What makes Scooby Doo so popular?

[hobbyfan]

Technically, there was not a crossover with Richie Rich. Richie & Scooby shared a 1 hour block on ABC for a time, and the rerun cycle has a closing credit package that seems a wee bit out of place.

What's New Scooby-Doo debuted on WB in 2002, FWIW.

 

[Goldstar!]

Scooby? CN kept airing the original series over and over. Not just that. He was all over the network. There was a cross-over with Johnny Bravo, Speed Racer, Blair Witch, Courage... There was a 25 hours of Scooby-Doo marathon... Then CN started airing A Pup Named Scooby-Doo, Scooby-Doo Movies, The Scooby-Doo Show, Scooby-Doo and Scrappy-Doo... if I'm not mistaken CN also aired the Laff-A-Lympics... and the cross-over with Richie Rich.... and on top of that... whenever there was Halloween... you guessed it. It was basically CN's "scariest" show. Then year 2000 came along andwe got What's New Scooby-Doo... also heavily re-run... and Mystery Inc...

The Richie Rich/Scooby Doo Show wasn't a crossover. Richie Rich and Scooby shared a program block on ABC, but the SD and RR characters never interacted with one another.

 

[Daffyfan2002]

It's a shame though. It would have been interesting to see the characters interact. Maybe that would be an idea for the next DTV, having the Scooby gang solve a mystery in Richie's mansion or something.

 

[Checkerboard]

Well, it certainly seemed like a crossover to me. I mean... Just look at the intro where the shows share music and their worlds collide. Not to mention the logo and title of the "block" - The Richie Rich Scooby-Doo Show.

If it was just a block, they should have made it more evident. I watched this on CN and it definitely did not seem that way back then.

Same for Dynomutt...

 

[Silverstar]

Well, it certainly seemed like a crossover to me. I mean... Just look at the intro where the shows share music and their worlds collide. Not to mention the logo and title of the "block" - The Richie Rich Scooby-Doo Show.

Characters sharing billing in a show's title and antics within opening title sequences don't count. Heathcliff and Dingbat and the Creeps, later Heathcliff and Marmaduke interacted during the openings and bumpers of their respective shows, but they never appeared in any stories together. Similarly, the characters from CBS' Saturday Supercade likewise interacted during the bumper segments between shorts, but none of them ever actually appeared in each others' stories. Basically, what happens in the opening stays in the opening. It's not a crossover unless the casts actually appear in episodes together and are each directly involved in the same singular main plots. One can call NBC's Space Stars a crossover show since all of that show's regular segments took place in the same universe (literally), and the casts from said segments frequently guest starred and/or made cameos in each others' shorts.

If it was just a block, they should have made it more evident. I watched this on CN and it definitely did not seem that way back then.

Funny, I watched this show back on ABC from 1980 to 1982 and it seemed pretty clear to me. It was packaged as an hour long programming block entitled The Richie Rich/Scooby-Doo Show (and Scrappy Too!), which typically consisted of 3 Scooby and Scrappy-Doo segments and 3 Richie Rich segments per installment. Beyond flashing the words "A COMPILATION BLOCK, NOT A CROSSOVER" in big bold letters across the screen, how much more evident could they make it?

Same for Dynomutt...

Actually, it's not the same because the Scooby gang have teamed up with Dynomutt and Blue Falcon in a couple of episodes, not to mention how Scoob, Shag, BF and Dyno all competed together on the Scooby Doobies team on Laff-A-Lympics, and BF and Dog Wonder have also interacted with the gang on Scooby-Doo: Mystery, Inc. and in the DTV Scooby-Doo: Mask of the Blue Falcon, so in-universe those characters clearly aren't strangers to one another.

 

[Eric B]

I've always said it was the "people-focus". It was unprecedented in cartoons, which before were either slapstick comedy or action-adventure (and both of which were being increasingly frowned upon for violence). It perfected the "teen"-oriented format Archie started the year before, but with fresh new characters, and a whole new premise (it was originally going to be an Archie knockoff pretty much, but ditched the music band format, and stuck solely with the mystery format).

