Are all the Scooby Doo cartoons in the same continuity with each other?

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klaw

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There's been what...over 10+ different Scooby Doo cartoons now?

Are all these shows and the DTV cartoon movies they made all in the same continuity? Meaning does the very original Scooby Doo series take place with all the ones in the middle, and the newest one just coming out now?

"A Pup Named Scooby Doo" might be too silly for its own good to fit in with the others.
 
There have been 11 shows, I think. The newest one, Scooby Doo Mystery Incorporated, probably doesn't fit. It doesn't even take place in Coolsville.

It's really not the kind of thing that's meant to be taken so seriously, but if one was anal enough they could probably make most of the rest of them fit, though. Loosely, with a willingness to turn a blind eye to some discontinuities.

The big problem is that in some of the movies and 13 Ghosts of Scooby Doo the ghosts are definitely real. But in others they're fake and in Scooby Doo on Zombie Island the gang acts like they've always been fake. Although, in most of the episodes, it's Velma that's most adamant that ghosts aren't real, and she's absent in most of the "real ghosts" stuff.

You could also say that there's a pre and post "Pup Named Scooby Doo" continuity, because the characters have different personalities in and after that show. Especially Fred, who becomes a lot funnier and dumber.

Getting really pointy-headed about this, there may be three or four Scooby Doo continuities. The original, which goes all the way up to the season before the Scooby Doo Show shorts that just feature Shaggy, Scrappy, and Scooby. The Red Shirt Shaggy continuity, shows from the seven minute shorts on which feature real monsters and, for most of it, Shaggy in a different outfit. And the post-pup continuity, which takes off from Pup named Scooby Doo and features those characterizations. And finally, the new show. However, all of these continuities could be as similar as they are different. The gang probably did most of the same things and had many of the same adventures in each one. Each version took on Miner 49er at some point, for example.

Oh, and the Scooby Doo Goes Hollywood special features a reality where Scooby is just an actor in a show. That one probably doesn't fit. In 13 Ghosts, actually, Scooby Doo is both a show that kids watch and something that's really happening, at the same time.

That kind of gives you an indicator of how concerned the franchise is with being realistic and making things fit neatly so nerds like us don't get upset.
 
Yes, some times you can pin point which series came first.
Than an all new series will come in and mess the thing up for you :p
Seriously, I was finally able to see which movies and series came before which and than this new one comes and I'm mixed up. Its still an enjoyable show dispite all its crazy mixed up continuity.
 
I say no. In a Pup Named Scooby Doo, Scooby is seen as a puppy while everyone else was a kid. In Scooby Doo Goes Hollywood (I think) the gang remember getting him as a puppy and they are teenagers.
 
I've noticed this, too. Which makes me believe that 'Pup' is a separate continuity, or a 'reboot' so that Hanna-Barbera could wash their hands of the whole Scrappy mess that most fans wanted to forget, and to cash in on the 'kidification' craze of the 80's. I tend to think that the era from 'Where Are You' to 'Scooby & Scrappy-Doo' was the first continuity, or 'Earth 1' to put it in DC terms. (Weather Scrappy detractors want to admit it, or not.) I'm still unsure if I want to include 'The Scooby-Doo Show' in that same era since by that point, they went with real monsters, and things started to get too silly to fit in the first era. '13 Ghosts' would probably fit in that second era since it had the zany antics, and real monsters. The video movies starting with 'Zombie Island' would probably be a 'second reboot' that kinda washed away that silliness of 'The Scooby-Doo Show', '13 Ghosts', and 'Pup' like the never existed, and presented what would happen if the gang actually encountered real monsters instead of the usual crooks in costumes. Something that the earlier shows never did properly. 'What's New Scooby-Doo' doesn't fit in line with the first four video movies, so i would consider that another 'reboot' since it went for a more light hearted approach that kinda fell flat in my eyes.
 
You know, it's kind of amazing how Scooby Doo has managed to remain a TV cartoon presence since his creation. Pretty much every other character from the era was either forgotten, had a live-action film and then forgotten, had a new series that looked nothing like the original, or got demoted to cereal mascot. But Scooby still gets his own show every few years.

I know some people are understandably tired of it, but it's kind of comforting in its own way.
 
Some reasons for that I think.

Kids like to be scared, just a little bit, and then be reassured that it's all okay.

As a loveable dog Scooby has more direct kid appeal than any other Hanna-Barbera character. Flintstones and Jetsons are takes on the Honey Mooners and really aimed at adults. Most of the others are based on less relateable animals and are parodies of old movie stars kids have never heard of.

