 For today’s fan spotlight, we have the former administrator of Scoobypedia with us: James Dixon. James was the admin at Scoobypedia for 11 years, before recently stepping down in December 2020 to pursue another Grifkuba project. I’m excited to introduce you to James via his fan spotlight below:
1. What is your name? My name is James Dixon. I've also been known to use the FANDOM handle of Anythingspossibleforapossible aka Possible (for another certain fandom, I actually barely scraped the online surface of) and then TheAtomicLight when I eventually decided that the former handle wasn't for me anymore. 2. How did you get into Scooby-Doo? When I was young, I watched a handful of episodes from across the franchise that popped up on TV (all of which were pre-2001). I never at any point made a conscious decision to search for it on TV. What got my full attention, though, was when Zombie Island and Witch's Ghost came on TV. I thought they were both very well done, as dark as they were. And then on January 1, 2010, I made the big leap into the fandom and joined Scoobypedia, which led to me being put in charge until I left at the end of December 2020. 3. What is your favorite Scooby-Doo episode and film? Why? I can't exactly nail down my favourite episode. I have a handful of episodes I like from each series. From the original series, I particularly like the moment in "Bedlam in the Big Top" when Shaggy and Scooby turned the tables on the Ghost Clown and used his own weapon against him, which was profoundly different from just accidentally knocking the ghost over. Another great episode I think is "Beware the Beast from Below," the first episode of Mystery Incorporated. It's a great departure from the silly tone of what had come before (despite still having some great jokes), and was a great template for the entire series of which, unfortunately, I don't think it always matched. Fred in particular was great to watch and he made a decision that he thought cost a teacher's life. As I said above, when I was younger Zombie Island and Witch's Ghost captured my attention more than anything else. Zombie Island is my favourite film of that era, and still is, because it was so fundamentally different. As a kid, I found it to be "edgy" in a sense, but it still holds up because everything about the series has been kept the same, but matured in a way that is still completely accessible. It's more serious, but not too serious that it doesn't know how to have fun when it needed to. The boundaries are being pushed further than before because it's made by new people with a new mindset pushing the boundaries further than they have ever been before and being 1997/1998, it was the perfect time. There's a three-dimensional quality that was never there before. The songs were also incredible; they were the perfect choices. I also really like Scooby-Doo! and the Loch Ness Monster. While Zombie Island had upped the stakes, Loch Ness Monster is my favourite take on the more "traditional" version of Scooby-Doo, especially after Legend of the Vampire and Monster of Mexico, which were both dull tributes to the original series. With or without Loch Ness Monster, there would've been more DTVs, but Loch Ness Monster made the film series worthwhile again, at least for me. 4. What ways are you involved in the Scooby fandom online? My real interest and love of the fandom grew when I found A Pup Named Scooby-Doo airing one morning on in the last week of December 2007 (yes, I have an acute memory of this, I guess because it quite possibly led to a life changing experience in becoming a part of the fandom). I was a casual viewer, but this time in my life I actively sought out to watch it and be mindful of when it was on. 5. In your opinion, what is the best series or era of Scooby? I'd like to give a shoutout to Shaggy & Scooby-Doo Get a Clue! It doesn't get as much love as it should. What's funny about that series is that it's quite literally every other series you've seen just with Scooby's name slapped on. It has elements of Inspector Gadget and Bill & Ted, and some other stuff. Despite the unusual character designs, the absences of Fred and the girls, and weird villains, none of this actually puts me off. I like what it brings to the table. I think a lot of it is because of the talent of voice actor Jeff Bennett. That series would not be as good without him. I've found the eras of SDMI and BCSD interesting to view as they've come and gone. They definitely sparked a lot of debates. 6. What one Scooby-Doo series or film would you want a sequel to someday? What was so great about the new story of Zombie Island was that Daphne was the host of her own travel show that could've provided a convincing reason for Mystery Inc. to discover new mysteries and ghosts to track down. Instead, the creative team ignored that (along with Daphne intending to reveal to the world, along with Detective Neville's help, that the supernatural was real) and just had them conveniently stumble across a mystery. That's the biggest mistake they made. So, I would like to see (but never will) a return to that original concept in Zombie Island. That era would've been nice to see again, but after having seen Scooby-Doo! Return to Zombie Island, possibly the worst Scooby-Doo film of all time, which was hellbent on retconning everything from the original, instead of being just being left alone, I know this would never be possible. Even though we all know that "Scooby-Doo is just for kids," Return to Zombie Island's press release was targeted towards the fans of the original film, but then the film itself is a kiddie b-movie spoof. The film is irredeemable as both a sequel and a film that stands on its own two feet. 7. What direction would you like to see the franchise go in the future? I know what direction it shouldn't go in: Scooby-Doo and Guess Who? Scooby-Doo has only lasted as long as it has by taking chances to see what else can be done with the franchise. Even if some of those ideas don't turn out to be a good idea, they are still worth it. You could tell that Warner Bros. severely regretted Be Cool Scooby-Doo! when they made Scooby-Doo and Guess Who? as bland and boring as possible, apparently to satisfy old time fans who were upset with Be Cool, Scooby-Doo! But the problem is, Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! makes up for its stiffness with a certain kind of charm and likability. So, what I think we should see in Scooby-Doo is more chances being taken with new story ideas and a better understanding of who each member of Mystery Inc. is. A lot of the times I feel the gang are only there to serve the mystery, unlike Be Cool, Scooby-Doo! which felt like the opposite. This is why I haven't liked seeing guest stars in recent years, because it feels like an excuse to avoid focus on the gang which