Scooby Doo, Where Are You! (1969 — 1978)

Scooby Doo, Where Are You! (1969–1978) is a popular American animated comedy series created by Joe Ruby and Ken Spears and produced by Hanna-Barbera for CBS. It follows the adventures of four high school students, Fred, Daphne, Velma, and Shaggy, accompanied by their Great Dane friend Scooby-Doo. Together, they solve a variety of unusual mysteries, often thwarting someone’s plans to cause chaos in the world. Their trusty van, the Mystery Machine, always seems to have engine trouble or break down on their way to or from regular teenage activities. As they stumble upon each mystery while trying to make it to their intended destination, they willingly offer their help to investigate. Eventually, with enough clues gathered, the group exposes the ghost or monster as a villain disguised as an innocent authority figure or local resident. This discovery leads to the famous words ‘And I would have gotten away with it too, if it weren’t for you meddling kids!’ before the culprit is taken into custody and the gang continues on their journey.

The initial version of what eventually grew into a series, Scooby-Doo was a sizable, affectionate yet fearful Great Dane who accompanied four high school students, Fred, Daphne, Velma and Shaggy, in their search for mysteries and excitement. They drove around in a bright green van known as the Mystery Machine. Many of their escapades involved adversaries who disguised themselves as supernatural entities such as ghosts and monsters. These villains were typically involved in various deceitful acts such as blackmail, theft and fraud. Whenever trouble arose, Scooby-Doo (and often Shaggy too) would run for cover, only to find themselves in even deeper turmoil.