In his book Zoinks! The Spooky Folklore Behind Scooby-Doo, Mark Norman, host of the long-running Folklore Podcast, explores the history of Scooby-Doo and the legends from which it draws. The premise has gone through many iterations, including the original Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! What’s New, Scooby-Doo? and A Pup Named Scooby-Doo, just to name a few. (We don’t acknowledge Scrappy-Doo in this house.) Zoinks! provides an appendix that lists every episode and the manifestation that the team is investigating (mostly ghosts).
The cartoon series Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! was created in 1969 by William Hannah and Joseph Barbera at the request of Fred Silverman, an executive at the CBS television network. Based on the previous success of The Archie Show, Silverman wanted a program about a teenage rock band that solved mysteries when they weren’t playing music. The original iteration of Scooby-Doo was rejected for being too scary, and the decision was made to make it less dark and more comical. The concept of the rock band was dropped as well.
Scooby himself went through some changes. One of the world’s most famous canines was almost a sheep dog, but was reverted to the original breed of the Great Dane (Marmaduke be damned). With that settled, Fred, Daphne, Velma, Shaggy, and Scooby entered the consciousness of children who loved their slapstick with a touch of creepiness, along with (as it turned out) exposure to some great folklore.
In the first chapter of Zoinks! Norman delves into some real-world myths about Scooby-Doo. Many of them seem based on fans of the cartoon growing up and applying new knowledge and understanding to a favorite show of their youth. The first misconception discussed is that of Velma’s sexuality, based on stereotypes applied to her mode of dress and “her lack of interest in other characters.”
While not an intention of the original creators, this idea was eventually given life by a writer on Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated (2010-2013), who implied affection between Velma and a character named Marcie Fleach. In 2020, a supervising producer for the same show shared an Instagram image with Velma and Fleach in front of a Pride flag. James Gunn, the writer of the first live action Scooby-Doo movie in 2002, made Velma a gay character in his first draft. That characterization did not survive studio approval.
Zoinks! also addresses the implication of marijuana use by Shaggy (and Scooby, possibly?). This is almost unavoidable considering Shaggy’s manner, dress, speech, and the fact that he always seems to have the munchies. This association was never deliberate, but that of course didn’t stop writers from making subtle allusions to the idea. As with Velma’s sexuality, many comedic references to the drug myth were scrapped from the screenplays of live action Scooby-Doo movies.
The subjects of investigation in Scooby-Doo stories are very often ghosts, and many appear as white sheets. This is how children usually see depictions of ghosts, which is fortunate for parents with tight budgets on Halloween. This depiction is based on folklore stemming from the 15th-18th centuries, as the average person in that period was buried in a shroud or covering cloth — only the rich would be interred in actual coffins. Ghosts from that time (and on) were imagined as having the cloak over them still.
The team encounters headless entities, too. An early episode of Scooby Doo! Mystery Incorporated boasts a man without a head, who actually has facial features on his chest. This is a figure that appears in antiquity from the writings of Herodotus and Pliny the Elder.
Zoinks! points out that over the years, Scooby-Doo writers have employed sources outside of the traditional Western/American folklore, too. A direct-to-video movie called Chill Out, Scooby-Doo! features the Yeti (although it’s referred to as the Abominable Snowman), and takes place largely in the Himalaya mountains. An episode of Be Cool, Scooby-Doo! called “Kitchen Frightmares” also has a Yeti, which this time is correctly referred to as such by all the characters. Of course, in both cases, the Yeti turns out to be someone in a mask.
Scooby and the gang have a broad reach in terms of where they source stories. There are some episodes which feature Japanese-style Yokai, like “The Sword, The Fox, and the Scooby-Doo!” from the series Scooby-Doo and Guess Who? that also includes Mark Hamill! The fox is based on Kitsune, a trickster Yokai. And yes, it’s a guy in a mask! Other fantastical creatures the crew have encountered include Jinn, Australia’s drop bears, and the Victorian era miscreant called Spring-heeled Jack.
And Scooby’s returned the favor by inspiring new stories. Zoinks! The Spooky Folklore Behind Scooby-Doo reminds us that Buffy the Vampire Slayer‘s young, supernatural-fighting characters were sometimes called “Scoobies,” and in the normally serious show Supernatural, there’s a cartoon episode in which the main characters work on a mystery with the Scooby-Doo gang.
Every February, to help celebrate Darwin Day, the Science section of AIPT cranks up the critical thinking for SKEPTICISM MONTH! Skepticism is an approach to evaluating claims that emphasizes evidence and applies the tools of science. All month we’ll be highlighting skepticism in pop culture, and skepticism *OF* pop culture.
AIPT Science is co-presented by AIPT and the New York City Skeptics.
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