Scooby-Doo 56th Anniversary Celebration

8/21/2025

It's been a pretty quiet year for Scooby. Not only have we gotten no new series or films, we've also only gotten a single comic, and there's been no announcements of any new content to come. It was recently announced that Warner Brothers CEO David Zaslav will be removing all Scooby series (except Velma) from HBO Max on September 1. Even though it's a tumultuous time for the franchise right now, that doesn't mean we still can't celebrate!

September 13 will mark 56 years that Scooby has been on the air. As per usual, I've got quite a bit of fun stuff planned to celebrate the anniversary, but I've decided to mix it up a bit this year! In past years, I've done daily polls leading up to the anniversary, as well as fan spotlights. This year, I don't plan to do daily polls, but I have a fun poll series planned instead. With the recent physical media polls we've been doing, I was thinking it might be fun to do a short poll series about the episodes that have not been released on physical media.

For those who don't know, the missing episodes are from The New Scooby-Doo Movies, The Scooby-Doo Show, Laff a Lympics, the 1980-1984 Scrappy series, Get a Clue, Be Cool, and Velma. We also have four specials that haven't been released. Because The New Scooby-Doo Movies just has "Wednesday Is Missing," that episode will automatically advance to the final round.

From past polls, it seems a few of these series are ones that many fans don't really care enough about to choose an episode. The way we'll handle this is that we'll be doing two polls per week. The main poll will be each of the series that are most liked, and the four that are less liked (Laff a Lympics, Scrappy shorts, Get a Clue, and Velma) will be a "bonus" poll that's done on Wednesdays (similarly to how we handled Laff-a-Lympics in the VHS poll series). So that all the series fit into a five week poll series, there will also be a third poll on Saturdays for the first two weeks. The first week's bonus polls will be both of the Scrappy short series. On the second week, there will be a specials poll on the day of the anniversary in addition to the bonus round on Wednesday.

On a similar theme, the current lull in new content seems like a great to focus on the underrated content that isn't talked about much. With the Scooby-Doo franchise having 600+ episodes and films, a few pieces of media are bound to be less appreciated than others. When writing out my rankings for our weekly polls, there have been a number times where I've mentioned I feel an episode is underrated. I was thinking recently that it might be fun to compile a list of the episodes and movies that I feel to be the most underrated. Beginning September 1, I'll going to post a countdown-style list about what I feel are the franchise's 13 most underappeciated episodes. (Spoiler: there will be one film that makes my list as well!) Each day's post will spotlight an underrated episode with brief (paragraph or two) review of the episode or film, and why I feel it's underrated. My choice for the most underrated episode will be posted on the franchise's anniversary, September 13. I'll also post a list of a few honorable mentions that didn't quite make my list on August 31.

While I love doing the fan spotlights, I'm going to take a little break from doing them this year. This was mainly because I wanted to experiment with doing something different, and don't want to overload people with content when there's already going to be two or three posts on most days.

In addition to these two things, we'll still be doing a fun fact every Monday, and I'll be posting a special article ranking the franchise's re-imaginings of blockbuster films on Friday, September 5. The celebration will kick off on August 31 with the start of the unreleased episodes poll series. On that day, I'll also share my list of honorable mentions for the most underrated Scooby episodes. After my underrated episodes list finishes on the day of the anniversary, the anniversary celebration will continue all month long with the unreleased episodes poll series. I'm really looking forward to sharing everything I have planned for the anniversary, and celebrating it with you all!

43 Comments

ZoinksDude

8/21/2025 11:25:57 am

i think this has been Scooby's worst year content wise no episodes no movies no specials nothing

at least so far it seems in 2026 we'll get two Scooby shows and at least one movie (hopefully two)

WildwindVampire link

8/21/2025 12:50:40 pm

I hope so too!

Becker

8/22/2025 02:54:19 am

We'll see about Go-Go Mystery Machine, it's been awfully quiet. Silence doesn't bode well in the Zaslav era.

Boo Brothers #1 Fan

8/21/2025 12:51:03 pm

Wow this sounds absolutely amazing!! I love reading your opinions so I’m super excited to hear what you think is underrated! This is such a fun idea, and thank you for doing such fun things for Scooby’s anniversary every year :)

WildwindVampire link

8/21/2025 01:12:54 pm

Thank you so much!!! So glad to hear that you're looking forward to the celebration! :)

Scooby snacks

8/21/2025 01:45:36 pm

This is going to be so fun! I can't wait!!! 😌

Scooby snacks

8/21/2025 01:46:28 pm

Opps! I meant to put a 😊 emoji, not a 😌 emoji.

