Scooby-Doo has encapsulated my attention for nearly two decades, inspiring me with laughter, teaching me how to indecisively count on clues to solve an issue and showing me that the only true monsters in this world are bad people.

On Sept. 13, 1969 “Scooby-Doo: Where Are You!” premiered on CBS with the episode, “What a Night for a Knight,” capturing the imagination of children and setting a historic anchor in pop culture for generations to come. 

Being introduced to the character by my mother, who unfortunately passed in 2017, the lovable dog and his four colorfully clad friends hold a special place in my heart. Coincidentally, my mother was born in 1969, the same year Scooby-Doo made his first appearance, and she would’ve turned 50 herself this year. 

In the beginning, the “Scooby-Doo: Where Are You” series possessed a simple formula. A monster, ghost or ghoul was terrorising some ghastly location when the Scooby gang stumbled upon the mystery. 

Fred, the self-appointed leader of Mystery Incorporated, urged the group to split up and search for clues, immediately partnering himself with the “pretty girl” Daphne. He’d then send the brains of the operation, Velma, off in the other direction with the groovy goof Shaggy and the dog himself, Scooby-Doo. 

However, through the past five decades, the “gang” has seen many changes. Character identities have become more complex, evolving from the simple canon of the late ‘60s and early ‘70s. 

Scoobert (Scooby) Doo is, and always will be, a fun loving great dane mutt mix that always seems to be the first to stumble upon the countless series’ villains. His kind and pure spirit continues to hold a timeless place in the never ending mystery solving lore. The center of the Scooby dynasty has always been the hungry hero, but in latter years the character became more brazen, showing others how brave they can be when they set their mind to it. 

Norville (Shaggy) Rogers grew from the lanky sidekick to a complex character who’s best friends with a lovable dog. There’s really nothing more relatable. Yet Shaggy still had room for development and transitioned from a goof who was never taken seriously into the glue that kept all of his friends together.

Daphne Blake adapted from “Danger Prone Daphne,” the stereotypical damsel in distress, to a strong woman who possesses a large talent pool of skills. Skills which includes, but isn't limited to, journalism, content creation (before it was cool), fashion forward thinking, karate and a strong, brilliantly deductive mind. Daphne now fights for what she believes in and constantly seeks out the truth, always open to learning new things along the way. The witty redhead also transported from a serious, sometimes stuck up vanity queen to a humorful vested person who’s always concerned for her friends.

Velma Dinkley evolved from a booksmart pushover into a strong, independent mind who’s written and read hundreds of books, solved countless “impossible” problems and even has contributed to NASA. She took on a verbally outspoken attitude and always speaks her mind. Her blatant honesty came equipped with some snarky one liners that always make for a good laugh. 

Fred Jones established a strong, yet emotionally vulnerable attachment towards his friends, and the Mystery Machine, showing kids that it’s okay to express your emotions. He transitioned from seeing himself as Daphne’s knight in shining armor to realizing that she’s his best friend, ceasing to see her as someone who needs constant protection. Fred matured into quite the ingenuitive trap maker as well. 

The five original characters have cemented their presence in the halls of popculturedom, appearing in hundreds of shows (spanning across 12 individual television series), surfacing in a multitude of comic books and novels and retaining an impressive amount of movies and motion pictures under Scooby’s collar. 

In his half century history, the meddling mutt has joined forces with Gotham City’s dynamic duo, Batman and Robin, faced off against life force eating cat creatures, worked alongside Wonder Woman and has even saved the world on multiple occasions.

In reality, Scooby-Doo has pulled me from incredibly dark places. His constantly upbeat personality always provided me with a hopeful outlook on life, showing me that no matter the dark place, you can always grasp onto some sliver of light. Here’s to 50 more years Scooby-Doo!