15 Most Popular Scooby-Doo Characters Ranked Worst To Best
"Scooby-Doo" is one of the most popular cartoons to ever grace our screens. Created in 1969 by Hanna-Barbera Productions, Scooby and the Mystery Inc. gang have been solving mysteries and unmasking monsters since before many fans were even born. The character is a cultural staple — there hasn't been a generation since the 1970s that didn't have its own incarnation of the beloved Great Dane, and we couldn't be happier for it. Along the way, various characters have been added to the "Scooby-Doo" mythology to varying degrees of success. Some are loved, some are hated, but they all play an important part in the collective history of our favorite mystery-solving gang.
Whether your favorite character is Fred Jones or Velma Dinkley, "Scooby-Doo" has something for everybody, and has proven time and again to make us laugh and make us think. Out of all the recurring "Scooby-Doo" stars to show up over the years (including Batman himself), these are the most popular characters ranked worst to best.
15. Scrappy-Doo
While everyone loves to hate Scrappy-Doo, believe it or not, the character was originally created to save "Scooby-Doo" from cancellation after a serious drop in ratings in the late '70s. Without Scrappy and his "puppy power," Scooby and the gang might not even be around today. "Scooby-Doo" was rebranded at the end of the decade as "Scooby-Doo and Scrappy-Doo" and the motor-mouthed puppy replaced "Scooby" icons Fred, Velma, and Daphne for a good chunk of the '80s. Slowly, the rest of the gang returned, but Scrappy remained all the way through the 1988 television film "Scooby-Doo and the Reluctant Werewolf," which saw Shaggy turned into, you guessed it, a werewolf. Scrappy wouldn't appear as a hero ever again — although he showed up at the end of the live-action 2002 film where it's revealed that he's actually the villain.
Scrappy gets a bit of a bad rap, though — although he's pretty obnoxious at times, he has a real fondness for his dear old uncle Scooby. His bravery and courage are unmatched when compared to Shaggy and Scoob, as he never backs down from a fight (often against real monsters). Scrappy gets passing references every once in a while, including a meme-fueled moment in 2011's "Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated," but he's mostly been absent from the franchise since the gang officially got back together.
14. Flim Flam
Although for a long time he only appeared in the short-lived "The 13 Ghosts of Scooby-Doo" series from the mid-'80s, Flim Flam still made his mark on the collective "Scooby-Doo" consciousness. This young boy was a street child in Tibet who joined a red-shirted Shaggy, Scooby, Daphne, and Scrappy-Doo on their eventual quest to find all the missing ghosts from the Chest of Demons. However, the series was canceled before the gang got to finish their globe-trotting mission, and Flim Flam wasn't mentioned again save for a reference in "Mystery Incorporated" ... until the more recent animated film "Scooby-Doo! and the Curse of the 13th Ghost" brought the "13 Ghosts" gang back together (minus Scrappy) to finally finish what they started all those years ago.
As a kid, Flim Flam was a bit of a con artist who would jump at any opportunity to make a few bucks, but his love for the gang always triumphed over his personal pursuits. He even cured Daphne from becoming a werewolf once. As an adult, Flim Flam proved to be just as heroic as ever and helped the gang solve the mystery of the final 13th ghost. Guess he was a more acquired taste.
13. Hot Dog Water
First appearing in "Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated" as a villain, Marcie Fleach (called "Hot Dog Water" by most due to her unpleasant aroma) eventually became an ally to the gang. Played by live-action "Scooby-Doo" star Linda Cardellini (who played Velma in both feature films), Marcie was meant to be both a foil to Velma and also a friend. Because of this, she's probably one of the most intelligent characters on any "Scooby-Doo" series, having created both the Manticore and the Dark Lilith personas (and high-tech suits) to scare the people of Crystal Cove. At one point, Marcie even joined the Mystery Inc. gang, replacing Daphne for a spell (including in the opening credits) in "The Night the Clown Cried II: Tears of Doom!" and "Web of the Dreamweaver." It didn't last long, though, as she was abruptly kicked out of the gang upon Daphne's inevitable return.
While this led her back to a life of crime, she eventually sacrificed herself so the gang could stop the Evil Entity beneath Crystal Cove and save not just the world, but the entire universe (yeah, pretty heavy for a "Scooby-Doo" show). Of course, Marcie was eventually resurrected when the gang reset the entire timeline, but that didn't make her death any less impactful, especially to Velma.
