The 13 Ghosts of Scooby-Doo!: Ship of Ghouls (1985)

 

One of the best episodes of this series.

After so many encounters with real ghosts Scooby is left traumatized. The gang decides that Scooby could use a vacation to calm his nerves. So the gang goes on a cruise. Unfortunately for Scooby the two ghosts, Weerd and Bogel follow them and scare Scooby at every turn. This makes Scooby's nerves even more shot. Flim-Flam decides to hypnotize Scooby to laugh at danger instead being scared. However when the gang turns out to be in real danger, this turns out not to have been the best idea. 

I love everything about this episode. Though it is heavily played for laughs, the idea of Scooby being pushed too far after too many ghost encounters is a great one. The fact that this series would explore such an idea shows why I love it so much. I also have how creepy this episode is. There is a real eeriness here that works fantastically. Some of the twists and villain designs are delightfully creepy. Speaking of twists and turns, this episode has some great ones and each one makes the episode more creepy, suspenseful and exciting. What makes this all the more impressive is that the episode accomplishes all this so well, while still being a very comedy heavy episode. The comedy itself is quite funny and at the same time never distracts from the great storyline. 

This to me is a near perfect episode.  

The 13 Ghosts of Scooby-Doo!: Reflections in a Ghoulish Eye (1985)

 

A really fun Scooby adventure.

In this episode the gang travels to Morrocco after receiving a telegram supposedly from Vincent Van Ghoul telling them to go to a paranormal convention there. Unfortunately that telegram was not actually sent by Vincent but rather one of the 13 ghosts, a mirror demon called the Reflector Specter. He hopes to suck them into a mirror dimension where he can control everything. 

The Reflector Spector is a wonderful Scooby villain. His design and his voice are wonderfully creepy and his power to suck our heroes into another dimension makes him a major threat to our heroes. The first scene where he appears is fantastic, as we seem him sucking in a completely innocent victim, who just happens to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. This scene already sets him up as quite creepy and a real threat to our heroes. 

The episode also benefits from the Moroccan setting. This gives the episode a unique atmosphere and feel that sets it apart from other episodes in the series. The background art is also as wonderful as ever and the detail and effort put into it really shows. The mirror dimension is also wonderfully designed.

Unfortantly the humor here is not as good as in the previous episodes. There are no real laugh out loud moments here, though there are a few jokes that do raise a smile. Too much of this humor revolves around the one time character Sandy. Sandy is a takeoff of Martin Short's Ed Grimley character, a character I always found more annoying than funny. This takeoff of him to me is just as annoying and unfunny and I feel this episode would have been quite a bit better if it didn't have him.

While Sandy brings this episode down a little, this is still a delightful Scooby adventure.  

 

The 13 Ghosts of Scooby-Doo!: Me And My Shadow Demon (1985)

 

A really fun Scooby adventure.

As this episode begins a shadow demon breaks Vincent Van Ghoul's crystal ball and steals the Chest of Demons. The gang follows the demon to Befuddle Manor, where they run into one of the 13 ghosts, Queen Morbidia and an army of real monsters she has gathered. 

This episode is a lot of fun. Once again the humor hits wonderfully. There is another delightful sing-along that is even funnier than the last one. There is also a wonderful bit of self parody, where Flim-Flam leads the others through a maze, resubliming the in and out of doors scenes in Scooby-Doo! Where Are You. The scene where Shaggy and Scooby sing Me and My Shadow is probably one of my favorite distracting the villain gags in this whole franchise. This episode also has the gang interact quite a bit with Vincent Van Ghoul and these interactions are wonderful, especially the ones involving Flim Flam. The Shadow Demon is also a wonderful character, with a wonderfully creepy and fun design. There is also a great twist involving this character that is very well thought out and executed.

Unfortunately Queen Morbidia is a rather weak villain, who never feels as creepy or memorable as she should be. 

This may not be my favorite episode of the series but it is still a lot of fun. 

