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


 * This article refers to the TV series. For other uses, see Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!

Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! is an American animated mystery comedy television series created by Joe Ruby and Ken Spears. It was produced by Hanna-Barbera (H-B) for CBS' Saturday morning children's programming. Every episode was produced and directed by Hanna-Barbera founders, William Hanna and Joseph Barbera. It ran from 1969 to 1970, airing 25 episodes that spanned two seasons. The name was brought back by ABC for eight episodes in 1978 (constituting a third season of sorts), although these are usually better known for being part of The Scooby-Doo Show. The series has been rerun on Cartoon Network and Boomerang, and spawned several spin-offs, TV specials, and films.

Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! is about the exploits of four teenagers (damsel in distress Daphne, brainy Velma, nervous hippie Shaggy, brave leader Fred Jones) and their Great Dane named Scooby-Doo who usually happen to walk into a mystery usually involving the exaggerated crime of a criminal (who can be anything between a real-estate developer or jewel thief), who tries to cover up his misdeeds by dressing up as a ghoulish monster. Clues are left in its wake, which the kids (dubbed Mystery Incorporated in later incarnations) find and put together, leading to the discovery of who the culprit is, which the local authorities are unable to do themselves. A large part of the premise of the series is the bungling of Scooby and his owner, Shaggy, who inevitably run into and accidentally capture the monster in one of Fred's intricately devised traps, despite trying to do everything to avoid it.

The entire series has been released on both DVD and Blu-ray Disc.

Development
Fred Silverman, head of daytime/children's programming at CBS, was inspired by the 1940s radio show I Love a Mystery, and elements of the CBS sitcom The Many Lives of Dobie Gillis. Joseph Barbera also tried to do it as the 1934 film House of Mystery, but he felt that it was "too bland."

Joe Ruby and Ken Spears, past editors at Hanna-Barbera, were tasked with creating the story for the show, while Iwao Takamoto designed how each character would look. The concept draft was that Geoff Jones, Mike Andrews, Kelly Summers, Linda Blake, and Linda's brother W.W. attend Laguna Beach High in Southern California. When not attending school, they are a band and mystery solvers called Mystery's Five, with the bongo-playing mascot Too Much, a big shaggy dog.

Too Much was changed to a Great Dane called Scooby-Doo, to avoid comparisons to Marmaduke. "Scooby-Doo" apparently came from Silverman, who was on a plane one day listening to Frank Sinatra sing "Strangers in the Night," although according to Takamoto in his book My Life with a Thousand Characters, there was another dog called Scooby he saw in the Hanna-Barbera archives dating back to the early 1960s.

W.W. was also removed, while Linda became Daphne, Kelly became Velma, Mike became Shaggy, and Geoff became Ronnie and finally Fred (at the behest of Silverman). The idea of them being in a band was removed as well as the high school setting, with only the implication that they still live in California. After the spookiness was ill-received, Scooby was put at the forefront, with the working title of Who's S-S-Scared? now called Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!

Casting
Frank Welker was doing a Friskies dog food commercial when he was informed by the casting agent's fiancé that she was casting for Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! He initially went in to read for Scooby-Doo, but was told not to worry, as that would go to H-B veteran Don Messick. He also wanted to audition for Shaggy Rogers, who he found more appealing than the "guy in an ascot." Casey Kasem also came into an audition for Fred, but Hanna-Barbera preferred the actors in the opposite roles. Barbera advised Welker to just use his own voice because he and Fred were around the same age, and to think of Jack the All-American Boy.

Kasem auditioned for Shaggy a few times, drawing inspiration from both KRLA disc jockey Dave Hull and Richard Crenna's performance as Walter Denton in the film Our Miss Brooks.

Nicole Jaffe was spotted by Gordon Hunt when she was playing Peppermint Patty in a stage production of You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown. She had no aspirations in voice acting, simply taking the job because she needed to make a living. She adlibbed Velma's catchphrase, "Jinkies."

