Even the sweetest pooch can get serious when it comes to competitive ball. Pet photographer Seth Casteel captured funny underwater images of friendly dogs looking ferocious while diving for balls.

Link | Photographer’s Website

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I don’t know about you guys, but I have never had a dog that actually enjoyed baths, especially one that pretty much laid back and soaked like this one does. I can tell you it would be a welcome change though.

Via Cute Overload

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Wikki wikki wikki what. Go Frenchie, it’s your birthday.

Via I Has A Hot Dog

Of course, I’d hate to see this Dovahkiin actually slay the equally adorable elder dragon.

Link Via Geekosystem

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This is what I look like after a night of hardcore blogging. To be fair, a dog this lazy could only belong to a lazy person who obviously didn’t want to bother cleaning up the spilled food himself.

Even one Saint Bernard by itself is a lot of dog. Yes, they belong to a breeder, Lasquite’s Saint Bernards in British Columbia. I can’t even imagine how much kibble they go through. -via reddit

You can’t take your dog into grocery stores, so where do you put him? If you tie him up outside, someone could steal him. The Hundehiet is one solution from Norway. Just stick your dog inside while you shop and pick him up when you’re done.

Link -via Technabob | Photo: Henrick Eriksson

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What happens when a little dog finds a giant pile of leaves to play in? Hilarity, of course.

via Geekosystem

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This might just be the happiest the dog I’ve ever seen online…which is saying a lot.

Via Laughing Squid

Denmark is responsible for the defense of Greenland. To serve this role over such a vast and harsh land, the Royal Danish Navy maintains Sirius, the only special forces unit in the world that travels primarily by dogsled. Photographer Fritz Hoffman joined one team on its patrol into the frozen wilderness, snapping pictures of the amazing men and dogs who keep the peace there. You can view several more at the link.

Link -via Marilyn Terrell | Fritz Hoffman’s Website

But what’s not obvious is that the dog isn’t working for the Alliance. He’s a spy for the Empire. The hairy emblem is part of a false flag operation. Do not trust this dog owned by a friend of Geekologie reader Joe.

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I don’t often use the word “squee,” but this video just evokes the noise from my lips. What about you guys?

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You’ve already seen a picture of the AT-AT dog, but this shot of the little one munching on dinner is simply too precious to ignore.

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These two critters are rescued animals that now reside over at the Hillside Animal Sanctuary. Aren’t they adorable together?

Via Geekosystem

While some people criticize the efforts put into these prosthetics, particularly in species that are not under threat of extinction, it is important to realize that these developments could help save a critical breeding member of an endangered species one day. Additionally, many of these techniques are brand new and by testing them on animals, researchers are developing useful insights to see if they may one day work on humans. If you end up losing a body part and get a bionic replacement twenty years from now, you might just have a cat or dog to thank for your top-of-the-line prosthetic.

Oscar the Cat

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Oscar lost his two rear legs in an accident with a combine harvester. After losing so much blood, his owners were told to expect the worst, but even after he survived the ordeal, their vet warned that cats rarely live happy lives with only two legs. Fortunately, he referred Oscars owners, Kate Allen and Mike Nolan to a veterinary surgeon who specializes in state-of-the-art animal medicine.

After looking at Oscar’s situation, Dr. Noel Fitzpatrick agreed to take on the new patient, surgically fitting him with implants that can eventually be attached to prosthetic paws. The surgery makes Oscar a notable kitty as he is the first cat to ever have prosthetic paws.

While the process was a success, Oscar’s paws haven’t yet been perfected for outdoor use. He has been made to be a house cat for the rest of his life, but really…that’s not all that bad now is it, especially when you consider how he was injured in the first place.

Storm the Dog

The first animal to receive such treatment though was Storm, a Belgian Sheperd, who lost his paw after it became infected with a tumor. The same vet that would later provide Oscar with his bionic paws, Noel Fitzpatrick, was the first to offer this service to any animal and Storm was the perfect candidate. Fitzpatrick says that he hopes his developments can eventually be used to help soldiers returning from Iraq and victims of the July 7^th bombings in London.