The 13 Ghosts of Scooby-Doo!: Scoobra Kadoobra (1985)

 

A wonderful second episode to my favorite Scooby-Doo! show. 

As this episode begins our heroes are driving through a forest when Vincent Van ghoul, warns them that they are approaching one of the 13 ghosts. This ghost is Maldor, a ghost with great magical powers. Maldor proves to be a great threat even before the gang meets him. He knows the gang is coming and uses his powers to turn trees into monsters and a rabbit into a dragon. Maldor soon captures our heroes and locks them up in his castle. There they find a wizard, who Maldor has locked up. He explains that Maldor is looking for his magic wand, that if in the right hands could make everything beautiful and in the wrong hands make everything into a living nightmare. They escape from being locked up but the ghost once again captures Daphne and curses her to an eternal sleep. Our heroes must save their friend and put the ghost back in the chest. 

The gang's first real encounter with one of the 13 ghosts, is excellent. The ghost is a wonderful villain who is delightfully creepy and feels like a huge threat to our heroes. His design and voice are wonderful (even if it looks like he could have wondered off from a He-Man episode). The fact that he already has a dangerous and powerful presence before the gang even meets him only adds to this. While there is nothing new about the settings, creepy castles and forests are always great settings for a Scooby adventure and this is no exception. These settings are just as wonderfully atmospheric as one could hope and the fact that the spooks are real adds a new edge to these familiar settings. This episode also continues to make this show feel bigger than any previous Scooby show. This is especially true when Daphane is captured. While Daphne was captured quite often in Scooby-Doo! Where Are You that show had Velma and Fred in it. Here the remaining members of the gang include two young kids (Flim-Flam and Scrappy) and two members who are terrified of ghosts (Scooby and Shaggy). This certainly creates a greater sense of suspense. It also allows for these characters to have to take on roles, that are new and uncomfortable for them to save the day. This creates a whole new dynamic that creates a fresh spin on a familiar situation. 

I stated in my review of the last episode that the humor in that episode was not as good as it would soon become. Well in the second episode the humor has fully found its groove. This show would often take a wackier and sillier sense of humor than the previous Scooby series. In this show it would be common for characters to break the fourth wall and talk directly to the audience or even reference the fact that they are in a cartoon. This humor is a major reason why I love this show so much. This episode has some especially great wacky gags. One of my favorites involves a complete break in the action as Scrappy talks to a woman who complains that the use of fire in this show might be harmful to children. This is a great bit of satire taking aim at how ridiculously over the top complaints from censors and parent groups could be over cartoons. I also love the gang leading us in an impromptu sing-along version of Row Your Boat. Even the standard Scooby gags of characters dressing up in costumes to confuse and distract the villain are especially great here. The scene with Scrappy and Flim-Flam pretending to be lawyers in an effort to free Scooby from the villain's clutches is especially delightful. 

All in all this is a wonderful episode.      

The 13 Ghosts of Scooby-Doo: To All the Ghouls I've Loved Before (1985)

 

Note: The review will contain spoilers as this episode sets up the entire premise of the series. 

A delightful beginning to one of my favorite Scooby series. 

