 |
| Scrappy up for a fight. |
As a result, the fifth incarnation of the
franchise took a different approach. It was decided to jettison the
mystery-solving formula and supporting characters the series had since its
inception, and instead focus exclusively on the comedic antics of cowardly
Scooby (Don Messick) and Shaggy (Casey Kasem), and the too-brave-for-his-own-good
Scrappy (also Messick, replacing Lennie Weinrib after he asked for
more money for the role). Stories were shortened from a full half-hour to
7-minute segments. Much like the theatrical shorts of yesteryear, the gang
engaged in slapstick chase adventures through various fantastic settings--such
as fairy tale spoofs and even the future--and encountered legitimately mystical
and supernatural beings. Gone were villains in creepy costumes waiting to be
unmasked (although there were still a couple). And even though mysteries weren’t
part of the plan, the gang still rode around in the Mystery Machine.
 |
| A boy and his dogs on the road. |
With Shaggy now the de facto leader, his
cowardice was scaled back to levels equal to how he was represented in the
original Scooby-Doo,
Where Are You! (he was always chicken, but had become profoundly more
exaggerated as the series went on). Scooby became the new primary source of
comedy with his cowardly reaction to situations. Scrappy also matured some as a
character, shedding the naiveté he was depicted with in the prior show to be
more knowledgeable of his actions. He was made more competent and able to
tackle most of the threats they faced, backing up his claims of “Puppy Power!”
However, Scrappy was usually pulled away from a conflict by the others before
being able to prove that fact (can’t have imitable violence on a kid’s show,
after all!).
The new series was paired with new series Richie
Rich, based on the Harvey Comics character, in an hour-long programming
block called The Richie Rich/Scooby-Doo Show; the first and only time
Scooby would receive second-billing in a title. Beginning late on November 8,
1980 following a voice
actor’s strike, the Scooby-Doo segments
were interspersed with Richie Rich segments between them. The
intro combined elements from Richie’s theme and a variation of The New
Scooby-Doo Movies theme. The block’s intro was the only time the two
franchises crossed over; with the gang seen around Richie’s mansion and even on
his television. The series was written by Haskell Barking, Doug
Booth, Larz Bourne, Dick
Conway, Tom Dagenais, Tony
DiMarco, Diane Duane, Mark Evanier, Willie Gilbert, Dave
Ketchum, Glenn Leopold, Norman
Maurer, Duane
Poole, Dick Robbins, Dalton
Sandifer, Tom Swale and David Villaire, with Poole, Swale and Ray Parker serving as story
editors. The music was composed by Hoyt Curtin and Paul
DeKorte.
After two seasons, the show was moved to a new
programming block known as The Scooby & Scrappy-Doo/Puppy Hour.
This was a joint venture between Hanna-Barbera and Ruby-Spears Productions, who had created and produced The Puppy’s New
Adventures that shared the block. Ruby-Spears was started by former
Hanna-Barbera employees and Scooby-Doo creators Joe Ruby and Ken Spears, and had been taken over by Hanna-Barbera’s parent company, Taft
Broadcasting. Although Hanna-Barbera continued
the pre-production and voice-over work on their series, Ruby-Spears handled the
actual production for the entire program. As a result, some sound effects
unique to Ruby-Spears found their way into the Scooby segments. Sandifer was
joined by Paul
Haggis, Gordon Kent, Elana Lesser, Cliff Ruby, Ron Sellz and Matt Uitz on writing duties.
 |
| The Fearless Detective Agency. |
Two of the Scooby segments in each episode returned
to the mystery format with Shaggy, Scooby and Scrappy now working for Shaggy’s
Uncle Fearless Shagaford’s detective agency. Fearless was basically an older
version of Shaggy with a goatee. However, their occupation was intercut with
typical teen adventures rather than being the strict focus. Scrappy’s presence
was noticeably toned down in those segments, with Shaggy and Scooby being the
main stars. Fearless was only seen in “Disappearing Car Caper,” being otherwise
a muffled voice on the phone that generally seemed angry at Shaggy and the
dogs. Three of the segments, “Maltese Mackerel,” “Stakeout at the Takeout,” and
“Beauty Contest Caper”, made significant use of the retired original 1969
score.
 |
| Deputy Dusty, Yabba-Doo and Scrappy fight crime in the West. |
The third segment of each episode was Scrappy &
Yabba-Doo. Scrappy moved out west to the town of Tumbleweed in Tumbleweed
County to live with his uncle, new Doo relative Yabba-Doo (Messick). Yabba
resembled Scooby, but had unkempt white fur, a hat and bandana, and a deep love
of Chili Snacks; a spicier equivalent to Scooby Snacks. Yabba lived with his
owner, the teenaged and cowardly Deputy Dusty (Frank Welker), and often had to
take the lead protecting the town with Scrappy’s help.
 |
| Always imitated, never duplicated. |
After three seasons, this incarnation came to an end for
yet another format tweak. When the Scooby segments were broadcast independently
of programming blocks, it did so by recycling the Scooby-Doo and Scrappy-Doo
name and using a modified version of that series’ intro that largely eliminated
the Mystery, Inc. gang. These segments were later repackaged and broadcast from
1984-85 as Scary
Scooby Funnies, whose intro utilized some of
the footage from the Richie Rich block opening, and as part
of Scooby’s Mystery Funhouse from 1985-86. In 2024, retro
animation network MeTV Toons began
running reruns in rotation with other Scooby incarnations.
 |
| The 50th Anniversary edition of the DVD. |
Originally posted in 2015. Updated in 2025.
No comments:
Post a Comment