Scooby Doo is willing to change with the times. If it takes adding Scrappy to the series to keep it on the air, they'll do it.

It's not toyetic. It doesn't go out of style when kids get tired of a toy.

It's not rigidly gender locked. It's a comedy show and it's designed to appeal to both girls and boys. Some networks get to where they can't see the audience for the demographic data and make their shows too narrow for marketing purposes.

They've always realized that it's still a valuable property that can appeal to kids and didn't hand it over to adult nostalgics. They nearly did with the first idea for the Scooby Doo movie, but they backed off from it and made a movie mostly for kids. Sure, that produced an awful movie, but making the Scooby franchise something for adults would have been more harmful. I know they allow more adult parodies on things like Adult Swim and Harvey Birdman and Venture Brothers, but kids don't see those and they keep cranking out kiddie fare.
 
It's a shame that other characters can't have the same kind of lasting appeal that Scooby has. Even Bugs Bunny had lasting appeal at one time, but has taken a back seat to Scooby in recent years. :sad:While I'm not a huge 'Scooby-Doo' fan, and tend to think that the franchise has been beaten to death with so many movies, and shows, that's a pretty good analysis on why he's still popular after 40 some odd years. :shrug:
 
Yeah, I mean, I wish there were others that survived that long, but you have to give Scooby credit for lasting as long as he did. It's just sort of comforting to have at least one show from the era that's still around, even if it's not my favorite.

I've been an on-and-off fan myself over the years. Heck, I still like the occasional rerun of Pup and adore Zombie Island.
 
A few years ago, a bunch of here on this board actually came up with a workable timeline for Pup - Get A Clue that managed to fit in all the animated series, with the live action movies being non canon.

We had to fudge a few details since the most continuity heavy series (13 Ghosts) didn't have an actual ending, but it seemed to be a pretty good reasoning that all the Scooby series/animated movies could co-exist within the same universe given enough logic.
 
Kids and their dog solving mystery that is a timeless plot. One thing I like about Scooby Doo, it is fun to try to solve the mystery before those meddling kids do.

And the modern Scooby Doo has improved on one thing the challenge of solving the mystery for the audiance and audiance participation in solving the mysteries. Now a days the gang meets a handful of characters that are would be suspects all the time.

In the old days, there were episodes in which we never meet a character at all and it is just the Scooby Doo getting chased by a monster, and the unmasking is someone that only the police figure is familar and says it is someone criminal wanted for crimes. Or we just meet one or two characters that there is no suspense in who did it.
 
Scooby-Doo (or any of the Hanna Barbara shows for that matter) never really paid that much attention of continuity. Pretty much each season had its premise and the show remained consistent with that premise. Yet, for a variety of reasons, different continuities have developed over the years.

It seems that Scooby-Doo, Where Are You, which established the mystery solving teenagers and their dog premise has taken place in some form in all continuities. It gets a bit more complicated than that.

The original 16 year run, 1969-1985, and the three Superstar 10 movies should be considered one continuity. While the premise, particularly during the Scrappy years, has changed, sometimes wildly, from season to season, the individual series don't really contradict each other. They also set up the basic outline of how events play out in future incarnations: the gang gets together and start solving mysteries, they break up for awhile, then they get back together to solve more mysteries where the stakes get higher. Heck, you could look at the original run as a character arc for Scooby-Doo, even though it wasn't intended that way. The series started with a somewhat cowardly dog who reluctantly solved mysteries but was always there to rescue his friends whenever they needed him in Where Are You to the burned out adventurer who wanted a break from ghosts and goblins that appeared in the 13 Ghosts.

1988's A Pup Named Scooby-Doo was a prequel to Scooby-Doo, Where Are You that was a tribute and a parody of that series. This introduced younger and exaggerated versions of the gang to increase the comedic value. While it does fit into the original series timeline, it's hard to reconcile the A Pup Named Scooby-Doo versions of the characters with the versions that appeared in the original run, particularly Fred and Daphine. It could fit within the original continuity but a lot of people ignore it for that reason.

