A show that I used to watch a lot when I was a kid was the classic cartoon Scooby-Doo, Where Are You? If you haven't seen it or need a trip back down memory lane the show is about a group of meddling kids and their talking dog Scooby-Doo who go around solving mysteries and I absolutely loved it. I don't know if it was the idea of driving around in a van with orange flowers painted on it called the Mystery Machine, finding out who was underneath the mask of the monster that chased Scooby and the gang around in each episode, the chase sequences accompanied by a Beatles knock off band or Shaggy and Scooby's Three Stooges like antics, I had to watch Scooby-Doo before I went to school.


Today, watching Scooby-Doo makes me realize that a strong case could be made that the Scooby Gang or Mystery Inc. are a bunch of Stoners and the man in the monster costume who chased them around in every episode is a product of tripping out on drugs due to the fact Shaggy and Scooby have the munchies all the time.


However despite my outlandish theory, I still have respect for this show not because of the fact that Scooby-Doo movies, toys and episodes are still being made 40 years later, instead I have respect for Scooby-Doo Where Are You because it was one of the first Television shows to combine Horror with other genres such as Comedy and Mystery. Based on this information if it was not for Scooby-Doo and certain TV Show Creators watching it as a kid there is a strong possibility that shows like Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Angel, Supernatural, The X-Files and Fringe that blend Horror with other genres may have never come into existence. In fact the creators of Buffy The Vampire Slayer give a nod to Scooby-Doo inspiring their series by Buffy and her friends who battle the supernatural forces of evil referring to themselves as the Scooby Gang.


Sarah Michelle Gellar as Buffy The Vampire Slayer and Scooby-Doo character Daphne Blake

The bottom line that I am getting at is whether you love it, hate it or respect it Scooby-Doo Where Are You is apart of our culture and if it still exists today after 40 years it will still influence all types of media for many generations to come. Experience Scooby-Doo's influence through this clip...



Check out Scooby-Doo Where Are You the Complete Series on DVD or check it out online.