As this episode begins, we see two ghosts, these two ghosts wish to open a chest full of the 13 most powerful and evil ghosts to ever exist. They feel that if they open it, the ghost will consider them heroes and reward them greatly. However the chest can only be opened by the living. When they sense that some mortals who they could trick into opening the chest are coming, they decide that this is just what they need. When then see Scooby, Shaggy, Daphne and Scrappy aboard their plane, The Mystery Flying Machine. The ghosts cause the plane to crash in a nearby town in the Himalayas. We then see a young con-man kid named Flim-Flam (subtle name isn't it). The townspeople have had enough of this little con artist and try to run him out of town. When the plane runs by Flim Flam grabs ahold of it and gets away. A police officer comes by and arrests our heroes. When they see the judge, he demands they leave town before sunset. Flim-Flam suggests that the gang visits his friend the mystic Vincent Van Ghoul (based off of and voiced by the one and only Vincent Price). Vincent warns the gang that this town has a terrible secret, after moon fall, the townsfolk become werewolves. The townsfolk learning that the gang knows their secret decides they can't leave and tries to keep them there. They even turn Daphne into a werewolf. Luckily the gang escapes and Flim-Flam's Lottsa Luck Joy Juice actually works and turn Daphne back into herself. The gang runs to an old, abandoned temple where the ghosts are keeping their plane. The townsfolk follow them there. Flim Flam turns them back to normal with his tonic and they tell Daphne, Scrappy and Flim-Flam how they trapped the 13 ghosts in the chest but before it was locked the 13 ghosts put a curse on the town. However Daphne realizes that Scooby and Shaggy aren't with them. They try to catch them before the duo is tricked into opening the chest, but they are too late. Scooby has opened the chest and the ghosts are now free. Vincent tells the gang that only the ones who opened the chest can put the ghosts back in it. So the gang (with the help of Flim-Flam) have to search for and capture the ghosts themselves.

This episode may in many ways be just set-up (for the first Scooby series with an overarching storyline), but it is excellent set-up. This episode perfectly establishes what will be the overarching story. Though we don't get to see any of the individual ghosts, this episode sets up that these are huge threats to our heroes and something much more serious than the bad guys in costumes they had gone after in previous series. Though some may not like the idea of the gang going after real ghosts, I think it is important for a franchise to always try out new things and this series is a delightful change of pace. This episode also a wonderful creepy atmosphere and a sense of real dread. The franchise has not been this effectively creepy since the best episodes of Scooby-Doo! Where Are You! The design of Daphne as a werewolf is especially delightfully creepy. This episode also has a lot of story and characters. Yet the story never feels rushed, even in a half hour episode, and the main characters each get their chance to shine. 

I will admit the humor in this episode is not as great as it will be in future episodes. Because of the amount of story that needs to be told, there are not that many good laughs here. Though the jokes that are here aren't bad, they pale in comparison to the great humor that will be in future episodes of this show.  

This is one of my favorite Scooby shows and I am so excited to re-watch and review it. This episode is certainly a great start. 

Scooby-Doo! and Scrappy-Doo!: The Ransom of Scooby Chief (1980)

 

The first Scooby adventure of the 1980's is a delightfully unique Scooby cartoon.

In this episode the gang goes to New York and Scrappy's old neighborhood. When Scrappy introduces Shaggy and Scooby to his friends, a duo of kidnapers kidnap Scooby and Shaggy. Scrappy and his friends set out to save Scooby and Shaggy.

This marks the final episode of the first season of Scooby-Doo! and Scrappy-Doo! and the last in the original half hour format. Despite this the episode is a strong deviation from the previous episodes. There is no spooky theme to be found here and no mystery for the audience to solve. On top of this Velma, Fred and Daphne barely appear here. Perhaps it is appropriate that this episode was the first Scooby episode of the 1980's, a decade which would be all about breaking the traditional Scooby formula.  

While I love the traditional Scooby formula, sometimes it nice to have a little change of pace and this episode is certainly an example of that. This episode moves at a fast pace and never once feels dull. The idea of our main characters being kidnapped and having to be saved by the side character is a delightful one. Though many dislike Scrappy, I actually like the little guy. He gets his time to shine here and he does a great job carrying an episode. He is very likable here and gets in a few good gags. While his friends have very simple personalities they are also quite likable and get a few good gags. I love Annie trying to work her feminine charms on the bad guys and Duke's Jimmy Cagney type voice. Scooby and Shaggy are also in good form here and get some good moments to shine. Like one should except from a Scooby episode of this time, the background art is wonderful, even if there is nothing spooky about it. However I will admit the villains are kind of bland here. 

Your opinion on this episode will probably depend on your opinion of Scrappy. Since I like the little guy, I enjoyed this a lot. However those who hate Scrappy will probably hate this episode. 