Naki’o the Dog

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Earlier this year, Naki’o became the first dog in the world to be fitted with a full set of bionic paws from Orthopets, a leader in the pet prosthetics industry. Far from just helping him walk easier, the paws are so well attached that he can now run and swim just as he did before the accident. Naki’o lost his paws due to severe frostbite after his previous owners abandoned him to fend for himself throughout the freezing winter in Nebraska. Despite the fact that the poor pup had to crawl on his stomach to move, he still found a loving adoptive family who worked tirelessly to raise the money to get Naki’o the prosthetics he desperately needed. Their efforts paid off as Naki’o is now thrilled to have his bionic paws and is eager to run, jump and fetch with his new family.

Boonie the Goat

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Boonie was a happy little goat, until he got tangled in a rope and broke his leg trying to escape back in 2008. Unfortunately, the break was so bad that his leg had to be amputated. Fortunately, Boonie’s owner cared enough about her little goat to get in touch with Orthopets, the same company that would later help Naki’o. He now happily frolics and forages with his own specially-designed leg.

Coal the Dog

Coal was eight years old in 2008, when his left paw had to be amputated due to cancer. Vets warned that he might have to be put down because his other legs were too weak to carry him. But his loving owner, Reg Walker, refused to accept this fate and instead shelled out more than $15,000 to get Coal his own bionic leg that was completely compatible with Coal’s tissue. The titanium alloy used is specially designed to mimic the dog’s skin so the natural skin and bone will seal with the metal implant without being rejected by the body. Veterinarians involved with the process are hopeful this new technique can be adapted to help bombing victims recover from their traumatic injuries much more quickly and easily.

Fuji the Dolphin

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Fuji was a popular inhabitant at the Okinawa aquarium where she lived…that is, until an unknown disease started eating away at her tail fin. To save her life, veterinarians had to amputate almost all of her tail. Unfortunately, for a dolphin, that is practically a death sentence in itself as it leaves them unable to swim, jump or dive in the water.

Fortunately, the Bridgestone tire company heard about poor Fuji and stepped in with a team of researchers dedicated to helping the little dolphin get back to her old hijinks. They tried design after design, carefully perfecting a prosthetic tail that Fuji would feel comfortable with that would also be strong enough to support her swimming. Eventually, they got it right and now Fuji is back in the limelight where she is most happy, swimming and jumping with a new lease on life.

Winter the Dolphin

Image via crimfants [Flickr]

While Fuji was the first dolphin to receive a prosthetic tail, Winter is certainly the most famous. In fact, after Winter received her prosthetic, a documentary was soon made about her, titled Winter, the Dolphin That Could, and not long after that, Warner Bros made a fictionalized version of the story starring Morgan Freeman, Dolphin Tale.

Just in case you haven’t seen either of the movies though, it all started when the three-month-old dolphin got tangled up in a crab trap line and ended up losing her tail and two vertebrae in the process. Like Fuji, she was left unable to swim. Fortunately, Hanger Orthopedic Group stepped forward to help provide her with a prosthetic. Eventually Winter learned to swim again and become a star attraction at the Clearwater Marine Aquarium.

Yu Chan the Sea Turtle

Images via Kawamura Gishi

Of course, dolphins aren’t the only critters that rely on their fins to swim. When Yu Chan was discovered without two front flippers, presumably due to a shark attack, the Sea Turtle Association of Japan stepped in to help her out with two prosthetic flippers. Many designs were tested, with the Association hoping to eventually develop fins that could be bionically attached to the animal, as the prosthetics will have to be very sturdy and attached quite tightly if they are to be expected to last throughout the rest of Yu Chan’s life, which could go on another 50 years.

Not only is the rescue a big deal for Yu Chan, but also for sea turtle enthusiasts throughout the world, as only one other sea turtle was ever fitted with a false flipper, but the attempt failed after her stump proved too small to hold the prosthetic.

Beauty the Eagle

Beauty lost her top beak due to a reckless poacher. She had difficulty preening her feathers, drinking and eating had become practically impossible for her until she was taken to a recovery center in Anchorage.

