Editor's Note

Our reviews of Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! The Complete First and Second Seasons (published October 20th, 2004), Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! Volume 2 (published April 30th, 2009), and Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! Volume 3 (published September 1st, 2009) are also available.

The Charge

Norville 'Shaggy' Rogers (Casey Kasem): What a nervous night to be walking home from the movies Scooby Doo. And all because you had to stay and see "Star…Dog Ranger of the North Woods" twice!
Scoobert 'Scooby' Doo (Don Messick): Rah…rah, rah, rah, rah, rah!

Fred 'Freddie' Jones (Frank Welker): Just as we thought!
Daphne Blake (Stefanianna Christopherson): It's the curator, Mr. Wickles!
Sheriff: We've gotta hand it to you kids. We'd never have suspected Wickles as the art thief.
Fred: Boy it was a neat set-up! He and his gang were switching their fake pieces of art for the real ones in the museum.
Daphne: And they made the fakes at night in a secret workshop behind the mummy case.
Velma Dinkley (Nicole Jaffe): That's why they had to get rid of the professor. He was the only one who could have spotted the fakes!

Opening Statement

In 1969, a gang of teenagers and their talking dog set out to solve mysteries and capture criminals, and Saturday morning cartoons were never the same. If you've never seen the first four episodes of the 1969 series, then this release may be for you.

Facts of the Case

Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! Volume 1 is a great introduction to the Scooby gang through the following original series episodes:

"What a Night for a Knight"
The gang visits a museum to discover the truth behind a legend that tells of a black suit of armor coming to life whenever the moon is full.

"A Clue for Scooby-Doo"
The kids suspect a ghostly deep sea diver in a glowing green suit is connected with the disappearance of several boats.

"Hassle in the Castle"
After accidentally running their boat aground during a foggy evening boating trip, the group investigates a ghost that keeps trying to scare them off the island and out of the spooky castle located there.

"Mine Your Own Business"
The gang investigates the rumor of a ghostly miner who supposedly haunts the old mines of the Gold City ghost town.

The Evidence

As someone born between Generations X and Y, I grew up watching Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! on Saturday morning reruns in syndication. Along with Superfriends, Looney Tunes, and a few other select shows, Scooby and the gang were on my must-see list and are still a cherished childhood memory.

Each episode's story followed a familiar format: scary monster/ghost/miscellaneous bad guy terrorizes museum/town/castle and along come the Scooby gang to solve the mystery and prove the bag guy was really just the curator/owner/professor in disguise! As clichéd as this formula may now seem, and as much as you may have seen it reproduced in everything from The Simpsons to Wayne's World, it all started with Scooby-Doo.

Both the video and audio presentations on these four original series episodes are surprisingly clean for source material that is now 40 years old. If you've seen or own the previous boxed set releases, this is an identical presentation which likely used the same pristine masters. The picture and sound quality on the Shaggy and Scooby-Doo Get a Clue bonus episode, the only bonus feature included on this release, is a bit better than the others, but this should be expected since the spin-off show was released in 2007.

The Rebuttal Witnesses

This release confuses me. Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! The Complete 1st and 2nd Seasons was released on DVD in 2004, and Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! The Complete Third Season in 2007. If you can have all 25 episodes of the show's first and second seasons for $40 or less, why would someone pay around $14 for only the first four episodes of Season One?

Closing Statement

Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! is a classic animated series that has spawned numerous spin-offs and billions of dollars in merchandising. The series included some of the best work of voice actors like Don Messick and Frank Welker and told some great stories while delivering genuine laughs. If you're an animation fan, you've likely already bought the full-season boxed sets. If you're a Scooby newbie and want to dip your toe in the pool without making a large investment, then Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! Volume 1 will give you a good taste of what the show is all about without breaking the bank.

The Verdict

Rot ruilty! Reeheeheeheeheeheehee! Rooby-dooby-dooooooooooooo!

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