Cartoon illustration of a foggy moonlit mansion lawn where a knight's armour and a ghost sheet lie discarded, a big dog's howling shadow stretches across the grass from a brown paw and diamond-tagged collar at the edge, and a flower-painted van waits at the gate.

Original artwork, not a still

Scooby-Doo

Scooby-Dooby-Doo!

— Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! • 1969

Behind the line

What it means

Our interpretation.

It is a dog saying his own name in a silly voice, which is exactly why it works: it tells the audience the monster is unmasked and the scare is over. Because Scooby mangles his speech, the line also sounds like an all-purpose cheer, and fans use it as a victory cry or a way to end a story. Even Ricky Gervais, in a later guest role, teased it for being just Scooby's name said funny.

Context reviewed

In context

Spoilers for Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!Show the scene

Scooby-Doo's whoop of triumph goes back to the very start. The Scooby-Doo fan wiki lists the first episode of Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!, "What a Night for a Knight" (CBS, 13 September 1969, written by Ken Spears and Joe Ruby), as its first use. It is usually howled at the end of an episode, once the gang has unmasked the villain, and is mostly said in a joyful tone. The name itself came from CBS programming chief Fred Silverman, who said he took it from the "doo-be-doo-be-doo" scat in Frank Sinatra's "Strangers in the Night".

Sources (3)

Context reviewed

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