is what the audience comes to see. You can get Mystery Inc. to meet as many guest stars as you'd like, but if the gang aren't remotely likable or interesting, then the guest stars don't mean anything. Like KISS or John Cena. This is why I'm cautiously optimistic about Velma. And if Velma does fail, then just try and doing something else new and see what happens there, instead of doing another Guess Who? The only more guest stars I'd like to see more of are other Hanna-Barbera characters. Hanna-Barbera and Warner Bros. have always been reluctant in having Scooby-Doo crossover with other Hanna-Barbera-created series as if it would change the fabric of time and space if Scooby-Doo solved a mystery with Jonny Quest, or Tom and Jerry. If you watch the Jonny Quest episode "The Curse of Anubis" and the Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! episode "Scooby-Doo and a Mummy, Too," you could almost see them as being connected. What I found was the biggest missed opportunity with Scooby-Doo and Guess Who? is that there was only three HB-themed episodes; 2 in season 1, and 1 in season 2. In the new Jellystone! series, which I recommend to everyone, all you need to do is have a cameo of Scooby Snacks, that's all, and it broadens the universe just a bit more. I'd also like the comics to stop using stock art. You can call it original artwork if you want, but it's still amazingly talented artists to basically trace over WB's inherited art with the gang in several stock poses, which may be altered just a tad. It's 100% ineffective and turns all potentially great stories into terrible ones. If you look at the beautiful art Scott Jeralds used to do compared to what he does now, it's heartbreaking. For the first 10 years DC Comics were publishing Scooby comics they had the most wonderfully drawn artwork which helped the stories, then WB and DC realized that they either shouldn't be wasting good money on merchandise that fans are going to buy anyway or WB had a fear that fans wouldn't buy something they would be anyway unless each member of the gang had the same 2-3 stock poses in every panel of every comic which had started subtly around 2011, and became dominant at least around 2014. 8. Who is your favorite member of the gang and why? There is no easy answer to this. I don't want to just say Scooby & Scooby, but I like their observation of things. But I also really liked how Fred and Daphne were written in Be Cool. They both were suddenly filled with depth and character, although both of their character traits became somewhat problematic in the end. 9. What is your favorite villain? Why? I liked Mr. E when he was an unseen figure who gave Mystery Inc. clues, despite being a potential threat. There should've been a bigger build up and done it at the end of season 1, instead of in the middle. When they randomly decided to reveal him sitting in that chair as this fat, hairy guy, it did nothing for me. 10. In your opinion, who is the best recurring (non-gang) character in the franchise? I really liked it when Del Chillman was brought back a second time. Two times isn't enough! I'd also like more appearances of the Hex Girls. It's about time the Hex Girls had their own spin-off. The Hex Girls are Captain Planet and Jem combined, and those shows were huge hits, so doing a series about protecting the planet with rock and roll music seems like a no-brainer. Miyumi only appeared once and I really liked the new dynamic she brought to the gang, and I would love to see her again. 11. Do you have a Scooby-Doo collection? If so, what’s in it? My collection started off with DVDs of complete series (none of the single volume sets if possible), and in 2012 expanded to books, beginning with Jungle Jeopardy and a hardback of DC's Chill Out, Scooby-Doo! I've got several books now. I've also got the Blu-ray sets of Where Are You! and The New Scooby-Doo Movies (for the latter, I feel like WB were banking on at least one episode not being available for the promotional value). That would've been it for my collection, until last year I finally relented after several years and hunted down some Scooby-Doo Funko Pops. I have the whole gang, Scooby Dum, and Scrappy. 12. What do you think has made the franchise so popular that it’s still going strong after 50 years? I ask this myself many times. Everybody loves reading or watching fictional detectives whether they be Sherlock Holmes, Jessica Fletcher, or even Scooby-Doo. It's fun to watch these kids solve mysteries in the formulaic way they do, with all the tropes that have defined it along the years, particularly in those first two years of the original series. It's one of the biggest pop culture influences in entertainment. There's also genuine humour in what Shaggy and Scooby do. 13. What is one fun fact about you in real life? Last year, I started my Funko Pop collection. I was always impressed with how the Pops looked, but I wasn't certain it was something I really felt like I should buy and I didn't have the room. So, as I said above, I finally relented and bought my first two Pops, which included a sandwich-holding Scooby. Whether or not I had the space, it became kind of a fun hobby collecting them. For some reason I put a goal of 100 Pops in my head, and just this month of August, I finished that goal. It's weird that it's only been a year. I'm unofficially done with collecting them and now need to find the perfect display case for them all. 14. Please feel free to share anything else you’d like to here! I've moved on from Scoobypedia to a great new Hanna-Barbera-themed project that is growing in wonderful ways that I'm very grateful for having the opportunity to do so. We've been covering heaps already and we're not stopping until we have everything. And for Scooby fans, we already have all the series pages, including the upcoming Velma. Even though there's much more work to do because it's more than just dealing with Scooby, I'm actually loving it even more, and it's become very rewarding discovering things that the internet has yet to properly detail. I'll share the link when I feel it's in the right place to get more attention. Thank you so much again to James for being our fan spotlight today! I agreed with quite a few of his opinions, especially that Get a Clue is a bit overrated. Though the series was far different than any piece of Scooby media preceding it, I did appreciate it for what it was and it was quite enjoyable if you viewed it as separate from the rest of the franchise. I also couldn’t agree more with his point that experimentation within the franchise is often worth it, because it allows the franchise to grow. While I did enjoy Guess Who, I did feel it played it a bit too safe at times and I wouldn’t want every Scooby series to be like it. Be sure to check back tomorrow for another fan spotlight!
