(ABC, November 8, 1980-December 18, 1982)
Hanna-Barbera Productions, Ruby-Spears Productions (season
3)
MAIN CAST:
Don Messick – Scooby-Doo, Scrappy-Doo, Yabba-Doo (season 3)
Casey Kasem – Norville “Shaggy” Rogers
Frank Welker – Deputy Dusty (season 3), various
For background information on Scooby-Doo, check out the post here.
The fifth incarnation of the franchise took a different
approach. Scooby-Doo and Scrappy-Doo aired as part of The
Richie Rich/Scooby-Doo Show hour-long programming block on ABC Saturday
morning. This marked the first and only time Scooby would receive second
billing in a program title.
Following the slow downplay
of the Mystery Inc. team and the mystery plots in general in Scooby-Doo
and Scrappy-Doo, the rest of the gang was
eliminated and the old format dispensed of in favor of focusing exclusively on
the antics of Scooby (Don Messick), Shaggy (Casey Kasem) and Scrappy (Messick,
replacing Lennie
Weinrib whose voice was felt didn’t fit the
character) as they continued to travel around in the Mystery Machine. The
episodes were made up of three 7-minute segments, as opposed to the original
half-hour format. 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 was the mystery solving, villains in creepy
costumes waiting to be unmasked, and even the Hanna-Barbera laugh-track that followed the franchise from its
inception.
 |
| 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!).
 |
| Scrappy up for a fight. |
Beginning late on November
8, 1980 following a voice
actor’s strike, the Scooby-Doo and Scrappy-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.
For the third season, 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
basically resembled 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 a greater focus placed on Shaggy and Scooby. 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 featured Scrappy
teaming-up with a new Doo relative: Yabba-Doo (Messick). Yabba is the Scooby
equivalent to Quick Draw McGraw who protected Tumbleweed County along with his owner,
Deputy Dusty (Frank Welker).
 |
| The 50th Anniversary edition of the DVD. |
When broadcast
individually, the Scooby segments featured a modified version of The
Scooby & Scrappy-Doo intro maintaining Weinrib’s Scrappy voice in his
introduction but substituting the ending with the rest of the gang for an
episode clip. The 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 2008, the first
seven episodes, including the Richie Rich segments, were
released on The
Richie Rich/Scooby-Doo Show: The Complete Series vol. 1 by Warner
Home Video, later re-released
as part of the Hanna-Barbera
Diamond Collection in 2017 and for Scooby’s
50th anniversary in 2019. From 2012-2014, 21 different segments
were released on the various 13
Spooky Tales compilation DVDs and as bonus content on Scooby-Doo!
Mask of the Blue Falcon. The entire series
was also made available for streaming through Amazon
Prime and on YouTube by Warner
Bros.
EPISODE GUIDE:
Season 1:
“A Close Encounter With a Strange Kind / A Fit Night Out
For Bats / The Chinese Food Factory” (11/8/80) – The gang is captured by aliens
who want to study Earthlings. / A flat tire forces the gang to stay at a
vampire-infested mansion. / The gang stumbles across a burglar while serving as
factory watchmen.
“Scooby’s Desert Dilemma / The Old Cat and Mouse Game /
Stowaways” (11/15/80) – An evil Arabian magician wants to practice on the gang.
/ The gang encounters a Cat Man and his evil felines in the Tibetan mountains.
/ The gang accidentally stowaway on a ship and have to avoid an angry first
mate.
“Mummy’s the Word / Hang in There, Scooby / Stuntman
Scooby” (11/22/80) – The gang encounters a mummy in the Sahara Desert. / Hang
gliding sends the gang into trouble. / The gang ends up mistaken for movie
stuntmen.
“Scooby’s Three Ding-A-Ling Circus / Scooby’s Fantastic
Island / Long John Scrappy” (11/29/80) – The gang take a job at a circus. / A
fishing trip leads to an island full of prehistoric creatures. / Scooby and
Shaggy have to rescue Scrappy from a pirate.
