Summary:
For more than a decade, it looked as if this would be the final weekly Scooby Doo series. Following the unsuccessful run of The 13 Ghosts of Scooby-Doo, the creators went back to the drawing board and turned the original "Mystery Inc." characters into small children, who now worked under the title of "The Scooby Doo Detective Agency." Gone were the days of a pup named Scrappy-Doo, this series ushered in the age of a pup named Scooby-Doo! Although they would have been this age in the '50s or '60s, the kids were far more like kids of the '80s, with computers, skateboards, and gadgets that were popularized far later. As in the original series, the villains of this series were always bad guys in rubber masks, a concept that they had gotten away from when Scrappy entered the show and the ghosts became real. More cartoonish than the rest of the shows, the characters seemed to nod back to the old Warner Bros. cartoons -- complete with bugging eyes, gaping jaws, and a myriad of hijinks and sound effects that were unlike previous Scooby-Doo entries.
One of the biggest running gags dealt with Freddy's nemesis, Red Herring, who was always accused of committing the crime, though he was never the perpetrator (except once). Other gags included Velma's catch-phrase "Jinkies" -- every time she uttered that phrase, it meant she had found a clue. Daphne became far more of a spoiled brat, whose butler, Jenkins, would come to her rescue anytime she called (which was often). Every episode had a chase scene that was underscored with a new song (much like the second season of Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!, during which time the stars would usually stop for a moment to dance. And episodes always wrapped with someone saying the villain would've gotten away with it if it weren't for "You lousy kids and a Pup Named Scooby-Doo!" It also started Freddie's phrase, "Let's split up gang".
The show played for a few years on ABC's Saturday morning schedule and then vanished without a trace until it surfaced several years later on Cartoon Network, where it's had a home ever since.
Theme Song Lyrics:
(Scooby-Dooby,
Scooby-Dooby-Doo!
Scooby-Dooby,
Scooby-Dooby-Doo!)
There's a mystery in town,
So call the coolest pup around,
Call Scooby,
A pup named Scooby-Doo!
(Scooby-Doobity-Doo, Scooby-Doo!)
Join Shaggy, and the crew,
Daphne, Freddie, Velma too!
And Scooby!
A pup named Scooby-Doo!
(Scooby-Doobity-Doo, Scooby-Doo!)
When the ghostly ghoul attacks,
Scooby...
