Scooby Doo 101
I am a die hard Scooby Doo fan. I don’t think there’s an episode of Scooby doo I haven’t seen, and many of them I’ve seen more than a dozen times. Over the years, the series has gone through periods where it changed drastically from the original (in my opinion), and at other times returned to its roots. Some of the spin offs were good and worth watching; some were not that good but I watched them anyway, because I love Scooby Doo.
Nevertheless, because the series has changed so much over the years, I thought it might be a good idea to give a brief synopsis of each of the different versions, and my thoughts on each one. To that end, here are the different versions of Scooby Doo:
Scooby Doo, Where Are You?
CBS broadcast the original and, in my opinion, clearly the best version of the series. The first episode ran on September 13, 1969. “What a Night for a Knight” was an immediate success, and set the series up to be picked up for a second season. It focused on a group of friends- Fred, Daphne, Velma, Shaggy, and their dog, Scooby Doo. In the original episodes, while Shaggy and Scooby were the closest pals, it is stated by Fred that “Scooby Doo is our dog”- implying that he belongs to the group and not just one person. Of the original characters, Velma was the brain, Daphne typically the somewhat clumsy, danger- prone damsel in distress, Fred the clever and brave inventor of traps, and Shaggy and Scooby the scaredy-cats, who while not normally brave could be motivated by food. This grouping worked well, and the first and second seasons were a success. As I stated previously, the first two seasons will forever remain the best for me.
The New Scooby Doo Movies
Seasons three and four saw a slight change in the format of the show. In addition to a new theme song, each episode featured a celebrity guest- some real and some fictitious- to help the gang solve the mystery. Featured celebrities included (this is a partial list) Phyllis Diller, Batman & Robin, Don Knotts, The Addams Family, and the Harlem Globetrotters. I enjoy watching these episodes as well, and I loved the fact that they got to meet celebrities during the show.
A Creation break ensued over the next two years, with the broadcasters re-airing the first two seasons of the show during that time period. No new episodes were produces until the show switched broadcasters, moving to ABC in 1976.
See Scooby Doo 102 for the continuation of the history of this great series!
Nevertheless, because the series has changed so much over the years, I thought it might be a good idea to give a brief synopsis of each of the different versions, and my thoughts on each one. To that end, here are the different versions of Scooby Doo:
Scooby Doo, Where Are You?
CBS broadcast the original and, in my opinion, clearly the best version of the series. The first episode ran on September 13, 1969. “What a Night for a Knight” was an immediate success, and set the series up to be picked up for a second season. It focused on a group of friends- Fred, Daphne, Velma, Shaggy, and their dog, Scooby Doo. In the original episodes, while Shaggy and Scooby were the closest pals, it is stated by Fred that “Scooby Doo is our dog”- implying that he belongs to the group and not just one person. Of the original characters, Velma was the brain, Daphne typically the somewhat clumsy, danger- prone damsel in distress, Fred the clever and brave inventor of traps, and Shaggy and Scooby the scaredy-cats, who while not normally brave could be motivated by food. This grouping worked well, and the first and second seasons were a success. As I stated previously, the first two seasons will forever remain the best for me.
The New Scooby Doo Movies
Seasons three and four saw a slight change in the format of the show. In addition to a new theme song, each episode featured a celebrity guest- some real and some fictitious- to help the gang solve the mystery. Featured celebrities included (this is a partial list) Phyllis Diller, Batman & Robin, Don Knotts, The Addams Family, and the Harlem Globetrotters. I enjoy watching these episodes as well, and I loved the fact that they got to meet celebrities during the show.
A Creation break ensued over the next two years, with the broadcasters re-airing the first two seasons of the show during that time period. No new episodes were produces until the show switched broadcasters, moving to ABC in 1976.
See Scooby Doo 102 for the continuation of the history of this great series!
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