Scooby doo, an American animated cartoon franchise,
comprising several animated television series produced from 1969 to the present
day is one of our most favorite cartoons of all time. Being kids the cartoons
were the major parts of our entertainment. Power Puff girls, Tom and Jerry,
Courage the cowardly dog, Dragon Tales, were a few which I remember from my
childhood.

Scooby Doo belongs to the production house of Hanna and
Barbara and its writers are Joe Ruby and Ken Spears who have done an excellent
job in grasping the interest of the audience. Each of these episodes featured
Scooby and the four teenage members of Mystery, Inc., Fred, Shaggy, Daphne and
Velma, arriving at a location in the ‘Mystery Machine, a van painted with
psychedelic colours and flower power imagery.

Encountering a ghost, monster, or other supernatural
creature that is terrorising the local populace, they decide to
investigate.  The kids split up to look
for clues and suspects while being chased at turns by the monster. Eventually,
the kids realise that the ghost and other paranormal activity is actually an
elaborate hoax, and often with the help of a trap designed by Fred, they
captured the villain and unmask him. The hilarious encounters would leave the
audience laughing.

The friendship between shaggy and Scooby teaches us as kids
the value of friendship. The funniest part about the whole show is that Scooby
doo and the gang is never really looking for a mystery but they just seem to
bump into one. Shaggy and Scooby are always scared and hesitant when they see
something that terrifies them but in the end they are the ones who actually
solve the mystery.

In 1972, new one-hour episodes under the title ‘The New
Scooby-Doo Movies’ were created; each episode featuring a real or fictitious
guest star helping the gang solve mysteries, including characters from other
Hanna-Barbera series. Later, in 1979, Scooby’s tiny nephew Scrappy-Doo was
added to both the series. The thrill and the excitement which one used to have
while watching Scooby Doo is something memorable. The series was later renamed
as Scrappy Doo and Scooby Doo series. Thus, the amusing show had stolen
millions of hearts of the viewers and still remains one of the favorite cartoon
shows.

By Oindrila Gupta

Coordinator, Class XI, St Joseph and Mary’s School