It took a full three years for researchers to develop a working artificial beak that would help her grasp food. Even so, the beak pictured isn’t even a permanent solution. This first model was created to help engineers develop more precise measurements for her second prosthetic. While the final beak will fit better and be designed with tougher materials, there are no plans to release Beauty back into the wild, as the team fears she has spent far too much time relying on humans to survive on her own again.

Motala the Elephant

Motala made headlines in 1999 when the Thai elephant lost her foot after stepping on a landmine. While vets were able to save most of her leg, it still was left shorter than the others. It took researchers six years to develop a prosthetic that would work for the pachyderm. She then had to use a temporary prosthetic made with wood shaving for another eight months until she became strong enough to be fitted with the permanent one made with fiberglass and silicone. That’s because poor Motala became so used to not using that leg that she had to become reaccustomed to walking with it.

Of course, there are plenty more animal prosthetic stories out there. In fact, while this article focuses on the newest and most high-tech versions, I’m sure many of you know an animal that has been fitted with a prosthetic of one kind or another. If you have any of your own stories, feel free to share them in the comments.

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In honor of all of the great action movies that take place on Christmas, 39 Degrees brings you Gundog, the greatest action movie animal of all time.

Via BuzzFeed

Most of the dogs in this gallery have an expression on their face that says “Why me? What did I do to deserve this?”, and all this dressing up business is clearly giving them a case of the holiday blues. Owners, don’t be surprised if these dogs have left some presents of their own in your shoes!

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Although they lack Chewbacca‘s vocal range, the dogs in this Purina ad can impressively bark out a tune. Be sure to take them caroling with you this year.

-via Ace of Spades HQ

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You’ve already seen a dog dance the meringue, but if you prefer solo dances, then you’ll love seeing Stuart salsa dance.

Via The Laughing Squid

It’s the Nightmare Before Dogmas over in Hershey, PA at the great dog grooming expo. Don’t miss all the other great dog designs over at Vice.

Link Via BoingBoing

“Why? Why? Why?” That has to be what these dogs are thinking. While they may be embarrassed by the shots their owners seem to love, the rest of us can enjoy just how hilariously bizarre these pictures are.

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WebUrbanist has some great animal houses on one of their recent articles, but I have to say my favorite is definitely the fish tank adaptation that allows the fish to swim across the room from one tank to another. Do any of you have similarly cool adaptations at your home?

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Lassie has nothing on this pup. Tsar the dog knows exactly how to be man’s best friend.

-via That’s Nerdalicious!

His owner, Richard McCormack, 62, said: “He sits next to me when I’m driving and in the driver’s seat when I’m not.

“The handbrake is on the dashboard and he’s seen me release it many times.

He was just copying me. “He’s tried it on before.”

Mr McCormack parked his massive mobile home in Winnellie Rd, which runs down a slight hill, and popped into a yard to inquire about repair work.

He was gone only a couple of minutes, but that was enough for Woodley to go for a spin.

“I came out and saw the bus going down the road. I couldn’t believe it,” he said.

Woodley’s getaway was — this time — unsuccessful. After the motorhome moved about two hundred yards, McCormack was able to jump inside and stop it.

Link -via Dave Barry | Photo: Patrina Malone

It’s just blissful to watch these two friends interact. Lucy is a Portuguese Water Dog and Whiskey Brown is a Quarter Horse stallion. They work and play together, even once to chase a wild hog.

-via Blame It on the Voices

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If Occupy Wall Street was more like this, there certainly wouldn’t be so many fights between the protestors and the police.

Via Cute Overload

Habitual tail-chasers had 6.5+/?2.3 times the odds of being described as ‘Stupid’ than other dogs, and perseverative dogs were 6.8+/?2.1 times more frequently described as ‘Funny’ than distractible ones were. Compared with breed- and age-matched control videos, tail-chasing videos were significantly more often indoors and with a computer/television screen switched on. These findings highlight that tail-chasing is sometimes pathological, but can remain untreated, or even be encouraged, because of an assumption that it is ‘normal’ dog behaviour.

