SPOILERS AHEAD
In September, the “Scooby-Doo” franchise celebrated its 56th anniversary. Spanning 48 films, 14 animated television series, comics, video games and more, the franchise has been a focal point of children’s media since the original show “Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!” first aired in 1969. With few exceptions, most entries into the “Scooby-Doo” franchise focus on the gang solving stand-alone mysteries featuring bad guys in masks, rather than actual supernatural entities, with no overarching plot between episodes and movies. In 2010, Warner Bros. Animation took a notable digression from this historically successful path in the fan-favorite “Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated.”
Everyone has their favorite installments, such as a show from their childhood or a movie that gave them nightmares (you can read about my favorite films on our website). For me, “Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated” is both; while I technically grew up mostly watching the original show and the early 2000s contemporary take on the franchise, “What’s New, Scooby Doo?,” I have watched “Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated” more times than I can count and find it to be the pinnacle of what “Scooby-Doo” has to offer – second only to Jim Stenstrum’s four eerie masterpieces from the late 90s (e.g. “Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island”).
The series establishes Crystal Cove as the gang’s hometown rather than Coolsville from “A Pup Named Scooby-Doo” and James Gunn’s live action films. The town is suspected to be cursed and “The Most Hauntedest Place on Earth,” with the residents, themselves, believing in these supernatural happenings, either through sheer hysteria or to capitalize from touristic opportunities.
Additionally, the town’s history comes with a reoccurring cast of side characters and settings that both help and hinder the gang’s investigations, including the gang’s own families who desperately want their children to find another hobby. With one or two small exceptions, this is the only time that the “Scooby-Doo” characters have a concrete backstory and hometown that viewers can empathize with.
Since the first episode, “Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated” transcends its predecessors through an overarching mystery that the gang can focus on. During their investigation of The Slime Mutant in Episode 1, “Beware the Beast from Below,” Daphne discovers a gold locket with a question mark on it and, inside, a photo of an mysterious young couple. Initially, she assumes the locket was a part of the Mutant’s enigma, until the culprit claims to have never seen it before. At the end of the episode, they receive a cryptic phone call from a man called Mr. E, who informs the gang that “the real mystery has just begun.”
Even though each episode consists of its own mystery and monster to be explored, occasionally there are new clues which foreshadow to something monumental in the works. The gang learn early on that an earlier team of mystery solvers, known as Mystery Incorporated, vanished without a trace several years ago. To pay homage to this original group, the gang adopts the group’s name and start investigating their sudden disappearance – as two of its members were pictured in the locket.
The series is also renowned for its notably obscure spin on an otherwise cheery franchise. While you certainly will not go more than five minutes without a juvenile quip or out-of-the-box joke, you also cannot assume that everything will ultimately turn out positively just because it is “Scooby-Doo.” Throughout the show, themes of violence, manipulation, sacrifice and even death haunt the narrative, especially in the second season. Furthermore, the series tackles important global issues, such as climate change and the dangers of capitalism through overexaggerated and often comedic villain backstories.
Another notable difference this series introduces is internal conflicts within the group. Typically, the only conflicts that the characters face are between the group and the monsters they uncover. In “Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated,” however, the characters struggle with both platonic and romantic conflicts among each other, sometimes causing unstable dynamics or full-fledged fights that last several episodes. I believe that this makes for a more realistic depiction of friendship between the entire group, even if it can be downright cringey to watch sometimes. Moreover, it is one of a few times in the franchise that Fred and Daphne are established as a canon couple (which I am a sucker for).
I would be remiss if I neglected to mention the voice talents of the cast. Frank Welker reprised his role as Fred Jones, who he has voiced since 1969 onward, apart from “A Pup Named Scooby-Doo,” “Scoob!” and “Velma” (which he voiced other roles in both projects). Welker also voiced Scooby-Doo, which he has done since 2002.
Grey DeLisle and Mindy Cohn took on their roles of Daphne Blake and Velma Dinkley, respectively, and Matthew Lillard made his animated debut for Shaggy Rogers after playing him in Gunn’s live-action duology. Prior to Lillard, the primary voice actor for Shaggy was the late Casey Kasem, who cameoed in “Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated” as Shaggy’s father for several episodes.
Other notable cast members include the talented Patrick Warburton who voiced Sheriff Stone. He is known for voicing Kronk in “The Emporer’s New Groove,” among many other projects. Kate Higgins, of “Barbie” and “Monster High” fame, voiced Mayor Nettles in Season 2 of the show. Another James Gunn alum, Linda Cardellini, who portrayed Velma, voices a prominent recurring character throughout the series, Hot Dog Water – Marcie Fleach. And that is just to name a few!
“Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated” embraces pop culture of the ages through both subtle and apparent parodies and cameos. In Episode 14 of Season 1, “Mystery Solvers Club State Finals,” Mystery Inc. competes against other detective groups from other Hanna Barbera cartoons that were inspired by “Scooby-Doo.” In one of my favorite episodes from the series, the sidekicks of these groups – Scooby, Jabberjaw, the Funky Phantom, Captain Caveman and Speed Buggy – must work together to find the human members of their groups after a specter leads to their disappearance.
In other episodes, cameos of characters – such as Bamm-Bamm and Pebbles – can be spotted in the background of scenes, and fan favorites from past instalments also make appearances, such as The Hex Girls and Vincent Van Ghoul. In each episode, cultural parodies, ranging from “The Shining” to “National Lampoon’s Vacation,” are recreated for fans of all genres to enjoy.
“Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated” embodies the essence of what “Scooby-Doo” has to offer. The show was developed through the perfect blend of service to fans and the artistic freedom, which brings something new into an already established franchise. Since the show’s conclusion in 2013, no iteration has successfully recreated what made this adaptation so loved by fans. For instance, “Be Cool, Scooby-Doo!” went too silly, while “Velma” strayed a little too far from the source material. I yearn for the day when a more mature addition to this franchise is attempted again that does not compromise the core of what “Scooby-Doo” was built off of: a group of teenagers and their dog solving mysteries together.
