I know I'm going to make a lot of enemies here, but I have to say it: the original Scooby Doo series wasn't that great.There. It's done.I know I'm stepping on a lot of great memories here, but if you go back and watch Scooby Doo, Where Are You? you'll find it's hardly the sophisticated entertainment you remember from childhood. The animation looks cheap, the jokes are lame, and the characters are cardboard cutouts.A Pup Named Scooby Doo, though a lot of fans seem to revile it, is more successful than the original, in my opinion. Because of the liberal changes made to the formula, this functions more as an affectionate spoof of Scooby Doo than a continuation of it. Freddy's character shifts from humorless leader to incompetent moron; Daphne is a spoiled rich girl whose butler will appear out of nowhere to catch her in mid-faint; and, in spite of the fact that this takes place years before the original series, Velma has state-of-the-art (as of 1988) computer technology to aid her in catching the villain. I'm not sure why people get so worked up over these changes; in their original characterizations, everyone but Shaggy and Scooby were pretty dull, anyway. What's wrong with giving them an overhaul? The show itself was pretty formulaic (again, in the same vein as the original), but it was a fun formula. I particularly love the sequences where the kids run from (and occasionally dance with) the monster, set to groovy 1950s-style rock and roll music. Everything here is bigger than big; no-holds-barred wackiness generally ensues. And it's fun.

I had stopped watching Saturday morning cartoons in 1986, but in 1988, I did sneak a peak at this new Scooby Doo series, which I believe Hanna Barbera wanted to do with the Scooby characters what they already did with the Flintstone Kids in 1986. The only thing consistent that never changed was that the late Don Messick and Casey Kasem voiced over the child versions of Scooby Doo and Shaggy who never changed, even as kids.Now for the good news /bad news. The good news is the original gang is all back together. The bad news is, Velma, Daphne, and Freddy have drastically changed in personality. Velma, now with the IQ of 2000, barely speaks and when she says Jinkees,everybody makes a big deal out of it. Daphne is a spoiled rotten rich snob, who doesn't believe in ghosts and always calls on her butler Jenkins. And last but certainly not least, my favorite character Freddy underwent the most drastic change of all. Freddy has been drastically dumbed down and now has the IQ of -10 and he's a tabloid freak who loves to read the National Exaggerator and he blames everything on the neighborhood bully, Red Herring, plus Freddy has become an idiot conspiracy theorist whose theories are so stupid, some news anchor will interrupt the show now and then just to comment on them. Sadly, Freddy's change of personality seems to have influenced the writers of the current animated versions of Scooby Doo out there with the direct to video movies and even the live action movies where Freddy has been slightly dumbed down.I've watched the show only a few times, but I remember plenty. A Pup Named Scooby Doo is to me a show for kids who are either in preschool and kindergarten or maybe even younger. A stupid show, but a whole lot better than that 13 Ghosts of Scooby Doo series back in 1985.

I loved this show as I was working my way through the last years of high school. The Characters has a bit of a change. Fred was kind of a dummy and he kept on blaming all the crimes on Red Herring. The neighborhood Bully. Daphny was kind of snooty and lazy. She would have her Butler Jenkens bring her a change of clothes or rid a spooky house of dust. Shaggy and Scooby were the same duo as in the original series but younger. Velma was the cute smart one.I find it to be one of the last great shows on the 1980s. I like the skateboard that the gang would get around on. Who could forget Commander Cool and Mellow mutt. This was also one of the last series Don Messick voiced before his death in 2001 or so.The Animation was great most of the time, but on some episodes.. the PTB could have done a better job in terms of quality... Still, A Pup named Scooby Doo is far better then. "The new Scooby Doo Mysteries" and "13 Ghosts of Scooby Doo."

Some people would ask if this show saved the Scooby-Doo franchise. The answer is no! Sure this show is cute and marks the end of the Dark Ages. The problem with the show is that it's too childish. The first three Scooby-Doo shows were the type of programming kids and adults could laugh at for two different reasons. This show is mainly for kids. While this show is a turning point it's not what ultimately led to Scooby's comeback.