Another takeaway from this study is how YouTube can provide a vast and unsifted resource of behavioral observations to researchers of all kinds. Someday a scientist may be watching your behavior, either on video, in the description, or in the comments! Link

Wampugs, which should not be mistaken for Wampas, are particularly dangerous because they use their cuteness to get within biting range. Do not be lulled into a false sense of security by this somewhat domesticated one named Chubbs.

-via Super Punch

YouTube user Lorduss1 attached a GoPro camera to a stick and chased his dog around the yard. Watch the world spin as you become a plaything to a retriever.

-via Say Uncle

Another appalling double standard. When Oscar the dog walks around on his front paws while peeing, it’s cute. When I do it, people call the cops.

-via Geekosystem

Mama can teach her puppies to chase cats, but she hasn’t taught them what to do when they catch one! Russian YouTube user ignoramusky strikes again, adding just the right music to change the mood of an everyday video. -via Arbroath

New York’s Tompkins Square Dog Parade is the biggest dog costume contest on earth and this year’s participants certainly did not fail to disappoint. You can enjoy 50 pictures from this year’s event over at BuzzFeed, but my personal favorite is this Bulldog of Frankenstein.

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If you love corgis and pets in costumes, then you’ll love this great BuzzFeed post featuring a whopping 90 of these little shorties in absolutely precious costumes. If you don’t like corgis, well then, I feel bad for you.

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YouTube user darkbluedrew no doubt deserved to win first prize at a dog costume competition. Her pooch can comfortably walk around in a rolling thank. Be sure to watch the other video, which shows the gun in action.

Another Video -via Craft

My dog can swim. Because of her tendency to panic, I had her in a dog life jacket (Forte recommends having any dog on the water in a life vest or at least a harness). Besides helping her float as she frantically dog paddled toward shore, the vest served a second purpose: The handle makes hauling a big wet dog back into a boat much easier.

I grabbed the leash hooked to the vest. A little maneuvering to get her alongside the kayak, and a lot of leaning in the opposite direction by me and coaching from the trainer, and I soon had my now much cooler dog back in the kayak. I was proud of myself for staying calm and being fit enough for the task, and of her for not shutting down afterward (cheese helps).

Link -via TigerHawk | Photo: Julia Robinson, Austin-American Statesman

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You’d think the mastiff would fare better, but sometimes being big is both a blessing and a curse.

Via BuzzFeed

A lot of people shy away from adopting special needs animals, but these pets can often provide a whole new level of companionship that most people will never experience. Photographer Carli Davidson knows just how special these animals are, which is why her images portray them in such a loveable light.

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Geek cred is obviously very important to dogs these days. Katie Mello made this AT-AT costume for her dog so that he’ll be the coolest dog going trick-or-treating this year.

Link -via Super Punch | Previously: A Real AT-AT Dog

Kansas City Schools have a program called No More Bullies, in which program volunteers, accompanied by trained dogs, teach kids about fairness, compassion, and integrity for one hour a day over five days. “The animals are the glue that helps the children stay focused and understand the message,” says Jo Dean Hearn, an ex-teacher who developed the program. “Children can easily identify with an animal. And it’s easy for them to transition when we ask them to consider how an animal feels (if ill treated) to how the kid sitting near them feels (if poorly treated).”

It’s a great program that’s showing promising results, and it isn’t the only one. Check out the rest of the story on The Week. Link

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Who knew this is the face a pug would make while going down a slide?

This must be animal abuse because no self-respecting animal would willingly make that face when there was a camera present.

Link Via BuzzFeed

Link Via BuzzFeed

Dogs go into different stances depending on whether they’re peeing or pooping, and by running a hand down the dog’s back, the handler can figure out what’s going on. If the dog’s back is flat, it’s peeing — male guide dogs are trained to not lift their leg when peeing; they utilize the same “lean forward” pee stances that females use — and no cleanup if needed. If the dog’s back is rounded, handlers know some cleanup will be required. By feeling their way down the dog’s back to its butt and tail, they have a pretty good idea of where the poop is going to wind up. Once the dog is finished, the handler just leans down with their plastic bag and can find the poop pretty easily.

Red more about their special potty training at the link.