Scooby-Doo! and Scrappy-Doo!: The Sorcerer's a Menace (1979)

 

A typically fun, Scooby mystery. 

In this episode, the gang goes to a magic show. However the magic show is interrupted by an appearance of the ghost of the magician's former teacher, who claims the magician stole his best trick. Naturally the gang volunteers to solve this mystery. 

This episode has quite a bit to recommend it. The mystery element is very well done here and the episode does keep you guessing who done it. Yet all the clues come together and make perfect sense. The humor is also fantastic in this episode. This ranges from little slapstick gags (Scrappy walking down a stack of cards like a set of stairs) to fun bits of dialogue (Shaggy making corny jokes and Scooby not getting them (which would become a running joke in the later TV series A Pup Named Scooby-Doo). 

However I will admit that I am not a fan of the design of the ghost in this episode. There is little memorable or spooky about him. Also while there is some typically great background art (as well as great use of lighting), the setting is not especially memorable here either. 

A fun, if not especially memorable episode. 

Scooby-Doo! and Scrappy-Doo!: The Ghoul, the Bat and the Ugly (1979)

 

An excellent Scooby mystery.

In this episode the gang goes to see the Batty Awards, an awards show dedicated to horror films. However the Batty Awards are interrupted when a monster from a movie that is going to be screened there appears and scares everybody away. 

This episode is excellent on all levels. The villain is fantastic. He has a wonderfully creepy design and voice. He is the type of monster who would have felt at home in Scooby-Doo! Where Are You? The mystery element is handled wonderfully. There are quite a few suspects and all of them seem very likely to have done it. However all the clues lead perfectly to the real culprit and when the monster is unmasked, this makes perfect sense. This mystery is so good because you can solve it with the gang learning each clue when they do and figuring out what each clue means. If you really think about each clue you can solve the mystery too and that is the sign of a well written mystery. I also love that this episode gives ample time to each of the member of the gang. Unlike many of the early Scrappy episodes, this episode doesn't push Fred, Velma (voiced by Marla Frumkin for the first time) and Daphne to the side. They get their time to shine, yet we still get time for the antics of Scooby, Shaggy and Scrappy. Speaking of these antics, the trio really gets to shine here. The idea of them meeting various actors in monster costumes throughout the episode as long as the main monster is a very good one and this episode takes delightful advantage of it. 

All in all this is a wonderful Scooby mystery and a delight for all Scooby fans. 

Scooby-Doo! and Scrappy-Doo!: I Left My Neck in San Francisco (1979)

 

A wonderfully fun and atmospheric Scooby Mystery.

In this episode the Mystery Inc. Gang takes a trip to Alcatraz Prison. There an old lady warns them of a lady vampire that haunts the area. Naturally Scooby, Scrappy and Shaggy run into this vampire. The vampire looks suspiciously like Daphne, who never seems to be around at the same time as the vampire. 

This is one of the best episodes of Scooby-Doo! and Scrappy-Doo! One of the main reasons for this is the villain. This is a villain that is so good, she would have felt right at home in Scooby-Doo! Where Are You? Her design and voice are delightfully creepy, yet never too scary to take away from the show's lighthearted feel. Having Daphne as a suspect also gives this villain a really interesting edge that sets her apart from any similar monsters the gang has faced. This also makes this a more complicated and well thought out mystery than usual. This episode also typically has wonderfully detailed and atmospheric background art that is simply lovely to look at. There is also a pure mastery of lighting that gives the episode the similar type of eerie feel as the old Universal monster movies. While the episode is not laugh out loud funny, there are definitely a few comedic moments that made me smile. 

All in all for Scooby fans, this is a wonderful episode. It is also an episode that could hold its own with any episode of Scooby-Doo! Where Are You? 

Scooby-Doo! and Scrappy-Doo!: The Hairy Scare of the Devil Bear (1979)

 

A typically fun Scooby mystery. 

In this episode, the Mystery Inc. Gang goes to the Grand Canyon on vacation. There they meet find an archelogist and his assistant who have found a cave that seems to be haunted by a devil bear.