WildwindVampire link

8/21/2025 01:53:59 pm

Glad you're excited! And lol no worries!

Mr Neither

8/21/2025 03:57:21 pm

That would be a great discussion. Most underrated Scooby film. Feel I would have to go Legend of the Vampire, Shaggy's Showdown and Mask of the Blue Falcon.

WildwindVampire link

8/21/2025 04:33:08 pm

I won't ruin which one I chose, so I'll just say that I totally agree on Shaggy's Showdown being underrated. I feel like Legend of the Vampire is pretty well-acclaimed from what I've seen, but I could see an argument being made for it being on the level of Alien Invaders and Cyber Chase in terms of level of quality (I wouldn't quite agree with it, but the argument could definitely be made).

Mr Neither

8/22/2025 05:33:24 am

I thought the Legend of the Vampire would get a question mark. I'd agree it's not really underrated, I just feel that it's underrated due to the films that came out in that era. I mean if you take the nine films from the late 90s to early 2000s for a lot of people it will fit somewhere in the middle for people, likely below the four animated films before it, I would actually rate it higher than Alien Invaders and Cyber Chase myself, but above Loch Ness, Monster of Mexico and the two live action films. Aside from those 4 though it is probably in the top 3 animated direct to video films, it just falls under the radar a little due to those that preceded it and being sandwiched between the two live action films.

WildwindVampire link

8/22/2025 09:33:54 am

Oh gotcha, I get what you mean now. Yeah, in that sense, it does get a bit overshadowed by those other four films. I would say I like Alien Invaders and Cyber Chase, but Legend of the Vampire does feel pretty close to those in quality. I'd argue it's the only film released after the Mook era to come close to the same tone/feel.

Mr Neither

8/23/2025 01:49:09 pm

Aside Legend of the Vampire, I feel Goblin King and Camp Scare emit a similar tone and Shaggy's showdown definitely has it's darker.moments.

WildwindVampire link

8/23/2025 04:32:06 pm

Agreed Camp Scare is somewhat similar but it doesn't quite get there for me, at least not in the same way. I would definitely disagree on Goblin King and Shaggy's Showdown. To me, Shaggy's Showdown feels like it fits very much with the tone of the other DTVs at the time, and Goblin King's tone is unlike that of any other Scooby film. (Although I guess the comparison could be made that it's kinda like Chill Out and Samurai Sword with the Shaggy-Scooby solo adventure, but the atmosphere itself still feels very different).

Mr Neither

8/25/2025 04:55:35 am

The reason I say Goblin King is because there is definitely so e real threat in there, in terms of the gang being turned into monsters whilst Shaggy's showdown is possibly one of the only recent DTVS that features Murders. Yes you could say Gourmet Ghost does but it doesn't explicitly state it.

WildwindVampire link

8/25/2025 09:38:32 am

Oh gotcha. I see what you're saying about the supernatural threats, although both feel more lighthearted to me (Goblin King in its own way and Shaggy's Showdown feels like mostly the same tone as the rest of the DTVs in that era, despite the murder plot point).

Spooky Space Ghost

8/21/2025 05:49:49 pm

I'm really looking forward to celebrating Scooby-Doo's 56th anniversary! While I don't expect much from Warner Bros., given Bugs Bunny's 85th anniversary was barely celebrated and Tom and Jerry's was a bit of a dud, the release of a new DVD bodes well for 2026. I think 2026 will be a great year for Warner Bros. cartoons, as we'll get the Scooby-Doo Netflix series and the new Looney Tunes and Flintstones movies (I'm also really looking forward to The Flintstones' 65th anniversary next month).

It's a great idea to do polls and articles on the lesser-known episodes of the franchise. I don't personally have one in mind, and I'm curious to see your selection :)

I agree that the bonus episodes aren't great special features. I only see this as a sample of some of the series for those who don't have the corresponding DVDs. I don't know if the lack of special features on the Diamond Collection is a matter of disc space. I have a reissue of a Tom and Jerry DVD released on that collection, which still contains special features, in addition to numerous trailers. On my DVD of the complete series of The Jetsons, Warner Bros. added an eighth disc to include The Jetsons: Meet the Flintstones. I don't mind too much that there are no special features on the Yogi DVDs, but it's a shame that there aren't any on the 20-disc DVD of The Flintstones. The short documentaries and expert commentaries make watching the cartoons even more interesting.

