June 1, 2024: In Defense Of Scrappy-Doo

Like many folks about my age, I never much cared for Scrappy-Doo. I always found the character to be lackluster and annoying compared to the rest of the Scooby Gang. Recently, I've had episodes of the half-hour Scooby-Doo and Scrappy-Doo mysteries on in the background as I work (it fulfills my "interesting but not distracting" personal requirement for workday television). And – to my surprise – they're pretty good!

I mean, they'll never be my "favorite" episodes of the franchise, but the mysteries are decent, the animation is solid, the "monster" designs are memorable, and it's nice to hear "newish" material from the original voice actors. I could psychoanalyze my original distaste (and I suspect when I get to the more-fantastic seven-minute shorts, I'll relive some of that), but right now, I have over a dozen new episodes that I can experience with a fresh perspective.

Tying it into our preferred pastime around these parts, I've been surprised more than once by playing a game I didn't like previously, only to discover that I actually had fun the second time. Sometimes the stress of learning a new game throws me off (especially if misunderstanding a rule makes me crash and burn . . . sometimes literally). And every so often, a dozen other variables can make the first game go wrong.

So if there's a Scrappy-Doo in your gaming closet, maybe pull it out and give it another chance!

-- Steven Marsh