The 13 Ghosts of Scooby-Doo

The 13 Ghosts of Scooby-Doo brought about several significant changes to the long-running Scooby-Doo franchise, which began in 1969 with Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! The gang was no longer pitted against criminals in rubber masks posing as ghosts. They now had to defeat real ghosts in order to save the world. It was their fault, really. The ghosts Weerd and Bogel duped Scooby and his friends into opening the “Chest of Demons,” which imprisoned thirteen of the most terrifying ghosts to have ever roamed the Earth. Because they released the ghosts, only they could return the ghosts to the chest. Thirteen ghosts… thirteen episodes in the series; in the end, the gang proved to be just as good at catching real ghosts as they were at exposing fake ones.

The cast from The New Scooby-Doo Mysteries, which aired the previous season, returned for this series. Two new characters joined the regular lineup of Shaggy, Scooby, Scrappy and Daphne. The first was a young con artist named Flim Flam, who regularly used his skills to get himself or his party out of a jam. The gang also received the help of the powerful warlock Vincent Van Ghoul — a cartoon caricature of Vincent Price — who provided the character’s voice. From his castle sanctuary, Van Ghoul provided information and guidance to the group by means of a crystal ball they carried with them when on the road.

Weerd and Bogel, the two bungling ghosts who started all the trouble, did their best to hinder the gang from returning the ghosts to the chest. More nuisance than menace, their interference rarely caused concern.

Of interest to longtime fans of the franchise, after sixteen years Shaggy and Daphne finally got a makeover. Though similar in fashion to his old look, a red shirt and blue pants replaced Shaggy’s traditional green shirt and red pants. Daphne’s change was more drastic. She received a new hairdo and an updated wardrobe befitting 1980’s fashion. Daphne’s character design was uncommon for a cartoon series, in that her attire changed from one episode to the next.

In 1988 the original Mystery, Inc. gang, which included members Fred and Velma, finally reunited as younger versions of themselves in A Pup Named Scooby Doo. The kids wouldn’t resurface again as teenagers until 2002, in What’s New Scooby-Doo?