I finished the first Scooby-Doo and WWE movie this morning. I thought this film did an excellent job of integrating the worlds of Scooby-Doo and WWE. In Curse of the Speed Demon, I felt like the mystery and classic structure of the franchise were sidelined in favor of the racing scenes with WWE stars. In short, Scooby-Doo seemed to have completely absorbed the WWE universe. Conversely, in Stone Age Smackdown, it's the WWE that has to deal with Fred Flintstone and immerses itself in the universe of the show. WrestleMania Mystery successfully blended WWE fight scenes with Scooby-Doo's hunt for clues, especially when the gang and John Cenna explore the bear's cave.

I didn't particularly enjoy the WWE guest stars, but their personalities weren't unpleasant either. John Cenna worked quite well with the gang, but he didn't really add anything to the solving of the mystery. His funnier side in Stone Age Smackdown was much more interesting. I think the best WWE star in this film was Kane, simply because his mysterious and menacing appearance fit well with the Scooby-Doo atmosphere. Kane had a similar demeanor to the Undertaker in Stone Age Smackdown. In fact, while the Undertaker made a good impression on me in The Flintstones, his presence in Curse of the Speed Demon wasn't as convincing, probably because he was forced to break out of his Deadman persona. Overall, the WWE guest stars weren't bad, but their large number in the films (just three guest stars would have been enough) and the development of their personalities didn't make them memorable guests in the Scooby-Doo franchise.

Other than that, the mystery was fine. As I mentioned, exploring the bear's cave was one of the highlights of the film. However, I felt the end of the film was lacking something, as if the unmasking was too rushed. In several films like Zombie Island, Witch's Ghost, Moon Monster Madness, and Legend of the Phantosaur, the unmasking doesn't mark the end of the adventures. There's always a scene where the villain successfully escapes, or where the gang has to escape from a dangerous location. In WrestleMania Mystery, the ending felt rushed. I think it would have been more interesting if the gang had unmasked the culprit, had him resist arrest thanks to his strength, and had the fight with Scooby, Shaggy, and the guest stars against the Ghost Bear take place at that moment.

In short, the movie was enjoyable to watch, but wrestling-themed episodes like the two Wrestle Maniacs (A Pup Named Scooby-Doo and What's New) seem much more interesting to me if you don't really like WWE.

WildwindVampire link

8/21/2025 09:25:45 pm

I also doubt that WB will do anything to celebrate Scooby or Looney Tunes. I really hope 2026 will be a good year for Scooby! It looks like we'll be poised to get the live-action series, and it would be great if we could get Gremlins Getaway, Go-Go Mystery Machine and Meet the Flintstones too.

One way that I think the bonus episodes could have been a neat special feature is if they would have taken the opportunity to put out previously unreleased episodes. They did this with Mask of the Blue Falcon ("Comic Book Caper" and "The Scooby Coupe" weren't released before they were put on the DVD for the film), but for whatever reason, they didn't continue doing it after this film. Oh well. At least most of them fit with the theme of the movie, so if anything, I guess they're a fun extra for fans who don't own those on other DVDs! Interesting to know about the Tom and Jerry Diamond Collection having special features. I guess maybe it isn't a lack of space. Not sure what the explanation for not including them would be then.

Glad you enjoyed WrestleMania Mystery! I agree the first film did a better job of making the WWE stars blend into the Scooby universe, rather than sidelining the gang at times like Curse of the Speed Demon did. Despite it not being amongst my favorites, I also didn't feel their presence was unpleasant or anything. Agreed they weren't all really that memorable as guest stars. I tried to think of who my favorite was, but I honestly don't have enough of a memory of the film to be able to choose anyone (which I guess speaks to my point lol). It's been quite a few years since I've seen it. I like your idea of extending the chase past the unmasking! I remember feeling like the ending was a bit rushed, and I think your idea would have made it feel much less like that. I definitely also prefer the Pup and What's New episodes. I'd say the Pup one is my favorite because of the humor, but the What's New episode is also pretty good even though it's not a favorite of mine.

Spooky Space Ghost

8/23/2025 06:12:35 pm

I agree that unreleased episodes would make excellent special features. I know that in the sixth volume of the Looney Tunes Golden Collection, an entire disc is reserved for episodes never previously released on physical media.

