Scrappy Doo
Scrappy Cornelius Doo is a fictional Great Dane puppy created by Hanna-Barbera Productions in 1979 as the nephew Scooby-Doo. Scrappy is the most noteworthy of Scooby's relatives; he became a recurring character in the Scooby-Doo series from 1979. He is noted for being quite headstrong and always wanting to face off in a fight against the various villains (unlike his uncle). Scooby and Shaggy were present at Scrappy's birth. In the first live-action movie, he was portrayed in a negative light, in response to the public dislike toward his character. Lennie Weinrib provided his voice for one season in 1979; from 1980 on, it was performed by Don Messick.
Character biography
Scrappy's Birth at Saint Bernard's Hospital
A December 1980 episode of Scooby-Doo and Scrappy-Doo ("Scrappy's Birthday") depicts Scrappy-Doo's birth. Born at St. Bernard's Hospital to Scooby-Doo's sister Ruby-Doo, Scrappy idolizes his uncle Scooby and would often assist Scooby and his friends in solving mysteries. With a highly energetic and brave personality, despite his small size, Scrappy was the opposite of his uncle; Scrappy would usually insist on trying to directly fight the various monsters Scooby and his associates encountered. Related to this, one of Scrappy's catchphrases was, "lemme at 'em! I'll splat 'em!" Another of Scrappy-Doo's catchphrases is, "Ta ta da daaa! (imitating a bugle playing "Charge!") Puppy power!"
History
Scrappy-Doo was added to the cast of Scooby-Doo to save the show's ratings, which by 1979 had begun to sink to the point of cancellation threats from ABC. After his addition to the show proved to be a ratings success, Hanna-Barbera restructured the show around Scrappy in 1980. The original format of four teenagers and their dog(s) solving supernatural mysteries for a half-hour was eshewed for simpler, more comedic adventures which involved real supernatural villains (the villains in previous Scooby episodes were almost always regular humans in disguise).
Scrappy remained an integral part of the Scooby-Doo franchise, on both TV and in Scooby related licensed products and merchandising, through the end of the 1980s. He was also briefly the star of his own seven minute shorts — the Scrappy and Yabba Doo segments of Scooby-Doo and Scrappy-Doo. Teamed with his uncle Yabba-Doo and Deputy Dusty, he helped maintain law and order in a small town in the American west.
In later years, the presence of Scrappy-Doo has often been criticized as having had a negative impact on the various Scooby-Doo series of the 1980s. Others credit Scooby-Doo's gradual decline during that period to other factors, such as the format changes. Scrappy-Doo has become the symbol of a character, usually overexuberant or cute in an irritating way, that critics say is gratuitously added to a series. (see Cousin Oliver)
In line with the general perception of the character by audiences, Scrappy-Doo has not appeared in any Scooby-related spinoffs since the made-for-television movie Scooby-Doo and the Reluctant Werewolf in 1988, save for the first live-action Scooby-Doo theatrical film — where Scrappy played a decidedly negative role. Scrappy-Doo also made a brief appearance in an episode of the 2000s animated series Harvey Birdman Attorney at Law (in the episode "Shaggy Busted"), where he appeared at the end of the episode to repeat his catchphrase, only to be scooped up (presumably as food) by Avenger the eagle.
Scooby-Doo series and films featuring Scrappy-Doo
Series
- Scooby-Doo and Scrappy-Doo (half-hour version) ([1979)
- Scooby-Doo and Scrappy-Doo (seven-minute version) (1980)
- Scrappy and Yabba-Doo (1982)
- The All-New Scooby and Scrappy-Doo Show (1983)
- The New Scooby-Doo Mysteries (1984)
- The 13 Ghosts of Scooby-Doo (1985)
Telefilms
- Scooby-Doo Meets the Boo Brothers (1987)
- Scooby-Doo and the Ghoul School (1988)
- Scooby-Doo and the Reluctant Werewolf (1988)
Feature films
- Scooby-Doo (2002)
Guest appearances
- Harvey Birdman Attorney at Law - "Shaggy Busted" (2002)