Scooby, Scooby Doo, where are you?

It is without fail that, if I hear the song, I will sing it.

Melissa responded to my desperate plea for a topic by asking her son, Evan, what I should write about. He asked what my feelings on the rain forest or Scooby Doo are.

As far back as I can remember, I’ve known about Scooby Doo. This makes sense when I read Wikipedia. The show was first broadcast in 1969. I was born in 1967 so the big dumb dog has been a part of my life for (sob) decades.

I think all girls do this at one point or another. When you watch a show, you think "Hmm, which of these men would I date?" Most girls would lean towards Freddy but you'd have a few that would think "No, I'm all about Shaggy, he's so laid back and groovy." I was not attracted (well, as much as you can be attracted to a cartoon (although don't get me started on Shipwreck from GI Joe. Mmm. Sailory goodness)) to either of them. And, no, Scooby wasn't the one for me. No, I wanted Jerry Reed. I have no idea why he appealed to me but he did. The episode he was in was on December 9, 1972. I would have been 5 so I'm pretty sure that I remember a repeat of the show, not the actual episode itself. I was precocious as a child but definitely not that much!

Oh my God. There's a Scooby Doo Ultimate Tracks album. I think I need to have this. Jerry Reed AND Davy Jones! Jinkies!

I really think that Scooby Doo is part of the reason why I like mysteries as much as I do. I always wanted to solve the mystery. Why was the ghost (or monster or what have you) doing? What was the secret? Which grumpy person was behind the whole thing? Who was going to say “And I would have done it too, if it weren’t for those meddling kids?” this week? Thank you, Hanna Barbera for stimulating my love for Agatha Christie.

It’s easy for me to say who my favorite character was. Freddy annoyed me with his “Follow me, I’m a big blond boy and I know everything” attitude. Shaggy was well, Shaggy and while he provided much comic relief, was not exactly a role model. Daphne was sweet and pretty and adorable, all things that I was not as a teen. Scooby was a dog. I had enough problems with self-esteem as a teenager.

No, my favorite character was and always will be Velma. Stupid name, smart girl. I am not as obsessed about Velma as some other people, as this website will show you. I liked Velma because she was smart, because she wasn't dressed like the popular kids (although honestly, Velma, anyone with half a brain can tell you - don't wear turtlenecks when you've got a short or non-existant neck. It doesn't look right) and she wore a lot of orange. Her knowledge always came in handy when you least expected it (somewhat like mine, although I'm not sure knowing a whole lot about Greek myths is ever going to help me) and she usually solved the crime. However, Fred normally got credit. Stupid Fred.

I WAS not a fan of Scrappy Doo. Puppy Power? Please. Let's smash the little rodent.

Beth, you need to check this post out. Missy has just posted about chicken. Your influence is spreading.