Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!

Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!
Genre
Created by Joe Ruby
Ken Spears
Developed by
Joseph Barbera
William Hanna
Directed by
Voices of
Theme music composer David Mook
Ben Raleigh
Opening theme "Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!" performed by
Composer(s) Ted Nichols (1969–1970)
Country of origin United States
Original language(s) English
No. of seasons 3
No. of episodes 41 (list of episodes)
Production
Producer(s)
Running time 21 minutes approx
Production company(s) Hanna-Barbera Productions
Distributor DFS Program Exchange
(1980-1981)
Taft Broadcasting (1969–88)
Great American Broadcasting (1988–91)
Turner Program Services (1992–98)[4]
Warner Bros. Television Distribution (1999–present)
Release
Original network CBS (1969–70)
ABC (1978)
Picture format Film
4:3
480i
Audio format Monaural
Original release Original series:
  • September 13, 1969 (1969-09-13) – October 31, 1970 (1970-10-31)
Revival series:
September 9, 1978 (1978-09-09) – November 4, 1978 (1978-11-04)
Chronology
Followed by The New Scooby-Doo Movies (1972–73)

Scooby-Doo, Where Are You![5] is an American animated mystery comedy television series produced by Hanna-Barbera. Produced for CBS, the series premiered as part of the network's Saturday morning schedule on September 13, 1969, and aired for two seasons until October 31, 1970. In 1978, a selection of episodes from the later series Scooby's All-Stars and The Scooby-Doo Show were aired on ABC under the Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! name and, as such, is sometimes marketed as its third season.[6]

The series centers on a group of characters consisting of four teenagers—Fred Jones, Daphne Blake, Velma Dinkley, and Shaggy Rogers—and the title character, a semi-anthropomorphic Great Dane named Scooby-Doo. The group travel in a van named the Mystery Machine, solving mysteries involving several local legends; in doing so, they discover that the perpetrator is almost invariably a disguised person who seeks to exploit the legend for personal gain.

Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! was the first incarnation of what would eventually become a long-running media franchise, which primarily consists of subsequent animated series, several films, and related merchandise.

Origin

Scooby Doo, Where Are You! was the result of CBS and Hanna-Barbera's plans to create a non-violent Saturday morning program that would appease the parent watch groups that had protested the superhero-based programs of the mid-1960s.[7] Originally titled Mysteries Five, and later Who's S-S-Scared?, Scooby Doo, Where Are You! underwent a number of changes from script to screen (the most significant being the downplaying of the musical group angle borrowed from The Archie Show). However, the basic concept—four teenagers (Fred, Daphne, Velma, and Shaggy) and a cowardly, clumsy Great Dane (Scooby-Doo) solving supernatural-related mysteries—was always in place.[8]

Writing

Scooby-Doo creators Joe Ruby and Ken Spears served as the story supervisors on the series.[9] Ruby, Spears, and Bill Lutz wrote all of the scripts for the seventeen first-season episodes, while Lutz, Larz Bourne, and Tom Dagenais wrote the eight second-season episodes with Ruby and Spears as story editors. The plot varied little from episode to episode. The main concept was as follows:

  1. The gang is driving in the Mystery Machine, returning from or going to a regular teenage function, when their van develops engine trouble or breaks down for any of a variety of reasons (overheating, flat tire, out of gas), in the immediate vicinity of a large mostly vacated property (ski lodge, hotel, factory, mansion, cruise ship).
  2. Their unintended destination turns out to be suffering from a monster problem (ghosts, Yetis, vampires, witches, etc.). The gang volunteers to investigate the case.
  3. The gang splits up to cover more ground, with Fred and Velma finding clues, Daphne finding danger, and Shaggy and Scooby finding food, fun, and the ghost/monster, who chases them. Scooby and Shaggy love to eat, including dog treats called Scooby Snacks which are a favorite of both.
  4. Eventually, enough clues are found to convince the gang that the ghost/monster is a fake, and a trap is set (usually by Fred) to capture it; or, they may occasionally call the local sheriff, only to get stopped by the villain half-way.
  5. If a trap is used, it may or may not work (more often than not, Scooby-Doo and/or Shaggy falls into the trap and/or they unwittingly catch the monster another way). Invariably, the ghost/monster is apprehended and unmasked. The person in the ghost or monster suit turns out to be an apparently blameless authority figure or otherwise innocuous local who is using the disguise to cover up something such as a crime or a scam.
  6. After giving the parting shot of "And I would have gotten away with it too, if it weren't for you meddling kids", the offender is then taken away to jail, and the gang is allowed to continue on the way to their destination.

