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This was something I'd been thinking about recently. It's kind of interesting how this happened a bunch of times in the classic era, but to my memory, hasn't happened at all in the classic era. I'm curious to see which of these episodes is people's favorite!
This is kind of a weird trope, so I've forgotten any, don't hesitate to let me know in the comments! There are a couple I chose not to include (i.e. they do technically meet the fortune teller, even if she turns out to be in disguise), so if you think I've missed one that should count, feel free to drop a comment. Since February, we've been doing an ongoing poll series to determine the best Scooby-Doo recurring character. The results to the final round ended with a somewhat surprising (but imo very deserving) winner! Vincent Van Ghoul wins the title of best Scooby-Doo recurring character, with just a single vote lead over Scooby-Dum! Who is your favorite Scooby-Doo recurring character? Vincent Van Ghoul - 13 Scooby-Dum - 12 Thorn - 8 Sheriff Stone - 8 The Harlem Globetrotters - 5 Red Herring - 4 Del Chillman - 3 Yogi Bear - 3 Captain Cutler (Be Cool, Scooby-Doo!) - 1 Dusk - 1 Gibby Norton - 1 Simone - 1 0 votes: Mumbly, Luna, Snagglepuss, Robi, Gigi, Yabba-Doo
38 Comments
5/10/2026 08:38:40 am
Usually I rank these based on the theme, but I'm giving quality of the episodes more weight here than just the unmasking/culprit.
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Matt
5/10/2026 03:36:30 pm
9. That is amazing, hopefully they do find it
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Becker
5/11/2026 08:33:00 pm
Where would Bedlam in the Big Top rank?
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5/11/2026 10:10:27 pm
@Becker You beat me to it haha. I saw Boo Brothers #1 Fan's comment that I'd missed it earlier and added it to the poll, but I didn't have a chance to respond to the comments until now. I'd rank it at #8 between "To Switch a Witch" and "The Ghostly Creep from the Deep." I like the Ghost Clown and his unique plan a lot, and the setting is great. This roster is so solid though that it has a lot of competition.
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Becker
5/10/2026 09:48:10 am
There's at the very least 5 episodes I'd happily give this to lmao. This is one of the best rosters in a while; I have to vote based on the premise of how the roster was formed, cuz I'm struggling to decide here. To Switch a Witch and Guess Who's Knott Coming to Dinner are the only ones that actually manage to create a plot where the eventual culprits could never feasibly be shown before being captured (all the other options could somehow incorporate the culprits on-screen in some way without dismantling the whole story), so they get extra points. And on top of that, the former does a better job of creating a less obvious mystery solution than the latter, so my vote goes to To Switch a Witch.
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5/10/2026 02:18:18 pm
My rankings were kind of a mix between quality of the episode and how well it was executed, but I totally agree those two were the strongest examples of that trope. "The Mystery of Haunted Island" and "Hassle in the Castle" are the other two that stand out to a lesser extent, since the culprits are at least tied into some other aspect introduced earlier in the episode (the Globetrotters' game and the magician's accessories). The rest are basically "hey, it's this random person we just made up!" lol.
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ZoinksDude
5/10/2026 09:56:49 am
i go with Spooky Space Kook for this one
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Becker
5/10/2026 10:05:10 am
I can't say I love it at all cuz it does away with the whole aspect of the show of there being a mystery to solve with suspects and everything. If the culprit is someone you've never seen or known about, then that's a terrible mystery execution. And I say this despite really liking or loving on the episodes on this list.
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Matt
5/10/2026 02:29:21 pm
I actually am quite fond of all of the options here, maybe a little surprising because this trope doesn't come to mind for me as a favorite, but these episodes are all really good, to varying extents of course
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Matt
5/10/2026 02:29:55 pm
But now that What the Hex Going On dropped a bit for me on my last rewatch, Spooky Space Kook is in that top 5. Sure, the "neighbor the gang has never seen before" thing isn't the greatest trope to use for the perpetrator, but when it comes to this episode, it doesn't matter when everything else is so amazing. The airfield setting is phenomenal, the comedy is top tier (the key and window scene is one of the greatest comedic scenes in franchise history, right up there with the High Rise Hair Raiser book of spells), and obviously it is the SPACE KOOK who is one of the greatest villains in franchise history. I love the Creeper, but I do think this is the better episode and villain in the conversation for the most iconic episode of all time.
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5/11/2026 08:59:40 am
3. I feel the same way about this one. At this point, I feel like there aren't any underrated Where Are You episodes, because they almost all get a decent amount of acclaim. I think the only one someone could make an argument for would be "Scooby's Night with a Frozen Fright," or perhaps "Decoy for a Dognapper" or "Never Ape an Ape Man," but personally I feel all of those are on the lower end of Where Are You anyway.
