cool, Scooby-Doo!
 * Supernatural
 * 1.16 "Scoobynatural"
 * Scooby-Doo and Guess Who?
 * Velma
 * 1.8 "A Velma in the Woods"

Movies

 * Scooby-Doo and the Ghoul School
 * Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island
 * Scooby-Doo! and the Witch's Ghost
 * Scooby-Doo and the Alien Invaders
 * Scooby-Doo and the Cyber Chase
 * Scooby-Doo
 * Scooby-Doo! and the Legend of the Vampire
 * Scooby-Doo! and the Monster of Mexico
 * Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed
 * Scooby-Doo! and the Loch Ness Monster
 * Aloha, Scooby-Doo!
 * Scooby-Doo! in Where's My Mummy?
 * Chill Out, Scooby-Doo!
 * Scooby-Doo! and the Goblin King
 * Scooby-Doo! and the Samurai Sword
 * Scooby-Doo! Abracadabra-Doo
 * Scooby-Doo! The Mystery Begins
 * Scooby-Doo! Camp Scare
 * Scooby-Doo! Legend of the Phantosaur
 * Scooby-Doo! Curse of the Lake Monster
 * Scooby-Doo! Music of the Vampire
 * Big Top Scooby-Doo!
 * Scooby-Doo! Mask of the Blue Falcon
 * Scooby-Doo! Stage Fright
 * Scooby-Doo! Adventures: The Mystery Map
 * Scooby-Doo! WrestleMania Mystery
 * Scooby-Doo! Frankencreepy
 * Scooby-Doo! Moon Monster Madness
 * Scooby-Doo! and Kiss: Rock and Roll Mystery
 * Lego Scooby-Doo! Haunted Hollywood
 * Scooby-Doo! and WWE: Curse of the Speed Demon
 * Scooby-Doo! Shaggy's Showdown
 * Lego Scooby-Doo! Blowout Beach Bash
 * Scooby-Doo! & Batman: The Brave and the Bold
 * Scooby-Doo! and the Gourmet Ghost
 * Scooby-Doo! and the Curse of the 13th Ghost
 * Scooby-Doo! Return to Zombie Island
 * We Bare Bears: The Movie
 * Scoob!
 * Happy Halloween, Scooby-Doo!
 * Scooby-Doo! The Sword and the Scoob
 * Straight Outta Nowhere: Scooby-Doo! Meets Courage the Cowardly Dog
 * Trick or Treat, Scooby-Doo!
 * Scooby-Doo! and Krypto, Too!

Specials

 * Scooby Goes Hollywood
 * Scooby-Doo! Spooky Games
 * Scooby-Doo! Haunted Holidays
 * Scooby-Doo! and the Spooky Scarecrow
 * Scooby-Doo! Mecha Mutt Menace
 * Scooby-Doo! Ghastly Goals!
 * Scooby-Doo! and the Beach Beastie
 * Lego Scooby-Doo! Knight Time Terror

Theme park rides

 * The Funtastic World of Hanna-Barbera

Shorts

 * "Scooby-Doo"
 * MetLife's "Everyone" commercial (no lines)
 * Come and Learn with Pibby!

Comics

 * Scooby Doo... Where Are You! (Gold Key Comics)
 * Scooby Doo... Where Are You!! (Charlton Comics)
 * Scooby-Doo (Marvel Comics)
 * The Funtastic World of Hanna-Barbera
 * #3 "The Man Who Stole Thursday"
 * Scooby-Doo (Harvey Comics)
 * Scooby-Doo (Archie Comics)
 * Scooby-Doo (DC Comics)
 * Scooby-Doo, Where Are You? (DC Comics)
 * Scooby-Doo! Team-Up
 * Scooby Apocalypse

Books

 * Scooby-Doo and the Friends
 * Scooby-Doo and His Special Friends
 * The Funtastic World of Hanna-Barbera Starring Scooby-Doo

Video games

 * Scooby-Doo! First Frights
 * Scooby-Doo! and the Spooky Swamp

Jada Toys

 * Mystery Machine (2020)

A 1:32 die-cast scale replica.

