A Pup Named Scooby-Doo

Infobox Television
show_name = A Pup Named Scooby-Doo


caption = The main title card from "A Pup Named Scooby-Doo".
format = Animated Series
Adventure
Mystery
camera =
picture_format =
audio_format =
runtime = 30 minutes
creator = Joe Ruby
Ken Spears
developer = Tom Ruegger
executive_producer =
starring = Don Messick
Casey Kasem
Carl Stevens
Kellie Martin
Christina Lange
Scott Menville
narrated =
opentheme =
endtheme =
country = USA CAN
language = English
network = ABC
first_aired = September 10, 1988
last_aired = August 31, 1991
num_episodes = 30

list_episodes =
preceded_by = "The 13 Ghosts of Scooby-Doo" (1985)
followed_by = "What's New, Scooby-Doo?" (2002–2006)
website =
imdb_id = 0094531
tv_com_id = 2356

A Pup Named Scooby-Doo is the eighth incarnation of the long-running Hanna-Barbera Saturday morning cartoon "Scooby-Doo". This spin-off of the original show was created by Tom Ruegger and premiered on September 10, 1988 and ran for three seasons on ABC as a half-hour program. Thirty episodes were ultimately produced (thirteen in 1988, eight in 1989, and nine in 1990-1991).

Following the show's first season, much of Hanna-Barbera's production staff, including Tom Ruegger, left the studio, and helped to revive the Warner Bros. Animation studio, beginning with "Tiny Toon Adventures".

"A Pup Named Scooby-Doo" was the first "Scooby" series to be re-run on the Cartoon Network, in 1993.

Overview and tone

The new format followed the trend of the "babyfication" of older cartoon characters, reducing the original "Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!" cast to junior-high age. This new show also used the same basic formula as the original 1969 show: the gang (referred to in this show as the "Scooby-Doo Detective Agency") solved supernatural-based mysteries, where the villains (the ghosts and monsters) were always revealed as bad guys in masks and costumes. The biggest difference was the tone of the show: With "A Pup Named Scooby-Doo", producer Tom Ruegger built upon the slightly irreverent humor he had established along with producer Mitch Schauer with Scooby's previous incarnation, "The 13 Ghosts of Scooby-Doo". This resulted in a wackier, more extremely comic version of "Scooby-Doo" that satirized the conventions of the show's previous incarnations. It was not uncommon for the characters to do wild Tex Avery/Bob Clampett-esque takes when they ran into ghosts and monsters. Animation director and overseas supervisor Glen Kennedy animated many of the wild-take sequences personally. Fred was constantly blaming a character appropriately called "Red Herring" for each and every crime on the show (true to his name, Red was always innocent, except for the one episode in which Fred "didn't" blame him) and shots of the characters (and even the ghosts and monsters) dancing were inserted into the obligatory rock-music-scored chase sequences. The ghosts and monsters themselves were also more comedic, such as a creature made out of molten cheese, and the ghost of a dogcatcher. The series also features Scooby and Shaggy as their favorite superhero duo. Shaggy would be the fearless Commander Cool (a combination of Batman and Superman) and Scooby would be his faithful canine sidekick Mellow Mutt (a combination of Krypto, Robin and Ace the Bat-Hound.)

The characters being general parodies of their "grown-up" incarnations

The characters themselves were general parodies of their "grown-up" incarnations: Freddy was portrayed as a conspiracy theorist and tabloid-loving goof with little leadership skill, Daphne as a skeptically spoiled and vain rich valley girl with a butler (named Jenkins) at her constant beck and call, and Velma as a generally silent cute child prodigy who spoke mostly to point out clues and solve the case. Velma was most famous in this show for always saying "Jinkies!" upon finding a major clue (this would become her catch phrase). Shaggy's and Scooby's characters remained relatively intact. Scooby-Dum and Scrappy-Doo do not appear in the series. Scooby's parents and siblings, including Scrappy's mother Ruby-Doo, appear.

The "What's New Scooby-Doo" episode "A Terrifying Round With A Menacing Metallic Clown" featured a flashback to Velma's fifth birthday, using the character designs from "A Pup Named Scooby-Doo".

Music

Rock and roll styled songs (specifically about the monster-of-the-week) were played during the chase scene in each episode, similar to the second-season episodes of "Scooby-Doo, Where are You!". Unlike previous versions of the show however, the kids were often aware of the music being played (having turned it on themselves in many occasions) and would dance for a bit along with the ghosts and monsters before continuing with the chase. The show's theme song featured lyrics by series creator Tom Ruegger and music by composer John Debney also bore a similarity to the "Intro Song" from "Little Shop of Horrors", which had recently been adapted into a successful feature film. The music is almost always in a 1950s rock and roll style.

