SCOOBY-DOO and all related characters and elements are trademarks of and © Hanna-Barbera.The best cartoon ever. Bestowing this title leads to quite the debate, but, for me, the answer is easy and undeniable. So what makes a good cartoon? Is it animation? Script? Content? Characters? I would argue that, for a critic, it is all of the above, but, for a kid, it is simply about "enjoy-ability". With these things in mind, the title clearly belongs Scooby Doo. Not only does this cartoon have a huge enjoyment factor, it is also entertaining for adults with intriguing content, animation, and a funny script. This cartoon, literally, has it all. It involves mystery, danger, action (but not violence), and comedy. Not only that, but each episode involves its own fantastic song accompanied by a chase scene. Scooby Doo is the only cartoon that I remember watching consistently and continued to enjoy as I grew older.
Scooby Doo and all of its off-shoots make it one of the longest running cartoons on television. In fact, it won a Guinness World Record for having the most episodes of a cartoon comedy series in 2004 (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/3949579.stm). Scooby Doo's name apparently originated from a Frank Sinatra song called "Strangers in the Night" were his scat throughout the song included the phrase "scooby doo" (http://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2012/03/how-scooby-doo-and-9-other-cartoon-characters-got-their-names/254058/). In 2011, the Department of Health dubbed Scooby Doo as the healthiest cartoon due to their level of physical activity (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/health/news/8760387/Scooby-Doo-is-healthiest-cartoon-says-Department-of-Health.html). I remember loving this cartoon because, while it had its scary moments, it was filled with hilarity and adventure which I loved. It was also filled with mystery which promoted critical thinking as I watched it because I wanted to figure out the identity of the perpetrator and the answer to the mystery. Scooby Doo is a timeless cartoon. It's oldest installment, Scooby Doo, Where are you!, is just as intriguing as the newer ones such as What's New Scooby Doo and can highlight changes that happened over decades in music and dialogue. I remember the sound of the music that permeated the older episodes which showed me the style of the 70s as well as the more modern and vast different sounds that dominate the new episodes and movies. This exposure to differences in history helped me to appreciate different time periods. In any decade, Scooby Doo and his mystery gang are enjoyable to watch.
While some may say it is too scary for children or cheesy, It cannot be denied that Scooby Doo has brought decades of enjoyment for children, and it has more depth and thought than Looney Tunes or Tom and Jerry but not as much violence as the superhero cartoons. For me, Scooby Doo will always be the best cartoon ever.
Great argument!
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