Stefanianna Christopherson was the first to voice Daphne, but left after the first season to get married. She was replaced with Heather North, who auditioned at the suggestion of her roommate at the time, who just happened to be none other than Jaffe.

Music
The theme song's lyrics were written by David Mook, while Ben Raleigh wrote the music, which was performed by Larry Marks in the first season, then by George A. Robertson, Jr. in the second. The music was composed by Ted Nichols, who was credited as the musical director. Also in the second season, La La Productions produced seven "chase songs" set to bubblegum pop genre, which were also performed by Robertson Jr., and written mainly by Danny Janssen, with contributions from both Robertson Jr. and Susan Steward.

Release
Dates are in order of release:


 * United States: September 13, 1969 at 10:30 am on CBS
 * United Kingdom and Ireland: September 17, 1970 at 5:20 pm on BBC One

Cast

 * Don Messick as Scooby-Doo
 * Casey Kasem as Shaggy Rogers
 * Frank Welker as Fred Jones
 * Stefanianna Christopherson (season 1) and Heather North (season 2) as Daphne Blake
 * Nicole Jaffe as Velma Dinkley

Credits
These identical credits appeared at the end of every episode.

Season one

 * Produced and directed by: Joseph Barbera and William Hanna
 * Associate producer: Lew Marshall
 * Story: Ken Spears, Joe Ruby, Bill Lutz
 * Story director: Howard Swift
 * Animation director: Charles A. Nichols
 * Production designer: Iwao Takamoto
 * Production supervisor: Victor O. Schipek
 * Layout artists: Bob Singer, Alvaro Arce, Paul Gruwell, Mike Arens, Alex Ignatiev, Ric Gonzales, Bill Lignante
 * Animators: Bill Keil, George Rowley, Oliver E. Callahan, Ed Love, Rudy Cataldi, Bill Nunes, Zdenko Gasparovic, Joan Orbison, Bob Goe, Jay Sarbry, Hicks Lokey, Ken Southworth, Lloyd Vaughan
 * Background stylists: Walt Peregoy
 * Background artists: Ron Dias, Gary Niblett, Daniela Bielecka, Rolly Oliva
 * Title designer: Bill Perez
 * Titles: Robert Schaefer
 * Musical director: Ted Nichols
 * Technical supervisor: Frank Paiker
 * Ink and paint supervisor: Roberta Greutert
 * Xerography: Robert "Tiger" West
 * Sound directors: Richard Olson
 * Film editors: Gregory V. Watson, Jr., Ted Baker, Chip Yaras
 * Camera operators: Dick Blundell, Bill Kotler, George Epperson, Cliff Shirpser, Charles Flekal, Roy Wade

Season two

 * Produced and directed by: Joseph Barbera and William Hanna
 * Co-producer: Alex Lovy
 * Story editors: Ken Spears, Joe Ruby
 * Story: Larz Bourne, Tom Dagenais, Bill Lutz
 * Story directors: Bob Singer, Paul Sommer, Howard Swift
 * Animation director: Charles A. Nichols
 * Production Designer: Iwao Takamoto
 * Production supervisor: Victor O. Schipek
 * Layout artists: Bob Singer, Dick Bickenbach, Mike Arens, Gary Hoffman, Rick Gonzalez, Terry Slade, Jack Huber, Mo Gollub, Alex Ignatiev, Jim Fletcher, Mario Uribe
 * Animators: George Rowley, Bill Keil, Ray Abrams, Isadore Ellis, Volus Jones, Carlos Alfonso, George Goepper, Dick Lundy
 * Background stylist: F. Montealegre
 * Background artists: Rene Garcia, Curtis Perkins, Richard Khim, Gino Giudice, Bob Gentle, Gary Niblett, Peter Van Elk, Eric Semones
 * Titles: Robert Schaefer
 * Music supervision: La La Productions
 * Musical director: Ted Nichols
 * Technical supervisor: Frank Paiker
 * Ink and paint supervisor: Roberta Greutert
 * Xerography: Robert "Tiger" West
 * Sound director: Richard Olson, Bill Getty
 * Editorial supervisor: Larry Cowan
 * Music editor: Joe Sandusky
 * Effects editor: Earl Bennett
 * Negative consultant: William E. DeBoer
 * Post production: Joed Eaton
 * Camera operators: George Epperson, Roy Wade, Ralph Migliori, Bill Kotler

