The Great Dane and the Meddling Kids

I awoke to a cloudy, warm morning. Alas, by the time I was up and about, the clouds had burst. It was raining cats, pigs, dogs, and chickens! I had planned on going to the Oaklyn Library, but it was too messy to go anywhere. I worked on crocheting and watched Scooby Doo: Mysteries Incorporated.

This is the newest version of Scooby Doo, which ran on Cartoon Network last year (and can still be seen in re-runs). On the surface, most things are the same. Velma is still smart and wearing orange. Daphne is still pretty, redheaded, and fond of purple mini-skirts. Fred is still goofy, has a things for traps, and wears an ascot. Shaggy is still wearing green, eating too much, and heading for the hills whenever something even remotely scary turns up...which, if you know this franchise, happens quite regularly. And Scooby is still a big dog with a bigger appetite who is almost more of a coward than his owner.

A lot of things, however, have changed. The name of the town has been changed from Coolsville (which always sounded sort of dumb anyway) to Crystal Cove. The kids all have parents and relatives who are actually concerned about their offspring running around in haunted buildings...except for Fred's dad, the town's mayor, who only cares about attracting tourists to the town's many ghostly sightings. The trouble is, the kids keep proving the ghosts are fake, which isn't making Mr. Jones happy. And then, there's what happened to the original Mystery Inc, who seem to have disappeared under very odd circumstances. Not to mention "Mr. E," the voice that pops up to give out clues from time to time, and Angel, the DJ who seems to know more about Crystal Cove and its secrets than she wants to admit...

There's also the romances running rampant. Daphne's always had a thing for Fred, but the only thing he has eyes for are traps and mysteries. Velma and Shaggy are quite hot on each other too...or would be, if Scooby was happier about sharing his best friend with someone else.

This is especially fun if you're a long-time fan of Scooby like I am who knows something about the show, its history, and the history of animation in the 60s, 70s, and 80s. A whole episode is devoted to spoofing the many Hanna Barbara and Ruby-Spears teams who were Scooby imitations in the 70s; another involves Vincent Van Ghoul, a prominent character from the 80s Scooby show The 13 Ghosts of Scooby Doo. (The same episode refers to another character from that show and Scrappy Doo.)

As a fan of real mystery series, I enjoyed the serial format; it's almost like watching an old-time cliffhanger. Those of you who prefer the more traditional format, don't like the darker tone or the mushy stuff, or who aren't animation fans may want to try the original show or the direct-to-home-video movies before coming here.

The rain finally ended around noon, which gave me a chance to run over to the Oaklyn Library for some volunteering. It was fairly busy, but there wasn't much to do. I organized the DVDs and children's shelf, and took a quick look at the young adults section. After I left there, I had lunch at my place, baked pumpkin muffins, and watched more Scooby, then went to work. By this time, the rain had disappeared completely, to be replaced by sun and lots of wind.

Work was quiet when I arrived and when I left. It was only busy during rush hour. I'm not thrilled with my schedule next week. Only one day off (Wednesday) and a very late night next Friday.