Be Cool, Scooby-Doo! Week Day 3: How the More Three-Dimensional Characters Can Apply to Our Lives

One of my favorite parts of Be Cool, Scooby-Doo! is how interesting and relatable the characters were. Though of course the previous versions of the gang were likable, I feel this series added a layer of three-dimensionality to their personalities. By doing so, it allowed them to be very relatable to us, the audience, and even more likable (at least in my opinion). Personally, I felt like I could relate certain aspects of my own personality to all 5 members of this updated version of the gang. In this article, I'll highlight how each member of this version of the gang has changed from their original characters, and how I feel like a bit of each of them relates to my own personality.

This updated version of Scooby is somewhat similar to the previous incarnations, but with a few distinct differences. Scooby still has his cowardly tendencies, but is a lot more witty in this version. He also only uses around 4 words per sentence, according to head writer Jon Colton Barry. In this version, Scooby is a lot more comedic than previously, and is often spot-on with most of his jokes.

As someone who enjoys making people laugh, I can definitely see a bit of Scooby in myself. Even if I'm not quite as witty and spot-on as Scooby is, regardless I still always love to put a smile on other people's faces and try to do so especially if I can tell the person is having a bad day.

Shaggy is still his same cowardly, hungry self in this series, and you may struggle to find any conspicuous differences in his character. However, I would argue that he's more full of a childlike-type wonder in this series. This is particularly present when he's with Scooby; the two of them seem to find a lot of enjoyment in the little things. You see this in a lot of episodes in this show, though the example that most comes to mind is "Pizza O'Possum's." In this episode, Shaggy is so filled with childlike wonder that he actually goes back to his childhood arcade just to get a child's toy. 

I can definitely appreciate that quality in Shaggy. I still am very youthful even though I'm an adult, and still take a lot of pleasure in the little or whimsical things. I feel like I'll be one of those people that's still a kid at heart when I'm 80 lol.

In this series, Fred's character is closer than the original than it's been since...well, the original itself. Instead of being dimwitted and goofy as he's been since A Pup Named Scooby-Doo, Fred is a natural born leader like he was in the original show. However, in this series, Fred is displayed as more of a control freak, and gets frustrated when life doesn't go his way. He likes order and expects everyone to follow him without hesitation.

Fred is probably the character that I can identify with the least, but I do have some minor similarities with him. Although I'm very laid back generally, I sometimes will be slightly overprotective of my own work and don't like people messing it up with telling me first. I also can be slightly nitpicky on things I'm passionate about, particularly the Scooby franchise haha.

Velma remains the smartest character of the gang in this iteration, but notably has more tendencies towards know-it-all-ism. However, the one thing she doesn't necessarily know is how to be social. She is very awkward socially and does not have a lot of people skills. Though I don't have the social awkwardness Velma does, I'm also very intelligent and occasionally have to push down my know-it-all-ism. I also pay very close attention to detail, and (as I mentioned) can get nitpicky sometimes if things aren't correct.

Daphne is the most changed of any character in the series. Departing from the original damsel-in-distress character, Daphne is an eccentric nonconformist, and regularly does very odd things. She's also very outgoing and optimistic, and enjoys being a "cheerleader" of sorts. She enjoys cheering people up and seeing them happy. Despite her perceived "oddness," she is always very perky and cheery.

Of all the characters, I identify with Daphne's personality the most. I am usually very cheerful and friendly, and tend to have a glass-half-full approach to life. I also love seeing everyone happy, so I act as a "cheerleader" of sorts when I see someone is down or clearly unhappy. Most prevalently, I have a very quirky personality and like Daphne, I totally own the fact that I do. I also don't really care what others think of me, as long as I'm happy with myself and who I am.

I hope you enjoyed this article! I'm sure I'm not the only one who feels they can relate to this version of the gang. If you feel you relate to any or all of the gang, I'm interested to see how if you choose to share in the comments!