For a long while, Scooby, while popular, was not as iconic to HB as he is now. In the 70's, the top HB stars you always heard about and saw everywhere were still basically Yogi (and friends), followed by the Flintstones. The tide started to turn with the Laffalympics being assigned to Scooby (you would have thought that would have been centered on Yogi, as several other similar shows were) and already having its own direct spinoff, Dynomutt.
Scooby's own episode format was getting worn out as this was going on, so then they made the major changes (hated by many, but are what's credited as keeping the franchise going), but it was in the mid-80's, when it was becoming popular enough that they kept adding new seasons, and then they finally restored the mystery format (with the scaled down version of the original gang, and occasional stories with the whole gang), that Scooby was becoming a really big thing. (So he got a 15th anniversary tribute episode and his first Christmas episode, and then the new 13 Ghosts format).

We then hit another "dark ages" (nearly a full decade), and I think that's due to all the changes going on in the industry. Cartoons were changing at the time. The next "fad" was younger versions, and afterward, we were transitioning from Saturday morning network cartoons, to cable, with whole new rules, new studios (HB had greatly waned during this period) and a sort of "retro" style, as seen in 2 Stupid Dogs, Ren & Stimpy, etc.that would herald this next age.
However, we still had a 20 year run of episodes to keep us watching, on cable.

So when Scooby finally made the move to CN; that's when all the nostalgia about him REALLY kicked off, and of course, we got frequent airings, marathons, and eventually new productions, and finally, movies and more new series.

 

[wickedmountain]

Because it was a fun cartoon to watch

 

[rajzfilm]

I like Scooby because it was always fun when Scooby and Shaggy were chased by the monsters. It's like Looney Tunes or Tom and Jerry. The duo also had a likable personality. Putting the clues together is another fun part.
I liked everything Hanna-Barbera did with the franchise, and I also like the pre-2010 dtv movies and What's New. The rest are awful.

 

[Steve Carras]

Vis-a-via an earlier poster's comment about humans, not being done before what about Hanna-Barbera's "Flintstones","Johnny Quest" and other 1960s human shows?

 

[Steve Carras]

I thought the show had great plots. Unlike many other mysteries for younger audiences, Scooby Doo generally had several people that could be the bad guy in the costume.

Snooper (the Cat) at HB and Rocky and Bullwinkle (Jay Ward) were pretty much the same and they haven't been as much revived in the public eye in reruns or anything..

 

[BartWinkle]

Heathcliff also interacted with Riffraff in the closing credits-albeit briefly-in the 1984 syndicated series when Riffraff snatched his hat from Heathcliff's head.

 

[Saotome2U]

I know for me, I think I was first introduced to Scooby-Doo in maybe 1984-1985, and it was Scooby-Doo Where Are You, which to me is still the 2nd best version of the series. Scooby-Doo Mystery Incorporated has actually become my favorite of all Scooby incarnations, and this is coming from someone whom has seen 'em all since I was like 7 or 8 yrs old.

I loved the voice acting, the kinda spooky and scary atmosphere of the series, and the mystery of it. As a kid, it kept you guessing, and made you realize how important clues were to the show, and also figuring things out in life. I also loved how character based the show was with everyone having their own niche in the gang. Over time, the characters have grown and/or changed, but they've remained relatively in their same specialty. Shaggy, if you really pay attention to the first series to later ones, was flanderized over time, to where his cowardice become more prominent as well as his appetite to keep him in line with Scooby. Guess it makes sense since Scooby was his dog, and partner in most of the mysteries. But Shaggy, in the first few episodes of SD:WAY was more brave and calling Scooby out on his fear, by telling him to "get out from under" something, or by volunteering to go back out to catch someone without a Scooby Snack. Fred definitely chagned, as he became somewhat neurotic and obsessive, and kinda clueless -- like a "blonde" I guess.

The other thing I loved about the original Scooby-Doo series was the animations and character designs. To this day, I loved how everyone had their own individual walking animations, and 2 different running animations that were consistently used up to The New Scooby Doo Show. I always thought that was cool, though you can tell when animators got lazy, or maybe lost the cels for their animations and had to redraw everything.

Scooby-Doo was, and still is a series that was character driven, and the first of its kind pretty much. The dynamics and chemistry with the characters really played out, despite the campiness of the show at times. For me, it was one of the first shows that really had character personalities shine. Of course, as a true Scooby Doo fan, I despise all things Scrappy Doo, and that was the downfall of the series. Cannot stand him, nor Flim Flam from the 13 Ghosts series.