“Scooby’s Bull Fright / Scooby Ghosts West / A Bungle in
the Jungle” (12/6/80) – The gang take a turn at bullfighting. / The gang visit
a ghost town with actual ghosts. / A butterfly hunt leads to danger in the
jungle.
“Scooby’s Fun Zone / Swamp Witch / Sir Scooby and the Black
Knight” (12/13/80) – Scrappy gets Scooby into a competition with a carnival
strong man. / The gang ends up on the menu for a swamp witch. / Scooby meets a
black knight in Scotland.
“Waxworld / Scooby in Wonderland / Scrappy’s Birthday”
(12/20/80) – A wax museum’s owner wants to add the gang to his collection. /
Scooby dreams he and Shaggy chase white rabbit Scrappy through Wonderland. /
Scrappy’s birthday leads to revelations about his past.
“South Seas Scare / Scooby’s Swiss Miss / Alaskan King
Coward” (12/27/80) – A fire god terrorizes the gang in Hawaii. / Scooby falls
in love with a poodle and saves her from a bear. / The gang hunts for gold and
end up finding an ice monster instead.
“Et Tu, Scoob? / Soggy Bog Scooby / Scooby Gumbo” (1/3/81)
– A visit to the Colosseum yields lions and warriors. / A swamp monster
interrupts the gang’s fishing trip. / A dog-hating cook chases the gang through
Mardi Gras.
“Way Out Scooby / Strongman Scooby / Moonlight Madness”
(1/10/81) – The gang visits Mars. / The gang decides to get in shape and joins
a gym. / A visit to Shaggy’s ancestral home reveals he has the curse of a
werewolf.
“Dog Tag Scooby / Scooby at the Center of the World /
Scooby’s Trip to Ahz” (1/17/81) – The gang visits a military base and
accidentally gets enlisted. / A visit to Carlsbad Caverns brings out monsters
and other trouble. / Scooby dreams that he’s in Oz.
“A Fright at the Opera / Robot Ranch / Surprised Spies”
(1/24/81) – The gang meets the Phantom of the Opera. / The master of a robot
ranch wants to turn the gang into robots. / The FBI enlists the gang’s help on
a case.
“The Invasion of the Scooby Snatchers / Scooby Dooby Guru /
Scooby and the Bandit” (1/31/81) – Aliens clone the gang to kidnap a local TV
station. / A guard and his tiger give chase to the gang at the Taj Mahal. / The
gang ends up getting in trouble with a group of tough truckers.
Season 2:
“Scooby Nocchio / Lighthouse Keeper Scooby / Scooby’s
Roots” (9/19/81) – Scooby dreams he’s in the world of Pinocchio. / The gang
waits out a storm in a haunted lighthouse. / The gang investigates the haunting
of Scooby’s family at their mansion.
“Scooby’s Escape from Atlantis / Excalibur Scooby / Scooby
Saves the World” (9/26/81) – Scooby must save the others from a Centaur in
Atlantis. / Scooby pulls out Excalibur and becomes England’s ruler. / The gang
stops an alien invasion of Earth.
“Scooby Dooby Goo / Rickshaw Scooby / Scooby’s Luck of the
Irish” (10/3/81) – Scrappy has to babysit when a steam bath turns Shaggy and
Scooby into babies. / The gang encounters a dragon in China. / A leprechaun
tortures the gang with the promise of a pot of gold.
“Backstage Scooby / Scooby’s House of Mystery / Sweet
Dreams Scooby” (10/10/81) – The gang has to take over the show when Marvo the
Magician disappears. / A witch needs one ingredient for her potion: dog tails.
/ Locked in a museum, the gang fantasizes about participating in historical
events.
“Scooby-Doo 2000 / Punk Rock Scooby / Canine to Five”
(10/17/81) – The gang travels to the future. / A Scrappy-looking alien tries to
destroy Shaggy and Scooby whom he believes kidnapped Scrappy from his planet. /
The gang takes a job with a doctor who is a werewolf.
