TV Review: Scooby Doo

Release date: 1969 - present (Twelve series. Plus several shorts, movies, crossovers, and various other things).

Story: A series of adventures which a talking Great Dane named Scooby Doo and his teenage pals travel from place to place and encountering mysteries and hideous monsters.

My thoughts: This is a show that is known worldwide and has been parodied since it's first debuted. The characters are well known (Fred, Daphne, Shaggy, Velma, and Scooby Doo) and the monsters, ghosts, and the other supernatural beings that they encounter (who either turns out to be a criminal or a robot in disguise) are also memorable. The stories follow the same pattern. The gang turns up at a place, they learn of a mysterious place or legend that has risen up after centuries, they decided to split up and investigate, Scooby Doo and Shaggy encounter the monster and gets chased by it, Fred and the girls discover clues that tell them that the haunting is a cover up for a crime, they all set up a trap to catch the monster which Scooby Doo and Shaggy mess up yet capture the monster anyway, then they revile that he monster is in fact a criminal in a costume who was frighting away people so that they won't get find out, the villain ends up saying "I would have gotten away with it if it weren't for you meddling kids and your dumb dog!", and Scooby Doo saying his name to end the episode. It surprises me that this show has lasted for many years with many re-adaptations, straight to dvd movies, and a ton of merchandise. It also surprises me that not once in any of the shows did anyone point out the fact that Scooby Doo is a talking dog (who can also walk on his hind legs, wear clothes, operate machinery, and can define the laws of physics). It is also clear that Fred and Daphne have feelings for each other (Daphne did mention this in something and Velma's reaction was a sarcastic "we kinda already know" response). But anyways you may like or dislike the show but it has its ups and downs. I do like the designs for the monsters and ghosts and that the show does have a good mystery that the viewers might want to solve as well.

My score: Three stars.