I think Warner Bros. did a great job on the Golden Collection (expert commentaries, bonus features, and behind-the-scenes shorts), and having all of this material on the Hanna-Barbera Diamond Collection DVDs would be fantastic!

I have Mask of the Blue Falcon on a compilation, and I didn't know that unreleased episodes had been added to the DVD. It's a shame Warner Bros. didn't pursue this. Perhaps the remaining unreleased episodes don't fit with the theme of the film.

I agree that it's hard to find a truly memorable WWE star in the Scooby-Doo movies. I wonder how guest stars are chosen to appear in these films. I feel like more popular guest stars like John Cena and the Undertaker get a bit of a closer look at the gang.
I really like both Wrestle Maniacs! I think the fact that the wrestlers aren't guest stars helps shine a more prominent light on the gang. If I had to choose, I'd also go for A Pup Named Scooby-Doo. It's one of the first episodes of the show I saw, and I really enjoyed the monster, the supporting characters, and also knowing that Velma is somewhat interested in combat sports :)

WildwindVampire link

8/23/2025 08:14:32 pm

That's so cool that they do that on the Looney Tunes DVDs! I wish they would do something like that for Scooby.

Yeah, I think the unreleased episodes not fitting is definitely the case for some of the sets! There were a few missed opportunities though imo, like Happy Halloween could have had "A Halloween Hassle at Dracula's Castle" or Return to Zombie Island could have had "Scooby-Doo and Cyclops Too!" (which is also involving zombies on an island) for example.

Yeah, the Hooded Heifer is an excellent villain and I love the cow puns! Velma being into combat sports was definitely amusing haha.

Matt

8/21/2025 07:04:11 pm

Sounds fun! I might try to make my own top 13 list for the comment sections, and try to get some ones I don’t talk about too often, as well as some of my classic underrated choices (though it wouldn’t be anything like “High Rise Hair Raiser is the most underrated episode to me because it is my favorite episode and is not usually other people’s favorite” lol)

I also have a top underrated movie choice I will share (though I kind of already have before)

Also really looking forward the post about film adaptations, as someone who is becoming more and more of a film buff myself

WildwindVampire link

8/21/2025 09:28:12 pm

Looking forward to seeing your list! Yeah, I also don't plan on approaching my list in that way lol. All of my picks are ones that I don't hear talked about much, rather than "these are my favorites that nobody else likes" haha. I have a guess as to what your most underrated movie is, but I'll be interested to see if I'm right.

Matt

8/22/2025 04:58:26 pm

I think you can probably guess what that movie will be as well, though there are two possibilities that I feel could be very applicable for me. Maybe I'll share both of them, we'll see

Becker

8/22/2025 03:01:06 am

There's a certain TSDS ep that's way up there for me that would actually classify as underrated lol.

WildwindVampire link

8/22/2025 09:36:20 am

Gotta be "Jeepers It's the Jaguaro" lol. Kidding obviously, although without spoiling too much, you'll be happy to know that my list will include at least one episode from TSDS season 3.

Becker

8/22/2025 10:56:03 am

Ah yes, the absolute icon that is Jaguaro — so beloved he was in Cyber Chase — love to see it haha! I'll chime in on every post with an underrated episode of mine, but I'll try to nominate only one per series. Depending on how they're counted, there are 13 Scooby shows... until Velma, but I won't include Velma so it all works out lol.

WildwindVampire link

8/22/2025 11:01:06 am

Looking forward to seeing your picks! I tried to keep the majority of mine to one per series, although there were a couple cases where there were a couple picks for one series but none for another.

Matt

8/22/2025 05:03:38 pm

I mean, the fact that the iconic Jaguaro shriek isn't talked about as much as the Space Kook laugh or Captain Cutler moans is a sign of just how underrated that episode really is lol

I haven't really decided if I want to do one per series or not yet. I want a wide variety but I also feel like certain series with much less acclaim have more really good choices than the more acclaimed series for the topic

WildwindVampire link

8/22/2025 09:09:04 pm

My underrated picks are from all but three series, two of which are highly acclaimed series that it was tough to make a pick for. The third one isn't super acclaimed, but I feel all the best episodes have received the right amount of acclaim and there weren't any that stand out. If others end up doing a pick from each series, maybe I'll write up a bonus post at the end making picks from the three series that I didn't have an episode from.