The DTV's started with Zombie Island and that movie established that they solved mysteries for a few years then they broke up and went their separate ways. While that's the basic timeline of the original series, the details are quite different. The classic timeline has Shaggy and Scooby doing odd jobs with Scrappy, Daphine becoming a magazine reporter, Fred becoming a novelist, and Velma becoming an assistant scientist with NASA and the whole gang being aware that the occult is real. Zombie Island has Shaggy and Scooby doing odd jobs, Daphine becoming a television reporter with Fred as her cameraman, and Velma working in a mystery bookstore, and the gang being unaware that the occult is real, plus no mention of Scrappy. This indicates that the 1969-1978 have taken place. You could also argue that the first Scrappy season in 1979 is also in continuity with Zombie Island despite no mention of him since that season is essentially a continuation of the 1978 only with the inclusion of a new character. Nothing indicates that Scrappy doesn't exist, only that post-1980 Scooby-Doo, when occult elements started showing up, didn't happen.

Zombie Island started a series of DTV's where a post-reunion adult Scooby gang started solving mysteries again, often for Daphine's TV show. This premise lasted for the first four movies. The second of these movies introduced the Hex Girls, a rock band using a witch gimmick. Their introduction and subsequent reappearance on What's New Scooby-Doo provides the first real continuity contradiction.

What's New Scooby-Doo started in 2002 and the hook for this show was the original mystery solving teenagers and their dog premise only updated. The show ignores the premise of the DTV's, the adult gang reuniting for more mysteries, and reset them as somewhat older than they were in Where Are You but not the adults they were in the early DTV's. In other words, the gang never broke up after the events of the Scooby-Doo Show, they just kept on solving mysteries. That's fine but one episode they met the Hex Girls again. The Witch's Ghost was never referred to, only that this was not the first meeting between the groups.

Also, the personalities of the gang were broadened and played for laughs. Velma became a snarky know it all, Daphine became an action girl, and Fred became a dumb jock. Ironically because of this, it was easier to reconcile the characterizations of A Pup Named Scooby-Doo with the What's New version of these characters. Plus there was one episode that had a flashback that used A Pup's designs (although the characters were younger than they were presented on that series), thus a lot place A Pup Named Scooby-Doo in What's New Scooby-Doo continuity.

After two DTV's that used the original character designs and original voice actors in two "Where Are You" flashback adventures, the DTV's started following What's New continuity instead of Zombie Island continuity.

Shaggy and Scooby-Doo Get a Clue is a sequel to What's New focusing on Shaggy and Scooby-Doo finding their independent heroes away from the rest of the gang against the evil and insane Dr. Phibes. This follows What's New and since Shaggy and Scooby became more independent as a result of this series, the gang dynamic that takes place when they do get back together is different from "Fred tricking Shaggy and Scooby into the mystery" dynamic in most of the other incarnations. Also, note that Fred, Daphine, and Velma continue to solve mystery after Shaggy and Scooby leave, which is a departure from traditional Scooby lore.

The DTV's continue following What's New but ignores Get a Clue even while that show was still on the air. The only real difference between the DTV's before Get a Clue and after is the greater emphasis on Shaggy and Scooby's antics. The gang dynamic is the same as before Get a Clue. This suggests one of two things, these mysteries takes place before Get a Clue or Get a Clue is an alternate future of What's New.

Scooby-Doo, Mystery Incorporated seems to be another reboot of sorts. Scooby-Doo, Where Are You (at least the first season) seems to be in canon but everything else haven't taken place (yet). The gang seems younger and the town they live in is named Crystal Cove instead of Coolsville. The basic premise of mystery solving teenagers and their dog is kept but the producers are set on writing their own Scooby mythology. It also seems that the DTV's, starting with Abracadabra-Doo is rebooted as well. It's not using What's New continuity but it is not following Mystery Incorporated continuity either, rather it is telling it's own stories without being burdened by past or present continuity. Spike Brandt and Tony Cervone are overseeing both the movies and DTV's and I guess they feel that story is what comes first.

To summarize, here are what I see as the Scooby continuities:

1. Scooby-Doo, Where are You to the Superstar 10 movies (Scooby-Doo and the Reluctant Werewolf) 1969-1988
2. A Pup Named Scooby-Doo, What's New Scooby Doo, Shaggy and Scooby-Doo Get a Clue, and DTV's Scooby-Doo and the Loch Ness Monster to Scooby-Doo and the Samuari Sword (1988-1991, 2002-2009)
3. Scooby-Doo, Where are You to Scooby and Scrappy-Doo, Scooby-Doo in Zombie Island to Scooby and the Cyber Chase (1969-1979, 1997-2001)
4. Scooby-Doo, Mystery Incorporated (2010-)
5. DTV's Scooby-Doo! Abracadabra-Doo, Scooby-Doo Camp Scare (2010-)

You could take out or put in Scooby and Scrappy-Doo, A Pup Named Scooby-Doo, Shaggy and Scooby Get a Clue, and the DTV's Legend of the Vampire and Monster of Mexico as you see fit. I guess there is at least five continuities, maybe more.
 
