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Locals share favorite 'Scooby Doo' memories

Examiner-Enterprise - 9/13/2019

Sep. 13--Few cartoons have stood the test of time like "Scooby Doo, Where Are You," which debuted on Sept. 13, 1969.

In honor of this milestone, some patrons and staff at Jude's Health & Java House shared their thoughts about Scooby Doo and the gang -- Shaggy, Velma, Daphne and Fred -- those meddling kids who always solved the mystery of the bad guy behind the ghost.

Shane Brinkley, 42, who owns Squeegee Squad with his wife, Melissa, took a moment away from his laptop to share his memories.

"I certainly remember Saturday mornings coming down to watch cartoons and Scooby Doo was one of them. One of my favorites, I loved it, was when Scooby's nephew Scrappy was on there. I think I could probably relate to Scrappy, his little nephew who was always ready to fight.

"I remember the Scooby snacks were something I wanted to try. They looked good. And, I remember the sandwiches that Scrappy and Shaggy would tie strings around to smash them down enough so they could eat them in one bite," Brinkley said.

Regarding life lessons from the cartoon, Brinkley said, "maybe the persistence, maybe, that they always had to find the bad guy that was acting like a ghost, and probably that friendship between Scooby and Shaggy -- the relationship they had.

"I remember Scooby Doo was a Great Dane," he added.

Melissa Brinkley said, "I just remember the jingle stuck in my head, 'Scooby, Scooby Doo, where are you.'"

Keelan Bradley, 20, said, "it was one of my favorite shows growing up. I watched it with my cousins. ... I just enjoyed watching it. I liked Scooby and Shaggy -- they liked to eat a lot."

Of the other characters, Bradley said, "I liked Velma. She was a sciency type, liked to research things, always knew what she was talking about."

Bradley's favorite episode actually a movie, where the gang "went into cyberspace into a game and met themselves, and there was a cyber ghost."

Laura Potts, 20, said Scooby Doo was her favorite cartoon too.

"It was my show to watch as a kid. I vividly remember being in my living room, and we had these windows, and as I'm watching it I'm so into it but ... I'm so terrified monsters are going to get me. I just remember how exciting it was, and it was so funny," Potts said. "I vividly remember watching a Scooby Doo episode or movie at night. I remember we had this bay window -- really huge windows. Of course the couch was right next to it. There would be trees behind it, and it was just straight out of a scene from there, and I was like -- a monster's going to come right through that window!"

Her favorite character was Shaggy because he was the funny one.

"I think how close friends the whole gang was and how they solved mysteries. I think it shows how important it is to have a good group of friends and get through hard times together. ... Life's hard, but we're still friends and we're solving these cool mysteries together," Potts said.

As he paid for his coffee and a snack, Steve Van Winkle, age 61, recalled watching Scooby Doo with his brother, Marshall, who was eight years younger.

Aaron George, age 16, said the cartoon was also his favorite.

Asked what he liked about it, he replied, "everything. I was just one of those great shows. ... as with all of the mystery genres, it's the who done it kind of thing."

Another part of the appeal was that each of the characters had quirks, which made them seem more believable, he said.

"Like Fred loved his traps and Daphne was always going on about her hair or her shoes. Shaggy and Scooby loved food. They're all very different but working toward the same goal," George said.

George's favorite episode was when the gang went to a virtual reality establishment, and there were little fluff balls that said, "it's fun time!" He also liked the show where the gang was in Australia at a punk rock concert.

Potts liked that episode too and said, "I have a group message with my friends and each person has a name of the mystery gang in my phone. One of my friends is Scooby Doo. ... It's just something I did in high school."

Potts said, "Now I can't wait because I want to go watch these with my nephews and remember all these times. I feel like when I watch it I'm going to remember certain things from my childhood."

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