8/22/2025 04:13:50 am

google books a have put up a preview a rouge thorn

8/22/2025 04:19:19 am

Important news this book has also used fan created real names of Dusk and Luna

WildwindVampire link

8/22/2025 09:46:55 am

Looks like they took it down, unfortunately. The preview button still shows up, but I just get a message that says "preview unavailable" if I attempt to view it. Cool about them using the fanfiction names for Dusk and Luna!

Becker

8/22/2025 10:48:44 am

A lot of great content coming up! Just spitballing, but an idea for a future post could be monsters you wish we could see in Scooby-Doo. Stuff like wendigos, mothmen, skinwalkers, own creations etc, that we haven't seen in the franchise. Monsters from Scooby intros that weren't in the actual show too. Could also be monsters we've seen very rarely, like poltergeists/invisible people. I know there was a post quite a while ago where in the comments there were a lot of monster ideas being shared, but I can't find it, since the post itself wasn't related to the topic.

WildwindVampire link

8/22/2025 11:02:20 am

That's a cool idea! I'd have to think about what my picks would be, but that would be a really fun topic to explore in a post. Thanks for the suggestion!

Becker

8/23/2025 06:55:24 am

Actually, the more I think about it, the more I believe the coolest thing would be to come up with monster-setting combos. There are some great unexplored potential locations, such as a couple km long road tunnel; the gang getting stuck in a remote gas station; an old apartment complex basement (those things are way creepier, trickier and grimier than given credit for, especially when there are no working lights). Classic stuff like a large dense forest is always great too, it allows for so many bone-chillling possibilities, you can't really have too much of it lol. Sometimes it's easier to come up with a setting and work the villain around it. Other times you come up with a villain that pretty much lends itself to a certain setting — like the aforementioned ones — wendigo (which is not supposed to be that deer antler thingy) in the Canadian mountains, mothman in Point Pleasant, skinwalker on a ranch.

WildwindVampire link

8/23/2025 09:07:15 am

That's a really neat idea! Coming up with the setting as well would definitely make it easier to think of villain ideas. I'll have to think about what my picks would be!

Becker

8/23/2025 11:53:25 am

Yeah ngl the stuff I usually think of fits best in like a 13 Ghosts-ish reboot😅, but it's fun.

JakeSDfan27

8/22/2025 08:53:38 pm

Hanna Barbera was in a hot, dense state
When nearly more than half a century ago they began a tv show,
First airing in 1969, then the ratings went up the line
Four meddling kids and their talking dog
Were solving mysteries (Then soon made history)
Movies, specials, cameos too, building up a franchise through and through
That all started with Scooby-Doo (Woo!)

Since the dawn of Scoob is really not that long
As Warner Brothers Animation formed in less time than it takes to sing this song
A fraction of a second and the scooby snacks were made
The Hex Girls played it straight, scrappy-doo had met his fate
he tried to leap but he was late
And then he died (the doo that time forgot)
The fanbase and Populara, see ya wouldn't wanna be ya
Set in motion by the same old hullabaloo
It all started with Scooby-Doo

Scooby's expanding ever outward but one day
He will pause and start to go another way
Collapsing ever inward, we won't be here, it won't be heard
Our best and brightest figure that it'll make him an even greater scoob

Monsters and Spooky Ghosts would really have us fear the most
Debating how Scooby's here, we're facing fear (we're catching men in masks)
Finding clues and cracking cases (Changing lives & Saving graces)
It all started with Scooby-Doo
Reruns airing cross the globe, (Fame and friendship two and fro)
It all started with Scooby-Doo
Yes it all started with Scooby-Doo

WildwindVampire link

8/22/2025 09:09:38 pm

That's a great Big Bang Theory parody! Thanks for sharing it!

JakeSDfan27

8/23/2025 08:59:31 am

No problem this is a extended version of my original parody. It took some bit of time to brainstorm it but I think I had managed to pull it off well in the end.

WildwindVampire link

8/23/2025 09:05:35 am

Oh okay, I thought I had remembered you posting something like it before. Good job with the additions!

8/23/2025 04:49:15 pm

omg cant wait!!!

WildwindVampire link

8/23/2025 05:07:41 pm

Thanks, SDF! Glad you're looking forward to it! :)

Scooby-Doo 56th Anniversary Celebration

Leave a Reply.

Author

Categories

Archives