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Becker
5/11/2026 12:29:21 pm
Mystery Mask Mix-Up is definitely underrated, cuz so many people throw it towards the bottom purely due to one scene.
Matt
5/11/2026 04:43:34 pm
I agree with Becker that the only real answer here imo is Mystery Mask Mix Up. I could maybe see Scooby's Night With a Frozen Fright, but Decoy For a Dognapper and Never Ape an Ape Man are appropriately rated at the bottom of the series imo. I guess I would consider them underrated by anyone calling them outright bad, but that is a bit of a stretch 5/11/2026 10:07:25 pm
Very good point on "Mystery Mask Mix-Up." I've seen more people come around to it in recent years, but there does seem to be a fair amount that still discount it for that scene. Can't fault them for that really because it did age horribly, and there was a time where I underranked it as well for that bit. I've definitely grown to be more in Matt's camp though in recent years, and think the rest of the episode is amazing enough that the one scene doesn't play a substantial role in my thoughts on the episode anymore.
Matt
5/12/2026 07:13:01 am
Bedlam in the Bigtop is going in at number two here. As I mentioned in my Hassle in the Castle blurb, this was my childhood favorite episode for a while, and I still adore it, though not quite as much as back then. I do think the solution to the mystery isn’t the greatest nor the mystery itself tbh, but that gets made up for by having a phenomenal setting, an all time classic villain who is one of the most sinister and dangerous villains in the franchise. I will say, To Switch a Witch has really snuck up my rankings to the point where it is knocking on the door of being ahead of Bedlam in the Bigtop as well to still be at number 2
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Dimitri brenick
5/10/2026 02:43:28 pm
Glad to see Scooby dum did well. I find him to be actually entertaining vs how they handled scrappy. wish they bring him back but that's highly unlikely.
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Becker
5/10/2026 07:11:37 pm
I honestly wouldn't have predicted Vincent to win the poll even if I was allowed 3 different answers.
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5/11/2026 09:01:00 am
Vincent winning was a surprise to me too! I thought Scooby-Dum or Thorn would win it for sure. I was thinking maybe we'd even get an underdog win for Sheriff Stone.
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Spooky Space Ghost
5/10/2026 05:26:23 pm
Tough choice, but I'm going with Hassle in the Castle for its enigmatic atmosphere, which makes identifying the culprit even harder than in other episodes.
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5/11/2026 09:28:03 am
That's really cool that you checked the first live-action film! It definitely seems like one of those movies that is kind of a time capsule. It was well-liked at the time, and fans who liked it back then tend to have nostalgia over it as you mentioned, but I imagine it's probably very different for those who are watching the movie for the first time now.
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5/11/2026 09:45:39 am
I'll add this just because it's related to the topic and the self-reflection I've recently done about the past few years. Something I've learned these past few years is that it isn't worth wasting your time trying to get people to like you that don't have your best interests at heart anyway. I think often we tend to worry about what others might think/say if they're frustrated with us, but changing my mindset to "do I really want the approval of someone who is treating me poorly?" was really helpful to me. Obviously, my people-pleasing was related to wanting to do a good job at work, but I mention it because I think it relates to what you were talking about with feeling like you had to like the live-action film. From my experience, 95% of fans would be totally accepting of whatever opinion you have, and not view you as any less of a "real fan." I guess what I've learned is that at the end of the day, do you really want the acceptance of the 5% of people who would be mean and make fun of you for your opinion? It's a choice everyone can make for themselves, but personally I've learned in pretty much every situation, I would much rather be authentic and focus my energy on the people who are going to treat me well, rather than trying to people-please for the 5% of people who are going to treat me poorly if I don't agree with all their opinions. Not sure if that fully makes sense (I'll be honest, I probably wouldn't have fully understood it in high school haha), but I just wanted to bring that up in case it helps. :)
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Spooky Space Ghost
5/10/2026 05:28:51 pm
Speaking of live-action films, I decided that since I was stuck with Scooby-Doo 1 anyway, I might as well take the opportunity to watch The Flintstones. I bought the DVD last week (I was also extremely lucky to find the Yogi Bear live-action and Yogi the Easter Bear tucked away on a shelf in the store!). I was really expecting it to be similar to the more mature side of Scooby-Doo 1 and of On the Rocks, but to my surprise, the film was a carbon copy of the original series. The story could easily have been an episode of The Flintstones; the friendship between Fred and Barney, Fred's bowling poses, and even Wilma and Betty's laughter seemed copied from the cartoon. There wasn't a single tasteless joke or character that felt poorly portrayed. I didn't have the same problem I had with Scooby-Doo since the live-action Flintstones wasn't competing with the other films in the franchise. While The Man Called Flintstones and the other specials place all the characters in unique situations, the film was closer to a regular episode where each character's personality and Bedrock are highlighted. A very good film, really enjoyable to watch! I remember you saying you'd only seen it once, but I recommend watching it again if you have the chance.