I like your analysis, but I have to say I personally can't reconcile the earlier seasons with later stuff like the Superstar 10 movies. The skepticism the gang shows about ghosts early on just wouldn't make sense in a world where, for instance, Dracula broadcasts a race between all the real monsters on live TV.

Legend of the Vampire is close to the What's New style and is the second time they meet the Hex girls, so that seems like a link between Witch's Ghost and What's New to me.
 
Heck, you can't really reconcile the Superstar 10 movies with each other. It's really kind of hard to wrap one's head around Shaggy being Speed Racer.
 
I forgot about that but you are right. In Legend they were teens wearing the older outfits and those movies came out when What's New started so that would put them with What's New.
 
Of course all the Scooby Doo shows are in continuity, sure theres hiccups here and there but also in the DCAU.

What about Scooby Goes to Hollywood?
That movie is non-canon, since the gang are just stars in a tv show with the whole monster catching thing just a tv show.

What about A Pup Named SD?
Of course it is, it has a bit more slapstick but really nothing is ever shown is any less crazy than other shows that ARE considered in continuity. Also in a recent Scooby show there is a flashback and shows the gang with their Pup designs.

What about 13 Ghosts, Get a Clue?
Sure maybe the plots weren't resolved but just because we didn't see them doesn't mean they weren't.

Scrappy is no longer canon right?

No, Scrappy is canon, no matter how much you may hate him that doesn't mean he doesn't exist.

What about the Movies?
The movies are not canon with the show, sure it gives an explanation as to why Scrappy is no longer with the gang but they aren't. However the new live action movies for CN seem to be canon with the Hollywood movies.

What about Laff-A-lymics and other similar crossovers?
Most of them non-canon as they are only fun crossovers that would be hard to explain, some like the Johnny Bravo could be debated but that was more of a parody. Now the crossovers in Scooby Doo Movies do seem to be in continuity, so that means Batman, Jossie and the Pussy Cats etc are all in continuity with Scooby. Its worth noting that ONLY non-powered superheroes seem to exist in the scooby world.

Now lets analyze things, the SD world is not the most realistic world so there is no reason why any series couldn't be in continuity. Its not like its tight or too much of a hassle or loaded with contradictions, no huge errors that other continuity heavy shows do have.

With that said I think the biggest problem is the years the show takes place in. The early shows have technology and whatnot from the 70s while the new shows clearly have technology and whatnot from recent times. No actual dates are ever given so you can easily ignore it.

Or if it really bothers you then A Pup Named Scooby Doo actually creates an interesting split timeline.
Timeline A) All shows starting with the first one to APNSD are in continuity.
TImeline B) All shows starting with APNSD and after are in continuity.

This works because APNSD works as a prequel to both the original shows or the new shows. While APNSD does feature some 80s technology the setting of the show also features plenty of 60s references. So it could easily be the childhood from the original gang since they'd be kids in the 60s or of the current gang since they'd be kids in the late 80s. This also would explain away any errors such as them not seeing real monsters yet and whatnot. Personally I think they all work fine being in continuity with each other but if you really must have a different timeline this is the simplest one and works well.

Now when people work on new Scooby Doo shows they clearly don't bother thinking about the continuity of the show, they are all made as sequels to the original show anyway.
 
The problem with some of the attempts I've seen to fit it all into continuity here before is that they rely on not one, but two mindwipes. One by Vincent Van Ghoul to make them forget 13 Ghosts and one by Dracula to make them forget Reluctant Werewolf and I suppose the rest of the Superstar 10. That's the only way they can be surprised when Zombie Island comes around. And that really just seems like stretching things a little too much to me.

Especially because it's not just that there are real monsters, it's that by the end of things the real monsters are pretty open about things and don't go to much trouble to hide themselves from the world.

And because no one has any reason to make them forget the real monsters that showed up in the 7 minute shorts, so they still wouldn't be surprised in Zombie Island. Unless you want to go for a third mindwipe, I guess, make it a hat trick.

All that said, it doesn't matter that little kid Velma has a computer in Pup. You have to accept a sliding timeline or else these characters would be getting ready for retirement age and Scooby would be long dead. The biggest kink in this is celebrity appearances. The gang has met young versions of both Davy Jones and Simple Plan while they were teenagers, that just doesn't work.
 
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