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Or at least…his dog incarnation from the films. That’s right, Berry, the gorgeous black dog that played Sirius Black when he was a dog in the movies, is now up for adoption because his owner doesn’t have time to take care of such an energetic senior dog. The only catch -you have to adopt his best buddy Porridge too, but they make a great pair and are both movie stars, so that really shouldn’t be much of a drawback.

Link Via The Mary Sue

What happens when you take a baby sheep and raise him with your springer spaniel? He might just think he’s a dog, that’s what. Jack fetches sticks, walks on a leash and even tries to baaa-rk.

Link Via BuzzFeed

Everyone likes dogs, right? How about surfing? What about surfing dogs? In the most adorable mash-up ever of two seemingly unrelated things people like, a recent competition pitted man’s best friend against some totally righteous waves.

Five competitors piled on a surfboard during Sunday’s Surf Dog Surf-A-Thon in Del Mar, Calif. The event welcomed 4,000 spectators, 80 pooches, and raised more than $100,000 for orphaned animals. Canine surf competitions have recently grown in popularity, and a number are held in Southern California each year.

Check out the slideshow of hang-ten pups on The Week. Link

Image: REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson

Uchida Geinousha of Japan holds the Guinness World Record for having the most dogs jump rope at the same time. She’s trained thirteen dogs to leap at just the right moment.

Link -via Christopher Jobson

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It’s one thing for a dog to balance a treat or two on its nose, but this retriever balancing a massive Jenga pile of dog biscuits is just plain amazing.

Via Cute Overload

You may think you know Scooby-Doo, but unless you’re a die-hard fan, there’s a good chance you haven’t even heard of half of the movies and you probably haven’t seen most of the TV shows. That’s nothing to be ashamed of –after all, the series has been running for almost 42 years straight. So for those of you who haven’t caught up on decades worth of episodes and movies, here’s a run down on the different incarnations of the franchise in honor of Scooby’s September 13^th birthday.

Image via abibrooks [Flickr]

Whining Sometimes Does Help

I know a lot of our readers take issue with how overprotective many parents have become in the last few decades, but if you like Scooby-Doo, then this is one time you might be able to forgive them. As it turns out, the idea for the show arose after parent organizations, particularly Action for Children’s Television, began protesting the violence of Saturday morning cartoon shows. The pressure was so high that many of the most popular Hanna-Barbera shows, including Johnny Quest, were cancelled due to the protests.

As a result, CBS was scrambling to come up with a Saturday morning cartoon line up that parents would be able to get behind. The first successful new show was The Archie Show, which was based upon the Archie comic book. One of the most popular parts of the show was the musical numbers performed by The Archies during each episode. To capitalize on this idea, Hanna-Barbera was hired to come up with a show that would feature a teenage rock group that solved mysteries between gigs.

Image via informatique [Flickr]

Mysteries Five Was Just Too S-S-Scary

The first version of the show was called Mysteries Five and it featured five teens, Geoff, Mike, Kelly Linda, W.W., and their dog Too Much –who played the bongos in their band. Eventually it was decided that Too Much should be a Great Dane. The character designer, Iwao Takamoto, then consulted a Great Dane breeder to learn more about the breed’s distinguishing characteristics. He then promptly ignored almost everything he learned, designing Too Much with overly bowed legs, a sloped back and a double chin, making him look much more humorous than the real dog breed.

By the time the show was ready for review, Geoff and Mike were merged into a character who eventually became Fred, and Kelly, Linda and W.W. were all renamed to “Daphne,” “Velma,” and “Shaggy” respectively. The show’s title was also changed to Who’s S-S-Scared?

When CBS saw the storyboards for the show, they thought the artwork looked to spooky for young viewers and decided to pass on it.

The creators quickly scrambled to come up with something more acceptable and soon decided to make the show funnier by focusing on Shaggy and Too Much and decided to drop the rock band angle of the show. The CBS executive in charge of the children’s lineup was listening to Frank Sinatra’s song “Strangers in the Night,” on a way to one of the development meetings when he was hit by the singer’s scatting “doo-be-doo-be-doo.” And thus Scooby-Doo was born and the show was quickly retitled Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! When the newest incarnation of the show was presented to CBS, it was immediately approved.

