Scooby-Doo (full name Scoobert Doobert Doo) is a fictional animated cartoon character who has appeared in various television series since 1969. His original show, Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!, was created for Hanna-Barbera Productions by writers Joe Ruby and Ken Spears, and aired in 1969 and 1970. Scooby-Doo is a talking brown Great Dane and the lifelong companion of amateur detective Shaggy Rogers, with whom he shares many personality traits. As a sidekick to Shaggy and fellow teenagers Fred Jones, Daphne Blake, and Velma Dinkley, Scooby-Doo aids them in solving mysteries involving supposedly supernatural creatures through numerous antics and missteps. Characterized by his mix of canine and human behaviors (reminiscent of other funny animal characters created by Hanna-Barbera), and his slurred canine voice, Scooby is treated by his human friends more or less as an equal.
After his original series ended, Scooby-Doo re-appeared in numerous follow-up and spin-off animated series and specials and made-for-TV and direct-to-video movies, produced by both Hanna-Barbera and its absorber Warner Bros. Animation. He also appeared in three theatrical films, two live-action and one animated. In 2013, TV Guide ranked Scooby-Doo's original series the fifth greatest TV cartoon show of all time.
History with the Macy's Parade[]
Long before the Great Dane took a flight down Broadway, Scooby-Doo appeared as a walk-around character in 1983 and 1984, riding upon the Hanna-Barbera float. During the 1984 Parade, respectively, the float was decorated especially for Scooby's 15th anniversary, carrying an over-sized birthday cake at the front. After this appearance, the float and Scooby-Doo walk-around costume were retired.
After no association with the Parade in over 20 years, Warner Bros. Consumer Products would sponsor a giant helium balloon of Scooby-Doo, which was scheduled to debut in the 2005 Parade, to promote the direct-to-video film, Where's My Mummy?. He would later make two more consecutive appearances in 2006 and 2007, promoting the television series Shaggy & Scooby-Doo Get A Clue!. The balloon was retired after his 2007 appearance and hasn't been seen since.
The balloon would later be represented in 2011 by a walk-around Scooby-Doo costume, riding aboard the Hats Off To Our Heritage float.
The same year of his debut, he was also named Macy's Holiday Ambassador of 2005, and as such, was chosen to lead the Parade. In honor of this, a cold-air inflatable was perched upon a 34th Street marquee, with a special plush of Scooby being sold at select Macy's stores for a limited time. The cold-air inflatable was also used in the now-defunct Balloonopolis at Universal Orlando Resort from 2005 until 2007.
The Scooby-Doo franchise was also represented in the Macy's Holiday Parade with Shaggy Rogers and Scoobs riding in the Mystery Machine from the early 2000's until the rebranding of the Parade in 2016. The franchise has yet to appear in any form of units in the Parade again for the future.
Defects[]
- In 2007, part of his muzzle became partially deflated by the time the balloon reached Times Square for unknown reasons.