Legacy
The formula of Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! proved so popular that Hanna-Barbera repeated it ELEVEN times throughout the next decade: Josie and the Pussycats, The Funky Phantom, The Amazing Chan and the Chan Clan, Speed Buggy, Butch Cassidy, Super Friends, Goober and the Ghost Chasers, Clue Club, Jabberjaw, Pebbles, Dino and Bamm-Bamm, as well as Ruby-Spears' Fangface.

Hanna-Barbera did its first extended-length episode with a TV special called Scooby Goes Hollywood, which retconned Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! as a TV series the characters filmed. It also included an origin of how Scooby was adopted from a pet store.

After the last spin-off, A Pup Named Scooby-Doo, died out in 1991, the franchise laid pretty much dominant until 1998, when Hanna-Barbera revived it with the direct-to-video film Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island, that had the gang grown out of their mystery solving phase and found real jobs as adults, only to get together again to solve a real supernatural mystery. The movie was successful in the video market, and Hanna-Barbera was able to produce three others, with Warner Bros. as their distributor. These first four dropped the signature outfits of Daphne and Fred, giving them a mature look.

When Hanna-Barbera ceased operations in 2001, Warner Bros. could officially use their own animation department, Warner Bros. Animation, and since 2003, have returned to the familiar nostalgic look presented in Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! essentially continuing the series in movie form (similar to when feature-length films would continue where Star Trek: The Original Series and Star Trek: The Next Generation left off).

These include:


 * Scooby-Doo! and the Legend of the Vampire (2003)
 * Scooby-Doo! and the Monster of Mexico (2003)
 * Scooby-Doo! Abracadabra-Doo (2010)
 * Scooby-Doo! Camp Scare (2010)
 * Scooby-Doo! Legend of the Phantosaur (2011)
 * Scooby-Doo! Music of the Vampire (2012)
 * Big Top Scooby-Doo! (2012)
 * Scooby-Doo! Mask of the Blue Falcon (2013)
 * Scooby-Doo! Stage Fright (2013)
 * Scooby-Doo! WrestleMania Mystery (2014)
 * Scooby-Doo! Frankencreepy (2014)
 * Scooby-Doo! Moon Monster Madness (2015)
 * Scooby-Doo! and Kiss: Rock and Roll Mystery (2015)
 * Scooby-Doo! and WWE: Curse of the Speed Demon (2016)
 * Scooby-Doo! Shaggy's Showdown (2017)
 * Scooby-Doo! and Batman: The Brave and the Bold (2018)
 * Scooby-Doo! and the Gourmet Ghost (2018)
 * Scooby-Doo! and the Curse of the 13th Ghost (2019)
 * Scooby-Doo! Return to Zombie Island (2019)
 * Happy Halloween, Scooby-Doo! (2020)
 * Scooby-Doo! The Sword and the Scoob (2021)
 * Straight Outta Nowhere: Scooby-Doo! Meets Courage the Cowardly Dog (2021)
 * Trick or Treat, Scooby-Doo! (2022)

In a similar fashion, there had also been several direct-to-DVD short films from 2012 to 2015.