This is not one of Scooby's best mysteries but it is quite fun. While the mystery is very easy to solve, it is well thought out and provides the gang with a nice adventure. The use of a haunted cave as a location for a Scooby mystery is a very inspired one that lends itself to some great background artwork that looks fantastic. As always I love the detail that goes into the backgrounds of these cartoons and this one is no exception. I love the cave paintings we see on the wall. They are just a nice touch that shows a little extra effort going into these cartoons. This episode also has some good gags along the way. Scrappy is in fine form here and the reoccurring joke of him not understanding that his uncle is cowardly is handled quite well and made me smile. The fishing scene with him, Shaggy and Scooby, is especially delightful and has some nice gags. I also really like the gag of Shaggy checking his Cowards Handbook and I wish this joke could have been used more. 

What keeps this episode for being one of Scooby's best adventures is the Devil Bear himself. This is simply put, not a very interesting villain. The design work looks nice but is not especially memorable as it doesn't differentiate much from many vicious cartoon bears. There is little to nothing about him that makes him look creepy or supernatural. The character also is not given anything much to do outside of being a typical bad guy cartoon bear. The best Scooby mysteries have villains that will stick in your mind, but there is nothing about this character that will. 

All in all, a fun but not especially memorable episode.     

Scooby-Doo! and Scrappy-Doo!: Strange Encounters of a Scooby Kind (1979)

 

A fun if flawed Scooby mystery. 

The gang takes a trip out to some canyons for a hiking expedition. The campsite they are staying at is said to be a visiting place for unfriendly aliens. Naturally Scooby, Shaggy and Scrappy run into an unfriendly alien rather quickly and before you can say "jinkies" they have another mystery on their hands.

The mystery element works quite well here. There are multiple suspects and they each have a believable reason to suspect them. The reasoning behind why the villain committed the crimes is well thought out. The story also moves at a fast pace and never loses momentum. The setting for this episode is perfect and allows for some beautiful looking and atmospheric artwork. The use of lighting and shadows are prefect. This episode also has quite a few gags that really work and the Scooby, Scrappy and Shaggy antics are very entertaining.

However I will state that I am not a fan of the alien design. This design is simply not creepy or threatening enough to work. The big eyes and the cute mouth make the character look to adorable to work as a Scooby villain. While I personally like Scrappy, here he often times takes too much of the spotlight away from Daphne, Velma and Fred, who don't get to do too much do here. Scrappy sets the traps that Fred would usually set and finds the clues Velma would usually find. Luckily in many other episodes this would not be as much of a problem as it is here.

This is not one of my favorite Scooby mysteries, but despite its flaws it is still a fun watch. 

A Pup Named Scooby-Doo!: Catcher on the Sly (1991)

 

A really fun and really short cartoon from A Pup Named Scooby-Doo!

This cartoon is a departure from the usual man in a monster costume formula that not only populated much of the Scooby-Doo! franchise but most episodes of A Pup Named Scooby-Doo! Though this is not a full episode of the show, but just a brief cartoon at the beginning of one. Since A Pup Named Scooby-Doo! featured many gags inspired by Tex Avery and Looney Tunes, it is only apporpiate that the series would feature an old fashioned chase cartoon. Here an evil dog catcher ( Buster McMuttMauler, who previously appeared in  the episode Curse of the Collar (1989)), tries to catch Scooby, when Shaggy's away. The result is a series of fast paced slapstick gags. 

This may not live up to the best Tom and Jerry or Coyote and Roadrunner cartoons, but it is a lot of fun. The gags themselves are pretty funny and much of the over the top cartoony animation is delightful. The dog catcher is a great villain, and I could see a series of cartoons with him chasing Scooby included. Scooby is at his most likable here and there is something charming about seeing what he does when not solving mysteries. The main fault is that the timing is not as sharp as it should be and this is what makes it fall short of the classic cartoons it is inspired by. Still taken on its own terms it is a delight.   

