A Pup Named Scooby-Doo

The 80s were a goldmine decade of great animated shows. Stuff we got in those ten years we just don't see any more. Quite literally. I don't think we'll ever see Denver the Last Dinosaur or Centurions on DVD. One of the forgotten shows among dozens of others was A Pup Named Scooby-Doo. The Scooby-Doo franchise suffered a heavy blow in the 80s when some silly man wearing a suit thought it would be a good idea to introduce Scrappy-Doo, a highly irritating doggy who never kept his mouth shut for more than two seconds. Freddy and Velma also disappeared for a while and Shaggy, Scooby and Scrappy would go off solving mysteries with just Daphne.

Desperate for a new way to re-invent the franchise, Warner gave us A Pup Named Scooby-Doo, an interesting, if failed attempt.

The show features the Mystery Inc. gang as kids and Scoob as a little puppy. The humor and animation is more offbeat and Looney-Tunes orientated but the mysteries are still substantial and the locations still occasionally Gothic and atmospheric.

Shaggy and Scooby are still voiced by Casey Kasem and Don Messick. Since they are the backbone of the show it's good to have this consistency. The childhood angle also gives us new insight into their background.

Many have criticised this show, claiming it to be aimed at under-tens and that it an embarrassment to the Scooby-Doo franchise. Well, I never found it to be that way. As a Scooby-Doo fan I thought this show was very amusing and I loved the score and songs by John Debney. There should be a soundtrack CD released. It really is a shame it never lasted for longer.

Since there were only 26 episodes made I can't help but be angry at Warner's awful DVD presentation of the show. Since they are releasing loads of their back-catalogue animation in beautifully packaged box sets (Premier Collections/Spotlight Collections/Golden Collections) I find it baffling that A Pup Named Scooby-Doo (a show that would have suited this format well) gets a horrid DVD release with 4 episodes per disc, a crappy snap-case box (we're STILL getting these in 2005!) and no extra features. The 1.33:1 full frame picture and Mono sound are perfectly adequate but, even though the show failed, it still deserves a much better DVD release than the one it got.

Shame on you Warner for neglecting this one instalment of a cash-cow that has generated you billions of dollars.

First things first, A Pup Named Scooby Doo isn't the best Scooby Doo incarnation, the original series Scooby Doo Where Are You? in my opinion is unmatched. But it is not the worst, not like the abysmal Shaggy and Scooby Doo:Get a Clue. This was a cute and interesting series. Albeit it is flawed, the stories are fun if predictable, some episodes feel a little rushed and Fred and his personality annoyed me this time around. However, the animation is colourful, solid and a big step-up from the somewhat dreary style in the incarnations with Scrappy put in the equation and the music and songs by John Debney are great fun. The writing is funny, and Mystery Inc. have an easy-going chemistry still. Shaggy and Scooby never fail to bring a smile to my face, Scooby is so cute here, and I personally didn't mind Velma and Daphne here. The voice acting is solid too from Don Messick to Casey Kasem. Overall, a cute and interesting series without being definitive, but it never tried to be. I agree about the DVDs, they don't do this show any justice. 7/10 Bethany Cox

"A Pup Named Scooby Doo" was a wonderful television show. I grew up watching it and from a child's view it is extremely entertaining. If you have kids I recommend you go out and buy this series on DVD for them. My niece is 5 years old and she loves it.

Now "A Pup Named Scooby Doo" MAY not appeal to older people, especially to those who grew up watching the original "Scooby Doo Where Are You" but for kids they don't care. In all honesty this show appeals to kids more than the classic Scooby Doo because it is so silly and childish. The cool thing about the show was the parts where the monster chased the Mystery Inc. The music always set the mood and the silly things that happened during the chases were always funny.

Going back and watching this show now is epic Nostalgia. Please if you are looking for something new for your kids (kids up to about the age of 8 or 9) I recommend "A Pup Named Scooby Doo".

I know I'm going to make a lot of enemies here, but I have to say it: the original Scooby Doo series wasn't that great.

There. It's done.

I know I'm stepping on a lot of great memories here, but if you go back and watch Scooby Doo, Where Are You? you'll find it's hardly the sophisticated entertainment you remember from childhood. The animation looks cheap, the jokes are lame, and the characters are cardboard cutouts.

A Pup Named Scooby Doo, though a lot of fans seem to revile it, is more successful than the original, in my opinion. Because of the liberal changes made to the formula, this functions more as an affectionate spoof of Scooby Doo than a continuation of it. Freddy's character shifts from humorless leader to incompetent moron; Daphne is a spoiled rich girl whose butler will appear out of nowhere to catch her in mid-faint; and, in spite of the fact that this takes place years before the original series, Velma has state-of-the-art (as of 1988) computer technology to aid her in catching the villain. I'm not sure why people get so worked up over these changes; in their original characterizations, everyone but Shaggy and Scooby were pretty dull, anyway. What's wrong with giving them an overhaul?

The show itself was pretty formulaic (again, in the same vein as the original), but it was a fun formula. I particularly love the sequences where the kids run from (and occasionally dance with) the monster, set to groovy 1950s-style rock and roll music. Everything here is bigger than big; no-holds-barred wackiness generally ensues. And it's fun.

This show is funny, I see characters that act like dummies. Fred is into tabloids, Daphne is a spoiled rich girl, Velma carries a supercomputer. Shaggy and Scooby were always afraid, but here they're also Commander Cool and Mellow Mutt. Each episode is predictable, Freddie mentioning Red Herring or aliens as culprits, Velma entering clues into her computer, ("Jinkies!") Daphne complaining about the decor or summoning Jenkins to aid the group, and Scooby and Shaggy eating or being scared. It's so dumb it's funny!