Behind the scenes

 * Despite much debate regarding which model of van the Mystery Machine is based on, the general consensus has pointed out that it is either a Chevrolet G-Body panel van or a Dodge A100, due to their resemblance to the fictional vehicle.
 * In one theory, the Mystery Machine is a Dodge A100 because it has a similar teal paint in one of its color options, an accent stripe that runs between the door handles and the wheel wells, rounded headlights, and identical chrome bumpers.
 * By contrast, the Mystery Machine is instead a Chevrolet G-Body panel van, specifically the first (1964-1966) and second generation (1967-1970) models. This is supported due to the similar appearances between the Chevy G-Body and the Mystery Machine, their sloping windowshield, and their absence of side rear windows.
 * In the 2002 live-action film, the Mystery Machine is a 1972 Bedford CF. In its 2004 sequel, Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed, the van is a 1986, third generation Chevrolet G-Series van.
 * In Scooby-Doo! The Mystery Begins, a 1994 Chevrolet G20 cargo van was used to portray the Mystery Machine. In its sequel, Scooby-Doo! Curse of the Lake Monster, a 1983 Ford Econoline was used.
 * In A Pup Named Scooby-Doo, Velma had a motorized skateboard with the colors of the Mystery Machine.
 * Shaggy wore swimming trunks with the Mystery Machine colors in the film Scooby-Doo! and the Legend of the Vampire and the What's New, Scooby-Doo? episode "She Sees Sea Monsters by the Sea Shore."

In popular culture

 * In the film Deathdream, also known as Dead of Night, Andy's bedroom light switch is decorated with a light switch plate/cover of Scooby and the Mystery Machine in his bedroom.
 * In the Red Razors arc in the comic 2000AD, there is a group of Sov-Block mercenary enforcers who called themselves the Spooky Doo Gang, due to owning a dog called Spooky who resembled a green Scooby-Doo. They too drive in a van called "Mystery Machine."
 * In the Family Guy episode "Chitty Chitty Death Bang," the town's television transmitter is cut, leaving Peter to wonder what the Scooby gang is up to, with the scene then cutting to an adult spin-off spoof called The Scooby-Doo Murder Files. There is a van in the background with the words "Murder Machine" written on the side as a reference to The Mystery Machine.
 * In the Celebrity Jeopardy! sketch of the Saturday Night Live episode Norm Macdonald hosted, Macdonald as Burt Reynolds replies, "Who is Scooby-Doo?" when asked, "What Sound Does a Doggie Make?" He goes further on to say, "That was a funny dog, Scooby-Doo. He drove around in a van and solved mysteries." Will Ferrell as Alex Trebek says that that is incorrect, but Reynolds says he isn't and that remembers he had a "pal" Scrappy.
 * In the Timon and Pumbaa episode "Werehog of London," a fortune teller warns Timon and Pumbaa that no one is safe from the curse of the werehog, not even "those meddling teens and their pesky dog." Then the camera reveals an orange and blue van resembling the Mystery Machine that has been abandoned after it was knocked into a lampost.
 * In Archie's Weird Mysteries #6, Jughead drives a van called The Mystery Mobile, which is painted in the same colors as The Mystery Machine.
 * In the film Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, Jay and Silent Bob are greeted by a shady group of teens driving in a familiar-looking van.
 * In the film Freddy vs. Jason, the van is mocked for looking like a "Scooby van."
 * In the Baby Looney Tunes episode "The Wheel Deal," Bugs and his friends take their bikes apart to make a new one for Tweety, with the first choice being one that resembled the Mystery Machine, accompanied by a "What's New, Scooby-Doo?" jingle, but the third time is not the charm, and a dissatisfied Bugs commentated, "I'm about to give up the ghost here."
 * In the Danny Phantom episode "The Million Dollar Ghost," the Groovy Gang owns a van with a similar paint scheme to the Mystery Machine.
 * In the TV series Drawn Together, the housemates drive around in Foxxy Love's Mystery Machine-like van which belonged to her former bandmates, the Foxxy 5, as revealed in "Captain Hero's Marriage Pact."
 * In The Venture Bros. episode "¡Viva los Muertos!," there is a group of infamous 1970s serial killers who are patterned on Mystery Inc. and drive around in a van that looks similar to The Mystery Machine.
 * In the Psych episode "In Plain Fright," Lassiter describes Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! without knowing the name, by saying, "He [Shawn] and Gus think they're in some cartoon with a talking Great Dane and a psychedelically painted van."
 * In the Aqua Teen Hunger Force episode "One Hundred," the Aqua Teen Hunger Force becomes a parody of Mystery Inc. called the Aqua Unit Patrol Squad who drive in a truck in similar colors to The Mystery Machine called The Danger Cart.
 * In the story "Remote Control" of Cartoon Network Action Pack! #56, the Collector finds a Mystery Machine toy inside a dumpster.
 * In the So Random! episode "Cole & Dylan Sprouse," there is a "Sally Jensen, Kid Lawyer" sketch, wherein Sally Jensen gets Shaggy and Scooby arrested for being irresponsible cartoon characters in causing impressionable children to act them out, such as a girl who stole her neighbor's Great Dane, and her mother's minivan to find her missing bike, but all her efforts only lead to a messy back seat because the girl had been feeding the dog Scooby Bites the entire time.
 * In the Futurama episode "Saturday Morning Pit," the Planet Express crew is reimagined in a cartoon called Bendee-Boo and the Mystery Crew, in which they are reimagined as a group of mystery-solvers who drive the Mystery Express, which is now a floating van in the form of the Planet Express spaceship and has a similar paint job to the Mystery Machine.
 * There is a van driven by the Mystery Inc. parody in the independent horror movie Saturday Morning Massacre (later retitled Saturday Morning Mystery).
 * In The Powerpuff Girls episode "Midnight at the Mayor's Mansion," the chase through the hallway doors is a parody of chases like those in Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! The Mayor even says Shaggy's catchphrase, "Zoinks," while passing the screen inside a pink van reminiscent of the Mystery Machine.
 * A van resembling the Mystery Machine pops up as a photo when the main characters think of a getaway car in the film Going in Style.
 * At the end of The Amazing World of Gumball episode "The Spinoffs," Rob reads some text off of Timmy, the Internet, finding a show to replace Gumball that would be something akin to Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!, with a Great Dane and his "kooky friends" who solve mysteries in a van.
 * In Runaways #34, Wolverine makes fun of the Runaways' Steinbus by calling it The Mystery Machine.
 * In the Young Sheldon episode "Bible Camp and a Chariot of Love," George lays down his authority when Georgie buys a run-down van, so Georgie moves out of the house and into the van, reasoning that "Scooby-Doo lived in a van, and he turned out fine."
 * In the Mom episode "Scooby-Doo Checks and Salisbury Steaks," Andy asks Jill if getting Scooby-Doo-themed checks would make him look "cool that I like to solve mysteries or creepy older guy with a van?"

