“A Pup Named Scooby-Doo” was the eighth incarnation of the long-running Hanna-Barbera Saturday morning cartoon, “Scooby-Doo.” “Pup” was nominated for 2 Daytime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Animated Program and ran from 1988-1991. This “Scooby-Doo” spin-off premiered on September 10, 1988, and aired on the ABC network. Twenty-seven episodes were ultimately produced and a grand total of thirty total segments aired. After the series ended, there would be no more new Scooby-Doo shows for eleven years.
Much like the other “Scooby-Doo” TV shows before it, the Mystery Inc. gang worked together to solve supernatural mysteries. However this time, they were junior high school students, while Scooby was only a puppy. The show served as a prequel of sorts for the adventures of Shaggy, Freddy, Daphne, Velma, and Scooby-Doo. The series took place in the fictional town of Coolsville.
In honor of the 33rd anniversary of the show’s first episode airing on ABC, Young Entertainment Magazine takes a look back at the characters and voice actors of “A Pup Named Scooby-Doo”:
Scooby-Doo is the star of the animated television franchise, a Great Dane whose best friend Shaggy is always by his side. The two are constantly hungry and easily frightened during their sleuth-work. However, Scooby often shows his bravery when his friends are in danger. Scooby’s favorite food is probably his “Scooby Snacks,” which are treats his friends in the group give him. Scooby’s ability to talk varies depending on the version of the show. Even still, most characters are able to understand him without issue
.Don Messick as Scooby-Doo: Don Messick is a voice legend in the Hanna-Barbara universe. Before passing away in 1997, Don voiced numerous iconic cartoon characters such as Bamm-Bamm in “The Flintstones,” Astro in “The Jetsons,” Boo-Boo in “Yogi Bear,” Papa Smurf in “The Smurfs,” among hundreds of other voices. However, he is probably best remembered for his portrayal of Scooby. Don worked in the industry for over five decades.
Norville “Shaggy” Rogers is known as a cowardly slacker, with “shaggy” sandy-blond hair and a goatee. Shaggy is a fast runner when scared, who’s known for eating weird combinations of food, yet is known for his slender look. Shaggy is said to be a hippie, who often uses the word “like” a lot when speaking to others.
Casey Kasem as Shaggy: Casey Kasem is another voice legend, best known for hosting multiple incarnations of the “Top 40” countdown on U.S. radio for roughly 50 years (1970-2009). He also did voice-over work in over 100 commercials before passing away in 2014. However, an often overlooked part of his career was his 35-year run as the voice of Shaggy (1969-1997) & (2002-2009). Kasem was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1981, inducted into the National Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame in 1985, National Radio Hall of Fame in 1992, and received the Radio Hall of Fame’s first Lifetime Achievement Award in 1997.
Fred Jones is often regarded as the leader of Mystery Incorporated. In the original show, the tall, blond Fred owns the group’s van, “The Mystery Machine,” and therefore is often the group’s driver. However, in “A Pup Named Scooby-Doo,” Fred comes across a little less intelligent by regularly believing in conspiracy theories and blaming each crime on the neighborhood bully, “Red Herring,” before the group eventually finds the real culprit.
Carl Steven as Fred: Carl Steven was a former child actor. He is best known for his roles in the television shows “Out of This World” and “Weird Science.” He also had numerous guest appearances in other shows like “Punky Brewster,” “Diff’rent Strokes,” and “The Wonder Years.” Carl also gained fame by playing young Spock in the movie, “Star Trek III: The Search for Spock.” Later in life, Carl ran into trouble with the law before passing away in 2011. Voice actor Frank Welker is best known for voicing the character of Fred, however, for this series his talents were not used.
Daphne Blake is the wealthy orange-haired detective, known for her fashion and following her intuition. Daphne is portrayed as the pretty girl of the group but also danger-prone as she sometimes gets into trouble. In earlier incarnations of Scooby-Doo, she was often shown as the damsel in distress. However, as the Scooby-Doo universe evolved with the times, Daphne has increasingly been portrayed as a strong and independent woman.
Kellie Martin as Daphne: Besides her voice acting role in “A Pup Named Scooby-Doo,” Kellie Martin is known for her roles as Rebecca “Becca” Thatcher in “Life Goes On” (1989–1993), Christy Huddleston in “Christy” (1994–1995), Lucy Knight on “ER” (1998–2000), Samantha Kinsey in the “Mystery Woman” TV film series (2003–2007), and as Hailey Dean in the “Hailey Dean Mystery” TV film series (2016–present). Although only in her mid-40s, Kellie has been consistently acting for the past 40 years.
Velma Dinkley is portrayed as the smartest member of the group. Usually dressed in a large orange turtleneck sweater, skirt, knee socks, and glasses (which she often loses), Velma’s look is very distinct. Velma is also the shortest human member of the team. Velma is usually the first to solve the crimes and is said to be well-read and into science.
Christina Lange as Velma: Another former child actor, beyond her voice work in “A Pup Named Scooby-Doo,” Christina had voice roles as Raggedy Ann on the “Adventures of Raggedy Ann & Andy,” Sister Bear on the original “Berenstain Bears,” and Wendy Darling on “Peter Pan and the Pirates.” She is now retired from acting.
Red Herring is the local red-headed bully in the show and Fred’s prime suspect for every crime. The only time Red Herring actually committed a crime in the show was the only time Fred didn’t accuse him. First appearing in “A Pup Named Scooby-Doo,” the character went on to have reoccurring appearances in later Scooby-Doo-related projects.
Scott Menville as Red Herring: A television, film, and voice actor for the past 40 years, Scott has amassed an impressive resume. Likely best known nowadays for playing Robin on “Teen Titans Go!,” Scott has had roles on TV shows “Captain Planet and the Planeteers,” “Where on Earth is Carmen San Diego?,” “Spider-Man,” and in numerous video games.
Additional voice roles in “A Pup Named Scooby-Doo” were played by Mark L. Taylor, Maggie Roswell, Dick Gautier, Kenneth Mars, Lewis Arquette, George Ball, Dehl Berti, Earl Boen, Arthur Burghardt, Cathy Cahn, Hamilton Camp, and Linda Dangcil.
