Introducing Scooby-Doo
Scooby-Doo is an iconic character that originated in the animated TV series Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! in 1969. He was created by writers Joe Ruby and Ken Spears for Hanna-Barbera Productions (wikipedia.org). Scooby-Doo is a Great Dane dog who is the mascot of Mystery Inc., a group of teenagers who solve mysteries. Scooby-Doo was originally voiced by voice actor Don Messick, who provided his voice from 1969 until Messick’s retirement in 1996.
Scooby-Doo became one of Hanna-Barbera’s most popular characters, spawning multiple TV series, films, and merchandise over the decades. He is best known for his speech impediment which gives him his distinctive manner of speaking, with the letter “R” added to the beginning of words. Some of Scooby-Doo’s catchphrases include “Scooby-Dooby-Doo!” and asking “Ruh-roh, Raggy?” when confronted with something spooky (fandom.com).
Over the 50+ years since the character’s creation, Scooby-Doo has remained an iconic pop culture figure known for solving mysteries with the rest of Mystery Inc. He is beloved by generations of fans for his courage despite his cowardly nature, his bond with Shaggy, and his overall endearing personality as a talking Great Dane dog.
Scooby’s Dog Breed
Scooby Doo is a Great Dane, which are very large dogs with smooth coats that come in a variety of colors and patterns. Scooby is colored brown with black spots. According to the American Kennel Club, mature male Great Danes can stand up to 32 inches at the shoulder and weigh up to 175 pounds (https://www.akc.org/dog-breeds/great-dane/). Females are slightly smaller, typically standing around 30 inches tall and weighing between 100-120 pounds (https://www.hillspet.com/dog-care/dog-breeds/great-dane).
Great Danes are known as gentle giants. Despite their massive size, they have a friendly, patient temperament. Great Danes are loyal and affectionate with their families. They are playful and enjoy interacting with people, though they are generally well-behaved and calm indoors (https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/lifestyle/8-facts-about-great-danes/). Their regal stature and graceful movements have earned them the nickname “the Apollo of dogs”.
Scooby’s Unusual Abilities
One of Scooby’s most iconic and unusual abilities is his capacity for human speech despite being a dog. Scooby has a distinctive manner of speaking, often inserting “r” sounds into words. For example, he says “Ruh-roh!” instead of “Uh-oh!” and refers to his best friend Shaggy as “Raggy.” According to sources, Scooby’s speech patterns have been compared to a real-life phonological disorder called rhotic replacement (Discover Magazine, 2014). However, his speech is still intelligible to human listeners.
In addition to speech, Scooby appears to have human-level intelligence and reasoning abilities. He engages in verbal back-and-forth conversations with the Mystery Inc. gang and provides insights that help solve mysteries. On Reddit, fans have debated Scooby’s intelligence and concluded he is approximately as intelligent as Shaggy despite being a dog (Reddit, 2020). This level of intellect sets Scooby apart from average dogs.
Scooby also displays bipedalism at times, walking on two legs like a human. He often holds objects in his front paws as if they were hands. These anthropomorphic traits allow Scooby to more actively participate in investigations with the gang (Wired, 2011).
While Scooby’s advanced abilities are unrealistic for a real-world dog, they serve an important narrative function in the cartoon by making him a more interactive character. His speech and intelligence enable him to fully engage in mysteries and hijinks with Shaggy and the other kids.
Scooby’s Dog Behavior
Like any dog, Scooby-Doo exhibits common dog behaviors and mannerisms. He walks on all fours, pants with his tongue out, scratches with his hind legs, and chases cats. Scooby is easily distracted by food, especially his favorite snack of Scooby Snacks. When excited, Scooby will jump up and down and bark loudly. He relies heavily on his sense of smell to track down clues and gets scared by vacuum cleaners like many dogs [1].
Scooby exhibits loyalty and affection towards his best friend Shaggy. The two have an incredibly close bond and are rarely apart. Scooby seeks affection and belly rubs from Shaggy. He also whines and hides behind Shaggy when frightened. Like most dogs, Scooby enjoys car rides, sticks his head out the window to feel the breeze, and becomes overexcited upon hearing the word “walk.” His tail wags vigorously when he greets the Mystery Inc. gang. Overall, many of Scooby’s mannerisms and behaviors align with that of a stereotypical dog.
Scooby’s Relationships
Scooby-Doo has close relationships with all of the members of Mystery Inc., the mystery-solving gang he is part of. But his closest relationship is with Shaggy Rogers, his master and best friend. According to the Scoobypedia Fandom site, “Scooby-Doo and Shaggy Rogers are pet and master, respectively, but their relationship transcends beyond that to a strong brother-like bond” (source). Scooby and Shaggy met when they were young, and have remained inseparable ever since, sharing interests in food and adventure. They rely on each other through every mystery, working as a team. Their unbreakable friendship is central to the Scooby-Doo franchise.
Scooby is also close with Fred Jones, Daphne Blake, and Velma Dinkley, who treat him like part of the family. According to the Scoobypedia Fandom site’s Relationships category, “Scooby-Doo and Velma Dinkley have a strong friendship” (source). Scooby cares deeply for each member of the gang, and they care for him in return. Their teamwork allows them to solve spooky mysteries together.