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CBR just released a brand new clip of Straight Outta Nowhere: Scooby-Doo Meets Courage the Cowardly Dog. The film will be out this coming Tuesday, September 14, a day after Scooby's 52nd anniversary.
Thanks to Ben and The Cop for letting me know about this clip.  For today’s fan spotlight, I’d like to introduce you to The Wandering Piney! The Wandering Piney is a Scooby-Doo fanfiction writer who has written two different Hex Girls themed stories, Occult Nights, and its sequel The Treasure of the Regal Hotel, both of which are super amazing and I would highly recommend both of them!
1. What is your name? The Wandering Piney 2. How did you get into Scooby-Doo? I'm not exactly sure when, but my mom introduced Scooby-Doo to me and my younger brothers when we were little. I've always been fascinated by ghosts, cryptids, and monsters, so I guess my mom figured I'd enjoy the show. And for most of the youth, I did, and I owned several movies and episodes on VHS. Eventually, though I gradually lost interest sometime around when Goblin King got released, as that was the last "new" movie I remember seeing. I only got back into the franchise a few years ago after rewatching Witch's Ghost and Zombie Island. 3. What is your favorite Scooby-Doo episode and film? Why? My favorite film is without a doubt Witch's Ghost. The Hex Girls, Tim Curry, the fall New England setting, the use of both real and fake monsters; what's not to love! Runners up are Zombie Island and Camp Scare. Picking a favorite episode is tough, and to be honest, I don't think I actually have one. I do enjoy the few episodes with the Hex Girls though, but I wouldn't call them my favorite episodes. 4. What ways are you involved in the Scooby fandom online? I'm mainly involved in the fandom through fanfiction. I've written two Hex Girls-focused fanfictions —Occult Nights, which is around 70k words, and my ongoing fic, The Treasure of the Regal Hotel, which currently sits at 85k words—that provide a lot more characterization and personality to the girls in a high-stakes adventure/mystery. I do have plans for fics focusing on the gang though I have no idea when I'll write them. I also read plenty of Scooby fanfics and interact with other writers and readers, which is how I've met a few other folks in the fandom. 5. In your opinion, what is the best series or era of Scooby? The best era is easily the late 90s/early 2000s DTVS (Zombie Island through Cyber Chase) with its great characterization of the gang, maturer stories, darker tones, beautiful animation, and great music. It also brought the franchise back from its several-year slump, and without them, we probably wouldn't see as much Scooby content as we do. Plus, it introduced us to the Hex Girls. Some runners-up would be the early 70s and some of the early 2010 DTVs like Camp Scare. 6. What one Scooby-Doo series or film would you want a sequel to someday? With the way WB handled the recent sequels to Zombie Island and 13 Ghosts, I'd prefer they stay away from sequels for the foreseeable future. I'd rather see them focus on creating new, original stories and mysteries that wrap up nicely at the end. 7. What direction would you like to see the franchise go in the future? I'd love to see a more mature take on the franchise. Take the overarching plot from SDMI, the characterization from the Zombie Island era, a few character traits from Be Cool, and delve into the various tropes and themes found in horror, science/science-fiction, mystery, and crime genres. Really make the viewer think about whether or not the monster is real or fake, or who the culprit is, and in some cases, let them draw their own conclusion. In a slightly more plausible scenario, I'd like to see WB take a break with the crossovers and guest stars. I doubt it'll happen anytime soon since apparently, Scooby films with guest stars/crossovers make more money than the non-crossover stuff. Oh, and a Hex Girls spinoff would be fantastic, though I don't trust anyone at WB to pull it off. 8. Who is your favorite member of the gang and why? A tough question given their characters can vary significantly with each iteration. Overall, I'd have to say Daphne is my favorite since she's had arguably the most character development out of any character in the franchise. Her growth during the 80s through What's New was quite fantastic. Fred, especially the late 90s and Be Cool versions of him, is my second favorite character. 9. What is your favorite villain? Why? Ben Ravencroft. He's easily one of the most manipulative and scheming villains in the franchise; he was so good at being evil that he didn't even need a mask. Plus, he's voiced by Tim Curry. Runner-ups are the Freak of Crystal Cove, Space Kook, and the Woodsman from Camp Scare. 10. In your opinion, who is the best recurring (non-gang) character in the franchise? The Hex Girls, no questions asked. I just love everything about them, especially Thorn, and I wouldn't have written two novel-length fanfics about them if I didn't. Arguably, they're what got me back into the franchise after my decade-long absence. I just wish there was more Hex Girls content out there. Runners-up would be Mayor Fred Jones Sr and Vincent Van Ghoul. 