12. Professor Pericles
An evil parrot and old mascot for the original Mystery Incorporated, Professor Pericles was one formidable foe. A main presence in "Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated," Pericles always has more hidden up his little scarf than meets the eye. After escaping the Crystal Cove Animal Asylum for the Criminally Insane, Professor Pericles quickly resumed his quest to find the hidden Planispheric Disk pieces so he might find the cursed treasure himself. This led the evil parrot to work with Scooby-Doo on more than one occasion, though always with his own hidden agendas. Pericles might be the most evil "Scooby-Doo" character on this list, and is definitely the most ruthless. He even had an army of Nazi robots at his command.
Over the years, the evil parrot has slowly become one of the most popular "Scooby-Doo" villains, and after two seasons of "Mystery Incorporated" where he often murders his enemies, it's pretty clear why. But on the bright side, once the gang reset the timeline, his past was wiped from history and the corrupting influence of the Evil Entity of Crystal Cove no longer had any hold on him.
11. Batman
Yes, Batman is a regularly recurring character on "Scooby-Doo," and it's been that way since the early 1970s. Back in "The New Scooby-Doo Movies" (which were not movies in the slightest) when Scooby and the gang would team up with just about any famous celebrity, Batman and Robin arrived to aid the gang on a few different occasions, often unmasking the Joker and the Penguin as the main culprits. Of course, it helped that both Shaggy and Robin were voiced by the legendary Casey Kasem at the time. Still, the Dynamic Duo became a staple as far as "Scooby-Doo" crossovers would go and the gang would eventually join Batman on his own show, "Batman: The Brave and the Bold." The Batman/Scooby-Doo crossovers would prove so successful that a crossover film was eventually made in 2018 entitled "Scooby-Doo! & Batman: The Brave and the Bold," which reminds us that Batman goes "wherever puppet-related crime rears its ugly head."
More recently, Batman teamed up with Mystery Inc. on "Scooby-Doo and Guess Who?" to find Daphne's missing uncle-but-not-uncle Alfred Pennyworth, marking a new era of Batman-related Scooby-Doo team-ups (this isn't even to mention the comic book series doing the same). While the Dark Knight might not be the most obvious "Scooby-Doo" character, he's arguably the most famous. His contributions to the "Scooby-Doo" legacy shouldn't be ignored, even if he didn't originate with the Hanna-Barbera cartoon.
10. Red Herring
Remember that phase in cartoons during the late '80s and early '90s when all your favorite characters like the Looney Toons and the Muppets were de-aged into babies? Well, Scooby and the gang joined the fun with "A Pup Named Scooby-Doo," and folks ate it up. Sure, it was more of a meta-parody than a classic episode of "Scooby-Doo, Where Are You?," but it always sought to entertain, and entertain it did. The "Scooby-Doo Detective Agency" was the perfect training ground for our young heroes before they were old enough to start up Mystery Inc. The show also provided one of the best additions to the "Scooby" mythos in Red Herring, who was meant to be a ... well, a red herring. Red was always blamed for every crime committed in Coolsville, especially by Fred. Of course, the one time that Fred doesn't accuse Red of a crime, in "Night of the Boogey Biker," he's actually behind it. Still, he always seemed the most likely suspect.
Red didn't live on long past "A Pup Named Scooby-Doo" and hasn't appeared in a genuine role ever since. Though he did get passing cameos in both "Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated" (who didn't?) and the 2020 animated film "Happy Halloween Scooby-Doo!," where he was aged upwards a bit to fit the respective narratives. At least he wasn't stuck as a baby forever...
9. Blue Falcon & Dynomutt
You've no doubt heard of the Blue Falcon and Dynomutt from 2020's "Scoob!," but this heroic pair has actually been around since the early '70s and crossed over with Scooby and the gang way back in "The Scooby-Doo/Dynomutt Hour." Since then, these Hanna-Barbera icons have made their mark on both "Scooby-Doo" and other Warner Brothers-related properties. A darker, Frank Miller's Batman-inspired version of the Blue Falcon appeared on "Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated," seeking revenge against a robot dragon, though Dynomutt retains his upbeat personality. The duo would return again in the animated film "Scooby-Doo! Mask of the Blue Falcon," which was more of a meta deconstruction obviously inspired by Adam West's 1960s "Batman" series and Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight Trilogy.
Although Blue Falcon is a clear Batman ripoff, Dynomutt serves a more comedic, Scooby-like role that has always balanced the two out, no matter how dark his pal B.F. gets. More recently, Blue Falcon and Dynomutt arrived to help Scooby and the gang on the case of the Medusa Monster in "Scooby-Doo and Guess Who?," which gets all sorts of weird. Still, if Shaggy, Scooby, and the gang ever need a hero to call, you can bet that Blue Falcon and Dynomutt are at the top of their list.
