Since debuting in 1969 in “Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!”, Scooby Doo has become a celebrity dog. Created by the ingenious Iwao Takamoto of Hanna-Barbera Productions, Scooby is famed for his SD collar, brown head, black spots, and, yes, lack of courage. Often the question comes to mind: what kind of dog is Scooby Doo?
Fundamentally, Scooby Doo belongs to the Great Dane breed. But there are some stark deviations between Scooby Doo and the average Great Dane. Scooby Doo’s frame is not as refined neither is his body as muscled as the regular Great Dane. What more, Scooby Doo’s famed timidity stands in contrast with a Great Dane’s courage. In fact, Scooby Doo was designed to be the complete opposite of the typical Great Dane.
Having entertained us for over 50 years, there is so much to learn about Scooby Dog. How was Scooby Doo created? How tall is he? Are his ears cropped? How many Scooby Doo movies are out there? These are many more popularly asked questions (about Scooby Doo) we will answer in this guide.
Why Was Scooby Doo a Great Dane?
When Iwao Takamoto set out to design Scooby Doo, he initially desired to mirror the dog character after the Great Dane.
Having learned the features, Takamoto decides to build Scooby Doo in the opposite. Therefore, you see Scooby Doo doesn’t have the signature muscled and toned body of the Great Dane.
Unlike the typical Great Dane, Scooby Doo is not fearless either. Instead, he is a perpetually scared dog (as we see in his culture of always jumping into Shaggy’s arm in fright), and can be easily disgusted.
What Color of Great Dane is Scooby Doo?
From the head to his toe, Scooby Doo is covered in brown. However, this brown is flecked with black spots that stand out on its upper frame.
How Scooby Doo Was Created?
When designing Scooby Doo, artist IwaoTakamoto, who had earlier worked on Disney films, met a lady who at the time was breeding Great Danes at Hanna-Barbera.
This lady educated Takamoto on the signature traits of Great Danes. This included straight legs and back, a small chin, and a muscled body. Takamoto decided to invert this, giving Scooby Doo features like bowed legs, an oversized chin, and his humpback.
What you may not noticed about how Scooby Doo was created was that each of his paws being furnished with just one pad. This way, it was less strenuous on the creators drawing the Scooby-Doo Annuals.
Are Scooby Doo’s Ears Cropped?
Cropping – also known as ear trimming – is a surgical procedure executed to enhance the look of the dog’s ears. Here, the dog’s ears are cut, shaping the ear pinna – which the floppy region of the ear.
This is done to make the ears appear standing. From the look, Scooby Doo’s ears are neither cropped nor uncropped.
How Tall is Scooby Doo?
Given that Scooby Doo is an animated fictional character (whose height has not been specifically stated all through his movies), we can best speculate from what we see in the movies.
Examining Scooby-Doo closely, we estimate that his height, when standing on his hinds limbs, should be in the region of 6.5 feet. From the base of his neck, Scooby Doo should be about 3.3 feet tall. Not bad for a Great Dane!
How Old is Scooby Doo?
The Truth is Scooby Doo is ageless. If we were to measure from September 13, 1969, when it made its debut, you could say Scooby Doo is over 50 years old.
But Great Danes don’t live that long, and Scooby Doo hasn’t been getting old either. Leaks from the magazine accompanying Scooby Doo 2002 live-action movie reveals that Scooby Doo should be about 7 years old.
How Many Scooby Doo Movies are There?
Scooby Doo has been rocking our TVs since the late 19060s. Fast forward to 2021, the animation has entrenched itself in contemporary cartoon culture thanks to the exciting personality of the likes of Scooby and Shaggy.
More than 40 movies featuring Scooby Doo have been released so far. Take note that this number excludes short films and TV movies.
4 Fun Facts About Scooby Doo
While we have come to love Scooby Doo, there are lots of fascinating fun facts about this movie that we bet you didn’t know before. Ready to get shocked?
Frank Welker Has Voiced Fred Jones for More than Half a Century
Tell us about longevity, and we will tell you that Frank Welker has been voicing Fred Jones for over 50 years. Few voice actors can boast the exploits of Frank Welker.
His IMDb page, for instance, is bountifully adorned with over 850 acting credits. Except in the movie called “A Pup Named Scooby Doo”, Frank has been the man behind the voice of Fred Jones. He has also voiced Scooby since 2002.
Did You Know Scooby Doo was Originally Meant to be a Sheepdog?
Alright, we have come to know that Scooby Doo is basically a Great Dane, but he was meant at the start to be a sheepdog.
The cartoon producers were ultimately turned from the idea to avoid excessive similarities with the Hot Dog from the also successful (at the time) “Archie” Comics.
Scooby’s Name is Derived from Sinatra’s Song
What would a legend like Sinatra have to do with an animated dog’s name? Well, his song does.
The famed “Stranger in the Night” 1966 hit song inspired the name Scooby Doo. Fred Silvermann, who produced the movie, reveals how he couldn’t sleep on a flight to Los Angeles.
Striving to brainstorm the theme for the movie, Sinatra’s song comes on, and the famed musician sings “doobie”. Bang, the idea lands in Fred’s head, and he chooses the name “Scooby Doo”.
Scooby Doo Has Only Gotten Two Nominations so Far
Can you imagine that for its deafening success, especially being the longest-running franchise ever, Scooby Doo has bagged only two major nominations so far?
Sad as it sounds, our beloved Scooby Doo has only been nominated for Daytime Emmy and Outstanding Animated Program. Specifically, ‘A Pup Named Scooby-Doo’ was nominated for the Daytime Emmy award in 1990, with the next nomination following some thirteen years later for the voice of Velma Dinkley (voiced by Mindy Cohn) in Outstanding Animated Program.
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