Character

Scooby-Doo

Scooby-Doo is a talking Great Dane who would rather hide in a suit of armor than meet a ghost. Hanna-Barbera built the series as a traveling mystery club: a van, four teenagers, and a dog whose hunger and fear keep resetting the plot just when the trap is almost set.

The formula is part of the fame. A haunted carnival, a glowing footprint, a villain who would have gotten away with it. Kids learned a comforting rule: the monster is usually a person in a mask, and the dog will still get a snack when the lights come up.

He stays in the hall because the design is instantly readable — brown coat, black spots, blue collar — and because cowardice, played warmly, became a kind of heroism. Scooby does not win by being brave first. He wins by showing up anyway, usually sideways, usually hungry.