Scooby-Doo! Music of the Vampire (2012)

 

A fun, if flawed direct to video Scooby-Doo! movie.

The Mystery Inc. Gang is heading on a vacation, but Velma will not tell Scooby and Shaggy where. Shaggy says anywhere is fine as long as there aren't any monsters. This turns out to not be fully true, as they are going to a vampire festival called, Vampire Palooza. There they see a group of vampire actors performing. Daphne soon has a crush on one of the actors, Braham (a nod to Braham Stoker who wrote the Dracula novel). However when it seems that a real vampire visits the show. It looks like the gang has another mystery on their hands. The stakes for this one though may be higher as the vampire soon kidnaps Daphne. 

There is a lot to love about this movie for Scooby fans. The characters here are all at their most likable and the humor is quite good. While not the funniest film in the franchise, there are quite a few really good laughs in here. The mystery element is excellent and while it is not too hard to solve it is still a lot of fun to try and solve it yourself. The design of the vampire is excellent. It is one of the creepier monster designs and this adds to the creepy atmosphere of the film. Yet it is not too creepy as to take away from lighthearted fun that we except from Scooby-Doo! The vampire festival and the swamp are perfectly creepy and atmospheric Scooby locations. They really pull you further into the film and make this movie stand out as something unique. This movie may be creepier than the average Scooby mystery but this is done very well and really enhances the film. The animation is quite excellent as well. 

This movie has a gimmick to differentiate it from the other Scooby films. That gimmick is that this film is a musical. Unfortunately this is the movie's weak point. None of the songs are all that good and most of them are completely forgettable. They are also not that well incorporated into the story and can at times feel like they come out of no where. This can get distracting. Songs in a musical should enhance the story. Unfortunately that is not the case here where if the songs were left out the story would remain unaffected. 

All in all a really fun Scooby movie, but I still wish they would have dropped the musical element.   

Scooby-Doo! and Scrappy-Doo!: From Bad to Curse (1982)

 

A very good Scooby-Doo! and Scrappy-Doo! cartoon.

Scooby, Shaggy and Scrappy visit a Gypsy camp. However when they get there an evil man steals a magical amulet that has unlimited power and sets to use it to rule over all the gypsies. Our heroes must stop him before it is too late. 

Many of the Scooby-Doo! and Scrappy cartoons abandoned the spooky themes of the franchise was known for. However this cartoon feels like a return to those spooky themes, while still differing heavily from the typical Scooby formula. For instance the supernatural moments are completely genuine and there is no mystery as we know who the villain is from the get go. This creates a cartoon that has just what we all love about Scooby-Doo! while still being a departure from the formula, creating a delightful cartoon. Like many of Scooby's best adventures, the atmosphere really stands out here. The atmosphere of the gypsy camp is delightfully spooky and adds much to the action. The humor while not laugh out loud funny is really charming and will put a smile on many cartoon fans' faces. The villain, while not having much personality, feels like a genuine and real threat to our heroes and we do really wonder how they will end up defeating him. 

All in all this is a delightful little cartoon.  

A Pup Named Scooby-Doo!: The Return of Commander Cool (1989)

 

An excellent episode of A Pup Named Scooby-Doo!

In this episode the gang goes to see the new life size Commander Cool toys. Of course Shaggy and Scooby go dressed as Commander Cool and Mellowmutt. However soon an alien model seeming comes to life an wrecks havoc. When the gang tries to stop them Shaggy accidently hurts his head and get amnesia. Seeing the costume he is wearing Shaggy thinks he really is Commander Cool and that Scooby is Mellow Mutt. Being a superhero Shaggy decides to take over the case for himself. 

