The Pacer

Independent voice of the University of Tennessee at Martin

Columns Opinion

Scooby-Doo: the kids’ show that has survived generations

Scooby-Doo is a classic children’s TV show that was made in 1969.

The show features four meddling kids—Daphne, Fred, Velma and Shaggy—and a talking dog named Scooby-Doo. Each character has their own features that make them stand out from the rest of the gang. Fred is the trap maker and leader, Velma is the brains of the gang and Daphne is the damsel in distress that always makes her way out of it. Shaggy is Scooby-Doo’s best friend and both are usually bait when Fred is setting traps.

Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! is the first TV series made in the franchise. It features classic mysteries such as the Snow Ghost, the Creeper and the Dog Napper. Since then, Scooby-Doo has had many adaptations. One adaptation is A Pup Named Scooby-Doo, which features the gang as kids. Another adaptation is Mystery Incorporated, which stands out from the other shows. Normally, the gang is solving different mysteries with no correlation to other mysteries, but with this adaptation, there is a storyline. There are, of course, different monsters, but it all has a storyline, which makes it very cool and unique.

The most recent TV show is Velma. Velma does not feature Scooby-Doo, but only the gang. Many people, including myself, think it is the worst adaptation and should not even fall under the Scooby-Doo category, as it is nothing like the original Scooby-Doo shows and involves more adult content when the show is normally family-friendly.

Scooby-Doo is not just a TV show—many movies have also been made. Some of the most popular ones are the live-action movies Zombie Island, The Witch’s Ghost and Alien Invaders.

The Scooby-Doo franchise is loved by all. Scooby-Doo has tons of merch and has partnered with many different companies such as Igloo, Lego, Lush and Krispy Kreme. There have even been video games made for the popular show and for many consoles such as GameCube, the Wii, Xbox, PlayStation and PC.

Scooby-Doo is a classic kids’ TV show that has adapted over time to create many great movies and TV shows. I have never heard one person say they dislike Scooby-Doo. Some people are not fans of some of the adaptations, but other than a few exceptions, the show is gold.