Il cucciolo 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.

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

This show is a great parody of the original Scooby Doo series. You can tell that the writers really loved the original show and it made a lot of inside jokes. If you don't know a lot about the original series, you probably wont find it as funny. For example no episode goes by without fred saying "lets split up, gang", even if its the last line in the episode. Those who think this show is a rip off just don't get it.

I always liked this show. Sure, it doesn't compare to the original series, but there are a lot of good parts: (Ex: Daphne's butler Jenkins; Fred blaming Red Herry for everything.) I also liked that they made the mysteries so that the audience could play along and find who the culprit was. This is still run on the Cartoon Network. Highly recomended.

A Pup Named Scooby Doo is great. I loved watching that cartoon when I was little and I have been trying to find a collection of all 30 episodes on DVD but it is practically impossible. This show was great for kids to watch it could make kids want to explore the world so to speak. I know it made me want to. I really loved that cartoon it was humorous and I loved it. I wish that was still making it. Then they were kids and a pup and it was more of a kids cartoon now the Original Scooby Doo it is great but I would prefer the A Pup Named Scooby Doo over the original any day. It really upsets me that i never get to watch it. It only comes on at 5:30 a.m. on Cartoon Network and I don't have that channel. So hopefully there will be a collection of all episodes that will come out.