 * Scooby-Doo! Spooky Games (2012)
 * Scooby-Doo! Haunted Holidays (2012)
 * Scooby-Doo! and the Spooky Scarecrow (2013)
 * Scooby-Doo! Mecha Mutt Menace (2013)
 * Scooby-Doo! Ghastly Goals! (2014)
 * Scooby-Doo! and the Beach Beastie (2015)

In 2002, after being in several script stages since the 1990s, Warner Bros. Pictures released a big screen live-action adaptation called Scooby-Doo, followed by a 2004 sequel called Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed. There have also been two other live-action versions that went straight-to-DVD, with both being origin stories; the first being Scooby-Doo! The Mystery Begins and Scooby-Doo! The Mystery Begins, which were marketed as prequels to Scooby-Doo and Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed, and the second and last but definitely least, Daphne & Velma. *cricket* What's notable about the movie is not just its emphasis on female empowerment (which happens to be during the Me Too movement), which nobody is saying is a bad thing, but had to do it without having Shaggy or Fred, or even Scooby-Doo. Oh, if only there was a way around having independent young women without losing the rest of the team.

In 2020, Warner Bros. Pictures rebooted Hanna-Barbera's properties into a unified cartoon universe called Scoob!, which presented a new take on Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!

There have also been television reboots in the form of Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated, Be Cool, Scooby-Doo!, and the adult-natured Velma, all firmly set in their own isolated universes as reboots usually are, although Mystery Incorporated apparently made such a big impact on Warner Bros. Animation that the feature-length direct-to-DVD films have had several references that apparently made the continuity of A Pup Named Scooby-Doo no longer possible.

When The Lego Group was licensed by Warner Bros. to manufacture toys, they also collaborated with Warner Bros. Animation to release the TV special, Lego Scooby-Doo! Knight Time Terror (2015), and two DTVs, Lego Scooby-Doo! Haunted Hollywood (2016) and Lego Scooby-Doo! Blowout Beach Bash (2017).

Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! was eventually continued in a loose way with Scooby-Doo and Guess Who?, from 2015 to 2019.

In 2021, The CW aired a prime-time "reunion special" (despite never spending time apart, as pointed out by Velma) called Scooby-Doo, Where Are You Now!

In popular culture

 * In the film Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, Jay and Silent Bob aren't doing so well in getting hitchhiked, with Jay complaining that it works for other people while they get treated like they're in a cartoon, which is when a familiar looking van pulls up. Inside, they meet two guys, a pair of girls, and their dog, who are trying to find the hitchhiking ghouls, with Jay and Silent Bob matching the description. The gang ends up bickering amongst themselves, so Jay introduces them to "doobie snacks," which leads to them acting wild. In reality, it is Jay and Silent Bob who have only got high and have fallen asleep. The gang wonders what to do with them when the Shaggy doppelganger suggests harvesting their kidneys and leaving putting them in a tub of ice at a seedy motel, which turns out to also be a dream of Jay's.
 * In the film Toy Story 3, Mr. Potato Head says "meddling toys" in the way a villain would say "meddling kids."
 * In The Cleveland Show episode "A Nightmare on Grace Street," Cleveland and Rallo are forced to put an end to their feud by staying in a spooky mansion at night on Halloween. Rallo says it's nice, but Cleveland responded that it "seemed a little Scooby-Doo." He then says "Zoinks" like Shaggy, and jumps on Rallo like Scooby would jump on Scooby, with appropriate sound effects. Rallo then feeds him a dog biscuit, with Cleveland responding in a happy Scooby-like tone.
 * In the Comic Book Men episode "Ghostbusting in the Stash," Kevin Smith ends the show with "They would've gotten away with it, too."
 * In The Goldbergs episode "Big Orange," Adam is desperate for him and his sister to solve one last case as the Goldberg Gang together, so he makes a suspect list of 36 people, even one of a seemingly abandoned chair, which apparently has a ghost sitting in it, ala a "classic Scooby-Doo villain." When Beverly is discovered to be the culprit, she says, "I would've gotten away with it, too, if it weren't for you meddling kids.
 * In the Transformers: Rescue Bots Academy episode "Tough Luck Chuck," Hot Shot and Whirl chase a malfunctioning Tough Luck Chuck through doors in their base, similarly to how the monsters chase the gang through doors.
 * In the Superstore episode "Biscuit," store manager Glenn tried to get Dana back to overseeing security (after she had filled in from him while he was self-isolating during a possible COVID-19 infection), by creating a poorly made threatening letter, causing Dana to scoff and say, "Cut out letters from a magazine? What is this, Scooby-Doo?"