There is nothing too original about the plot and in fact Shaggy had already believed he was a fictional superhero in the Scooby-Doo! and Scrappy-Doo cartoon, Super Teen Shaggy (1982). However this episode more than makes up for that with its great sense of humor. This is certainly one of the funniest episodes of the show and there were many great gags throughout. The running joke with Red Herring is espically funny and proves to be one of the funniest uses of that character. The gang's attempts to both play along with Shaggy's fantasies and protect their friend is very funny as is Daphne's way of dealing with the dust. The mystery is very good and while it is not too hard to solve, you can definitely see that it was well thought out. The alien, while not as great as a Scooby-Doo! Where Are You monster, is well designed and a lot of fun. 

All in all this is an excellent episode and should delight all fans of A Pup Named Scooby-Doo!

The New Scooby-Doo! Mysteries: The Hand of Horror (1984)

 

One of the best The New Scooby-Doo! Mysteries cartoons.

The New Scooby-Doo! Mysteries was a very aptly titled show. Before this Scooby was starring in a series of TV shorts featuring just him Scrappy and Shaggy. These short were as far removed for mysteries as possible, and often would have nothing spooky in them. The New Scooby-Doo! Mysteries brought back both the mystery element and the spooky themes. As well as this it also brought Daphne back into the mix (Fred and Velma would appear in a few episodes as well but were not regular characters). This show also differed from the original series by having each episode made up of two cartoons rather than a half hour mystery.

The gang is lost and decides to go to an old house to ask for directions. A man who has just been fired warns them not to, because strange things are happening in there. Daphne and Scrappy decide that this sounds like a mystery and they should go in to investigate. While they are in there they find a strange disembodied hand that likes to play tricks on the gang and a couple of scientists who are acting very strange. 

This is a top notch Scooby cartoon and a pure delight. The scientist's house makes for a perfect Scooby-Doo! environment being appropriately creepy but in a lighthearted fun way. The humor of the hand playing tricks on Shaggy and Scooby are delightful and reminiscent of the best episodes of the original series. The running gag with pizza delivery man is also delightful. The storyline is well handled (pun intended) and the comic pacing is excellent. However the mystery is too easy to solve due to a lack of suspects. 

A delightful Scooby-Doo! cartoon.   

Scooby-Doo! and Scrappy-Doo!: Misfortune Teller (1982)

 

A fun if unexceptional Scooby-Doo! and Scrappy-Doo! cartoon. 

Shaggy gets a job as a fortune teller at a carnival with Scooby and Scrappy helping out. When a bully named RB and his girlfriend come to have their fortune told, Shaggy tells them that RB will win every prize at the carnival. RB says that this fortune better come true or he will beat up Shaggy. Scooby, Shaggy and Scrappy do everything they can to make the fortune come true. 

This is a fast moving episode that never loses its sense of energy or fun. The humor is not laugh out loud funny but it works pretty well and definitely puts a smile on my face. The ways our heroes try to make RB win are delightfully clever. The gang is at their most likable here. As I have said before one thing I love about these cartoons is that is nice to see what these characters we love do when they are not solving mysteries. I also really like the ending gag, as it is another one of those delightful impossible gags involving Scooby and food. These gags have been around since the original series and they are always delightful and charming. 

On the downside RB is a rather bland villain and his girlfriend is equally bland. 

While not the best Scrappy-Doo! cartoon, this short is certainly fun and isn't that just what you want from a cartoon. 

Scooby-Doo! and Scrappy-Doo!: Scooby-Doo! and Genie-Poo (1982)

 

A really fun, Scooby-Doo! and Scrappy-Doo! cartoon.

Scooby, Shaggy and Scrappy are spending a nice day at the beach, when they find a bottle. After rubbing the bottle two genies come out. One of them is the human genie Jasmine and the other is a dog genie, Genie-Poo. They don't prove to be two of the nicest genies and they wish to find a way to return to ancient Ariba before they have to go back inside the bottle. Genie-Poo has a crush on Scooby and wants to spend eternity with him, even if that means forcing Scooby to live in the bottle with her. Shaggy and Scappy must save Scooby before it is too late. 

