Friday marks 50 years of solving mysteries for Scooby and the gang.
“Scooby-Doo, Where Are You?” first aired on CBS on Sept. 13, 1969, Forbes reports. Since that time, the cartoon has only continued to grow in popularity.
“Scooby is one of the most popular animation franchises,” Maryellen Zarakas, Warner Bros.’ senior vice president of franchise management and marketing, told Forbes. According to Zarakas, Scooby ranks second (only behind Batman) in familiarity and product ownership with kids ages 6-12.
So what is the secret to Scooby’s continued appeal?
Mark Evanier, one of the series’ writers, told Forbes that the show’s format is “compelling.”
“It’s fun to watch the episodes and see if you can solve it before Fred does,” Evanier said. “Some of them are very clever. It’s the basics of any good mystery distilled down for a nine-year old.”
According to CNN, the show was created during a time when there was widespread concern about the amount of violence in children’s television shows. The aftermath of the assassinations of both Martin Luther King Jr., and Robert F. Kennedy, as well as images of the Vietnam War, finally caused a public outcry. Scooby-Doo was created to be a “gentler” alternative.
Kevin Sandler, an associate professor of film and media at Arizona State University, told CNN, “People needed relief from all of the terror and from all of the dystopia and from all of the anger, and ‘Scooby-Doo’ is groovy. Kids get scared, they watch, they think life is good, the monsters aren’t real.”
In the 60 years since that time, ‘Scooby-Doo’ has seen numerous reboots and spinoffs. The latest to be released, reported by Forbes, is a movie sequel called “Scooby-Doo: Return to Zombie Island.” Part of the 50th anniversary celebrations, it has been released digitally and will be released on DVD Oct. 1.