Image via TheNixer [Flickr]

Hearing Voices

Have you ever thought that a certain Scooby Doo character’s voice sounds vaguely familiar? You’re probably right. Many of the original voice actors from the show have loaned their voices to other productions throughout the years. Most notably, Scooby Doo’s voice was provided by Don Messick, who also voiced Astro from The Jetsons, Boo Boo Bear and Ranger Smith from The Yogi Bear Show, Muttley from Wacky Races, and Papa Smurf from The Smurfs. He also voiced Scrappy Doo after the character’s first year in the series.

Regular cartoon viewers may also recognize the voice of Fred, who was performed by Frank Welker. Welker also was responsible for the voice of Slimer in The Real Ghostbusters, Doctor Claw in Inspector Gadget, Hefty Smurf in The Smurfs, a variety of characters in both the G.I. Joe and Transformers cartoons, Garfield in post-2005 Garfield cartoons, and he even does the voice of Nibbler in Futurama.

Of course, Shaggy’s voice is also pretty well-known to most readers –he was performed by radio DJ Casey Kasem (pictured).

The gals on the show were not performed by such successful voice actors, but it is worth noting that Daphne’s voice changes after season one because the original voice actor, Indira Stefanianna Christopherson married and retired in 1970. Her replacement, Heather North, voiced Daphne for over 25 years, retiring in 2003.

Image via Alan Light [Flickr]

A Working Format

While Scooby Doo may be a classic these days, the idea really wasn’t all that original. The original episodes were largely based on the sitcom Dobie Gillis and the radio show I Love a Mystery. In fact, each character directly related to Dobie Gillis characters, Fred as Dobie, Velma as Zelda, Daphne on Thalia and Shaggy on Maynard. Shaggy even looks like a cartoon version of Maynard, featuring a similar hairstyle and a goatee. The premise was also very similar to the Famous Five book series where four kids and a dog would set out to solve a mystery that was almost always created to divert attention from the villain’s true goal. Sound familiar?

Of course, Scooby-Doo’s success led to it becoming an influence on other Hanna-Barbera cartoons of the 1970’s, most notably, Josie and the Pussycats and The Funky Phantom.

Image via prayitno [Flickr]

Revitalizing A Classic

Image via fuzzcat [Flickr]

While Scooby-Doo episodes and movies are still being made, the original series as we know it ended by 1978, a few years after the show switched networks, moving from CBS to ABC. That was by no means the end of the iconic character though, instead, ABC launched Scooby-Doo and Scrappy-Doo in 1979 to help bolster the show’s slipping ratings. After the first year of the series, Fred, Daphne and Velma were dropped from the show and the series was changed to comprise of three seven-minute-long adventures, rather than one half-hour-long story. Another big change –in the Scooby and Scrappy series, the supernatural villains were actual ghosts, not criminals in costumes.

The show changed formats again in 1983, when Daphne was brought back in and the show was adapted into two eleven-minute mysteries per show. Velma and Fred periodically appeared in these episodes, but not all the time.

In 1985, the show was completely reworked to become The 13 Ghosts of Scooby-Doo, which featured  Daphne, Shaggy, Scooby and Scrappy working alongside with the new characters of Flim-Flam and Vincent Van Ghoul (the cartoon version of Vincent Price –who did voice the character). The show depicted the characters traveling the world to capture the 13 most terrifying ghosts on earth.

The network stopped playing new Scooby-Doo episodes for the next two years after the final episode of The 13 Ghosts of Scooby-Doo in 1986. But in 1988, they brought out an entirely new incarnation of the show called A Pup Named Scooby-Doo, which featured the original characters as junior high students. The show was much more comedic than the originals and was heavily inspired by classic cartoons by Tex Avery and Bob Clampett. This show was a success and managed to last until 1991. This would mark the end of new Scooby-Doo shows until the 2000’s.

While new episodes of the show weren’t being released, reruns were being played constantly at first on a variety of networks and then exclusively on Cartoon Network and Boomerang after 1998.

