Scooby-Doo

From ToyReview

Storyline

Shaggy, Scooby, Daphne, Velma and Freddy

Scooby-Doo is the name of a popular children's cartoon and also the name of the lead character, who with the help of his friends solves a number of mysteries that unexpectedly take place. The other characters include Shaggy (Scooby-Doo's entertaining sidekick who screams like a girl), Freddy (a brave character who tends to lead the chase), Daphne (the pretty one who seemed to be accident prone) and Velma (quiet, clever and clumsy who cannot see a thing without her glasses)! Together the group are known as Mystery Inc.

The storyline has remained consistent since the beginning of the show; Mystery Inc. are faced with a paranormal problem and they must set traps and find clues that will lead them to solve the mystery. At the end of the story, the ghost or monster will turn out to be someone trying to commit a crime dressed in a costume. Their faces are always revealed at the very end. Later episodes include the character Scrappy-Doo, Scooby-Doo's nephew who is also a great dane puppy and helps the team with their problem solving antics.

Program History

Scooby-Doo is currently renowned for having the most episodes ever made; there have been 371 half hour storylines so far and more are predicted. Scooby-Doo is certainly one of the most successful children's cartoons of all time.

The cartoon was created by Hanna-Barbara now known as Cartoon Network and was first aired in 1969. The first episodes proved extremely popular to children everywhere so during the early 70's they produced a number of hour length stories that they called The Scooby-Doo Movies. The series ran until 1974, after which repeats were shown on Saturday mornings until ABC took over the cartoon in 1976. From then to 1986 ABC produced a number of new episodes under various headings, which occurred again from 1988 to 1991 and 2000 to now.

In 2002 Warner Brothers produced a film about the cartoon, which was extremely successful. The cast were well-known actors; Shaggy was played by Matthew Lillard (from 'Sream' and 'Without a Paddle'), Freddie Prinze Jr. played Freddy (from 'She's All That' and 'Down to You'), Sarah Michelle Gellar was Daphne (from 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' and 'The Grudge') and Linda Cardellini played Velma (from 'Legally Blonde' and 'ER'). A sequel was launched in 2004 called Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed. Merchandise, such as video games, cereal and even dog treats have been popular spin-offs from the films.

Lead Characters

Scooby-Doo

This character is a brown great dane with a few large black spots on his back. He has a big black nose, wide mouth and a large pink tongue. Scooby's real name is Scoobert and he is seven years old.

Shaggy

A tall skinny seventeen year old lad with mousy blonde hair, pale skin and his signature goatee. Shaggy is just his nickname due to his ruffled hair, his real name is Norville Rogers.

Freddy

Tall and muscular with bright blonde hair, he too is seventeen but looks much older! His full name is Fred Jones but friend call him Freddy.

Daphne

In the cartoon she has bright orange hair but in the film she was blonde and wears a headband. Daphne is sixteen in the cartoon and her full name is Daphne Blake.

Velma

The youngest human character in the series at only fifteen. Velma is short with short brown hair and thick round glasses. Her full name is Velma Dinkley.

Links to toys reviewed by visitors on The Toy Review

• Scooby-Doo Mystery Solving Crew

Other Scooby-Doo Websites

• Scooby-Doo at Warner Bros
• Scooby at Cartoon Network