This is a fast paced and funny chase cartoon. While this may not be a laugh out loud cartoon, all the gags work quite well and the result is a cartoon that leaves a smile on my face throughout. The two genies are great villains and play off our heroes very well, as well as providing some good gags themselves. Genie-poo's instance on taking Scooby with her into the bottle provides a great challenge for our heroes. Meanwhile Jasmine's complete and utter indifference to our heroes  makes her a very engaging villain. The idea of our heroes still having three wishes but having to catch up with the constantly moving and kidnaping villains is a very clever idea. 

While many of my fellow Scooby-Doo! fans dislike these Scrappy-Doo! cartoons for them abandoning the mystery element, that is a major part of why I like them. I love the mystery formula as much as anyone else but sometimes it is nice to see these characters doing something different. These cartoons with their short runtimes and reliance on old school slapstick humor also remind me of the great old theatrical cartoon shorts in the best way possible. 

Notice how Jasmine physically resembles Jeanie from Hanna-Barbera's animated version of I Dream of Jeanie. However her personality is completely different.  

Scooby-Doo! Where Are You: Hassle in the Castle (1969)

 

One of the best episodes of Scooby-Doo! Where Are You.

When the gang goes out boating, a large fog hits. The gang decides to stop at an island to ask for directions. However it is soon that they discover someone is trying to scare them off the island. They soon find themselves in a castle and face to face with a phantom. 

Unlike most episodes of the show, there is no real mystery here. We are not introduced to any of the suspects and therefore have no opportunity to solve the mystery ourselves. Instead this episode focuses almost entirely on comedy and atmosphere. Fortunately this episode successeds fantastically at both these elements. This episode is full of gags and nearly every one of them works. Some of them are some of the best that appeared in the whole series. Shaggy making a sandwich seemingly with just his mind, Scooby's imitation of John Wayne, Scooby's disguise and more got really good laughs out of me.  Of course atomphere is what truly makes this series stand out and something that later Scooby series could never fully capture. The background art here is excellent and the episode is worth watching just to look at it. A haunted castle is the perfect setting for an episode like this and it is used to its full advantage. It gives this episode a delightfully spooky feel that is a lot of fun. 

A Pup Named Scooby-Doo!: Robopup (1988)

 

A highly entertaining episode of A Pup Named Scooby-Doo!, if not one of the series' best.

As this episode begins the gang is visited Daphne's big mansion of a house. When they go to Daphne's room, she warns them that it may be a bit of a mess. Shaggy disagrees and thinks it looks really clean, but the reason for this is revealed when we learn that everything in her room has been stolen. The gang wonders how this could have been done with Mr. Gordon's (head of security in the house) security system has been shown to do an excellent job of keeping out intruders. Pretty soon the Scooby-Doo! detective agency is on the case. So is however Mr. Gordon's robot dog, Robopup. Scooby soon develops jealousy and animosity towards Robopup, especially when it appears that the robot is even better at solving mysteries than our canine hero himself. Things get worse when Scooby and Shaggy discover a ghost chef haunting the house. At first their friends don't believe them but then they see the ghost too. Can the gang solve this mystery. It won't be easy with a butler anxious to leave, an ex-con gardener, mudmen and the ultimate evil mastermind Red Herring all appear to be suspects. 

This episode does not stand out among the other episodes of the series but it has everything that made this series such a delight. The humor is quite good and on par for this series. There is some great slapstick and a lot of Tex Avery like cartoon-y jokes that are completely delightful. Though I am not a fan of the dumbing down of Fred in other movies and TV shows, A Pup Named Scooby-Doo! is one of the few times that worked for me. To have him be a kid with an overactive imagination and a belief in conspiracy theories is much funnier than any attempts to do similar humor with an adult Fred. Robopup himself is a delightful addition and adds some really good gags. I especially love him playing the chase music during the chase scene. The characters are all at their most likable and the mystery is a pretty good one. It may not be extremely hard to solve but it is not too easy either. In other words just perfect for a Scooby cartoon. 

On the downside the chef ghost is not one of the best monsters Scooby has faced as he is neither funny nor creepy enough to leave much of impression,