11. Do you have a Scooby-Doo collection? If so, what’s in it? Not at the moment, though I did preorder the new Hex Girls Funko Pops. When I was younger, I owned Witch's Ghost, Alien Invaders, and most of Where Are You on VHS, as well as a couple of video games and some miscellaneous toys. I don't know what happened to them though. 12. What do you think has made the franchise so popular that it’s still going strong after 50 years? People love a good mystery, especially if it involves the paranormal, and Scooby has provided tons of mysteries suitable for anyone of any age. Plus, you have a unique group of characters that anyone can relate to and a strong sense of family-friendly humor. The franchise is also quite adaptable, and the classic Scooby formula can easily be changed and tweaked to catch trends or explore new ideas, essentially providing something for everyone. 13. What is one fun fact about you in real life? One activity that Scooby-Doo partially inspired me to participate in is urban exploration or the exploration of abandoned places and buildings. I've seen and photographed many amazing places most people have forgotten and have even had articles and photos published in magazines on the subject. Some of the places I've explored look like they're straight out of a Scooby-Doo episode, including an abandoned hotel, airfield, mansion, military base, and asylum. I used to have a blog related to urban exploration, but I've been a bad blog owner and have neglected it. Maybe one day I'll fix it up and maintain it. 14. Please feel free to share anything else you’d like to here! Thanks so much for including me in the fan spotlights. This is a great way to meet Scooby fans. Keep up the great work with the blog. Thanks so much again to The Wandering Piney for participating as one of our fan spotlights! If you haven’t already, be sure to read his Hex Girls fanfiction, Occult Nights and The Treasure of the Regal Hotel! Both do include some language, violence and mature themes, so if there are some younger fans reading this, I would recommend maybe waiting a few years before checking this one out.  Happy Thursday! Today our fan spotlight is Jayden Andrade, who is such a big Scooby fan that he can’t even remember how he got into Scooby, because it’s always been such a core part of his life. Jayden is also a frequent commenter on the blog.
1. What is your name? Jayden Andrade 2. How did you get into Scooby-Doo? I honestly don’t even remember. I guess my parents just switched it on for me and instantly fell in love with it. Still watching it today. 3. What is your favorite Scooby-Doo episode and film? Why? I love the Happy Birthday Scooby-Doo episode, thought it was a great episode to watch and loved how it was filmed by having the whole gang back together and celebrating Scooby. Favourite film would be either Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island or Witch’s Ghost. The reason for that is every time I watch it repeatedly it reminds me so much of my childhood, and reminds me why Scooby-Doo is the best show. 4. In what ways are you involved in the Scooby-Doo fandom? Reading and commenting on the ScoobySnax blog. 5. In your opinion, what is the best series or era of Scooby? Best series I would say is Mystery Incorporated and the old era. I would say Mystery incorporated as it had a good storyline throughout the two series and it related a lot to lots of older viewers too, which is fantastic. Then I would say the old era from like Scooby-Doo and Scrappy Doo to Pup Named, and I say this because I still watch them today and I never get sick and tired of watching them at all, which is a good thing. 6. What one Scooby-Doo series or film would you want a sequel to someday? Series Sequel: I would like to see the 15 minutes episodes with Daphne, Shaggy, Scooby and Scrappy. Movie Sequel: Probably Witch’s Ghost (I think they could do something with that, so they could go back to Oakhaven and be friends with Ben’s mum or brother or a family relative, and then they go on a quest to find more about ghouls and stuff and then it turns out they needed the information to free Ben and then they do like a similar thing they did in Witch’s Ghost). Anyway, others I would like to see are probably Ghoul School, Alien Invaders and Boo Brothers. I think lots of those would be interesting to have sequels of. 7. What direction would you like to see the franchise go in the future? The direction I would like to see the franchise go in is for them to still do these series and movies as best as possible and hopefully taking our ideas that we’ve mentioned and making them into movies or episodes. I would also like them to try and make an adult Scooby-Doo, I mean that would be interesting. 8. Who is your favorite member of the gang and why? Favourite member I would say is Scooby-Doo. I mean how could you not love him? 9. What is your favorite villain? Why? Don’t really have a favourite villain tbh. 10. In your opinion, who is the best recurring (non-gang) character in the franchise? Best recurring I would say Scrappy but as he’s not in the franchise anymore I would say the Hex Girls. I mean I wish they did a TV show, they are literally my favourite guest stars to appear. 11. Do you have a Scooby-Doo collection? If so, what’s in it? I don’t have a collection. 