Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!

Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!
Genre	Animation Comedy horror Mystery Adventure Children's television series
Created by	Joe Ruby Ken Spears
Developed by	Joseph Barbera William Hanna Iwao Takamoto Fred Silverman
Directed by	Joseph Barbera William Hanna
Voices of	Don Messick Casey Kasem Frank Welker Nicole Jaffe Stefanianna Christopherson (1969–70) Heather North (1970)
Theme music composer	David Mook Ben Raleigh
Opening theme	"Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!" performed by Larry Marks (1969–1970) George A. Robertson, Jr. (1970)
Composer	Ted Nichols (1969–1970)
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
No. of seasons	50
No. of episodes	9, 9999 (list of episodes)
Production
Producers	Joseph Barbera William Hanna
Running time	21 minutes approx
Production company	Hanna-Barbera Productions
Distributors	DFS Program Exchange (1980-1981) Turner Program Services (1992–98) Warner Bros. Television Distribution (1969–present)
Original release
Network	CBS
Release	September 13, 1969 (1969-09-13) – present

Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! is an American animated mystery comedy television series produced by Hanna-Barbera. Produced for CBS, the series premiered as part of the network's Saturday morning schedule on September 13, 1969, and aired for two seasons until October 31, 1970. In 1978, a selection of episodes from the later series Scooby's All-Stars and The Scooby-Doo Show were aired on ABC under the Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! name and they were released in a DVD set marketed as its third season.

The series centers on a group of characters consisting of four teenagers—Fred Jones, Daphne Blake, Velma Dinkley, and Shaggy Rogers—and the title character, a semi-anthropomorphic Great Dane named Scooby-Doo. The group travels in the Mystery Machine, a blue and green van decorated with orange flowers, solving mysteries involving local legends; in doing so, they discover that the perpetrator is almost invariably a disguised person who seeks to exploit the legend for personal gain.

Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! is the first incarnation of what has become a long-running media franchise, primarily consisting of subsequent animated series, several films, and related merchandise.

Origin

Further information: Scooby-Doo

Scooby Doo, Where Are You! was the result of CBS and Hanna-Barbera's plans to create a non-violent Saturday morning program that would appease the parent watch groups that had protested the superhero-based programs of the mid-1960s. Originally titled Mysteries Five, and later Who's S-S-Scared?, Scooby Doo, Where Are You! underwent a number of changes from script to screen (the most significant being the downplaying of the musical group angle borrowed from The Archie Show). However, the basic concept—four teenagers (Fred, Daphne, Velma, and Shaggy) and a cowardly, clumsy Great Dane (Scooby-Doo) solving supernatural-related mysteries—was always in place.

Writing

Scooby-Doo creators Joe Ruby and Ken Spears served as the story supervisors on the series. Ruby, Spears, and Bill Lutz wrote all of the scripts for the seventeen first-season episodes, while Lutz, Larz Bourne, and Tom Dagenais wrote the eight second-season episodes with Ruby and Spears as story editors. The plot varied little from episode to episode. The main concept was as follows:

1. The gang is driving in the Mystery Machine, returning from or going to a regular teenage function, when their van breaks down for any of a variety of reasons (overheating, flat tire, out of gas) in the immediate vicinity of a large mostly vacated property (ski lodge, hotel, factory, mansion).
2. Their unintended destination turns out to be suffering from a monster problem (ghosts, Yetis, vampires, witches, etc). The gang then volunteers to investigate the case.
3. The gang splits up to cover more ground, with Fred and Velma finding clues, Daphne finding danger, and Shaggy and Scooby finding food, fun, and the monster, who chases them.
4. Eventually, enough clues are found to convince the gang that the ghost/monster is a fake. Fred then develops a much too complex trap to capture it (only for it to invariably go awry). Alternately, the gang calls the local sheriff only to get stopped by the villain half-way.
5. Eventually, the monster is apprehended and discovered to be disguised. Once unmasked, the monster turns out to be an unsuspected authority figure or otherwise innocuous local who is using the disguise to cover up something such as a crime or a scam.
6. After giving the parting shot of "And I would have gotten away with it too, if it weren't for you meddling kids", the offender is then taken away to jail and the gang is allowed to continue on the way to their destination.

Episodes

Main article: List of Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! episodes

Season		Episodes		Originally aired
				First aired	Last aired	Network
	1	17		September 13, 1969 (1969-09-13)	January 17, 1970 (1970-01-17)	CBS
	2	8		September 12, 1970 (1970-09-12)	October 31, 1970 (1970-10-31)
	3	16		September 9, 1978	December 23, 1978	ABC

Music

The second season featured bubblegum "chase scene" songs produced by La La Productions (which had originally been contracted to create the music for Josie and the Pussycats, the first of many animated series made from the same mold as Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!). These songs were written by Danny Janssen and Austin Roberts, and were performed by Roberts, who also made a new recording of the Scooby Doo, Where Are You! theme song for the second season. The series' theme song has been covered by several subsequent artists, including Matthew Sweet for the 1995 TV special and album Saturday Morning: Cartoons' Greatest Hits; Third Eye Blind for the 1998 film Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island and the 2003 film Scooby-Doo! and the Monster of Mexico; Billy Ray Cyrus for Scooby-Doo! and the Witch's Ghost (1999); Jennifer Love Hewitt for Scooby-Doo and the Alien Invaders (2000); the B-52's (Cindy, Kate and Fred) for Scooby-Doo and the Cyber Chase (2001); MxPx for the live-action Scooby-Doo film (2002); and Krystal Harris for Scooby-Doo! and the Legend of the Vampire (2003).

Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! utilized a laugh track, a common feature in most animated TV series until the late 1970s. It was removed for syndication in the 1980s. Following Turner's purchase of Hanna-Barbera and its networks' (TBS, TNT and Cartoon Network) initial broadcast of the series in 1994, the laugh track was reinstated in 1997.

Cast

Main article: List of Scooby-Doo characters

• Don Messick as Scooby-Doo
• Casey Kasem as Shaggy Rogers
• Frank Welker as Fred Jones
• Stefanianna Christopherson as Daphne Blake (season 1)
• Heather North as Daphne Blake (seasons 2 and 3)
• Nicole Jaffe as Velma Dinkley (seasons 1 and 2)
• Pat Stevens as Velma Dinkley (season 3)

Release and reception

Scooby Doo, Where Are You! was a hit for Hanna-Barbera and CBS, which led Hanna-Barbera to eventually create series with similar concepts on ABC, NBC, and CBS, including, Josie and the Pussycats, The Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm Show, The Pebbles, Dino and Bamm-Bamm segments on The Flintstone Comedy Show, The Funky Phantom, Speed Buggy, Jeannie, Jabberjaw, The Amazing Chan and the Chan Clan, Inch High Private Eye, Goober and the Ghost Chasers, Clue Club, Captain Caveman and the Teen Angels, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kids, and The New Shmoo.

In 2005, Scooby Doo, Where Are You! came 49th in Channel 4's 100 Greatest Cartoons, in the UK, and was more recently voted the 8th greatest Kids' TV Show by viewers of the same channel. It was ranked the 24th greatest cartoon on IGN's Top 100 Animated Series.

Home media

On July 4, 2002, Warner Home Video released four episodes from the series on a compilation DVD in Region 1 entitled Scooby-Doo's Creepiest Capers. They later released all 25 episodes on DVD in Region 1 on March 16, 2004 under the title Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! The Complete First and Second Seasons. A DVD entitled Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! The Complete Third Season was released on April 10, 2007, made up of episodes produced in 1978, added to the Scooby's All-Stars package, and later syndicated as part of The Scooby-Doo Show.

On November 9, 2010, Warner Home Video released Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!: The Complete Series. The eight-disc set features all 25 episodes of the series plus the 16 episodes produced in 1978 which aired as part of Scooby's All-Stars. The set is encased in special collectible packaging in the form of a Mystery Machine replica. It also features a special bonus disc filled with new and archival material. The set was re-released on November 13, 2012.

Starting on January 27, 2009, Warner Home Video released single-disc DVDs with four episodes each plus an episode from Shaggy and Scooby-Doo Get a Clue. Four volumes have been released through October 19, 2010.

Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! home video releases

Season		Episodes	Years active	Release dates
				Region 1
	1	17	1969–70	Original Mysteries: 2000 Episodes: "What a Night for a Knight" – "Decoy for a Dognapper" Spookiest Tales: August 21, 2001 Episodes: "A Gaggle of Galloping Ghosts" • "Which Witch is Which?" • "That's Snow Ghost" Creepiest Capers: July 4, 2002 Episodes: "Hassle in the Castle" • "Go Away Ghost Ship" • "A Night of Fright is No Delight" Greatest Mysteries: 2004 Episodes: "Hassle in the Castle" • "A Clue for Scooby Doo" • "The Backstage Rage" The Complete First and Second Seasons: March 16, 2004; May 23, 2017 (Reissue) Episodes: Entire season featured Volume 1: A Monster Catch: January 27, 2009 Episodes: "What a Night for a Knight" – "Mine Your Own Business" Volume 2: Bump In The Night: May 5, 2009 Episodes: "Decoy for a Dognapper" – "Foul Play in Funland" Volume 3: Hello Mummy: September 1, 2009 Episodes: "The Backstage Rage" – "Scooby Doo and a Mummy, Too" Volume 4: Spooky Bayou: October 19, 2010 Episodes: "Which Witch is Which?" – "A Night of Fright is No Delight" The Complete Series: November 9, 2010 / November 13, 2012 (Reissue) Episodes: Entire season featured
	2	8	1970	Creepiest Capers: July 4, 2002 Episodes: "The Haunted House Hang-Up" Greatest Mysteries: 2004 Episodes: "Jeepers, It's the Creeper" The Complete First and Second Seasons: March 16, 2004; May 23, 2017 (Reissue) Episodes: Entire season featured The Complete Series: November 9, 2010 / November 13, 2012 (Reissue) Episodes: Entire season featured
	3	16	1978	The Complete Third Season: April 10, 2007; June 6, 2017 (Reissue) The Complete Series: November 9, 2010 / November 13, 2012 (Reissue) Episodes: Entire season featured
Special features
Original Mysteries: Scooby-Doo Music Video (featuring scenes from Scooby-Doo! and the Witch's Ghost) • Take the Scooby Challenge • Snack Tracks • Scooby Snack Time Spookiest Tales: Bonus episodes: The Scooby-Doo Show: "The Headless Horseman of Halloween" • "Vampire Bats and Scaredy Cats" • Mystery Inc. gang character bios • Trivia Creepiest Capers: Mystery game. • Get the Picture: How to Draw Scooby-Doo. • Music Video • Mystery, Inc. Yearbook Greatest Mysteries: Scooby-Doo's Greatest Mysteries music video • Barrels of Mystery Challenge The Complete First and Second Seasons: Scooby-Doo's Ultimate Fans (disc 2) • Get the Picture: How to Draw Scooby-Doo and the Gang (disc 2) • Funky Fashion (disc 3) • America Loves Scooby-Doo Music Video (disc 3) • Scooby-Doo Street Smarts (disc 4) • Take the Scooby-Doo Challenge (disc 4; original from the Original Mysteries DVD) The Complete Third Season: Hanna-Barbera: From H to B featurette Volume 1: A Monster Catch: Bonus episode: Shaggy & Scooby-Doo Get a Clue!: "Shags to Riches" Volume 2: Bump In The Night: Bonus episode: Shaggy & Scooby-Doo Get a Clue!: "More Fondue for Scooby-Doo!" Volume 3: Hello Mummy: Bonus episode: Shaggy & Scooby-Doo Get a Clue!: "High Society Scooby" Volume 4: Spooky Bayou: Bonus episode: Shaggy & Scooby-Doo Get a Clue!: "Lightning Strikes Twice"

See also

• List of works produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions
• Lost Mysteries

External links

• Official Scooby-Doo website
• Scooby Doo, Where Are You! at the Big Cartoon DataBase
• Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! at the Internet Movie Database
• Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!? at TV.com
• Cartoon Network: Dept. of Cartoons: Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!—cached copy from Internet Archive
• "Hanna-Barbera Studios" (and sub-articles), The Big Cartoon DataBase

Children's programming on CBS in the 1970s
First-run animated series	Dastardly and Muttley in Their Flying Machines (1969–1971) • The Perils of Penelope Pitstop (1969–1971) • Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! (1969–1970; 1978–1979, as part of ABC's The Scooby-Doo Show) • Sabrina the Teenage Witch • Groovie Goolies • Josie and the Pussycats (1970–1971) • Harlem Globetrotters (1970–1971) • Help!... It's the Hair Bear Bunch! (1971–1974) • The Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm Show (1969–1972) • Archie's TV Funnies (1971–1973) • The Flintstone Comedy Hour • Bailey's Comets • The Amazing Chan and the Chan Clan (1972) • The New Scooby-Doo Movies (1972–1974) • My Favorite Martians • Jeannie (1973–1975) • Speed Buggy • Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids (1972–1984) • Partridge Family 2200 A.D. (1974–1975) • Valley of the Dinosaurs (1974–1976) • The U.S. of Archie (1974–1976) • Clue Club (1976–1977) • Tarzan, Lord of the Jungle • The New Adventures of Batman • What's New Mr. Magoo? • The Batman/Tarzan Adventure Hour • The Robonic Stooges • The All-New Popeye Hour (1978–1983) • Tarzan and the Super 7 • The New Adventures of Mighty Mouse and Heckle & Jeckle
First-run live-action series	Captain Kangaroo (1955–1984) • In the News (1971–1986) • You Are There • CBS Children's Film Festival (1971–1978; 1982–1984) • Shazam! (1974–1977) • The Harlem Globetrotters Popcorn Machine • The Hudson Brothers Razzle Dazzle Show • The Secrets of Isis • Far Out Space Nuts • The Ghost Busters • Ark II • Way Out Games • The Skatebirds (1977–1978) • Space Academy (1977–1979) • Wacko • 30 Minutes (1978–1982) • Jason of Star Command (1978–1981)
Rebroadcasts	The Jetsons • The Bugs Bunny/Road Runner Hour (1968–1971; 1975–1978; 1978–1985) • The Monkees (1969–1972) • Wacky Races (1968–1970) • The New Adventures of Superman • Jonny Quest • Sylvester and Tweety (1976–1977)
Schedules	1969–70 • 1970–71 • 1971–72 • 1972–73 • 1973–74 • 1974–75 • 1975–76 • 1976–77 • 1977–78 • 1978–79 • 1979–80
Related programming and topics	Animation in the United States in the television era