Scooby-Doo, Where Are You? Uncovering the Fascinating Secrets Behind the Classic Cartoon
It's hard to believe that it's been over 50 years since Scooby-Doo and the gang first hit the airwaves on Hanna-Barbera's Scooby-Doo: Where Are You! Since then, we've seen countless iterations of the show, movies, and even live-action adaptations. But despite all the time we've spent with Scooby and the gang, solving mysteries and cracking cases, there are still plenty of secrets that they've been keeping from us. Here are some lesser-known facts about everyone's favorite Great Dane and his mystery-solving friends.
Scooby Was Almost A Sheepdog
It seems like everything centered around the dog for the creators of Scooby-Doo because they waffled on the name and the type of breed. The Great Dane was their original choice but studio executives thought it would be too similar to Marmaduke.
They suggested changing Scooby into a sheepdog but he ended up looking too close to Hot Dog from the Archie comics. After more rewrites, they changed him back to the goofy, spotted Great Dane we all know and love.
Shaggy And Scooby Have Appeared In Every Single Episode
Shaggy and Scooby are the only two that have appeared in every single episode, series, movie, or spin-off of the show. Obviously, it's not that the writers hated the other characters, it's just that they knew Shaggy and Scooby were the bread and butter of the show.
The characters were the only ones to survive being cut and replaced with other characters like Scrappy-Doo or Scooby-Dumb. I mean, the show is named after Scooby, so that makes sense.
Casey Kasem Had A Problem With Shaggy
Casey Kasem was cast as Shaggy way back in 1969 and had no issues until 1997. The producers asked Kasem to lend his Shaggy voice to a Burger King commercial and he refused. In real life, Kasem was a devout vegan.
After refusing to do the Burger King commercial, Kasem told producers he wouldn't return until they made Shaggy vegan. Five years later, producers came to a compromise and made Shaggy a vegetarian.
Carl Sagan Was A Huge Fan
It might be surprising to hear that the one scientist so firmly devoted to fact and reason loved a show about paranormal activity and ghost hunting. Carl Sagan admitted that he loved Scooby-Doo for those exact reasons.
He said that the skeptical nature of the show was perfect. It taught kids to question what they know and expose supernatural claims as hoaxes. Well, when you put it like that, it makes complete sense.
Fank Welker Has Been The Voice Of Fred For Five Decades
If you've seen every reiteration of Scooby-Doo, then you know the voices have changed slightly over time. One that has always remained the same throughout the series is Fred's. Frank Welker has been the voice of Fred for over 50 years and it doesn't look like he's going to be stopping any time soon.
The only exception was the three-year series A Pup Named Scooby-Doo where the gang members were pre-teens, so they had a young teen come and voice Fred.
There Was A Much Different Plan For The Live-Action Movie
The 2002 live-action film Scooby-Doo was originally going to be much darker and essentially be using the characters to poke fun at the innocence of the original series. They were going to officially give Velma and Daphne a romantic relationship, and set a PG-13 rating.
According to Sarah Michelle Gellar, who played Daphne, things suddenly changed after the cast signed on. Likely, Hanna-Barbera put their foot down.
A Real-Life Mystery Machine Got In A Real-Life Car Chase
Many fans of the show have painted vans to resemble the iconic Mystery Machine, but only one fan actually made headlines with it. Sharon Turman was wanted for a parole violation in California. When she saw the cops, she jumped in her Mystery Machine and sped off.
It led to a car chase that actually endangered many lives. The police ended up calling off the chase and Turman actually got away.
Even The Network Hated Scrappy-Doo
It wasn't just the fans who hated Scrappy, it was the networks too. After he was brought on to replace Velma, Daphne, and Fred, ABC quickly realized he wasn't the best fit for the show.
Not only was Scrappy annoying, but ABC thought he was a bad role model for kids. They said he was too "rebellious and independent." Rebellion might seem like a bad trait but there's nothing wrong with being independent.
Some Of The Gang Were Based On A 1960s Sitcom
To get inspiration for the final look and personality of the characters, the creators of Scooby-Doo turned to another sitcom, "The Many Loves Of Dobie Gillis." The 1960s sitcom was about a teenager looking for popularity, money, and the attention of girls. It was one of the few sitcoms with teens on it to use for inspiration.
Fred is supposedly based on Dobie, Shaggy is Maynard, Daphne is Thalia, and Velma is Zelda.
