September 13th is Scooby Doo Day! The beloved animated canine detective has become a fixture in American pop culture, and has been exposing the shady schemes of malevolent, mask-wearing villains since the 1960’s. A vet discusses the iconic pup below.
Starting Out
Scooby Doo, Where Are You? may have reached iconic status now, but it wasn’t exactly an overnight success. Nor was Scooby. In an early version, titled Mysteries Five, the now-famous pooch was, well, more of a dog and less of a sleuth. (He also played bongo drums.)
Genre Change
The show was originally written as a horror/mystery, but execs thought it may be too scary for kids, and turned it into a comedy. The rest, as you know, is history. Or, as Scooby would say, ‘Ristory.’
Name
Scooby Doo got his name from a Frank Sinatra song. The moniker was inspired by the ‘Doo-be-doo-be-doo’ line in Strangers in the Night. There were also a few other fictional characters named Skooby Doo around at the time. One was in the 1953 film Swingin Together and another was in the Archies’ song Feelin’ So Good (S.K.O.O.B.Y.-D.O.O.)
Cameos
Scooby Doo has appeared cameos or guest roles on many different films and TV shows, including Johnny Bravo, Looney Tunes: Back In Action; and Space Jam II.
Voices
Scooby’s voice has been done by dozens of actors over the years. One of the more iconic voices to play the role was Don Messick, who also spoke for the Jetsons’ beloved pet, Astro. Messick gave up the role soon after quitting smoking, which took the iconic rasp out of his voice.
Celebrity
Scooby Doo and his buddies needed a little help from their friends in the early days. Many stars were happy to pitch in and play guest roles. That roster includes Dick Van Dyke, Phyllis Diller, Sonny and Cher, Don Knotts, Mama Cass Elliot, and the Harlem Globetrotters!
Scrappy
We can’t forget about Scooby’s adorable nephew, the aptly-named Scrappy Doo. The precocious pup soon became famous in his own right, co-starring with his uncle for several years in spinoff series The Scooby and Scrappy-Doo Show, along with their bff, Shaggy. Puppy Power! However, Scrappy isn’t Scooby Doo’s only relative. Cousins Scooby-Dee and Scooby Dum have also lent the mystery-solving gang a helping paw in cracking cases.
Do you have a Great Dane with a love for Scooby Snacks? Contact us, your local animal clinic, today!