Personally I wish they could have continued the Mystery Incorporated series ongoing, because that one was brilliant in its approach. It was self aware and irreverent, not to mention it was just scary enough to really keep you guessing and surprised. Plus the character personalities were fleshed out more, and really seems like a true prequel to SD:WAY. I don't so much mind the comedic SD series like A Pup Named Scooby Doo, or what will be the new Be Cool, Scooby Doo series (though I'm not a fan of the new character designs), and much prefer the more scary/mystery aspect of the show, but I'll give it a shot. So long as the dialogue and chemistry remains, I'll watch as it will retain what made the original 70s SD shows, and SD:MI so great.

 

[hobbyfan]

Of course, as a true Scooby Doo fan, I despise all things Scrappy Doo, and that was the downfall of the series. Cannot stand him, nor Flim Flam from the 13 Ghosts series.

I recommend you read my blog review of "Scooby-Doo Goes Hollywood", which is the real reason the franchise started to go downhill. Scrappy wasn't in it, but the writing was uneven and borderline lame. 9 months after this aired, ABC changed the format of the series.

 

[SweetShop209]

Id say a few factors are in play:

1. The franchise is great with mysteries, whether they're complex and tragic, or goofy fun.

2. The gangs' characterization allows them to both stand on their own while still being able to be part of a greater world. You have Shaggy and Scooby (who are lovable cowards that can get rather geeky), Fred (the fairly kooky man with the plan who can look out for others, albeit with strange methods), Daphne (the chick who can get sensitive and a bit eccentric, but is a trend setter and one to stand up for what she wants), and Velma (the genius who wants to prove her self worth). All of these personalities are great on their own, yet can interact with a greater world, whether it's Hanna Barbera or original characters )

3. Cerberus syndrome is also a key factor. The franchise can go from dark and scary to light and fun, and yey, for the most part, still feel like Scooby Doo.

 

[jaylop97]

I think the brand is very well known that it is really easy for more to be made of the SD brand as most mysteries have a way to be made and solved by a cast like SD's.

 

[Fone Bone]

Low standards.

I'm terrible.

 

[hobbyfan]

I agree with that concept. Even with the addition of Scrappy and when they changed the formula to real monsters, it was still popular. Maybe not as much. While I love Shaggy and Scooby Doo Get a Clue, it was more for the villains then it was for Shaggy and Scooby who just came off as obnoxious in that series. A lot of hardcore Scooby fans felt tricked because it was Scooby-Doo in name only. Good, hilarious series, but it didn't do well because of the change of formula, or was it because 4Kid's took over the network and couldn't afford to keep it?

4Kids began programming CW's children's lineup after Shaggy & Scooby-Doo Get a Clue ended its run.

 

[Rabbitearsblog]

I have always loved Scooby Doo and one of the main reasons I loved Scooby Doo was that it tends to have story lines that would keeps kids entertained, such as trying to figure out who is in the monster disguises that would try to scare away the gang. Another reason why I think that Scooby Doo is still popular to this very day is because while the series still retained its mystery themed premise throughout each different iteration, it manages to do something different with each series without losing the show's signature mystery angle.

For example, if you want to look at a Scooby Doo series that is light hearted with a light bit of drama thrown in, you can check out the original Scooby Doo, Where Are You? series or the Scooby Doo and Scrappy Doo era episodes.

If you want to look at a Scooby Doo series that is dark in tone, then you can check out Scooby Doo on Zombie Island or Scooby Doo: Mystery Incorporated.

 

[superdude]

I think the main reason is exposure and the frequent airings of it. Also the wacky hi-jinx of Scooby and Shaggy plus juvenile eye candy courtesy of the lovely Daphne.

 

[TheDaveMaybe]

I've always loved Scooby-Doo because of the character comedy (mostly referring to Shaggy and Scooby, of course). I also like how (for the most part), how well-written the shows were, especially SDWAY. Sure, it was campy at times, but the writing was still clever and got children genuinely guessing and using their brain. Even Carl Sagan was a Scooby-Doo fan. He liked how the series had a skeptic approach and how there was always a scientific explanation for why and how everything happened. Yea, it was corny, but it was genuinely clever, and funny.