# Scooby Doo, wherefore art thou? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 12, 2001, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scooby-doo-wherefore-art-thou/92952 "2001-11-12T17:52:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![The\_Hamster\_King](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8edcca/32.png) [@The\_Hamster\_King](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Hamster_King)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2001, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scooby-doo-wherefore-art-thou/92952/1 "2001-11-12T17:52:25Z")
Why was Scooby Doo named “Scooby Doo”? Was it originally the name of an animator’s childhood pet, a doo-wop allusion, an off-color inside joke, pure invention, what? ---
**Author:** ![aseymayo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a88e57/32.png) [@aseymayo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aseymayo)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2001, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scooby-doo-wherefore-art-thou/92952/2 "2001-11-12T18:19:13Z")
Apparently it’s because Fred Silverman, the head of Children’s Programming for CBS at that time, was a Frank Sinatra fan. From [How Scooby was created](http://home.att.net/~sr.hughes/scooby/history.html) > [@](#): > > Silverman immediately flew back to Los Angeles that night. While listening to the earphones on the flight back, Silverman was relaxing to Frank Sinatra singing Strangers in the Night. The phrase ‘Scooby-dooby-doo’ struck Silverman so much that he went back and said ‘We’ll call the show Scooby-Doo, Where Are You? and we’ll make the dog the star of the show.’ And with those words Scooby-Doo was created with the other characters supporting him. ---
**Author:** ![aseymayo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a88e57/32.png) [@aseymayo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aseymayo)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2001, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scooby-doo-wherefore-art-thou/92952/3 "2001-11-12T18:27:17Z")
Er, checked the link again and Silverman was head of Daytime Programming, not Children’s - sorry for the slip. ---
**Author:** ![Kilt-wearin\_man](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/82dd89/32.png) [@Kilt-wearin\_man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kilt-wearin_man)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2001, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scooby-doo-wherefore-art-thou/92952/4 "2001-11-12T18:31:18Z")
I hate to nitpick off the topic, but if I recall properly, the phrase “wherefore art thou” actually means “why are you…” In other words, Juliet was asking why the hell Romeo couldn’t be someone else that her family wasn’t actively trying to kill. Of course, having grown up and re-watched some old Scooby-Doo cartoons on Cartoon Network, I do often find myself asking “why?” ---
**Author:** ![The\_Hamster\_King](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8edcca/32.png) [@The\_Hamster\_King](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Hamster_King)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2001, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scooby-doo-wherefore-art-thou/92952/5 "2001-11-12T18:32:49Z")
Wow, that was fast. Cool … thanks! ---
**Author:** ![ignatzmouse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b2d939/32.png) [@ignatzmouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ignatzmouse)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2001, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scooby-doo-wherefore-art-thou/92952/6 "2001-11-12T19:37:19Z")
IIRC, the quote from Shakespeare goes something like this: O Scooby, Oh Scooby Wherefore art thou Scooby? Deny Shaggy and refuse thy name. ---
**Author:** ![RiverRunner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/977dab/32.png) [@RiverRunner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RiverRunner)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2001, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scooby-doo-wherefore-art-thou/92952/7 "2001-11-12T20:12:48Z")
\*I hate to nitpick off the topic, but if I recall properly, the phrase “wherefore art thou” actually means “why are you…” \* I like to pick nits as much as anyone, but I’m not sure of the point of this particular nitpick(ing). Wasn’t the original question indeed why is he called Scooby-Doo? RR ---
**Author:** ![USCDiver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/uscdiver/32/354_2.png) [@USCDiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/USCDiver)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2001, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scooby-doo-wherefore-art-thou/92952/8 "2001-11-12T20:34:40Z")
I thought the subject was a clever pun on the name of the show, _ **Scooby-Doo, Where are you?** _ ---
**Author:** ![Kilt-wearin\_man](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/82dd89/32.png) [@Kilt-wearin\_man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kilt-wearin_man)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2001, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scooby-doo-wherefore-art-thou/92952/9 "2001-11-12T21:25:34Z")
I was nitpicking the title, and I did say it was off-topic. ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2001, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scooby-doo-wherefore-art-thou/92952/10 "2001-11-12T23:54:49Z")
Off to Cafe Society. bibliophage moderator GQ ---
**Author:** ![mobo85](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mobo85](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mobo85)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2001, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scooby-doo-wherefore-art-thou/92952/11 "2001-11-12T23:59:47Z")
I thought the name was appropiate. Not only is “Scooby-Doo, wherefore art thou?” a funny play on “Scooby-Doo, where are you?,” It is also a fancy way of saying, “Scooby-Doo, why were you named that in the first place?” ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2001, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scooby-doo-wherefore-art-thou/92952/12 "2001-11-13T00:27:49Z")
I was afraid, upon seeing the title, that “wherefore” would be misused, but pleasently surprised on reading the OP, since the word is, in fact, used correctly. It’s especially appropriate given that Juliet’s musings are specifically on why Romeo must bear the name that he does. ---
**Author:** ![Kilt-wearin\_man](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/82dd89/32.png) [@Kilt-wearin\_man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kilt-wearin_man)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2001, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scooby-doo-wherefore-art-thou/92952/13 "2001-11-13T14:15:40Z")
That’ll teach me to scan over an OP instead of reading it carefully just in case there’s a clever, subtle Shakespearian pun in there that’ll make me look like an ass for missing it… OK, so “Wherefore art thou” has a double meaning that completely whooshed over my head. Chronos, Mobo85, thanks for pointing it out. ---
**Author:** ![Cliffy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/59ef9b/32.png) [@Cliffy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cliffy)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2001, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scooby-doo-wherefore-art-thou/92952/14 "2001-11-14T00:15:50Z")
It’s NOT a double-meaning – that _is_ what it means. –Cliffy ---
**Author:** ![Kilt-wearin\_man](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/82dd89/32.png) [@Kilt-wearin\_man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kilt-wearin_man)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2001, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scooby-doo-wherefore-art-thou/92952/15 "2001-11-14T14:09:34Z")
By “double meaning” I was referring to the common mis-assumption that “wherefore” means “where”, as it was cleverly used in the title. Upon re-reading the OP, I realized that Pochacco was using it as “why” which is the correct meaning. IN SUMMARY: I get it now. It was very clever. Let it rest.