Scooby-Doo: Ranking Every Version Of The Gang From Worst To Best

Since 1969, Hanna-Barbera‘s popular cartoon containing the memorable characters of Scooby-Doo, Shaggy, Daphne, Velma, and Fred has entertained audiences for generations. Scooby-Doo has been popular among audiences for more than fifty years, with 2020 releasing the film Scoob! , the cartoon is still going strong, with several versions of Scooby-Doo to love.

Over the years several spin-offs of the original show have come to light, with some better than others.

13 Be Cool, Scooby-Doo! (2015)

The fun aspect of this series is the fact that the gang is taking one last summer vacation together, traveling all over, and having adventures in which they inevitably come across a mystery. It also contains a fair bit of humorous moments.

However, the gang looks so incredibly different compared to their original character designs. It throws off the show in that way; even the modernized What’s New, Scooby-Doo? provided an updated version of the Scooby characters that didn’t stray as far from the original look of the gang as this series did.

12 Shaggy & Scooby-Doo Get A Clue! (2006)

This series just veered too far from the original series and concept of the characters. Shaggy & Scooby-Doo Get a Clue! was about Shaggy inheriting his uncle’s fortune; in addition, he and Scooby must stop an evil doctor and essentially save the world.

Shaggy and Scooby were always portrayed as scared and hungry; while the new take on their characters may have held potential, it ultimately just doesn’t suit them.

11 Scooby-Doo And Scrappy-Doo (1980)

The series was revamped compared to its original formula from 1979, featuring Scooby, Shaggy, and Scrappy in various shorts. The series gave them plenty of funny little adventures; however, sometimes the storylines felt too fast-paced given their limited amount of time, and Scrappy’s character didn’t appear as likable, given he usually got Scooby and Shaggy into trouble.

There were more elements working against the series than not.

10 Scooby-Doo And Scrappy-Doo (1979)

This series introduced the memorable character of Scooby’s impulsive and energetic nephew, Scrappy-Doo, who often cried “Puppy power!”. Daphne, Fred, and Velma began to fade into the background as characters, the series focusing more on the trio of Scooby, Scrappy, and Shaggy.

Some episodes were a little far-fetched, particularly “I Left My Neck in San Francisco”, in which the trio came to believe, through a series of coincidences, that Daphne was the vampire foe they were after.

9 The New Scooby And Scrappy-Doo Show (1983)

Daphne made a reappearance in this series, which would later be known as The New Scooby-Doo Mysteries. According to the Scoobypedia Fandom, the show was Hanna-Barbera’s attempt to combine the original formula of Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! alongside the formula it was using for Scooby-Doo and Scrappy-Doo, which makes sense given the content of the episodes.

Scooby, Scrappy, Shaggy, and Daphne weren’t a bad mystery-solving group, but it just wasn’t the same as having the original five mystery solvers.

8 Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated (2010)

Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated added a far more serious tone than previously seen in the Scooby-Doo franchise, the tone of this series making it stand out from any other Scooby-Doo spin-off. Plus, audiences couldn’t just pop in and watch a random episode; given the show’s storylines carried on from episode to episode, audiences would be lost if they didn’t binge-watch it. The more sinister twist on the series was an intriguing one; however, the fact that the series paired Velma and Shaggy together was downright ludicrous.

Fred and Daphne’s potential relationship has always been hinted at, but the series pushed its luck with Velma and Shaggy.

7 The 13 Ghosts Of Scooby-Doo (1985)

Scooby, Shaggy, Daphne, and Scrappy-Doo, alongside new characters (one of which is voiced by Vincent Price), set out in the world to recapture 13 escaped ghosts before they have the chance to cause too much trouble after Scooby and Shaggy accidentally released them to begin with.

The show held promise, but the fact that it didn’t follow the familiar formula in which the entire gang runs across a mystery and solves it may have contributed to the downfall of this series, given it produced only 13 episodes.

6 The Scooby-Doo Show (1976)

This 1970s series found the gang solving mysteries once again, occasionally aided by Scooby’s brave but dimwitted cousin, Scooby-Dum.

The episodes were diverse, ranging from the gang investigating a family secret involving a vampire for a friend to looking for a no-faced zombie. However, it seemed at times that the formulas for the different episodes were too inconsistent, making the series have its ups-and-downs in turn, given some monsters were just too ridiculous.

5 A Pup Named Scooby-Doo (1988)

This take on Scooby and his friends featured them as children, providing a glimpse into the character’s childhoods and how they’re both similar and different from their older versions. It’s their early days of solving mysteries, and offers more of a backstory, providing interesting mysteries and storylines.

Each of the characters has their own quirks and antics, echoing a similar vibe to the original Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! series, making A Pup Named Scooby-Doo enjoyable for audiences.

4 Scooby-Doo And Guess Who? (2019)

The most recent television series in the franchise echoes a similar formula to that of The New Scooby-Doo Movies, only it includes current celebrities, such as Sia and Bill Nye, as well as fictional characters such as Steve Urkel, Wonder Woman, and fellow Hanna-Barbera characters Magilla Gorilla and The Funky Phantom.

The series is doing well thus far with 39 episodes and even included a guest star from The New Scooby-Doo Movies, Sandy Duncan, in its guest star line-up.

3 What’s New Scooby-Doo? (2002)

This early 2000s take on Scooby-Doo took the original formula of the gang unmasking villains, but with a modern spin to introduce it to new generations. The gang had cell phones and gadgets, and new mysteries to solve all over the place.

The gang even ran into familiar characters such as The Hex Girls from Scooby-Doo! and the Witch’s Ghost. Plus, the show’s theme song was performed by popular band Simple Plan, and featured “chase music” from artists such as The Donnas, The Ramones, and KISS, further modernizing the new take on Scooby-Doo and giving it a fun introduction to a new generation.

2 The New Scooby-Doo Movies (1972)

In the 1970s, Scooby-Doo and the gang continued their adventures, this time with celebrities or other cartoon characters. Guests included stars such as Don Adams, Cass Elliott, and Sonny and Cher. The New Scooby-Doo Movies followed a formula not unlike that of the original series, in which the gang would happen upon a mystery, but with the added spin of solving it alongside other characters.

Hanna-Barbera cleverly included characters from their other cartoons, such as Speed Buggy, Jeannie and Babu, and Josie and the Pussycats, making the mystery extra fun with the added dynamics of the extended cast.

1 Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! (1969)

Of course the original tops the list; without it, audiences wouldn’t have all the films and television series that have followed it over the decades. The team of groovy sleuths had many adventures that took them to haunted houses and even the beaches of Hawaii; wherever they were, they always stumbled upon a mystery and solved it, often with plenty of comedy, usually in the form of Shaggy and Scooby.

The traps didn’t always work, but the gang always found another way. They portrayed meaningful friendships and had adventures together simultaneously, spawning the legacy that audiences know and love today.

About The Author

Kacie Lillejord
(373 Articles Published)

A Seattle native, Kacie has loved entertainment in the forms of books, films, television and music since day one. Inspired by a filmmaker relative, Kacie has been pursuing a career in the film and television industry in Los Angeles ever since. A graduate of The University of Arizona, Kacie has written for her college newspaper The Daily Wildcat, Harness Magazine, 25YL, and now has added Screen Rant to her resume. She loves writing and all things pop culture.

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