“Scooby-Dooby-Doo!” For more than 52 years, Scooby-Doo has delighted fans with an incredible amount of shows, movies, and so much more. To date, a total of 45 Scooby films, 14 animated television shows, 15 comic book series, 20 video games, 36 web shorts, and 6 theatrical plays have been produced of the Mystery Inc. gang (Scooby, Shaggy, Fred, Daphne, and Velma). There are even multiple Scooby-Doo rides at theme parks around the world.
Now, with the prime-time special, Scooby-Doo, Where Are You Now! (billed as an animated Scooby-Doo reunion documentary) about to premiere on The CW network and a new Scooby-inspired animated show named Velma coming soon to HBO Max, YEM takes a look back at some of the Top Scooby-Doo Moments of All-Time:
A Pup Named Scooby-Doo – “The Schnook Who Took My Comic Book” animated episode (1988)
The much beloved A Pup Named Scooby-Doo was a favorite of many young adults. Learn all about (or re-familiarize yourself) with the animated show via this YEM write-up celebrating the voice actors and characters that made the series so special:
This was the first episode where Scooby and Shaggy portrayed their alter-egos “Commander Cool” and “Mellow Mutt.” They end up battling Dr. Croaker at a Comic Book Convention for possession of the rare “Commander Cool” comic book. Dr. Croaker is eventually caught when the gang traps him with an exploding bubble gum bomb. It’s soon revealed the man in the Dr. Croaker suit was Commander Cool creator Wendell McWendell himself, trying to get rid of the rare comic books he created. That way, his own first-edition copy of the Commander Cool series would be worth a lot of money since it would be the only one in existence.
Scooby-Doo (2002 live-action movie)
The film, starring Sarah Michelle Gellar as Daphne (best known from Buffy the Vampire Slayer and I Know What You Did Last Summer– the latter of which came back as a TV show this year on Amazon Prime) was a commercial hit. The story’s plot features Mystery Inc. being reunited after a two year hiatus on Spooky Island, a horror-themed tropical resort. Scrappy-Doo, Scooby’s estranged nephew (whom the gang stopped including in their mysteries years before when his power-hungry personality became uncontrollable), comes back for revenge and is the main bad guy of the film.
Scooby-Doo On Zombie Island (1998 animated film)
A favorite of Scooby fans, this film started the trend that Scooby and the crew weren’t just facing “guys in masks” anymore, but supernatural beings instead. To prove that point, the movie includes werecats, zombies, and voodoo. The owners of the island even turn out to be evil cat-people, cursed by an ancient cat god. The team has to defeat the cat-people in order to free the zombies and save the day.
Scooby-Doo! and the Reluctant Werewolf (1988 animated made-for-TV film)
One of the more unique Scooby stories. When the legendary Wolfman retires and refuses to participate in a race, Shaggy gets unwittingly thrown into the drama. Dracula’s annual “Monster Road Rally” is at risk of being canceled because a new werewolf is needed. Shaggy, now a racecar driver (with Scooby and Scrappy as his crew) is turned into a werewolf and competes in the race. They later find out the race is rigged by Dracula though, in order to keep Shaggy as a werewolf. Despite this, Shaggy finds a way to win and returns home, where Shaggy’s girlfriend Googie helps him return to being fully human again.
Scooby-Doo “A Night of Fright is No Delight” (1970 original animated TV series) episode
Scooby is given the opportunity to become a millionaire when he’s named as one of the heirs to a million-dollar fortune. However, if he wants to receive the money, he must spend the entire night in a haunted house. While the other heirs begin to disappear one by one, Scooby and his friends remain, despite the imminent threat of the Phantom Shadows. This episode featured the ingenious trap of catching the bad guy in a washing machine.
Scooby-Doo and the Ghoul School (1988 animated made-for-TV film)
Another Shaggy, Scooby, and Scrappy adventure, this time as gym teachers at Miss Grimwood’s Finishing School for Girls. All the girls (or ghouls) at the school are daughters of some classic Hollywood monsters: Frankenstein’s Monster, Dracula, the Wolfman, the Invisible Man, the Mummy, among others. Revolta, the “Witch of the Web,” kidnaps the girls and plans to turn them all evil forever with a powerful potion. Thankfully, Shaggy, Scooby, and Scrappy interrupt the process and return the girls back to their famous fathers safely.
Scooby-Doo and the Cyber Chase (2001 animated film)
An interesting turn of the century story about video games and virtual reality. The gang literally go inside a video game to fight a computer virus. From there, they travel across several levels designed like the sea, the moon, a coliseum, the dinosaur age, Japan, Egypt, and finally, a large city. They eventually run into their virtual selves and face off against enemies from the old cartoon series. Only this time, the “monsters” are not people in masks, but actual monsters. Scooby ultimately beats the game by getting his beloved Scooby Snacks and deleting the virus in the process.
Scooby Doo! Camp Scare (2010 animated film)
Scary stories take place around the fire at a summer camp that Fred was once part of when he was a kid. The gang hears the tales of the Woodsman – an ex-counselor who got severely brain-damaged by a prank gone wrong years ago, the Fisherman – a boy who fished so much that he became part fish, and the Specter – a long lost hiker. References to other summer camp horror films like “Friday the 13th” can be found here.
Scooby Doo! and Batman: The Brave and the Bold (2018 animated direct-to-video movie)
Scooby is also known for various crossover movies with other animated characters, including Courage the Cowardly Dog in “Straight Outta Nowhere,” WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment) in “Scooby-Doo! WrestleMania Mystery,” and again in “WWE: Curse of the Speed Demon” (with WWE stars like John Cena and the Undertaker), Blue Falcon with Dynomutt in “Scooby-Doo! Mask of the Blue Falcon,” as well as the rock band KISS in Scooby Doo! and KISS: Rock and Roll Mystery. There’s even been a LEGO Scooby-Doo! However, none of these can compare to Scooby’s team-ups with the iconic character of Batman. In The Brave and the Bold, many of DC Comics’ most famous characters are featured, such as The Joker, Penguin, Riddler, and Catwoman. With the help of Scooby and the gang, however, the group are able to overcome all odds and assist Batman in solving an important mystery.
Space Jam: A New Legacy (2021 live-action and animated film)
Another recent Scooby appearance includes the gang’s cameo in “Space Jam: A New Legacy” starring basketball superstar Lebron James. The story revolves around NBA all-star LeBron James trying to get his son back from Al G. Rhythm, a computer program who has captured him. This is the second time Scooby-Doo and Shaggy Rogers make cameos in a Looney Tunes feature film, after previously appearing in Looney Tunes: Back in Action. You can read what YEM had to say about Space Jam: A New Legacy here:
https://youngentertainmentmag.com/check-trailer-space-jam-new-legacy/
