Corrupting the Scoobies June 07, 2003 - 2:46 a.m.

As many faithful fans [Yes, I'm talking about Buffy, yet again] already know, the demon fighting, apocalypse thwarting, one-liner heroes of BtVS are referred to as 'The Scoobies'. This of course was taken from the cartoon Scooby Doo, of which I have been a fan since I can remember, where the crime fighters of Mystery Inc followed clues to stop the bad guys who were disguised as monsters. While the monsters of Buffy were the real deal, the shows' similarities are glaringly obvious. Being a long time fan of Scooby Doo, it's no wonder that I enjoyed BtVS so much.

Like Buffy, Scooby had its share of followers despite being labeled a 'kid's show'. What exactly drew people into the show was hard to say. It could be anything from the carbon-dated slang from the 'hip and stylish' group to the mix-match of kids you wouldn't think would become friends to power of courage in the face of adversities to the idea of no true monsters, just bad people... or any number of other possibilites. As with any show, people young and old alike had their own reasons for appreciating it. But it seems that there is one thing that most of its fans can agree on... the shows' downfall. Many people have speculated that the demise of the cartoon was instigated with the appearance of a new character. Scrappy Doo, Scooby's nephew.

"Scooby and Scrappy-Doo" (1979 - 1983)
"The Richie Rich/Scooby-Doo Hour" (1980 - 1982)
"The Scooby and Scrappy-Doo Puppy Hour" (1982)
"All-New Scooby and Scrappy-Doo Show" (1983 - 1984)
"The New Scooby-Doo Mysteries" (1984 - 1985)
"The 13 Ghosts of Scooby-Doo" (1985 - 1986)

Obviously, except for the first one, these shows didn't last too long, though they tried to give each a new look and/or theme. The key ingredient everyone feels they should have dropped, was Scrappy. The die-hard fans stuck around and endured as much of this annoyance as they could, which can attest for the longer run of the first Scrappy show, but one can only take so much. And in the end, the fans gave up, which is evident in the following 'flops'. Vincent Price couldn't even save 13 Ghosts of Scooby Doo. The loyal fans were still around, but it wasn't enough to continue the spinoffs. Scrappy was given full blame for running it into the ground. Must have been the catch phrase 'Puppy Power'. Overused alliterations can frighten the bravest of souls.

In the premiere episdoe for season five of BtVS, they introduced a new character. Dawn, the slayer's unheard of sister.

I think you can already see where I'm going with this.

Scrappy was added; after struggling for a couple of years, the show died.

Dawn was introduced; a few years later, the show ends.

Though Buffy ended not from a loss of viewership, but more from a decision about career changes for Sarah, it stands to reason that Dawn could be considered the Scrappy Doo of the 'Scoobies'. Another point to support this theory, is the hate many fans feel for Dawn's character, as it is on par with the level of hatred that Scooby Doo fans felt for Scrappy. You may have fans that say Scrappy is their favorite character, but the same can be said for Dawn. Both characters seem to offer a love 'em or hate 'em persona. It's just that far more than half appear to have overpopulated the hate 'em side.

Where do I fit in on the love/hate scale? I don't. Maybe I'm holding the scale? I'm the kind of person that doesn't see a particular character as the reason a show fails or succeeds. That lies in the hands of the writers and directors. I think each character that is ever included in a series, has their own reason for being there. They have their own element that they bring to the show, whether it be good or bad. Every character is a commodity in their own right. They may be highly annoying, but not necessarily a hindrance to the show. There are times Dawn thoroughly pisses me off, but then there are times where she rocks. Same with Scrappy. He's usually an obnoxious shit, but he's managed to help save the day on several occasions. Doesn't make me like him any more, it just proves that he can actually manage to be an integral part to the story at times.

Hhmmm.... Puppy Power. Slayer's Sister. Another link?

With all this talk of Buffy and Scooby, I'm wondering if there's a vid put to the theme of Scooby.

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