Disney's Doug

 * "Doug's Bloody Buddy:" A fantasy in the teaser depicts Doug and his friends as the Scooby Gang, who are looking for the Bluffington Vampire.
 * "Quailman VII: Quail Dad:" Golden Salmon said, "I would have gotten away with it if it hadn't been for those Quails."

The Fairly OddParents

 * Channel Chasers: Timmy, Wanda and Cosmo are sent into a parody of Scooby-Doo called "Snooper Dog and the Clue Crew."
 * "The Wand That Got Away:" Timmy and the fairy gang take on the roles of Mystery Inc.

It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia

 * "The Gang Solves the Gas Crisis:" The boys talk about their roles in the group, with Mac comparing them to filling out the typical roles as seen in The A-Team, Scooby-Doo, and Ghostbusters.
 * "The World Defense Series:" The guys find the linen closet while trying to sneak into the stands, where Charlie says they should search for secret tunnels behind shelves because it always happens in Scooby-Doo, but Dennis doesn't want to base their decisions on what may or may not happen in a cartoon such as Scooby-Doo.

Jeopardy!

 * In the October 3, 2017 episode, a question in the TV category for $200 was, "He's the Loveable Great Dane Who Hangs Out With Daphne, Freddy, Shaggy & Velma," with the answer being, "Who is Scooby-Doo?" (with Austin giving a bit of a voice).
 * In May 22, 2018 episode, a question in the Questionable Television category for $400 was, "In the 1960s, N.Y. Police Car 54 & Scooby-Doo Were Asked This Question in Show Titles," with the answer being, "What is 'Where are you?'"

Robot Chicken

 * "Operation Rich in Spirit:" In the last skit, "A Scooby Friday," Mystery Inc. goes sleuthing at Camp Crystal Lake where they all get killed by Jason Voorhies, except for Velma, as she is a virgin. Jason Voorhies, who's really an old man, rectifies this by sleeping with Velma. The voices of Mystery Inc. are provided by those who starred in the first two live-action movies, except for Dave Coulier as Scooby.
 * "Help Me:"
 * "Malcolm X: Fully Loaded:" Zune Man breaks the CD on CD's chest, responding with a mocking, "Ruh-roh."
 * "Punctured Jugular:"
 * "Cheese Puff Mountain:"
 * "Scoot to the Gute:"
 * "Jew #1 Opens a Treasure Chest:"
 * "Snoopy Camino Lindo in: Quick and Dirty Squirrel Shot:"
 * "May Cause the Need for Speed:"

Supergirl

 * "Prom Night!:" Alex said that when Kara was younger she and her boyfriend had appointed themselves Midvale's "Scooby-Duo" by all the rescues they had made.
 * "Welcome Back, Kara!:" Supergirl is so shaken from her time in the Phantom Zone, that she says couldn't even take an episode of Scooby-Doo.

Teen Titans Go!

 * "I See You:" During Beast Boy and Cyborg's stakeout song, they appear in the T-Car next to Scooby and Shaggy who are in The Mystery Machine.
 * "Costume Contest:" Robin draws the Teen Titans as Mystery Inc. characters for potential Halloween costumes.

The Venture Bros.