12. What do you think has made the franchise so popular that it’s still going strong after 50 years? Personally, I think the amount of new episodes of Guess Who and new movies that are coming out have made the show really popular. If you take a look at Tom and Jerry they’ve only released a movie this year I think, and they haven’t I don’t think got anymore movies coming up which is a huge disappointment, as Scooby-Doo and Tom and Jerry are like childhood shows who go alongside each other. I think the amount of new movies that Scooby-Doo has are great as well. I mean we get a new movie like every year which is fantastic, as no one would ever forget Scooby-Doo because they’re always so regular. 13. What is one fun fact about you in real life? One fact is that I recently got a double distinction which I am super proud of. Thanks to Jayden for participating as today’s fan spotlight!  Happy birthday! Well, maybe it’s not your birthday, but it’s today’s fan spotlight, Dott’s birthday! Dott is a big Scooby-Doo fan that’s active on Tumblr and Discord, as well as the ScoobyAddicts forum! She’s also created an incredible Scooby-Doo fashion Tumblr page documenting every single outfit the gang has ever worn, as well as a map logging every real-life location the gang has solved a mystery.
1. What is your name? My name's Dott! My handle most places is cometcrystal. 2. How did you get into Scooby-Doo? I'm a latecomer. Unlike most origin stories I've heard, I didn't get into Scooby until much later in my life; my very first Scooby media was the 2002 live action. A friend of mine at the time showed it to me when I was in college. After that, I became interested in SDMI. Then it remained a lowkey interest of mine until a few years later when Scoob came out. I watched it the day it premiered, and then 13th Ghost on the same day, and that somehow spiraled into my Covid lockdown Scooby binge. It's now my current Favorite Thing (tm), and now that I'm done with all the shows and movies, I'm working on the comics! 3. What is your favorite Scooby-Doo episode and film? Why? My favorite movie is probably tied between Stage Fright and 13th Ghost. I just think they're neat; they're both Fred and Daphne-centric movies (my favorite characters), and they give me comforting, warm, fuzzy vibes. 13th Ghost was the movie that made me wanna watch more Scooby, so it's got a special place in my heart. And Stage Fright is just a wild ride all the way through. One of the funniest movies, IMO. As far as episodes, that's really hard to narrow down cause there's so many of them! I love the final few episodes of SDMI, and Party Like It's 1899 is a standout from BCSD. I also like any episode of TSDS with Scooby Dum in it, as well as the Addams Family episode of the New Movies. 4. What ways are you involved in the Scooby fandom online? I post quite a bit on Tumblr, I'm in a couple Scooby fandom Discord servers, and I'm on the ScoobyAddicts board from time to time, of course! I like to make GIFs sometimes, and I've written one or two short fanfics and made a couple AMVs. My favorite thing to do is analysis and headcanons. 5. In your opinion, what is the best series or era of Scooby? They've each got their own pros and cons, but as far as personal favorites go, most of my picks fit into the Modern era (2010 and beyond). SDMI and BCSD are the shows closest to my heart. One thing I like about the Scooby fandom is that everyone has their own favorite series/era, and you'll never hear the same specific answer twice! There's a lot of material to work with. 6. What one Scooby-Doo series or film would you want a sequel to someday? I'd love a Ghoul School sequel! The Grimwood Ghouls are such cool characters. It'd be so great seeing the rest of the gang react to a bunch of spooky little ghouls running up to Shaggy and Scooby, and them not being scared at all. 7. What direction would you like to see the franchise go in the future? I'm not sure! I'm happy just to be along for the ride. I enjoy watching them try different takes on the characters; the gang isn't the same as they were 50 years ago, and 50 years from today, they're not gonna be the same as right now, either. Part of the fun of Scooby is that it has the ability to evolve naturally and try new things. It'll always be around in one form or another. 8. Who is your favorite member of the gang and why? Definitely Daphne. I like her because nobody seems to know what to do with her, whether it be in canon or fanon. It was harder for people to see her personality from the retro shows because all they remembered was "she's the pretty one and got kidnapped a lot" instead of how she was spunky and bright, and more clumsy and impulsive than kidnappable. She was even the leader of the gang in the 80's! So now she's got all these different characterizations, and I think that's super interesting. The one Daphne character trait that is essential to her, though, is that she's a firecracker (and is more reckless than you would assume). She's got a natural leader instinct, and her main drive as a character is to do SOMETHING, whether it be to prove herself, be free from whatever shackles she has, or just to try everything at least once. And I'm glad to see that most versions of her maintain those things. I could write an entire paper on her character. Maybe I should one day. 9. What is your favorite villain? Why? My favorite monster is a tie between the Space Kook and Charlie the Robot. They're both just so lovable!! And my favorite straight-up villain is Mr. E. His entire story is SO interesting to me. 10. In your opinion, who is the best recurring (non-gang) character in the franchise? Sorry, it's a tie again. Marcie Fleach and Scooby Dum! Marcie's an absolute icon, and Dum is a lovable goofball. I really wanna see them both come back one day. 11. Do you have a Scooby-Doo collection? If so, what’s in it? Boy, do I. I've got a corkboard with lots of enamel pins, and a shelf for my various figures and such. I also have a few shirts. We'll be here all day if I describe my entire collection, LOL But I do love collecting things. I'm like a dragon. 