I’ve admitted to being guilty of consuming horror before I was old enough for it, but all my early experiences with the genre weren’t like that. Lucky for me, and for all the kids out there that enjoy it, age-appropriate horror (or “horror”) existed and still exists. So kids, or even grown-ups who’d rather not be too terrified, can have some harmless horror fun and not get into or cause any real trouble.
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| Scooby-Doo (1969-) |
Turns out that, among the many cartoons and animated series I watched as a kid, on cable T.V., there was Scooby-Doo, on Cartoon Network. I won’t lie and say that it was one of my top favorite shows back then, but I also can’t deny that there were many things about it that I loved and kept me coming for more.
Have I lost all my “Cool” points, if I had any left, with this little confession? That’s fine by me because trying to act cool all the time can be both exhausting and suffocating. Besides, I’m here to nerd out on whatever I like - or don’t like - in regards to horror. And then some more.
If you’re not familiar with Scooby-Doo, or have forgotten most of it by now, I’ll give you a quick summary: It is fundamentally a popular show that at this point can be considered a classic, originating in the late 60s and continuing in the present with numerous reboots and spin-offs made. Not to mention, a bunch of merchandise available. It basically consists of a curious team that investigates paranormal (or seemingly so) events to solve all the mysteries surrounding them. And of course, a dog is part of it too! The stellar Scooby-Dooby-Doo.
Now, looking back, you might be weirded out if you currently have a striking resemblance to any of the main characters that you hadn’t noticed or even ever aimed for. More so if you somehow find yourself in a group composed of people that closely fit their profiles and one of your gang’s preferred hobbies is to solve mysteries (or just unmask lying people) together. But the forces of the universe can be strange like that. Could be fate, coincidence, unconscious programming, or something else. If this is your case, congratulations! You’re a real-life parallel of Mystery, Inc.! Your inner child must be so proud. For the rest of us, though, it might be a bit of a stretch. If we can relate at all.
But really, although as a kid I mostly stuck around for the vast amount of spooky monsters and spooky settings I could marvel at, as well as to attentively follow the process that granted them answers, one of the phenomenal things about the show was the team. The contrast between its members and what each of them brought to the job with their distinct personalities. Plus, they also defied stereotypes!
• Fred
The muscle of the group. Masculinity incarnate. Also, the one who drives the van. You’d assume he’d be dumb as bricks, but he’s not. At least not always.
• Daphne
The beauty. Femininity incarnate. Did you expect a mean girl, too vain to be any better? Look again, she’s actually pretty kind, albeit a little confused at times.
• Velma
The brain. Not a boy, no. A girl - an undeniably perceptive and intelligent female. It would be foolish not to consider her input on dire moments.
• Shaggy & Scooby
The… chaotic cowards? But wait, there’s more to them! It’s true that Shaggy and Scooby are often reluctant to go further into what’s scary and may need to be bribed with snacks. And it’s also true that they can go wild when scared. However, amazingly, it’s thanks to this that many of the mysteries are solved. Their wary and erratic behaviors frequently lead the team to discover clues that they wouldn’t have otherwise. And let’s not forget that courage isn’t the absence of fear!
Should I count the van? The Mystery Machine. If so, it’d be groovy.
If this was one of those online quizzes, which one do you think you would get as the character that you’re most like? If someone had told me back then that at some point in my life I would be Daphne and use my beautifying skills and tools resourcefully amidst crises, I’d laugh in disbelief. And yet, here I am. Realistically, though, most of us are some kind of mix or only metaphorical matches to fictional characters we can see ourselves in.
I’m not enough of a fan to rewatch the episodes I saw over 25 years ago in order to write more precisely about them, so I’m drawing what I can from my memory and instead am writing with fascination for what has remained throughout the years. That’s likely what stood out the most for me and had the most significance. Or simply what repeated the most. ♪ Scooby-Dooby-Do, where are you? Scooby-Dooby-Do, where are you? ♪
The culprits tied up in the end for the big reveal of who they truly were along with the explanations for the motives and intents behind their actions. How some of them had more than one mask to take off and how sometimes there was no mask at all (and the crew would futilely pull at their face). That might have marked me for life. They had some absurd-yet-hilarious adventures, too. I have to wonder how much our generation was affected by this show.
Then again, I might, after all, eventually rewatch some of it out of nostalgia and for my inner child's sake. Like I recently did with the movies that came out in the 2000s: Scooby-Doo and Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed. Those were a good laugh for the silliest reasons. And another confirmation that Horror made for kids tends to rely on gross content to shock and disgust. Green, gooey, and stinky stuff instead of... you know.
Did you watch any horror (or “horror”) shows for kids?