Episodes

Music

The second season featured bubblegum "chase scene" songs produced by La La Productions (which had originally been contracted to create the music for Josie and the Pussycats, the first of many animated series made from the same mold as Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!). These songs were written by Danny Janssen and Austin Roberts, and were performed by Roberts, who also made a new recording of the Scooby Doo, Where Are You! theme song for the second season. The series' theme song has been covered by several subsequent artists, including Matthew Sweet for the 1995 TV special and album Saturday Morning: Cartoons' Greatest Hits; Third Eye Blind for the 1998 film Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island; Billy Ray Cyrus for Scooby-Doo! and the Witch's Ghost (1999); Jennifer Love Hewitt for Scooby-Doo and the Alien Invaders (2000); the B-52's (Cindy, Kate and Fred) for Scooby-Doo and the Cyber Chase (2001); MxPx for the live-action Scooby-Doo film (2002); and Krystal Harris for Scooby-Doo! and the Legend of the Vampire (2003).

Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! utilized a laugh track, a common feature in most animated TV series until the late 1970s. It was removed for syndication in the 1980s. Following Turner's purchase of Hanna-Barbera and its networks' (TBS, TNT and Cartoon Network) initial broadcast of the series in 1994, the laugh track was reinstated in 1997.

Cast

Release and reception

Scooby Doo, Where Are You! was a hit for Hanna-Barbera and CBS, which led Hanna-Barbera to eventually create series with similar concepts on ABC, NBC, and CBS, including, Josie and the Pussycats, The Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm Show, The Pebbles, Dino and Bamm-Bamm segments on The Flintstone Comedy Show, The Funky Phantom, Speed Buggy, Jeannie, Jabberjaw, The Amazing Chan and the Chan Clan, Inch High Private Eye, Goober and the Ghost Chasers, Clue Club, Captain Caveman and the Teen Angels, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kids, and The New Shmoo.

In 2005, Scooby Doo, Where Are You! came 49th in Channel 4's 100 Greatest Cartoons,[10] in the UK, and was more recently voted the 8th greatest Kids' TV Show by viewers of the same channel.[11] It was ranked the 24th greatest cartoon on IGN's Top 100 Animated Series.[12]

Home media

On July 4, 2002, Warner Home Video released four episodes from the series on a compilation DVD in Region 1 entitled Scooby-Doo's Creepiest Capers. They later released all 25 episodes on DVD in Region 1 on March 16, 2004 under the title Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! The Complete First and Second Seasons.[13] A DVD entitled Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! The Complete Third Season was released on April 10, 2007, made up of episodes produced in 1978, added to the Scooby's All-Stars package, and later syndicated as part of The Scooby-Doo Show.[14]

On November 9, 2010, Warner Home Video released Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!: The Complete Series. The 8 disc set features all 25 episodes of the series plus the 16 episodes produced in 1978 which aired as part of Scooby's All-Stars. The set is encased in special collectible packaging in the form of a Mystery Machine replica. In addition, it also features a special bonus disc filled with new and archival material.[15] The set was re-released on November 13, 2012.

Starting on January 27, 2009, Warner Home Video released single disc DVDs with four episodes each plus an episode from Shaggy and Scooby-Doo Get a Clue. Four volumes have been released through October 19, 2010.[16]