12. What do you think has made the franchise so popular that it’s still going strong after 50 years? The characters are pretty universal and timeless; you could put the gang just about anywhere, and it'd probably seem natural. Any group of 5 friends you can find has probably already figured out which member of the gang each of them is. And it's so easy to keep it going. The basic formula of the franchise can fit so well into so many situations. The possibilities are endless! 13. What is one fun fact about you in real life? Scooby Doo is the first thing to make me wanna practice drawing in a while. I don't know if I'll continue practicing after I'm done with my current little project, but the fact that it made me wanna try at all is impressive. 14. Please feel free to share anything else you’d like to here! Every fandom has its rotten apples, but Scooby Doo's the first fandom I've been in for a while where I've just been able to chill out. Very glad to share an appreciation for Scooby with all the lovely people I've met! <3 While I'm at it, I'll plug my two ongoing Scooby projects. The first is my Scooby Doo Fashion blog, where I'm cataloguing every outfit the gang has worn. The second is my map logging every real life location the gang visits. If you couldn't tell, I'm a huge fan of collecting little details like that. They're both huge works in progress, but I'm still pretty proud of them! Thanks so much to Dott again for being today’s fan spotlight! Be sure to check back tomorrow to meet another cool new Scooby-Doo fan!  Today’s fan spotlight is a super Scooby fan that checks the blog every single day after school! I’m excited to introduce you to Thomas. You can read his fan spotlight below:
1. What is your name? Just call me Thomas. 2. How did you get into Scooby-Doo? Well, I started watching Scooby Doo and the Loch Ness Monster with a friend and then I fell in love with it. My first ever series I watched was Be Cool Scooby Doo. 3, What is your favorite Scooby-Doo episode and film? Why? I would say for movie Cyber Chase would be mine, and my favorite episode would be the first one from Where Are You. 4. What ways are you involved in the Scooby fandom online? Just YouTube and television, and the ScoobySnax blog. 5. In your opinion, what is the best series or era of Scooby? The best Scooby Doo era for me would be the early 2000s, when What's New Scooby Doo came in 2002. 6. What one Scooby-Doo series or film would you want a sequel to someday? My favorite sequel? I would make a reboot of The Scooby-Doo show, that would be amazing. I would also like a series when there is a movie based on when the series concluded. I would love a Power Rangers and Scooby-Doo crossover that would be a dream come true (as I am a fan of both)! 7. What direction would you like to see the franchise go in the future? I would like something new and refreshed but still enjoyable so old Scooby-Doo fans and new ones can enjoy. 8. Who is your favorite member of the gang and why? I can't choose between them, sorry. 9. What is your favorite villain? Why? This is so difficult for me, Captain Cutler maybe for me. 10. In your opinion, who is the best recurring (non-gang) character in the franchise? 100 percent the Hex Girls! 11. Do you have a Scooby-Doo collection? If so, what’s in it? I have the complete series of the 13 Ghosts of Scooby Doo and What’s New Scooby Doo series 2 and Guess Who series 1. 12. What do you think has made the franchise so popular that it’s still going strong after 50 years? I think it is because of how they make it in a different way of Scooby-Doo and make something new about it. 13. What is one fun fact about you in real life? My fun fact is that I one ate a golden bar and thought I was eating a scooby snack because I I suddenly became brave for some reason. 14. Please feel free to share anything else you’d like to here! Thank you so much WildwindVampire! Love your blog and thank you for letting me be a part of this fan spotlight. Thanks so much, Thomas, for participating as today’s fan spotlight and for being such a big fan of the blog!  Thanks to some detective work by our fan spotlight today, Luigi, it seems that we may be a little closer to figuring out what Trick or Treat, Scooby-Doo is. Luigi responded to a post on Facebook from an Snipple Animation employee asking for flash artists and animators, asking if there was a new Scooby-Doo series. Another employee responded, saying "It is not a series but a DTV." It's unclear if this means another Halloween DTV film (even though we just got one last year) or some type of direct-to-video special. Here's a screenshot of the original post Luigi commented on, and you can see the person's reply above. Thanks so much to Luigi for finding this information out and sharing it with me.   For today’s fan spotlight, I’d like to introduce you to Luigi! Luigi is a huge Scooby fan who is very active on the ScoobyAddicts forum, and is also a frequent editor of the Italian Scooby-Doo Wikipedia and Scoobypedia. 