 * "Ghosts of the Sargasso:" Dean unmasks a fake ghost pirate as if the latter was a Scooby-Doo villain.
 * "Return to Spider-Skull Island:" The opening of the episode begins with the team returning home after having been involved in a ghost case at a cineplex, which involved them wearing ridiculous disguises and tearing off the mask of a criminal.
 * "Assassinanny 911:" Kim makes the connection between Fred and Hank by referring to the latter as "the Scooby-Doo kid."
 * Twenty Years to Midnight: Colonel Gentleman had made a list when he was an old man of toys he would've wanted when he was a kid, but hadn't been invented yet, which includes a Scooby-Doo monster game of some sort.
 * "Victor. Echo. November.:" Triana directly points out that Hank Venture dresses like Fred.
 * "¡Viva los Muertos!:" The gang is reenvisioned as middle-aged serial killers and radical figures: Fred is Ted (Ted Bundy), Shaggy is Sonny (David "Son of Sam" Berkowitz), Daphne is Patty (Patty Hearst), Velma is Val (Valerie Solanas), and Scooby is Groovy (Harvey, Berkowitz's neighbor's dog), who are collectively known as the Groovy Gang who drive in the Groovy Van. Ted bribes Sonny to get out of the van with pills called "groovy treats," which makes Sonny run toward them in a comical effect.
 * "The Buddy System:" The Pirate Captain offers an activity at Dr. Venture's boy adventurer day camp, which allows a camper to learn how to be, for example, the ghost Miner Forty-Niner to stop meddling kids from getting their gold.
 * "Now Museum--Now You Don't:" J.J. described what his brother was wearing as a "Scooby-Doo purple suit."
 * "The Lepidopterists:" The Monarch was criticized for using the word "retard," but he wasn't going to say "bungling boobs" or "meddling kids."
 * "Self-Medication:" Action Johnny mocks the group after seeing a real snake, that it isn't an old lighthouse keeper in a rubber mask. Also, while in the car ride to Nightin' Ale's, Dr. Venture responds to a discussion on whether or not Daphne and Velma had sex, with him believing Daphne got around, while Velma didn't because she was gay, although he never gets to finish the latter though. Jonny reveals that the herpes he got from her says otherwise.
 * "Sphinx Rising:" When Mrs. The Monarch asks the Monarch how exactly they're going to get into the Venture compound even with their disguises, he has no idea and simply responds, "With our Scooby-Dooby-Doo magic masks."

Home media
VHSes began in the 1980s, DVDs began in 2000, and Blu-ray Discs began in 2020.

Reading material
Comics have been published since 1970 by various comic book companies, including Gold Key Comics, Charlton Comics, Marvel Comics, Harvey Comics (reprinted from Charlton), Archie Comics, and currently DC Comics.


 * Scooby-Doo... Where Are You!/Mystery Comics, Gold Key Comics (1970-1975)
 * Scooby-Doo... Where Are You!, Charlton Comics (1975-1976)
 * Scooby-Doo, Marvel Comics (1977-1979)
 * Scooby-Doo, Archie Comics (1995-1997)
 * Scooby-Doo, DC Comics, (1997-2010)
 * Scooby-Doo, Where Are You?, DC Comics, (2011-ongoing)
 * Scooby-Doo! Team-Up, DC Comics (2013-2019)
 * The Batman & Scooby-Doo! Mysteries, DC Comics (2021-2022)
 * The Batman & Scooby-Doo! Mysteries (relaunch), DC Comics (2022-2023)

Between 2016 to 2019, DC Comics published a horror post-apocalyptic retelling called Scooby Apocalypse. They referred to it as their "crown jewel" among the other dramatic modern retellings of Hanna-Barbera cartoons, but was canceled in 2019 when Warner Bros. reportedly no longer appreciated this darker version, ending the entire line-up. The cancellation did not interfere with the ending, however.

Toys
Toys of Scooby, Fred, Shaggy, Daphne, and Velma first popped up via Equity in 1999, when Warner Bros. knew Scooby-Doo was a goldmine in sales. In Europe, Character Toys were given the license.

As mentioned above, The Lego Group released minifigures and playsets inspired by episodes of Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! Eventually, these were discontinued when Playmobil took over.

Since 2017, Figures Toy Company released action figures based on Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!, which included monsters with removable masks.

Board game mysteries
Milton Bradley released the first board game in 1973 entitled Scooby-Doo... Where Are You! Game.

Joystick mysteries
The first video game based on Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! was Mattel Electronic's Scooby-Doo's Maze Chase in 1983.

A reel good time
Viewmaster reels based on the episodes have been sold infrequently between 1972 to 1999, by companies such as GAF, Tyco, and Fisher-Price.