Scooby Doo, Where Are You! is the first incarnation of the long-running Hanna-Barbera
Saturday morning cartoon series Scooby-Doo.
Created by Joe Ruby and Ken Spears, it premiered on CBS September 13, 1969, and ran for two
seasons for a total of 25 episodes.
Its final first-run episode aired on October 31, 1970.
Nine episodes from Scooby-Doo's 1978-79 season, first run on ABC, were originally broadcast
with the 1969 Scooby Doo, Where Are You!
opening and closing sequences.
The entire 1978-79 season is sometimes marketed as the third season of the original Where
Are You!
series.
Origin
Scooby Doo, Where Are You!
was the result of CBS and Hanna-Barbera's plans to create a non-violent Saturday morning
program that would appease the parent watch groups that had protested the superhero-based
programs of the mid-1960s.
Originally titled Mysteries Five, and later Who's S-S-Scared?, Scooby Doo, Where Are You!
underwent a number of changes from script to screen.
However, the basic concept—four teenagers and a cowardly, clumsy Great Dane solving
supernatural-related mysteries—was always in place.
Writing Scooby-Doo creators Joe Ruby and Ken Spears
served as the story supervisors on the series.
Ruby, Spears, and Bill Lutz wrote all of the scripts for the seventeen first-season episodes,
while Lutz, Larz Bourne, and Tom Dagenais wrote the eight second season episodes with
Ruby and Spears.
The plot varied little from episode to episode.
The main concept was as follows: The Mystery, Inc. gang is driving in the Mystery
Machine, returning from or going to a regular teenage function, when their van develops
engine trouble or breaks down for any of a variety of reasons, in the immediate vicinity
of a large, mostly vacated property.
Their destination turns out to be suffering from a monster problem.
The gang volunteers to investigate the case.
The gang splits up to cover more ground, with Fred and Velma finding clues, Daphne finding
danger, and Shaggy and Scooby finding food, fun, and the ghost/monster, who chases them.
Scooby and Shaggy love to eat, including dog treats called Scooby Snacks which are a favorite
of both the dog and the teenage boy.
Eventually, enough clues are found to convince the gang that the ghost/monster is a fake,
and a trap is set to capture it; or, they may occasionally call the local sheriff, only
to get stopped by the villain half-way.
If a trap is used, it may or may not work.
Invariably, the ghost/monster is apprehended and unmasked.
The person in the ghost or monster suit turns out to be an apparently blameless authority
figure or otherwise innocuous local who is using the disguise to cover up something such
as a crime or a scam.
After giving the parting shot of "And I would have gotten away with it too, if it weren't
for you meddling kids", the offender is then taken away to jail, and the gang is allowed
to continue on the way to their destination.
Episodes
Music The second season featured "chase scene" songs
produced by La La Productions.
These songs were written by Danny Janssen and Austin Roberts, and were performed by
Roberts, who also made a new recording of the Scooby Doo, Where Are You!
theme song for the second season.
Episodes contained a laugh track, one of the first Saturday morning cartoon shows to do
so.
It was removed for syndication in the 1980s.
Not long after the Turner networks began airing the show in 1994, the laugh track was reinstated
in 1997.
Voice cast Don Messick - Scooby-Doo
Casey Kasem - Norville "Shaggy" Rogers Frank Welker - Fred Jones
Stefanianna Christopherson - Daphne Blake Heather North - Daphne Blake
Nicole Jaffe - Velma Dinkley Pat Stevens - Velma Dinkley
Larry Markes - lead vocalist for opening theme Paul Costello - vocalist for opening theme
George A. Robertson, Jr. - lead vocalist for opening theme and "chase songs"
Susan Steward and Michael Stull- backing vocalists for opening theme and "chase songs"
Release and reception Scooby Doo, Where Are You!
was a hit for Hanna-Barbera and CBS, which quickly introduced similar cartoons to accompany
Scooby-Doo: Josie and the Pussycats, The Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm Show, The Funky Phantom, Speed
Buggy, Jabberjaw, Captain Caveman and the Teen Angels, and Fangface.
In 2005, Scooby Doo, Where Are You!
came 49th in Channel 4's 100 Greatest Cartoons, and was more recently voted the 8th greatest
Kids' TV Show by viewers of the same channel.
It was ranked the 24th greatest cartoon on IGN's Top 100 Animated Series.
Home media releases Season Sets
On July 4, 2002, Warner Home Video released four episodes from the series on a compilation
DVD in Region 1 entitled Scooby-Doo's Creepiest Capers.
They later released all 25 episodes on DVD in Region 1 on March 16, 2004 under the title
Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!
The Complete First and Second Seasons.
A DVD entitled Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!
The Complete Third Season was released on April 10, 2007, made up of episodes produced
in 1978, added to the Scooby's All-Stars package, and later syndicated as part of The Scooby-Doo
Show.
On November 9, 2010, Warner Home Video released Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!: The Complete Series.
The 8 disc set features all 25 episodes of the series plus the 16 episodes produced in
1978 which aired as part of Scooby's All-Stars.
The set is encased in special collectible packaging in the form of a Mystery Machine
replica.
In addition, it also features a special bonus disc filled with new and archival material.
The set was re-released on November 13, 2012.
Volume releases Starting on January 27, 2009, Warner Home
Video released single disc DVDs with four episodes each plus an episode from Shaggy
and Scooby-Doo Get a Clue.
Four volumes have been released through October 19, 2010.
See also
List of works produced by Hanna-Barbera
References
External links Official Scooby-Doo Website
Scooby Doo, Where Are You!
at the Big Cartoon DataBase Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!
at the Internet Movie Database Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!?
at TV.com Cartoon Network: Dept. of Cartoons: Scooby-Doo,
Where Are You!–cached copy from Internet Archives
Baxter, Joel, The Complete Scooby-Doo Episode Guide
"Hanna-Barbera Studios", The Big Cartoon DataBase Cartoon Network