1. What is your name? Luigi (or some may know me as scoobylover on many forums like Scoobyaddicts) 2. How did you get into Scooby-Doo? According to my grandma I started watching it when I was around 4-5 and immediately fell in love with it. I think the first series I watched was What’s New Scooby-Doo, tho I was too young to remember. 3. What is your favorite Scooby-Doo episode and film? Why? This is not gonna be an easy one. Let’s see.. I believe the one episode I keep on going back to is “All Fear The Freak”, I mean the plot twists and suspense in that episode are insane, worthy of the most intense drama series. Every time I rewatch it, it doesn’t even feel like I spent 20 minutes, it just draws you in immediately. In terms of movies, as much as I would want to mention “Zombie Island”, “Witch’s Ghost”, “Alien Invaders” or “Camp Scare” as my personal favourites I am also aware they’re pretty much everyone else’s too. So I’ll go for a highly underrated one. “Music of the Vampire” is simply one of the best animated and well-written movies of the DTV series. And this is coming from someone who does NOT like musicals. ALL the songs are soooo catchy and I probably know them by heart in two different languages by now. The story is a classic Scooby mystery and the gang interacts so much. I love the scenes when the gang is gathered in Van Helsing’s studio, it just gives me such a warm feeling. Then, of course, there’s the beautiful Shaggy and Scooby’s ode to friendship, Velma saving Daphne, Fred being the adorable himbo he is. Just a beautiful cozy movie overall. 4. What ways are you involved in the Scooby fandom online? I have been writing in the various forums (mainly Scoobyaddicts) for years, editing loads of pages for Scoobypedia, constantly looking for exclusive information for new shows and movies on social media but most importantly I’m pretty sure I can consider myself the most active Italian Scooby fan. If you jump on the Scooby-Doo Italian wikipedia pages, in fact, you will mainly be reading stuff I wrote. I’ve been editing those pages and kept them up to date since I owned a laptop for the first time. The Italian Scooby community needs me even more than you think. In fact, since a lot of DVD have never been published and barely any series are on streaming platforms I spent over 15 years collecting (in not so legal ways but for the sake of keeping the Italian Scooby dubs alive for posterity) all of the episodes and movies in Italian from the depth of the Internet. I have actually only completed the collection last year, after YEARS. I’m so proud of it. 5. In your opinion, what is the best series or era of Scooby? The Mystery Incorporated era is the best imo. It took the Scooby formula and mixed it with the best version of mystery, comedy and drama shows. And it works sooo well for Scooby I’m surprised they haven’t gone for it more than once. In terms of movies, I really can’t choose between the Mook era and the Abracadabra Doo/Camp Scare/Phantosaur era. Both are great, the first one offered us a reintroduction to the characters after years of not being on tv and it was so well done, the second one gave the franchise a well-needed breath of fresh air! 6. What one Scooby-Doo series or film would you want a sequel to someday? Well, I know it is unlikely but having a third season for Mystery Incorporated would be great. But even better would be an adult animated adaptation for Scooby Apocalypse. I love the comics although in some parts it fell flat and repetitive. I think that could be fixed with an epic reimagined version of it with a huge quest to save humanity with The Walking Dead story arc undertones. It just can work!! I want it to be dark, gritty, edgy and crude and to explore the issues of morality surrounding the idea of the zombies being real people, hence whether they could be sacrificed or not. 7. What direction would you like to see the franchise go in the future? I’m honestly pretty stoked for what’s to come already. For years I’ve been wanting an adult Scooby series and finally Velma could be the show I’ve been fantasising about. Also, I’m in the middle of reading the first Daphne & Velma novel and it is such a fun young adult mystery book that would cater to a much wider audience, and not just kids or adults. Maybe WB should go for that, just like they did for Mystery Inc.: keep the fun dynamics between the characters but add overarching elements for older kids and adults to enjoy. I have to say I’m concerned about the DTVs since they are prioritizing crossovers a lot, tho I’m aware that many have worked so well already (Kiss, Supernatural, WWE) but I would like to keep the focus on Scooby for a while since we’ve also just had Guess Who. Thankfully, they are also making one-off specials like The Scooby-Doo Reunion which seems like a fun sorta parodistic episode which means they are trying new things. That’s it, that’s what I want from Scooby from now on. Just experiment, discover new grounds and expand the characters and stories to the fullest. Oh and also, they should really start making spin-offs. The franchise is filled with iconic characters they could have exploited but nope.. still no Hex Girls spin-off :’((( 8. Who is your favorite member of the gang and why? Well, since every iteration has a different version of each character, I would go for Be Cool Daphne, especially when she questioned gender roles (like wearing a beard) and promoted feminist ideology (I love rewatching the Salem episode and enjoy her bashing the mayor over and over again calling him an ignorant). But also, Zombie Island’s Daphne is such a badass, I love her. Almost as much as Sarah Michelle Geller’s Daphne. Also, I’m obsessed with Mystery Incorporated’s Velma. Some people complain about her being too mean to the gang or too desperate with Shaggy. What I see is a well-rounded character with flaws and insecurities who grows throughout the show.. and her sassiness is just iconic, let’s not forget it borrows a lot from her snappy personality from the classic show and takes it to an hilariously exaggerated extent. 