DVD name Episode count Release date SxE Episodes include
Scooby-Doo's Original Mysteries 5 2000 1x01 What a Night for a Knight
1x02 Hassle in the Castle
1x03 A Clue for Scooby-Doo
1x04 Mine Your Own Business
1x05 Decoy for a Dognapper
Scooby-Doo's Spookiest Tales 5 August 21, 2001 2x02
(The Scooby-Doo Show)		 Vampire Bats and Scaredy Cats
1x11 A Gaggle of Galloping Ghosts
1x17 That's Snow Ghost
1x13 Which Witch is Which?
1x05
(The Scooby-Doo Show)		 The Headless Horseman of Halloween
Scooby-Doo's Creepiest Capers 4 July 4, 2002 1x15 Go Away Ghost Ship
1x02 Hassle in the Castle
2x05 The Haunted House Hang-Up
1x16 A Night of Fright is No Delight
Scooby-Doo's Greatest Mysteries 4 2004 1x03 A Clue for Scooby Doo
1x02 Hassle in the Castle
2x03 Jeepers, It's the Creeper
1x09 The Backstage Rage
Seasons 1 and 2 25 March 16, 2004 1x01–2x08 This four-disc release contained all episodes from the first two seasons
Season 3 16 April 10, 2007 3x01–16 All episodes from the third and final season
Volume 1 – A Monster Catch 4 (plus one bonus episode) January 27, 2009 1x01 What a Night for a Knight
1x02 Hassle in the Castle
1x03 A Clue for Scooby Doo
1x04 Mine Your Own Business
1x01
(Shaggy & Scooby-Doo Get a Clue!)		 Shags to Riches
Volume 2 – Bump In The Night 4 (plus one bonus episode) May 5, 2009 1x05 Decoy for a Dognapper
1x06 What the Hex Going On?
1x07 Never Ape an Ape Man
1x08 Foul Play in Funland
1x02
(Shaggy & Scooby-Doo Get a Clue!)		 More Fondue for Scooby-Doo!
Volume 3 – Hello Mummy 4 (plus one bonus episode) September 1, 2009 1x09 The Backstage Rage
1x10 Bedlam in the Big Top
1x11 A Gaggle of Galloping Ghosts
1x12 Scooby Doo and a Mummy, Too
1x03
(Shaggy & Scooby-Doo Get a Clue!)		 High Society Scooby
Volume 4 – Spooky Bayou 4 (plus one bonus episode) October 19, 2010 1x13 Which Witch is Which?
1x15 Go Away Ghost Ship
1x14 Spooky Space Kook
1x16 A Night of Fright is No Delight
1x06
(Shaggy & Scooby-Doo Get a Clue!)		 Lightning Strikes Twice
The Complete Series 41 November 9, 2010
November 13, 2012 (Re-issue)		 1x01–3x16 All episodes from the entire series

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! [Animated TV Series]". AllMovie. Retrieved November 23, 2012.
  2. ↑ "Scooby-Doo, Where Are You?". British Film Institute. Retrieved November 23, 2012.
  3. ↑ "Super '70s and '80s: "Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!"—Larry Marks, theme song singer, season 1". Retrieved 14 November 2015.
  4. ↑ Jensen, Jeff (1995-01-16). "Hanna-Barbera toons in to reclaim heritage; studio lays plans to nurture brands, merchandise". Advertising Age: 4.
  5. ↑ Later iterations of the series added a hyphen to spell the character's name "Scooby-Doo". However, the first series and such spinoffs as Gold Key Comics' Hanna-Barbera Scooby Doo... Where Are You! and Scooby Doo... Mystery Comics used no hyphen.
  6. ↑ Lenberg, Jeff (2006). The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons. New York: Facts of File. ISBN 0-8160-6599-3. pp. 618–619.
  7. ↑ Cronin, Brian (September 25, 2013). "TV Legends Revealed | Jinkies! The Mysterious Origins of 'Scooby-Doo'". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved August 5, 2015.
  8. ↑ Mikkelson, Barbara (May 22, 2006). "Scooby-Doo, What Is You?". Snopes.com. Retrieved August 5, 2015.
  9. ↑ Shostak, Stu (05-02-2012). "Interview with Joe Ruby and Ken Spears". Stu's Show. Retrieved 03-18-2013.
  10. ↑ Archived September 3, 2005, at the Wayback Machine.
  11. ↑ Archived February 4, 2007, at the Wayback Machine.
  12. ↑ "Top 100 Animated Series—Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!". IGN.com. Retrieved 11 December 2012.
  13. ↑ "Scooby Doo, Where Are You! - The Complete First and Second Seasons : DVD Talk Review of the DVD Video". Dvdtalk.com. 2004-03-16. Retrieved 2014-03-10.
  14. ↑ "Scooby Doo, Where Are You! - The Complete Third Season : DVD Talk Review of the DVD Video". Dvdtalk.com. Retrieved 2014-03-10.
  15. ↑ Lacey, Gord. "Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! - Complete Series Announced - Mystery Machine Packaging!". Archived from the original on 15 October 2012. Retrieved 11 December 2012.
  16. ↑ "Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! DVD news: Announcement for Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! - Season 1, Volume 4: Spooked Bayou". TVShowsOnDVD.com. Archived from the original on 2014-01-06. Retrieved 2014-03-10.
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