56 Years Ago Today, One of the Most Legendary Cartoons Premiered (& Launched a Huge Franchise)

Close to 60 years ago today, Hanna-Barbera first released a cartoon that would change the course of animated history, launching a massive franchise for the 6 decades to come. Holding the distinct honor of being one of the most influential companies in animation history, the studio was responsible for a ton of cartoons that fans of older generations got to enjoy on Saturday mornings. But there’s been one in particular that has stood the test of time much better than all of the other shows, and that’s saying a lot.

Scooby-Doo, Where Are You? is by no means the first ever animated series released by Hanna-Barbera Productions, nor is it the first truly famous one as it followed in the wake of releases like The Flintstones. But it’s likely going to be remembered as the cartoon that broke through to the mainstream in the biggest way. It’s got an impact that is still being felt all these years later, and many generations of kids have gotten to see their own versions of Scooby-Doo. And it all started out with a bang.

Scooby-Doo Premiered 56 Years Ago Today

Scooby-Doo, Where Are You? first premiered with CBS on Saturday, September 13, 1969. Originally created by Joe Ruby and Ken Spears with Hanna-Barbera Productions, the show made its debut as part of the Saturday morning cartoon programming for the network and ran for 41 episodes in total. It’s not as long of a run as some of the other animated series at the time, but you’d never really guess that seeing just as how much these reruns dominated networks in the decades to come. In fact, the earliest days of Cartoon Network were pretty much dominated by old series like this one.

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Scooby-Doo, Where Are You? was also historic as it was the very Saturday morning cartoon ever to feature a laugh track like you would find in a sitcom. Seeming as like it was “filmed” in front of a studio audience, episodes saw Shaggy and the others making jokes while the audience chimed in on what was happening. This might not seem like a big deal in retrospect, but that’s ultimately what gave it such staying power. That’s before even mentioning the icon at the center of it all, the titular Scooby-Doo, who has gone on to even bigger fame over the decades.

Scooby-Doo, Where Are You? only ran for two seasons, but went on to inspire a whole host of new iterations keeping the franchise going. Introducing fans to a gang of kids who go around solving mysteries with their talking dog, Scooby-Doo has been a part of many generations’ of kids lives. Even more impressive is that each of these generations have a version of Scooby-Doo all their own. Because it was originally introduced as a counter to the kinds of “violent” Saturday morning cartoons (which was receiving an increasing number of protests), Scooby-Doo was crafted specifically for family entertainment.

Scooby-Doo Has Only Gotten Bigger In the Years Since

The Mystery Machine Gang might have been taking on scary situations and foes, but the laugh track and more comedic antics of Scooby-Doo helped to balance out that tension with a fun dose of unique energy. Scooby-Doo, Where Are You? was then such a hit that there were sequels and spinoffs quickly released in the years to come. The New Scooby-Doo Movies immediately continued the Mystery Machine gang’s adventures but teamed them up with real-life celebrities of the period like the Harlem Globetrotters, Scooby’s All-Star Laff-a-Lympics teamed him up with other Hanna-Barbera shows and even more.

Scooby-Doo fans were then introduced to the likes of Scrappy-Doo, 13 ghosts, kid versions of each of the A Pup Named Scooby-Doo, and tons of films that saw Scooby and Shaggy taking on even wilder adventures. There was even the period where the films took things in a more Horror focused direction like with classics such as Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island and Scooby-Doo and the Witch’s Ghost, and even getting a full revival in the 2000s with classic shows like What’s New Scooby-Doo? (with a banger of an opening theme to kick it all off).

Scooby-Doo has even made the jump to live-action with multiple films (both of which were famously written by current DC Studios head James Gunn), CG animated releases and more. The franchise is even planning to return with new projects in the future that continue to show that there are no signs of ever slowing down even all these years later. Scooby-Doo, Where Are You? wasn’t the first Hanna-Barbera release but it’s arguably been the most famous since it hit the air on Saturday mornings. It really did usher in a whole new multimedia, multi-generational icon who’s just going to keep going.

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