After the live-action movie came out, the Cartoon Network and Warner Bros. felt it was time to bring Scooby back and they launched a new version of What’s New Scooby-Doo? in 2002. First-run episodes were played on Kids’ WB on Saturday mornings and then reruns were played on Cartoon Network. The show is largely similar to the original version only it includes modern technology and cultural icons, making it easier for modern kids to relate to.

In 2006, this new incarnation of the show was replaced by a new show, Shaggy & Scooby Get a Clue! The plot involved Shaggy inheriting money and a mansion from his rich uncle who went into hiding after fearing that villains were trying to steal his secret invention. The main enemy is named Dr. Phibes and is based on Dr. Evil from Austin Powers and Vincent Price’s character from The Abominable Dr. Phibes. While Scooby and Shaggy usually foil the plots alone, Fred, Daphne and Velma periodically make guest appearances.

The most recent version of the show, Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated is unique in that while each episode contains its own mystery, the show is a serial built upon the ultimate discovery of one great secret.

Image via JD Hancock [Flickr]

Scooby the Movie Star

No matter how old you are, if you’ve ever been a fan of Scooby-Doo, then you’ve almost certainly seen at least one of the movies. That’s because they started making movies featuring the character all the way back in 1972 and there have been tons of flicks since then.

The first Scooby-Doo movies were created for television by CBS. Each one starred celebrities (real or imaginary) as guest stars. Guests included Josie and the Pussycats, Sandy Duncan, Phyllis Diller, The Harlem Globetrotters, the Three Stooges, Don Knotts, The Addams Family and Batman & Robin.

In the mid-eighties, Hanna-Barbera created three more movies, this time featuring just Scooby, Scrappy and Shaggy. These flicks were similar to the early Scrappy-Doo episodes and featured the gang running into real monsters and ghosts.

As the show halted production in the early nineties, so did the movies, but they started back up again in 1998 with the direct-to-video films Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island, Scooby-Doo and the Witch’s Ghost, Scooby-Doo and the Alien Invaders and Scooby-Doo and the Cyber Chase. These films were notably darker than many of the other animations and the characters faced real supernatural villains instead of criminals pretending to be monsters. Since then, more animated films have continued to be added to the lineup almost every year, some featuring real monsters and some featuring detective stories.

The Scooby-Doo movie that most people are familiar with (although many fans wish they could forget it) is the full-length live-action version released in 2002. This movie featured some of the top teen stars at the time, including Freddie Prinze, Jr. as Fred and Sarah Michelle Gellar as Daphne. Scooby was a computer animation. The movie was such a success that they released a sequel two years later.

In 2009, Cartoon Network premiered a live-action prequel to the films called Scooby-Doo! The Mystery Begins. It did not feature any of the original cast, but this same crew was also used in another made-for-tv movie in 2010, Scooby-Doo! Curse of the Lake Monster.

Image via thisiscow [Flickr]

Character Changes

After so many years of cartoons and movies, it’s not surprising that the characters have gone through a number of changes. One of the biggest differences occurred when Daphne, originally inclined to be nothing more than kidnap fodder, started to perform karate and other defense techniques in the late 90’s movies.

Another change, Shaggy became a vegetarian after the 2002 television series because Casey Kasem, a dedicated vegetarian, demanded that Shaggy follow his way of eating. So much for his habit of eating anything under the sun.

A Pup Named Scooby-Doo gave the characters a little bit of a background story, including the fact that they all hailed from Coolsville, something that stayed in effect throughout the years.

In Scooby-Doo, Mystery Incorporated, the characters were first able to explore romantic feelings between one another, but it’s hard to say if this should count towards the regular story line because creators considered this a reboot of the other shows and the characters have different names of their parents.

Image via World of Oddy (Flickr)

Do you dig Scooby-Doo? And if so, which version is your favorite? Personally, I loved the original series, but I could never stand Scrappy-Doo, even so, I’d take a billion Scrappy episodes over the live-action movie.

Sources: Wikipedia #1, #2, #3

“It was all so fast. All I could think about was my dog was going to die,” said Collins.

“It was a stupid thing but I couldn’t help it,” she said. “I know you’re not supposed to do that but I didn’t want my dog to be killed.”

Now that’s one dedicated puppy owner.

Link Via The Mary Sue