When it comes to classic cartoons, one of the most beloved brands is Scooby-Doo. Mystery Inc and their talking dog have been unmasking monsters for the last 55 years. Now, to celebrate their groovy anniversary, these lovable meddling kids’ various series are coming to Max in September. These series include The 13 Ghosts of Scooby-Doo, A Pup Named Scooby-Doo, The New Scooby-Doo Movies and The New Scooby-Doo Mysteries.
They’ll all be solving nostalgic mysteries starting September 14. These shows will be joined by iconic animated films like Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island and Witch’s Ghost too. This will be a great opportunity to introduce younger viewers to the Scooby-Doo brand and rewatch some of Scooby’s most creative adventures in his long history.
The Experimental Phase of Scooby-Doo
While the main series, Scooby-Doo, Where Are You? ended its original two-season run in 1970, the franchise would soon expand past its “everyone’s a man in a mask” mantra and explore the supernatural. The first major example of that was The 13 Ghosts of Scooby-Doo in 1985. While it only ran for one season, it was a great gateway horror show for kids, expanding on the established Scooby lore and introduced one of the series’ most iconic characters, Vincent Van Ghoul, voiced by horror legend Vincent Price. It became such a cult classic it would get a direct-to-video sequel, The Curse of the 13th Ghost, in 2019 to finish its story.
The 80s were a very experimental time for the brand as Scooby was still trying to find its identity outside a group of kids solving mysteries. This would result in the unpopular introduction of Scrappy Doo, but it would also lead to some of the franchise’s most beloved series, like A Pup Named Scooby-Doo and The New Scooby-Doo Movies. The former reimagined the gang as elementary school-aged kids with the mysteries’ heightened humor reflecting their more energetic, youthful, spirit. The New Scooby-Doo Movies, on the other hand, had the most in common with the original series’ format. Yet it would increase its runtime to an hour and have a celebratory guest star every episode. This would range from fictional characters like Batman and The Addams Family to real-life characters like The Harlem Globetrotters and Cher.
“Would You Do it For a Scooby Snack?”
Most of these shows, like 13 Ghosts of Scooby-Doo and A Pup Named Scooby-Doo, are available on DVD. The New Scooby-Doo Movies even got a Blu-ray release for its 50th anniversary in 2019. However, it’s just nice to know that Warner Brothers hasn’t forgotten about Scooby-Doo and the franchise’s wacky, yet rich history. They recently released films like Zombie Island on Blu-ray for the first time, so hopefully shows like A Pup Named Scooby-Doo can get a proper HD release somewhere down the line.
