A Pup Named Scooby-Doo
| A Pup Named Scooby-Doo | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Created by | Tom Ruegger |
| Network | ABC |
| Production company | Hanna-Barbera |
| Original release | September 10, 1988—August 17, 1991 |
| Run time | 22 minutes |
| Starring | Don Messick Casey Kasem Kellie Martin Carl Steven Christina Lange Scott Menville |
| Executive producer(s) | William Hanna Joseph Barbera Paul Sabella Mark Young |
| Producer(s) | Tom Ruegger Lane Raichert Craig Zukowski Scott Jeralds Bill Matheny |
| Music composed by | John Debney |
| Writer(s) | Tom Ruegger Lane Raichert Bill Matheny |
| Director(s) | Oscar Dufau Art Davis Oscar Dufau Paul Sommer Bob Goe Don Lusk Rudy Zamora Carl Urbano Gordon Hunt (voices) |
| Series navigation | |
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A Pup Named Scooby-Doo is an American animated supernatural mystery-comedy television series created by Tom Ruegger. It was produced by Hanna-Barbera (H-B) for ABC's Saturday morning children's programming. It ran from 1988 to 1991, airing 27 episodes that spanned four seasons. It was the eighth Scooby-Doo series after Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!
Through all the format changes, celebrity guests, and cast changes, we finally go back to just the five essential characters: Shaggy, Daphne, Freddy, Velma, and Scooby-Doo. But this time we see them as junior high students in their hometown of Coolsville, where there is plenty of sleuthing to be had. When you're in Coolsville, look up the Scooby-Doo Detective Agency.
The entire series has been released on DVD.
Production
Development
In 1988,[1] Ruegger was hired by ABC executives Jeannie Elias and Amy Simon to create a new Scooby-Doo series,[1][2] using it as a way of doing something fresh, which was to depict the main characters as actual kids for kids to watch, with the working title being Scooby-Doo: The Puppy Years.[2] This was not inspired by the current trend of what became known as the "babyfication" of popular older cartoon characters, which began with Muppet Babies, something Ruegger was not a fan of as he saw it as, well, too "babyish."[1]
Casting
Don Messick and Casey Kasem were bought back to voice Scooby and Shaggy, respectively, but their voices were pitched slightly higher to sound more youthful.[3]
Music
The music was composed by John Debney, with Joanne Miller acting as director of music supervision for the first three seasons, then Bodie Chandler acting as director of music production for the fourth.
Theme song lyrics
(Scooby Dooby, Scooby Dooby Doo!
Scooby Dooby, Scooby Dooby Doo!)
There's a mystery in town,
So call the coolest pup around
Oh Scooby, A Pup Named Scooby-Doo!
Join Shaggy and the crew
With Daphne, Freddie, and Velma too,
Scooby, A Pup Named Scooby-Doo!
When the ghost and ghouls attack,
Scooby eats a Scooby Snack.
Scooby Dooby Doo!
Jinkies!
(Scooby Dooby, Scooby Dooby Doo!)
Come on!
(Scooby Dooby, Scooby Dooby Doo!)
Scooby!
So come on it's mystery time and
You can help us solve the crime!
With Scooby, A pup named Scooby,
Scooby, a pup named Scooby-Doo!
Scooby-Doo, where are you?
Scooby-Doo!
Episodes
| Title | Original air date |
|---|---|
| 1x01 | September 10, 1988 |
| 1x02 | September 17, 1988 |
| 1x03 | September 24, 1988 |
| 1x04 | October 1, 1988 |
| 1x05 | October 8, 1988 |
| 1x06 | October 15, 1988 |
| 1x07 | October 22, 1988 |
| 1x08 | October 29, 1988 |
| 1x09 | November 5, 1988 |
| 1x10 | November 12, 1988 |
| 1x11 | November 19, 1988 |
1x12
|
November 26, 1988 |
| 1x13 | December 3, 1988 |
| 2x01 | September 9, 1989 |
| 2x02 | September 16, 1989 |
| 2x03 | September 23, 1989 |
| 2x04 | September 30, 1989 |
| 2x05 | October 7, 1989 |
| 2x06 | October 14, 1989 |
| 2x07 | October 21, 1989 |
| 2x08 | October 28, 1989 |
| 3x01 | September 8, 1990 |
| 3x02 | October 6, 1990 |
| 3x03 | November 3, 1990 |
| 4x01 | August 3, 1991 |
| 4x02 | August 10, 1991 |
| 4x03 | August 17, 1991 |
Cast
- Don Messick as Scooby-Doo
- Casey Kasem as Shaggy Rogers
- Kellie Martin as Daphne Blake
- Carl Steven as Freddy Jones
- Christina Lange as Velma Dinkley
- Scott Menville as Red Herring
Legacy
In 1995, Archie Comics spotlighted the series in Hanna-Barbera Presents #5.