Scooby’s Pop Culture Impact
Since debuting in 1969, Scooby-Doo has become an iconic character and major part of pop culture. References to Scooby-Doo can be found across TV shows, movies, video games, music, and more.
Some examples of Scooby-Doo references and parodies include episodes of The Simpsons like “The Bart Wants What It Wants” where Bart imagines Marge as a dog parodying Scooby, and Family Guy episodes like “Deep Throats” which features a talking dog named Brian that is inspired by Scooby-Doo. The live-action Scooby-Doo films released in the 2000s also showcase the character’s popularity and place in pop culture.
Beyond TV and movies, Scooby-Doo has been referenced in songs by artists like the Fugees and parodied in video games like Night Trap. Even real-world locations like amusement parks feature Scooby-Doo inspired rides and attractions.
After more than 50 years, Scooby-Doo remains instantly recognizable and continues to be referenced and reinvented across entertainment mediums. The goofy, cowardly, food-loving dog has become ingrained in pop culture thanks to his lasting appeal across generations.
Real World Talking Dogs
While a talking dog like Scooby-Doo is fiction, there have been some remarkable real world examples of dogs using technology to communicate with humans. Some dogs have learned to ‘speak’ using special soundboards or keyboards that play words and phrases when pressed. One famous example is Bunny, a sheepdog who uses a soundboard designed by her owner to express concepts like “I want” and “play.” Bunny has over 100 words at her paws and can combine them to make simple sentences.
Another dog named Stella has used augmented and alternative communication (AAC) technology to learn over 29 buttons representing different words and requests. Using this system designed for her, Stella can communicate things like “outside,” “play,” and even “I love you.” Her owner Christina Hunger is a speech-language pathologist who has worked to unlock Stella’s ability to express herself through technology.
While these dogs aren’t speaking words directly like Scooby-Doo, their ability to construct sentences by pressing buttons programmed with words is an impressive display of canine cognition and communication. Their achievements show that with the right tools, dogs may be capable of ‘talking’ more than we ever realized.
Dog Cognition Studies
Scientific research on dog intelligence and communication has advanced significantly in recent decades. Studies from groups like the Dog Cognition Project at UC San Diego have revealed intriguing findings about canine cognitive abilities.
Researchers have discovered that dogs have excellent working memory and can remember multiple objects and their locations. Dogs are also adept at understanding human social cues like pointing, gaze direction, and tone of voice. Their ability to follow human pointing likely evolved as an adaptation to life with humans.
In terms of communication, studies show dogs utilize a range of vocalizations, body language, and facial expressions to signal their needs. Subtle growls, whines, barks, and howls all carry different meanings that dogs seem to comprehend. Tail wagging, ear position, lip licking, and more can provide insight into a dog’s state of mind.
Overall, canine cognition research indicates dogs have highly developed social intelligence. Their capacity for cross-species communication and cooperation with humans is unmatched in the animal kingdom. However, the extent to which dogs experience human-like conscious thought remains debated.
Is Scooby Really a Dog?
When analyzing Scooby’s traits and abilities, it becomes clear that he displays some un-dog-like characteristics. Scooby has the ability to speak fluent English, which no real dog can do. He engages in human-like conversation and shows human-level intelligence and reasoning. While some dogs are now using “talking buttons” to communicate simple words and phrases, Scooby converses at a much more advanced level. His speech is on par with his human companions like Shaggy, Velma and Fred. Scooby even has distinct personality quirks, interests, and emotions that he readily expresses verbally.
Additionally, Scooby displays bipedalism at times, walking on two legs like a human. He also has highly dexterous front paws that allow him to perform tasks like driving vehicles, preparing food, and disguising himself. While intelligence studies have shown dogs are smart and emotional beings, Scooby exceeds normal dog cognition. His human-level mannerisms and anthropomorphic characteristics lead us to question whether he qualifies as a real dog.
However, Scooby does exhibit typical dog traits like loyalty, playfulness and fear of certain things. He forms close bonds with his caregivers, enjoys snacks and belly rubs, and runs on all fours at times. His general appearance aligns with a Great Dane dog breed in terms of physical attributes. So while Scooby pushes the boundaries, he still retains core qualities of a real dog.
Verdict on Scooby’s Dogness
Despite Scooby-Doo’s obvious anthropomorphic characteristics like speech, bipedal walking, and human-level intelligence, at his core he still exhibits many traits consistent with being a dog.
Scooby maintains the same breed characteristics of a Great Dane including large size, friendly personality, and distinctive vocalizations. He engages in typical dog behaviors like playing fetch, begging for snacks, chasing cats, and riding in cars with his head out the window.
His loyal friendship with Shaggy and the Mystery Inc. gang mirrors the strong bonds dogs form with their human families. Like any pup, Scooby loves belly rubs, enjoys playing and going on adventures, and gets spooked by things that go bump in the night.
While Scooby snacks and solving mysteries aren’t typical dog activities, these can be seen as fun fictional elements added by the show’s creators. At his core, Scooby still captures the playful spirit, goofy mannerisms, and unconditional affection dogs are known for.
So while Scooby-Doo may exhibit fantastical traits for an animated character, he still shows enough realistic dog features and behaviors to be considered a dog at heart. When looking past the cartoon comedy and exaggerated antics, Scooby aligns with man’s best friend in the most important ways.