What Scooby-Doo Taught Me About Mysteries (and Life)
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My love for mysteries started with 70s Saturday morning cartoons like “Scooby-Doo,” “The Funky Phantom,” “Speed Buggy,” and “Josie and the Pussycats.” Overly sweetened cereal, Pop-Tarts, and Saturday morning cartoons were a weekly ritual, and I learned a lot about the mystery genre and life from them. (The Cartoon Network or cable wasn’t around then. Cartoons rarely aired any time except on Saturday mornings, so it was a weekly ritual.)
Kids like me could be crime or problem-solvers. In all of the episodes, the gang figured it out and brought the villain to justice (before the adults did).
Use what you have available to you. Your wits and creativity go a long way in sleuthing.
Keep your eyes open and look for clues. Many times, they’re in plain sight.
These kids had the freedom (and a van) to travel to different places. (My mother would have never let me ride around in a van with a bunch of teens solving crimes.) They were so cool.
If you don’t know or understand something, ask questions.
If you’re clever, alert, and situationally aware, you can gather information and put the puzzle pieces together.
Don’t ever stop exploring or learning. We all need to be lifelong learners.
Everybody needs a pal or best friend (or a few). They are our sounding boards and support. We all need someone to go into a spooky old house, cave, or dungeon with.
Even if something is scary, you can face it. Shag and Scoob were not the bravest creatures, but they always mustered their gumption to trudge on.
Do the right thing. Stand up for the underdog and seek truth.