9. What is your favorite villain? Why? It’s gotta be Cornfield Clem (from “Spooky Scarecrow”) since I’m obsessed by American Halloween vibes and I always wanted to experience a corn maze and scarecrows are the ultimate Halloween monsters! Everything about the special episode enraptures the Halloween spirit so perfectly. 10. In your opinion, who is the best recurring (non-gang) character in the franchise? Hex. Girls. The most iconic side characters, in any franchise, ever existed. They had the most badass introduction in “Witch’s Ghost” with Thorn getting such a complex background story. Also the whole concept of a Wiccan eco-punk goth band is insane.. like how do you even come up with that? They deserve their own spin-off and I will never stop saying that. Also… queer icons. What more would you possibly want from side characters? 11. Do you have a Scooby-Doo collection? If so, what’s in it? Unfortunately, living in Italy I couldn’t get stuff like comics and toys that were exclusive for the American market and never got to my country. Though, before they discontinued it in Italy, I have many DVD releases, some random magazines bought here and there, but most importantly the “Misteri a 4 Zampe” book series. Started as an Italian rebranding for James Gelsey’s “Scooby-Doo Mysteries” books, the Italian translator continued the series by writing more books herself. Stories that are only available in Italian unfortunately but it perfectly suits the vibe of Gelsey’s series. Other than that, my physical collection is quite small. I do, however, have a predisposition to digital stuff, hence I have the biggest and most organised collection of Scooby media on a single external hard drive that I would shield with my life. Inside of it, there is every piece of Scooby media in the best quality available in both Italian and English, plus a lot of ads and bumpers that can be found around the net, most of the comics released (tho some rare old ones are missing) and some books. My most prized possession. 12. What do you think has made the franchise so popular that it’s still going strong after 50 years? Interesting question. In my opinion, Scooby-Doo’s concept is so malleable, the characters balance each other out but can also be pushed to the extreme and create the opposite effect by shaking up the dynamics within the friendships, plus the mystery and adventure are such easy reusable genres that can always create refreshing new stories. It’s just such an easy IP to explore and create new content around. 13. What is one fun fact about you in real life? Well, even though I moved away from Italy long ago, I still love rewatching Scooby dubbed in Italian, mostly because it is my mother tongue and I grew up with movies and episodes being in Italian. But also, because I have a passion for Italian dubbing, since we boast one of the most important and renowned voice over industry in the world. Every time I watch a new piece of Scooby media I’m alway fantasising which voice actor will dub them in the Italian version, hoping to hear my favourites when it comes out. This is one fun fact about me which explains why I mentioned Italy so many times :) 14. Please feel free to share anything else you’d like to here! I’ll share another fun fact. I recently wrote an essay for one of my university classes (“Communication Ethics”) about the ethical implications of “turning a character gay”, which addresses the current debate on Velma’s sexuality in her new spin-off series from the side of the producers. I got an 8.2/10 for it, so in case you guys wanna check it out I’ll leave you the link here (the instructions for the assignment are also included after the reference list): 
Thanks so much to Luigi for being today’s fan spotlight! Be sure to check back tomorrow to meet another amazing Scooby-Doo fan like him!
 The Scooby-Doo, Where Are You? episode "Don't Fool with a Phantom" features a cameo by Black Widow, a villain from Space Ghost, in the wax museum. Space Ghost is another Hanna-Barbera series which ran on CBS from 1966-1967.
Thank you so much to Joel for coming up with the idea for this week's fun fact!  On September 19, the New York Yankees are having their first ever "Scooby-Doo Day" at the stadium for their game versus the Cleveland Indians at 1:05pm. A collectible bobblehead of Scooby-Doo will be given away to the first 10,000 guests who are 14 and under. The bobblehead features Scooby wearing a Yankees jersey, with a SCOOB! logo on the platform Scooby is sitting on.
Thank you so much to Greybishop for letting me know about this and for sending me the flyer for the event that you see above! |
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