The dozens of Scooby-Doo animated series feature some incredible episodes with iconic villains and famous guest stars.
Scooby-Doo is one of the most popular Saturday morning cartoon franchises in the history of television, ranking among Looney Tunes and Transformers. The Scooby-Doo franchise features a total of 13 series since the debut of Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! in 1969 with hundreds of episodes across different formats to enjoy. With so many episodes, fans old and new are always looking for the best.
Whether it's the original series that introduced the gang or the latest version of the teenage sleuths and their dog, fans are spoiled for choice. Throughout it's 53 years of existence, the Scooby-Doo franchise has always had something for fans to love, including guest team-ups with other Hanna-Barbera characters or real-world celebrities, creative new monsters, or international adventures. There are too many great Scooby mysteries to count.
In Scooby-Doo and Scrappy-Doo episode two, "The Night Ghoul of Wonderland," the story explored the same robotic fantasy themes that make Westworld so popular. In a massive robot-populated theme park, people are able to live out fantasies from history and literature.
The gang accompany Velma on a fantasy to meet and team up with Sherlock Holmes to solve a mystery of stolen crown jewels. However, when the robotic villain malfunctions, its safety features are disabled, and the mystery takes a frightening turn as it becomes all too real.
The New Scooby-Doo Movies sent Scooby and the gang on a series of adventures with special guest star team-ups. It paired them with the likes of Batman and Robin, the Harlem Globetrotters and the Three Stooges. However, Sonny and Cher provided their best team-up.
The episode feels like a great campy horror mini-movie for kids, with the gang, Sonny and Cher staying in a creepy hotel haunted by a demon shark. With great comedy lines from Cher, a scary premise, and creature-feature set up, this is an essential Scooby-Doo episode for longtime fans.
In Scooby-Doo and Scrappy-Doo's third episode, Scooby and Scrappy find themselves embroiled in an X-Files-style mystery. After numerous sightings of an alien spaceship by locals, as well as a car chase against an alien driver, the gang joins the hunt.
"Strange Encounters of a Scooby Kind" was a fun "X-Cops" episode that made for a spooky case for the gang as they investigated a rural area, searching for the alien. With Scrappy at their side, the gang seeks to uncover the truth of the local UFO sightings.
One of the best traditions in Scooby-Doo is its showcase of great, scary monsters. In this episode of The New Scooby-Doo Mysteries, the gang travels to a costume party at a mysterious castle where they see numerous elaborate monster costumes.
The gang joins these monsters as they solve the mystery of a fellow monster among them with nefarious intent against the guests. However, the episode does a good job of leaving viewers, and the gang, in suspense as to whether Dracula and his guests are indeed real monsters.
The character Vincent Van Ghoul has been a part of the Scooby-Doo universe since his appearance in The 13 Ghosts of Scooby-Doo. The character is inspired by horror icon Vincent Price, and has been known to step in and help the gang from time to time.
However, in the Mystery Incorporated! episode "Nightfright," Van Ghoul found himself in need of help when a ghoul appeared in his mansion. The case was related to Van Ghoul's role as a movie producer, and how his actions led to a revenge plot from one of the people involved.
In the most recent Scooby-Doo series, Scooby-Doo and Guess Who?, the creators explored one of Scooby's greatest team-ups with Batman. Having the gang travel to Gotham City for Velma to meet Bruce Wayne, the gang decide to respond to a local mystery.
With Batman tagging along, the gang finds themselves looking into the mystery that is the Man-Bat, a question compounded by the fact the villain is safely locked up in Arkham. The mystery leads the gang and Batman to one of Gotham's most dangerous criminal masterminds. "What a Night for a Dark Knight" is a clear homage to the team-up episodes Scooby shared with Batman in The New Scooby-Doo Movies.
The closest thing Scooby-Doo has to a Christmas classic episode is "The Nutcracker Scoob." An episode of The New Scooby-Doo Mysteries, it sees the whole gang, along with Scrappy, involved in a winter mystery complete with a ghost set on ruining Christmas.
The episode is a clear homage to A Christmas Carol, and even includes a Scrooge-type character intent on shuttering the orphanage the gang is helping. With time running out for the Christmas show and the survival of the orphanage, the gang set out to solve the mystery of the ghost.
The Scooby-Doo, Where Are You? episode "Jeepers It's the Creeper" introduced fans to by far the scariest villain in the franchise. After finding a banker left at the side of the road after a robbery, the gang learns of the monstrous Creeper, and that he is responsible.
This was one of many episodes of the original series that truly felt horror-inspired, and the villain is by far the most memorable. The Creeper chases the gang through a farm as they encounter an old hermit. Then, the gang comes face-to-face with the Creeper inside the Mystery Machine.
The Scooby-Doo, Where Are You? episode "A Gaggle of Galloping Ghosts" had the gang looking into a mysterious castle they happen upon. After a look around, Mystery Inc. finds themselves face-to-face with three of horror's most recognizable monster villains.
With the likes of Dracula, the Wolfman and Frankenstein's Monster chasing after them, the episode serves as a great and thrilling creature feature. One of the episode's best aspects is the use of multiple iconic monsters, which made the episode that much more memorable.
On September 13th 1969, Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! aired on TV for the first time, introducing viewers to Scooby and the gang. The first episode, "What A Night For A Knight," had the gang come upon an abandoned truck with a suit of medieval armor in the front seat.
After returning the suit of armor to the rightful owner, the gang then find themselves investigating its disappearance. When they discover the knight has come to life, they can't help but search to uncover the truth of the armor and whether it is indeed a ghost. This episode hits all the beats of a classic Scooby-Doo episode and established the structure the franchise followed for decades.
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