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5/11/2026 09:33:03 am
That's really interesting to hear about the first live-action film! I will definitely have to check it out again sometime, because that wasn't the memory I had of it at all. I'm glad you enjoyed the film!
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Mr Neither
5/11/2026 02:50:36 am
Spooky Space Kook for me. I'm sure there are more episodes than this, especially in more modern times. Currently got on my mind Velma raging as the villain was someone they'd never met and saying it didn't count but can't for life of me think which episode that was.
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5/11/2026 09:03:00 am
You're thinking of "It's All Greek to Scooby." The culprit is seen in the cold open though, so it wouldn't fit the criteria. Captain Cutler is kind of a weird example lol. It was one I considered including, but ultimately he was mentioned several times throughout the episode, so I don't think it would count.
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Mr Neither
5/12/2026 11:31:17 am
Ah, thanks. That clears that up. Yeah Cutler is a very weird one. I was going on the term met with that one but was certainly mentioned for sure.
Becker
5/12/2026 03:36:27 pm
That's not exactly the appropriate requirement, since in Guess Who's Knott Coming to Dinner the ultimate culprits also get mentioned beforehand. A better rule would be the fact we see Cutler in a portrait in the episode before his unmasking. 5/12/2026 10:12:37 pm
Very good point, I had totally forgotten the nieces and nephews were mentioned once at the beginning. I can't edit the question now without messing up the results (it will split the results into a new poll if I edit the question), but I think you're right that "seen" is probably a better way to word the rule.
Becker
5/13/2026 06:17:32 am
Don Knotts also questions the gang whether they are the nephews and nieces once he had enough of the bs
Michael Kenchington
5/11/2026 09:48:55 am
To Switch a Witch for me, IMO.
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Boo Brothers #1 Fan
5/11/2026 04:45:29 pm
To Switch A Witch is the easy winner for me here, it's easily a top 5 Scooby Doo Show episode and probably top 10 for me in the entire franchise. I think it's quite clever how the fact that there is a twin is foreshadowed, and I think Arlene is one of my favourite one episode Scooby characters (plus I love literally everything else haha). I find some episodes make the character just be random as hell (like in Bedlam in the Bigtop, like it's just the carnival hypnotist that we've never seen or heard of??) but at least here the culprit is connected to someone we know in a way that feeds into their motive in a clever way!
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Becker
5/11/2026 08:31:45 pm
Glad to see in the comments it isn't just the TSDS season 3 defender in me voting for To Switch a Witch lol
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Boo Brothers #1 Fan
5/12/2026 01:20:31 am
TSDS season 3 is absolutely amazing imo, so many of my favourite episodes of the franchise are in it! I really love it and will also be a proud defender of it (although it saddens me I have to defend it lol)
Becker
5/12/2026 04:33:10 am
I'd still say TSDS seasons 1 and 2 are better, but season 3 is still great imo.
Matt
5/12/2026 07:08:06 am
Nope, it isn’t just the TSDS season 3 defenders lol, even I have this one as an all time great episode as probably one of the biggest season 3 critics (To be clear for anyone unfamiliar with my stance, I like season 3 fine, I just think it is weaker for a classic Scooby season especially compared to the first two seasons and I have issues with some episode structures and stuff like that) 5/12/2026 08:27:59 am
Also as someone who's established they don't generally like season 3 as much, "To Switch a Witch" is up there as one of my faves from the season too. It's very close to me between this and "A Menace in Venice" as my favorite episodes of the season, but I might just give the latter the edge.
WildwindVampire
5/11/2026 10:04:21 pm
I really like the way they foreshadow the culprit too. Makes the twist feel even cooler imo. Also, thank you so much for pointing out "Bedlam in the Big Top"! I don't know why I forgot Harry never showed up until the end, but I added it to the poll as an option now.
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Boo Brothers #1 Fan
5/12/2026 01:21:53 am
Yes exactly! It’s super fun and makes the villagers at least not sound completely insane when they said Arlene looks exactly like the witch (the decision to go on a full on witch hunt aside lmao). And I hadn’t even noticed it was missing lol! I love that episode Leave a Reply. |
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