Why is Scrappy-Doo Bipedal?
Recently, I was hit with a wave of nostalgia. I was reminiscing on the many road trips I used to take with my family growing up, and the movies I would watch in the backseat on our portable DVD player. Most often, I chose to watch Scooby-Doo movies.
One of my favorites was Scooby- Doo and the Ghoul School. For those of you unaware of the plot of this cinematic masterpiece, the premise is that Shaggy has been hired to be the gym coach at a girl’s finishing school. The students at the school turn out to be the daughters of famous monsters, but once Shaggy and Scooby get past their initial fear, they come to truly care for their students and coach them to victory in a volleyball match against their rivals, the Calloway Military School for Boys.
The film’s plot is ingenious, and refreshing, and after re-watching it, I am glad to report that is truly an enjoyable film for all ages. Additionally, it’s the only animated Scooby-Doo film I watched growing up that included Scrappy-Doo in the cast. The only other Scooby-Doo film I can recall watching that included Scrappy-Doo was the live-action Scooby-Doo film from the early 2000s. That film is truly a cinematic masterpiece.
And as I thought of the Scooby-Doo Cinematic Universe, a question rose to the front of my mind: Why is Scrappy-Doo bipedal?
To uncover the truth, I went on a deep dive into the genealogy of the Doo family.
Scrappy-Doo was born to Ruby-Doo, Scooby’s sister. Ruby is the only sister of Scooby-Doo. Scrappy’s father is not mentioned. Although Scrappy is initially raised by his mother, he is sent to live with his uncle Scooby after he becomes enamored with Scooby’s mystery solving lifestyle.
Scrappy, like his uncle Scooby has opposable thumbs and speaks English. But unlike his uncle, he does not have the same “R” speech impediment. However, of his siblings, Scooby is the only one to speak with an emphasis on the “R” sound, implying it is not an accent or a result of genetics.
Scrappy’s personality differs from Scooby’s. Where Scooby is timid and fearful of danger, Scrappy is willing to jump in head first. In this way, Scrappy takes more after his uncle Yabba, who is the only other relative of the Doo family that Scrappy interacts with.
Yabba-Doo works with Deputy Dusty of Tumbleweed County to fight crime. He is brave and willing to do anything to protect Tumbleweed Country. For a short time, Scrappy lived with his uncle Yabba. This time is documented in the Scrappy and Yabba-Doo shorts from the third season of the Scooby-Doo and Scrappy-Doo show. Is possible that Scrappy’s own brave personality and willingness to charge headfirst into danger is a result of his time spent with Yabba.
Scrappy Doo has a good relationship with his family. He cares for them deeply and is willing to do whatever he can to protect them. He admires his uncles as role models, and is similar to them in different ways. But he still differs from them in his bipedal nature.
Scrappy Doo isn’t bipedal because he’s a puppy.
The argument of using four legs as being something the Doo puppies just grow into is incorrect. One could argue that the reason Scrappy-Doo walks on two legs instead of four is because he’s a puppy and is short, but this theory disregards the evidence of A Pup Named Scooby Doo.
In the show, we follow the adventures of the Mystery Inc. when they were children. And the season two episode, Curse of the Collar introduces us to the extended Doo family.
We are introduced to Scooby’s parents Dada-Doo and Mumsy-Doo, as well as three of the other Doo children: Skippy-Doo, Howdy-Doo, and Ruby-Doo (Scrappy’s Mother). The absence of Yabba-Doo could be contributed to either Yabba not being born yet, or if he is older than Scooby, his absence from the episode’s family reunion could be attributed to him already working as deputy in Tumbleweed County and being unable to get the necessary time off.
All four Doo puppies featured in the episode are shown walking on all four legs. Throughout the series, various members of the Doo family are shown to have the ability to walk on two legs, but that is not the norm. Not even when they’re puppies.
Scrappy-Doo possesses the Doo family’s opposable thumbs, extreme strength, and ability to speak English. But unlike the rest of the Doo family, he never walks on four legs, only on two.
When will Hanna Barbera deliver us the truth?
Scooby Doo is a show that has been on since the 70s, and still has new episodes and series being released. However, Scrappy-Doo has received nothing more than the occasional Easter Egg in an episode, or short cameo since the early 2000s. It seems that Scrappy’s final appearance as a speaking character was as the antagonist of the 2002 live action Scooby-Doo film.
The series Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated attempted to explain Scooby’s ability to speak as him being the descendant of an alien race called the Anunnakai. However, this cannot be used to explain why Scrappy Doo would be bipedal, as other animals not part of the Doo family that were descendants of the Anunnakai still walked on four legs, the same as a non-alien-descendant animal would.
With a new reboot of Scooby-Doo coming to the Boomerang streaming service sometime in 2019, perhaps the answer of why Scrappy-Doo is the only member of the Doo family to not walk on four legs will be answered. But Scrappy’s bipedal nature has never been brought up in canon in the forty years he has existed within the Scooby-Doo Universe.
And perhaps it’s better that way. Scrappy’s bipedal nature is just one of life’s mysteries. You can’t rip off the mask of the way he walks to reveal Old Man Jenkins, who was trying to steal the deed to a plot of valuable land. It’s one mystery that can’t be unmasked. The truth behind Scrappy’s two legged walk might be stranger than aliens, and it might not be something the general public is ready to handle. But there is no denying that the truth, if unraveled, would be Mystery Incorporated’s most fascinating find.