Doctor Who

 * In the episode "The Age of Steel," Pete called the Preachers "Scooby-Doo and the gang," while adding, "They've even got a van."
 * In Doctor Who Magazine #489, the thirteenth segment of the ongoing The Daft Dimension, depicted parallel universe counterparts of the Doctor and his companions who loosely resembled each member of Mystery Inc. with their mode of transportation a spaceship in the form of a police box called The Mystery Time Machine.

The Fairly OddParents

 * Channel Chasers (part 2): There is a TV show called Snooper Dawg and the Clue Crew, which revolves around the Clue Crew and their dog mascot driving around in the Clue Cruiser solving mysteries.
 * "The Wand That Got Away:" When Timmy and his fairy companions go on the search for Cosmo's wand, they take on the roles of Mystery Inc., and Sparky gets his van out he won in a 1970s game show.
 * "Let Sleeper Dogs Lie:" Sparky kept a DVD of his previous owners, which included a group of kids resembling Mystery Incorporated who solved mysteries. Thanks to the Mystery Mobile, they escaped from a castle haunted by a cloaked ghost.
 * Wishology!: In parts one and two, Mr. and Mrs. Turner make their way to the MARF Festival in their specially painted MARF

Looney Tunes

 * In DC Comics' Looney Tunes #71, the Conundrum Co. drives around in a van in a similar color scheme as the Mystery Machine.
 * In a Looney Tunes/Scooby-Doo mash-up short for Acme Fools 2023, the Mystery Machine sits in the background as the Looney Tunes cast acts as Mystery Inc. in a mystery involving the ghost of Mr. Hyde.

Torchwood

 * "Meat:" The Mystery Machine is alluded to when Rhys suggests the team hides in his van to carry out a sting operation, to which his girlfriend on the team angrily retorts, "What is this, Scooby-Doo?"
 * The House That Jack Built: In this book, Jack mistakingly yelled, "To the Mystery Machine!" instead of Ecto-1 when he got confused after Gwen said "Who ya gonna call?" in reference to the Ghostbusters movie franchise.