Scooby-Doo Where Are You: Some things have remained a mystery
Baby Boomers enjoyed the series but there were some aspects of the animated series that have not been explained as well as facts that may not have been known.
Scooby-Doo Where Are You from an adult perspective
Looking back on Scooby-Doo Where Are You from an adult perspective, there were things taking place that many Baby Boomers or their parents probably never noticed or questioned. The series ran for two seasons from 1969 to 1971 on CBS and was canceled because of low ratings. Children today don't have the same innocence as their grandparents and great-grandparents, and seem to pay attention to every detail with animated programming. Let's take a look at what may have been missed six decades ago.
Unaccompanied minors
Shaggy Rogers, Velma Dinkley, Freddie Jones, and Daphne Blake were teenager, yet they traveled together late at night and sometimes overnight without any adult supervision. They investigated mysteries, solved crimes, and turned the bad guys over to the police. These teens were often in dangerous situations yet they drove all over the place and were never questioned and did not seem to have a curfew.
Who funded their travels and kept up the Mystery Machine?
Freddie's van, the Mystery Machine was always in tip-top shape and had gas to travel wherever a mystery led them. There was always gas in the vehicle, and the foursome always had the money for food and to purchase Scooby snacks for Scooby-Doo, so what was the source of their income?
Where were the parents and truancy officers?
Scooby and the gang visited fortune tellers, haunted houses, amusement parks, and other places, and never once called home to ask permission. They were also never in school.
Scooby-Doo is accepted as a talking dog
No one ever questions the fact that Scooby-Doo is a talking dog. He just goes along, and even the villains accept him.
The characters were based on The Many Lives of Dobie Gillis
The teens on Scooby-Doo Where Are You were based on the main characters of the 1950s sitcom The Many Loves Of Dobie Gillis. Fred is Dobie Gillis (Dwayne Hickman), a blonde, athletic type. Daphne is Thalia Menninger (Tuesday Weld), the rich, beautiful girl. Shaggy is Maynard G Krebs (Bob Denver), a beatnik/hippie, and Velma is Zelda Gilroy (Sheila James).
Ironically, it was recently announced that Velma is gay, and James came out in later years as a lesbian. What is not known is whether Hanna-Barbera knew James was gay when they modeled Velma after her. Was it their original intention for the character to be lesbian or was that only picked up in recent years? I always assumed Velma was a bookworm.
Scooby-Doo Where Are You Is What It Is
Baby Boomers understood that Scooby-Doo and the gang were fictional animated characters and that they wore the same clothing in every episode. We just accepted the cartoon for what it was and continues to be. We didn't pick things apart or point out flaws and accepted children's programming for what it was. Once, however, we became parents and grandparents and enjoying Scooby-Doo Where Are You on Tubi TV and other streaming services it all seems so different.
What were Velma and Daphne's parents thinking to let their underage teenage daughters run around unsupervised with Freddie and Shaggy on late-night and overnight excursions? They were allowed to spend the night in various homes and hotels, and no one questioned why they were traveling alone.
These kids hung out in abandoned towns, spooky castles, haunted houses, amusement parks, and rowed canoes through dismal swamps, which no parent today would allow. We Boomers know the teens did not live on the road and had to go home and to school at some point, and perhaps one or two of them had an after-school job. Personal details like parents' names and the lifestyles they lived outside of Mystery Inc. were never expounded upon in the original series and came with later incarnations.
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About the Creator
Cheryl E Preston
Cheryl enjoys writing about current events, soap spoilers and baby boomer nostalgia. Tips are greatly appreciated.
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Comments (9)
I love Scooby-Doo and I am surprised it was only one from 1969-1971. It was such a large part of my childhood. Of course as a child, I never questioned anything--talking dog? of course! kids solving mysteries--made sense to me!! My daughter and I often quote Velma and her not being able to see without her glasses since I am always misplacing my glasses.
As a kid, I never questioned the idea of talking bears and dogs or flying mice, probably because I lived on a farm and I knew that dogs didn't talk and mice didn't fly. I don't think I ever once analyzed the reality or validity of a cartoon series because it seemed pretty easy to separate it all from the events of real life. Cartoons were what they were. As an adult however, I find I have lost some of that "magic-tolerance" I had as a kid. Luckily, I can still delight in how a 2000 pound anvil can fall off a cliff onto the outstretched body of a cartoon-character coyote in pursuit of a likewise animated roadrunner and flatten him for several seconds - just long enough for the bird to escape but not long enough to stop the coyote from coming up with another creative idea for catching a meal. On the other hand, I cannot help but criticize and over-analyze bad acting and unbelievable plot lines in a "real-life" action movie (like Fast & Furious 27) or a television series like "24". So I think I see what you are getting at in your breakdown and questioning of the Scooby Do series. I would be interested in reading your analysis of some of the Marvel comic superhero movies as to their believability. I look forward to reading more of your work. Thanks for writing.
I started watching Scooby Doo as an adult and quickly fell in love with the older animated series. I have to say that my favorite series, though, is Scooby Doo: Mystery Incorporated where many of these issues are addressed, like where the money comes from and the trouble they find themselves in. It's almost like they intended to address the specific problems with older series, plus made darker and spookier for a new generation.
Some interesting points. I for one find some of the episodes unsettling to this day. The Backstage Rage and Mine Your Own Business in particular were very creepy episodes. If I were a part of the mystery gang, I would've been terrified.
Still love scooby ♥️♦️♦️♦️♦️♦️
I remember watching scooby doo as a child. I never thought about those things.
I loved watching Scooby-Doo with my mom when I was a little girl. I did the same with my 3 girls, and now my oldest is doing the same with her boys. Not once did any of us think to ask these questions, we just enjoyed our time together. Scooby-Doo is my daughter's favorite cartoon ever and she loves sharing it with her sons and they just enjoy the shows together. I think it's just the closeness and purity of friendship, and the inevitable fun solving mysteries that's what draws people to the show. It's also a good time to relax and not think about anything other than Scooby-Doo and the Gang! The older shows are the best and can never be beat! Thank you for writing this article! I hope you have a wonderful day 💛
Thank you so much
Cheryl, you really asked the important questions here and made some amazing points! As kids we never questioned these things because we just watched the show, we didn't memorize it and poke holes in what was just meant to be simple show. This was well written and insightful! Great work Cheryl!