# What's the usual level of difficulty in solving a Scooby Doo mystery? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 15, 2007, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-usual-level-of-difficulty-in-solving-a-scooby-doo-mystery/392339 "2007-02-15T14:14:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Wee\_Bairn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/90db22/32.png) [@Wee\_Bairn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wee_Bairn)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2007, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-usual-level-of-difficulty-in-solving-a-scooby-doo-mystery/392339/1 "2007-02-15T14:14:37Z")
I have never actually watched one of these from start to finish, even as a kid, but was wondering if the mysteries are complex and hart to solve, or can a five year old figure out who the monster is with regularity? Are they up to the level of Agatha Christie? Murder She Wrote? ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2007, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-usual-level-of-difficulty-in-solving-a-scooby-doo-mystery/392339/2 "2007-02-15T14:31:34Z")
The bad guy is generally the third lead. If a farmer and his daughter are being menaced by a scarecrow ghost, the culprit is the farm hand or the lawyer who appears in the first five minutes and is not seen again until the unmasking. If such a character is “kidnapped” by the ghost, that’s an even clearer signal. ---
**Author:** ![BMalion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e274bd/32.png) [@BMalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BMalion)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2007, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-usual-level-of-difficulty-in-solving-a-scooby-doo-mystery/392339/3 "2007-02-15T14:43:51Z")
[QUOTE=Otto] The bad guy is generally the third lead. If a farmer and his daughter are being menaced by a scarecrow ghost, the culprit is the farm hand or the lawyer who appears in the first five minutes and is not seen again until the unmasking. If such a character is “kidnapped” by the ghost, that’s an even clearer signal. [/QUOTE] “If the mask don’t fit, you must aquit.” ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2007, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-usual-level-of-difficulty-in-solving-a-scooby-doo-mystery/392339/4 "2007-02-15T14:46:58Z")
You do realise these are not true crime documentaries? ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2007, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-usual-level-of-difficulty-in-solving-a-scooby-doo-mystery/392339/5 "2007-02-15T14:57:15Z")
… and he invariably would have gotten away with it if it weren’t for those darned kids! ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2007, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-usual-level-of-difficulty-in-solving-a-scooby-doo-mystery/392339/6 "2007-02-15T15:07:36Z")
The criminal is always obvious before the first commercial. Apply Ebert’s Rule of Conservation of Characters. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2007, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-usual-level-of-difficulty-in-solving-a-scooby-doo-mystery/392339/7 "2007-02-15T15:37:50Z")
Hint: In this show, what appears to be a supernatural phenomenon is **always** faked. For some reason, they broke with that august and venerable tradition when they made the movie. ---
**Author:** ![Malacandra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Malacandra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malacandra)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2007, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-usual-level-of-difficulty-in-solving-a-scooby-doo-mystery/392339/8 "2007-02-15T16:13:30Z")
Well, except for that thing with Shaggy, Scooby, Scrappy and the Boo Brothers. And the _Witch’s Ghost_… And _Alien Invaders_, where there is a fake-up, but also a real ET… OK, _mostly_ it’s some guy in a costume, but they have transgressed once or twice, to the harming of the franchise IMHO. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2007, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-usual-level-of-difficulty-in-solving-a-scooby-doo-mystery/392339/9 "2007-02-15T16:38:20Z")
[QUOTE=Malacandra] Well, except for that thing with Shaggy, Scooby, Scrappy and the Boo Brothers. And the _Witch’s Ghost_… And _Alien Invaders_, where there is a fake-up, but also a real ET… OK, _mostly_ it’s some guy in a costume, but they have transgressed once or twice, to the harming of the franchise IMHO. [/QUOTE] Also the 13 Ghosts season with Vincent Price. ---
**Author:** ![fiddlesticks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiddlesticks/32/18129_2.png) [@fiddlesticks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fiddlesticks)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2007, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-usual-level-of-difficulty-in-solving-a-scooby-doo-mystery/392339/10 "2007-02-15T17:00:08Z")
The fun part is not typically “who?” but how (movie projector/robot) and why (wants to buy the property for cheap/wants hidden treasure for himself). Sorta like _Monk_ nowadays, except typically the only the audience knows “who” (and sometimes even why) when the opening credits roll. That Freddie, Daphne, Velma, Shaggy, and Scooby-Doo can never seem to learn anything from episode to episode on the course their mysteries always take is simply the good ol’ fashioned “reset button”. ---
**Author:** ![Velma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/85e7bf/32.png) [@Velma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velma)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2007, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-usual-level-of-difficulty-in-solving-a-scooby-doo-mystery/392339/11 "2007-02-15T18:22:46Z")
I always found them pretty easy. ---
**Author:** ![Terminus\_Est](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terminus_est/32/3087_2.png) [@Terminus\_Est](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terminus_Est)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2007, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-usual-level-of-difficulty-in-solving-a-scooby-doo-mystery/392339/12 "2007-02-15T18:51:55Z")
[QUOTE=fiddlesticks] The fun part is not typically “who?” but how (movie projector/robot) and why (wants to buy the property for cheap/wants hidden treasure for himself). Sorta like _Monk_ nowadays, except typically the only the audience knows “who” (and sometimes even why) when the opening credits roll. That Freddie, Daphne, Velma, Shaggy, and Scooby-Doo can never seem to learn anything from episode to episode on the course their mysteries always take is simply the good ol’ fashioned “reset button”. [/QUOTE] I thought it was the Scooby snacks. ---
