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| Is he really defending Scrappy Doo? |
Everyone knows Scooby Doo and everyone loves Scooby Doo. I think Scooby Doo is one of the best cartoons ever and obviously the franchise is still going strong. The whole premise was awesome, a group of teens and their Great Dane driving around in the Mystery Machine, solving mysteries that usually ended up with the ghost or monster being one of the pivotal characters in the episode.
But, there is one character who is completely misunderstood. It's not Shaggy and his pot smoking ways and it's not Daphne and her rich upbringing. It's not even Fred and his stupid ascot or Velma...well I can't say anything bad about Velma, I have a weakness for nerdy chicks with glasses and it certainly wasn't Scooby, everyone loves Scooby. The character that gets the injustice is....
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| Scrappy Cornelius Doo |
That's right! Scrappy Doo! For some reason fans have an utter hatred for Scrappy, they despise him so bad that even the cartoonists, producers and directors portrayed him as an evil puppy towards the end of his career. I don't know why people think Scrappy is bad, Scrappy Doo is awesome, I loved him as a kid and it crushed me when I watched the first "live action" Scooby Doo movie where they made Scrappy the evil mastermind and villain at the end of the movie. There was no need for that, maybe the rest of the gang disliked him but for Scooby and Shaggy he was a key element.
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| See? They're happy! |
Scrappy Cornelius Doo was "born" in December 1979 (although shown before in a few different episodes) to Ruby Doo, Scooby's sister at St. Bernard's hospital. Scrappy idolized his Uncle Scooby since birth and has assisted the gang solve numerous mysteries. Scrappy is the opposite of his uncle and boasts being brave and is highly energetic. He was the perfect fit for the cowering duo of Scooby and Shaggy, although he seemed to get on Fred and Velma's nerves. Daphne really didn't mind him obviously because she co-starred with him in the Scooby and Scrappy Doo Puppy Hour.
Why is this courageous pup so hated and villainized? If you watch the episodes that Scrappy was in you will see him saving Scooby and Shaggy from the monster that snuck up on them while they were on their inevitable search for the rest of the gang. While Scooby and Shaggy were busy getting scared and cowering in the corner, Scrappy would do his trademarked call, "Ta Daaa Ta Daa, Charge!" followed up with his victory yell "Puppy Power!" and charge in to save the day. If anything Scrappy was a hero.
Granted, he was not the brightest bulb on the tree and his courage and willingness to fight the monsters overruled rational thoughts, but that is no reason to scrutinize Scrappy Doo. The fact remains that when the other members of the gang departed and left Shaggy, Scooby and Scrappy to fend for themselves, Scrappy was the brains of the outfit, something he probably picked up from Velma....did I mention I have a weakness for nerdy girls with glasses?
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| Oh Velma....you're such a tease. |
Scrappy boosted the dwindling ratings in 1980 and into the mid 80's but for some reason in the later years critics chastised Scrappy Doo by saying he had a negative effect on the Scooby Doo franchise, he had become an over exuberant, cute character that was only added only to maintain the ratings. This is partially true, I think Scrappy was added to appeal to the younger audience of the 80's and to try to get rid of the pot smoking, hippie image from the 60's and 70's.
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| Come on...what do you think they did in there? That 70's Show anyone? |
Despite his loyal following, Scrappy has not appeared in any Scooby Doo show since 1988 with three exceptions:
- The 1st live action Scooby Doo movie where is was unjustly portrayed as the evil villain at the end of the movie. They showed a scene where he peed on some of the gang, well they probably had it coming.
- Scooby Doo and the Goblin King where the possessed Mystery Machine runs over hundreds of stuffed Scrappy Dolls at a carnival (again kowtowing to the haters)
- Scooby Doo! Mystery, Inc. where in one episode, once again, Scrappy is depicted as the evil one. There is a statue of Scrappy and all of the other defeated "villains" and Daphne (who really did like him) reminisces for a second until Fred, the ascot wearing pussy, reminds her that they were not supposed to speak of him ever again.
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| Oh Scrappy you lucky dog you....what are you looking at? |
I feel that Scrappy Doo was the only one with balls enough to face the monsters man to man or puppy to monster that is and he has been villainized long enough. His character single handed resurrected the Scooby Doo franchise and the audacity of the makers of the movie nailed the coffin shut. Scooby is still on TV, they need to bring Scrappy back in the same role he had in the early 80's, not this evil puppy image they are portraying him to have.
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| Scrappy definitely was not neutered... |
Scrappy Doo was misunderstood and I am self proclaiming that August 3rd be Scrappy Doo Day! I am asking everyone who is reading this to download any of the pictures in this post and use it for their profile picture on Facebook or Twiter, add it to their own blog, email it to a friend, even put it on MySpace (if you're from the last decade). I am asking for you to show your support of Scrappy Doo and show that he is not the evil puppy everyone thinks he is. Please pass the word to all of your friends, families, followers and co-workers...
August 11th is Scrappy Doo Day! 