Voice cast

*Scooby-Doo - Don Messick
*Norville 'Shaggy' Rogers - Casey Kasem
*Fred 'Freddie' Jones - Carl Steven
*Daphne Blake - Kellie Martin
*Velma Dinkley - Christina Lange
*Red Herring - Scott Menville

This is the only animated "Scooby-Doo" production in which Freddy Jones was not voiced by Frank Welker. However, he did make a guest appearance in "Chickenstein Lives" as the voice of Fred's uncle, Eddie Jones, publisher of the "National Exaggerator". This was also the last "Scooby-Doo" series to feature Don Messick as the voice of Scooby-Doo.

Episodes

DVD releases

Warner Home Video initially released the complete "A Pup Named Scooby-Doo" series on DVD over seven volumes. Each volume featured four episodes in chronological order, except for the sixth and seventh which featured 5 episodes each. It was then announced the series would be released in season sets.

Volume Releases

Season Releases

Running Gags

* Daphne calling for her servant Jenkins on most cases. She would say "JENKINS", and Jenkins would say "Yes, Ms. Blake" and when he's done, Daphne would say "That will be all Jenkins" and Jenkins would again say "Yes, Ms. Blake". One one occasion, her other butler Dawson took his place because Jenkins was "out doing her shopping", which Daphne claimed was "more important".
* Daphne does not like to get dirty.
* Fred's crazy ideas like talking about Mud Men, Bigfoot, etc.
* Someone saying a certain word or phrase and Scooby repeating it in his "R" sound and that person would say "No, ."
* Fred blaming Red Herring for every mystery and Red shows up or corresponds with Fred and says he didn't do it. Ironically, the one time he didn't blame Red, it was him.
* Something weird happens to Red Herring and he would get laughed at and he would say "That's not very funny".
* Breaking the fourth wall during and after every mystery.
* Fred questioning certain people and that person would yell out their answer at him.
* Whenever Velma says "Jinkies", someone would say "Velma said Jinkies, it must be a clue". On some occasions, they would say "Velma spoke!" before it, referencing her quietude. On some occasions, Velma's reaction is for other reasons.
* The villain saying, "and I would have gotten away with it too, if it hadn't been for you pesky kids and that puppy". Occasionally, Scooby must remind the villain to mention him.
* Scooby laughing at a joke only to stop and say "I don't get it."
* Shaggy and Scooby being afraid of a monster and Daphne saying "There are no such thing as (Insert fictional monster)."
* A news bumper saying "We interrupt A Pup Named Scooby-Doo for this special announcement" (in a style similar to Sesame Street's News Flash bumpers) that would have the newscaster reporting on a minor thing that happened in the episode or that one of the running gags is about to occur.
* Before the obligatory chase sequence with the monster, one of the Mystery Inc. members would often halt the action (often interrupting the monster) so as to turn on the appropriate chase music from a convenient source (such as carrying a stereo in Velma's briefcase).
* During the musical chase sequences, Mystery Inc. and even the Monster would stop running long enough to dance for a bit before continuing.
* While the gang is checking out an empty building, Daphne will scream "Ah!" When the others ask her what's wrong, she will complain that she got a stain on her clothes, that the place is dusty, etc.
* The gang disguising themselves and performing a comedic skit, eventually confusing the monster, as an attempt to catch it.
* Many instances where Scooby, and sometimes other characters, would not do anything without one or more Scooby Snacks (sometimes spelled Scooby Snax).
* Scooby Snacks coming in ridiculous flavors such as pizza and marshmallows
* After eating a Scooby Snack, Scooby would hug himself and then turn into a rocket and blast off. He would then float lazily down into Shaggy's arms and declare "Rokay, I'm ready."
* Shaggy and Scooby eating ridiculous combos of food such as peanut butter and hot dog sandwiches.
* Velma would sometimes have an elongated skateboard big enough to fit the gang. It also had a motor and tiller on it, which she would pilot. She always wore a red helmet and had her teeth bared whenever driving.
* Velma keeping a computer in her briefcase with which she used to review the clues. Occasionally, other items such as a science lab would be stored in it.
*The plans involving the characters, mostly Shaggy and Scooby, disguising themselves as workers of a business relevant to the scene, which temporarily confuses the monster.
*The chases interrupted by something random, even stopping the monster from grabbing the gang.

References

External links