A Powerhouse era bumper on Cartoon Network had the ghost from the first Pup episode in prison, admitting that what he did wasn't worth it.
Coolsville was depicted in reading material from both Scholastic books and DC Comics' comic titles since the late 1990s. However, DC Comics has since become confused when the other prequel-type series Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated changed the gang's hometown to Crystal Cove, and DC Comics decided to use that instead occasionally.
There is a photo of young Pup Freddy in a photo Velma finds in DC Comics' Scooby-Doo #121, published in 2007.
In 2013, A Pup Named Scooby-Doo inspired the puppet designs and humor of Warner Home Video's direct-to-video DVD film Scooby-Doo! Adventures: The Mystery Map.
In 2019, for the 50th and final issue of DC Comics' Scooby-Doo! Team-Up, A Pup Named Scooby-Doo was one of the spin-off series depicted as an alternate universe, with the Scooby-Doo Detective Agency appearing in a cameo along with other iterations retconned as different universes outside of the Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! TV series.
In the 2020 direct-to-video film Happy Halloween, Scooby-Doo!, an older Red Herring makes a non-speaking cameo.
In DC Comics' The Batman & Scooby-Doo! Mysteries #6, published in 2021, the younger version of Mystery Inc. is in the same design as the gang from the Pup TV series.
In the 2022 direct-to-video film Trick or Treat, Scooby-Doo!, the gang's hometown is Coolsville, even though confusingly, it was heavily implied to be Crystal Cove in Happy Halloween, Scooby-Doo!
Live-action movies
The first four live-action movies between 2002 to 2011 (Scooby-Doo, Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed, Scooby-Doo! The Mystery Begins, and Scooby-Doo! Curse of the Lake Monster) established the gang's hometown in Coolsville.
In Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed, the Coolsonian Criminology Museum had the Chickenstein monster on display, who originally appeared in the episode "Chickenstein Lives."
What's New, Scooby-Doo?
In 2005, another spin-off TV series What's New, Scooby-Doo? featured two episodes with connections to A Pup Named Scooby-Doo. The first was in the episode "A Terrifying Round With a Menacing Metallic Clown," depicting Mystery Inc. in their A Pup Named Scooby-Doo designs. Interestingly, besides Velma, the only other character to talk is Fred, who is voiced by Frank Welker, who was replaced by Carl Steven in the prequel.
The second episode was "A Scooby-Doo Valentine," in which Mystey Inc. travels back to Coolsville for some time off.
Coolsville had also been mentioned in the What's New, Scooby-Doo?-themed direct-to-video DVD films, Scooby-Doo! and the Loch Ness Monster and Chill Out, Scooby-Doo!, as well as seen in Scooby-Doo! and the Goblin King. But don't tell Jim Krieg about any of this.
In popular culture
Young Sheldon
- "Spock, Kirk, and Testicular Hernia:" Sheldon tricks Missy out of watching A Pup Named Scooby-Doo so he can watch Professor Proton, a parody of Bill Nye, the Science Guy, and Mr. Wizard.
- "Jiu-Jitsu, Bubble Wrap, and Yoo-Hoo:" Missy watches "Chickenstein Lives."
Merchandise
Home media
Warner Home Video released the series on DVD in volumes and then in seasons between 2005 to 2009.
Toys
In 1989, the Milton Bradley Company released a 60-piece puzzle. In 1990, Applause released a plush doll of Scooby, and a whole cake topper shaped like Scooby.
References
- ^ a b c "Who is Tom Ruegger?". Platypus Comix. Retrieved October 5, 2022.
- ^ a b Inoa, Christopher (May 15, 2022). "The Inside Story of How A Pup Named Scooby-Doo Took Scooby and the Gang in a New Direction". Syfy Wire. Retrieved October 5, 2022.
- ^ Capps, Johnny (September 11, 2018). "The Flashback Interview: Tom Ruegger". Pop Geeks. Retrieved October 5, 2022.