“Hard Hat Scooby / Hothouse Scooby / Pigskin Scooby”
(10/24/81) – The gang works on a vampire’s building. / The gang must flee from
man-eating vegetables. / Scooby and Shaggy are in a football game playing against
real monsters.
“Sopwith Scooby / Tenderbigfoot / Scooby and the Beanstalk”
(10/31/81) – The gang competes against an evil Baron in an air show. / The gang
meets Bigfoot. / The gang encounters a giant at the top of a beanstalk.
Season 3:
“Maltese Mackarel / Dumb Waiter Caper / Yabba Rustle
Hustle” (9/25/82) – The gang has to deliver a Maltese Mackarel to a ship’s
captain. / The gang tries to clear Bugsy Burton of a diamond theft. / Scrappy
heads West to help Yabba-Doo and Deputy Dusty.
“Catfish Burglar Caper / Movie Monster Menace / Mine Your
Own Business” (10/2/82) – The gang helps a Yacht Club solve a string of
robberies. / A movie director turns his actors into real monsters. / Yabba
fights with two brothers over a gold mine.
“Super Teen Shaggy / Basketball Bumblers / Tragic Magic”
(10/9/82) – Shaggy thinks he’s a superhero. / The gang plays basketball against
a cheating team. / A magic show serves as a diversion for a pair of bank
robbers.
“Beauty Contest Caper / Stake-Out at the Take-Out / Runaway
Scrappy” (10/16/82) – The gang must find missing beauty contest contestants. /
The gang must find Fearless’ insurance company’s gold. / Scrappy runs away,
believing Yabba and Dusty no longer care about him.
“Who’s Scooby-Doo? / Double Trouble Date / Slipper Dan the
Escape Man” (10/23/82) – A machine switches Scooby and Shaggy’s bodies before
it ends up stolen. / Shaggy accidentally makes two dates for the same night. /
Yabba, Scrappy and Dusty track down an escape artist.
“Cable Car Caper / Muscle Trouble / Low-Down Showdown”
(10/30/82) – Two stolen cable cars are used in a bank robbery. / The gang
enters a dangerous sailboat race against Muscles Malone. / Yabba, Scrappy and
Dusty pursue an escaped criminal.
“Comic Book Caper / Misfortune Teller / Vild Vest Vampire”
(11/6/82) – The gang stops the theft of a rare comic book. / Scooby gives a
bully some bad advice. / Count Zarko tries to turn the town into zombies.
“A Gem of a Case / From Bad to Curse / Tumbleweed Derby”
(11/13/82) – Fingers Malone steals some jewels. / A gypsy queen hires the gang
to retrieve her stolen amulet. / Dusty enters the crooked derby.
“Disappearing Car Caper / Scooby-Doo and Genie-Poo / Law
& Disorder” (11/20/82) – The gang tries to stop a car thief who shrinks the
cars to steal them. / Genie Jasmine and her dog Genie-Poo invite Scooby to
Arabia. / Dusty is framed for a crime.
“Close Encounters of the Worst Kind / Captain Canine Caper
/ Alien Schmalien” (11/27/82) – The gang are part of an alien scavenger hunt. /
The gang protects Captain Canine from a dogcatcher. / An alien is kidnapped and
put into a circus the he must be rescued from.
“The Incredible Cat Lady Caper / Picnic Poopers / Go East
Young Pardner” (12/4/82) – The gang is hired to stop a female cat burglar. / A
bully and his dog ruin the gang’s picnic. / Yabba, Dusty and Scrappy go to New
York for training.
“One Million Years Before Lunch / Where’s the Werewofl / Up
a Crazy River” (12/11/82) – A time warp sends the gang into prehistoric times.
/ Scooby drinks a potion that turns him into a werewolf. / The town must be
protected from pirates.
“Hoedown Showdown / Snow Job Too Small / Bride and Gloom”
(12/18/82) – The gang ends up caught in a feud between Scooby’s family and the
McGlurks. / The gang encounters an Abominable Snowman. / Yabba, Scrappy and
Dusty must find a bride for Horrible Homer to save the town.
Originally posted in 2015. Updated in 2020.
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