**Author:** ![MonkeyMule](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9fc348/32.png) [@MonkeyMule](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MonkeyMule)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2007, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-usual-level-of-difficulty-in-solving-a-scooby-doo-mystery/392339/13 "2007-02-15T19:09:20Z")
[QUOTE=Terminus Est] I thought it was the Scooby snacks. [/QUOTE] BTW did you see when the Scooby gang showed up on the Venture Brothers? Man watching a cracked out shaggy get pimp slaped by a midly insane Fred was just aswesome. Also, his pimping of daphine and Velma’s lesbianism were nice touches as well. ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2007, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-usual-level-of-difficulty-in-solving-a-scooby-doo-mystery/392339/14 "2007-02-15T19:29:19Z")
[QUOTE=BrainGlutton] Hint: In this show, what appears to be a supernatural phenomenon is **always** faked. [/QUOTE] Interesting that in that regard, “Scooby Doo” is far more intelligent a show than several other current and recent programs I can think of (both dramatic series and “reality” shows) that treat supernatural phenomena credulously. (I’m looking at you, “Medium,” “Ghost Whisperer,” John Edward, Oprah, Larry King, et cetera…) ---
**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:** [February 15, 2007, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-usual-level-of-difficulty-in-solving-a-scooby-doo-mystery/392339/15 "2007-02-15T19:46:13Z")
[QUOTE=MonkeyMule] BTW did you see when the Scooby gang showed up on the Venture Brothers? Man watching a cracked out shaggy get pimp slaped by a midly insane Fred was just aswesome. Also, his pimping of daphine and Velma’s lesbianism were nice touches as well. [/QUOTE] Each one of the members of “the Groovy Gang” in that episode was a parody of a particular notorious 1960-70’s celebrity: Fred = Ted = Ted Bundy, the serial killer Daphne = Patty = Patty Hearst, the kidnapped heiress turned revolutionary Velma = Val = Valerie Solanas, the radical feminist who shot Warhol Shaggy = Sonny = David Berkowitz, the Son of Sam killer who believed that dogs talked to him Absolutely brilliant and so dark. I almost died laughing. ---
**Author:** ![KarlGrenze](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/dbc845/32.png) [@KarlGrenze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGrenze)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2007, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-usual-level-of-difficulty-in-solving-a-scooby-doo-mystery/392339/16 "2007-02-15T20:06:06Z")
When I was a kid (and heck, even sometimes now), I didn’t always find out who the bad one was until it was uncovered. Sure, I knew it wasn’t supernatural (it was the premise of the show)… but sometimes they had a couple of creepy characters, and either one of those I found (or find) could be the guilty ones. Of course, that has changed with the “new” modern version of Scooby and his gang that Cartoon Network showed a few years ago. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2007, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-usual-level-of-difficulty-in-solving-a-scooby-doo-mystery/392339/17 "2007-02-15T20:59:35Z")
[QUOTE=Wee Bairn] can a five year old figure out who the monster is with regularity? [/quote] Yeah, there’s always **someone** who warns the kids to stay away from the haunted forrest. And He’s always the ghost. > [@](#): > > Are they up to the level of Agatha Christie? nowhere near. > [@](#): > > Murder She Wrote? Somewhat more complex and believable. ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2007, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-usual-level-of-difficulty-in-solving-a-scooby-doo-mystery/392339/18 "2007-02-15T21:04:31Z")
[QUOTE=Velma] I always found them pretty easy. [/QUOTE] Then how come you wound up tied up in a bag half the time? ---
**Author:** ![MonkeyMule](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9fc348/32.png) [@MonkeyMule](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MonkeyMule)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2007, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-usual-level-of-difficulty-in-solving-a-scooby-doo-mystery/392339/19 "2007-02-15T21:06:42Z")
[QUOTE=muldoonthief] Then how come you wound up tied up in a bag half the time? [/QUOTE] Ohhhh BURN!! ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2007, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-usual-level-of-difficulty-in-solving-a-scooby-doo-mystery/392339/20 "2007-02-15T21:22:37Z")
Just so people know, there is a new version of Scooby Doo on Saturday mornings. My son who just likes almost all TV and is 6 and loves Scooby (old version, new version from Cartoon network, even Scrappy Doo version), \*\*thinks it stinks \*\* and the \*\*cartooning is dumb \*\* looking. My daughter who really likes the original and the Cartoon Network version hates it. **She actually hates it**. She was wondering why they would ruin such a good show. She is only 9. The producers have possibly achieved a worse version of Scooby than the Scrappy Doo years or the Boo Brothers year. I am mostly ignorant of the years after Scrappy joined and before the Cartoon Network version. Scrappy killed the franchise for me and I was getting too old for it anyway. The Cartoon Network Version was actually great. It had humor aimed at the older (parents watching with kids) crowd and the typical Scooby Doo humor and mysteries. I would say it was better than the original. I watched the originals at first airings when I was only 3 with my older brother. They were spooky back then at that age. **Peter Morris** , I love your comparison to _Murder She Wrote_. I concur. **Velma** , you really need to invest in either LASIK or a Croaky[sup]TM[/sup] Jim [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-usual-level-of-difficulty-in-solving-a-scooby-doo-mystery/392339.md?page=2)