8. Sheriff Bronson Stone
Another from the "Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated" bundle of most popular "Scooby-Doo" characters, Sheriff Bronson Stone is possibly the most incompetent sheriff you could find, but we love him anyway. Played by Patrick Warburton, the Sheriff has some of the best moments on the whole show. He holds to his sworn duty to "serve and protect" (unless man-crabs are involved), and while he might not solve as many crimes as the Mystery Inc. gang, he does occasionally do something right. Whether it's as the counselor for the group's makeshift "help session" or the right hand man to whoever the current mayor is, Sheriff Bronson Stone (Sheriff being his first name) is always there to haul the criminals off into the night, regardless if he captured them himself or not.
After appearing in 34 installments of the series' 52-episode run, Sheriff Bronson Stone might be the most frequent recurring character in all of "Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated," if not all of "Scooby-Doo." Sadly, his appearances are strictly tied to the "Mystery Incorporated" series and he hasn't shown up again since, but that doesn't make him any less popular with Scooby fans everywhere, hopeful that he might eventually return in some form or another.
7. The Hex Girls
The Hex Girls were an immediate hit with "Scooby-Doo" fans everywhere when they blasted onto the scene in the late '90s. First appearing in the animated film "Scooby-Doo! and the Witch's Ghost," the Hex Girls are initially suspects when the gang arrives in Oakhaven to investigate the ghost of Sarah Ravencroft. From their introduction song, Thorn, Dusk, and Luna captivated us with their Eco-Gothic girl-power rock, and we haven't looked back since. As it turns out, the girls weren't behind the witch's ghost after all and would eventually re-appear in "Scooby-Doo! and the Legend of the Vampire" a few years later before subsequent appearances on "What's New, Scooby-Doo?," "Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated," and "Scooby-Doo and Guess Who?"
After their greatest hits appeared on the "Scooby-Doo! and the Witch's Ghost" soundtrack, various religious groups protested the alleged occult influence the Hex Girls might have on children. Regardless of their protests, Warner Bros. doubled down on the characters, bringing them back to "Scooby-Doo" with relative consistency. Shaggy, Scooby, and the Hex Girls even got to perform in a "band battle" against a ghostly ska band, which was all the rage.
6. Vincent Van Ghoul
"The 13 Ghosts of Scooby-Doo" added the strange warlock Vincent Van Ghoul to its eclectic cast of characters, who were tasked with capturing the ghosts that Scooby and Shaggy were tricked into releasing from the Chest of Demons. Based on horror icon Vincent Price, Van Ghoul was voiced by him too, which made the character all the better. With a very "Thriller"-esque laugh at the end, Price narrates the opening for "13 Ghosts," casting a dark shadow across the short-lived series from the moment it begins. Shockingly, it took almost 30 years for the series to be revived as the "13 Ghosts" story was finally concluded with "Scooby-Doo! and the Curse of the 13th Ghost," which saw Van Ghoul portrayed by Maurice LaMarche after Price's death in the early '90s. While LaMarche does an excellent job at parodying Price, the horror legend was still the best Vincent Van Ghoul by far.
"Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated" parodied the character even further with their version of Van Ghoul (also voiced by LaMarche), who was a B-movie horror actor (and Shaggy and Scooby's idol). This interpretation was actually a lot of fun and was a respectful way to honor the original "13 Ghosts" series and Vincent Price himself.
5. Velma Dinkley
It's no secret that the Mystery Inc. gang wouldn't get as far without Velma, just as it isn't a secret that she's one of the most popular characters in all of "Scooby-Doo." Forever the group's Agent Scully, Velma would rather die than admit something can't be explained by science or reason, but that's why we love her — she's always looking for the facts. No matter if she's in a relationship with Shaggy, running her own occult bookstore, or actually the monster behind the mystery (yeah, it's been her once or twice), Velma will always hold a special place in our hearts. While she's been the designated "smart one" for the better part of "Scooby-Doo" history, it wouldn't be until "Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated" that she'd get a more fleshed-out personality, armed with lots more sass and sarcasm than before.
In 2021, it was announced that "The Office" star Mindy Kaling was working on an adult animation "Velma" series for HBO Max, and we couldn't be more excited about it. After all these years, it's time that Velma finally got her doo — er, due ... Now hopefully she can hold onto her glasses for more than five minutes.
4. Fred Jones
"Let's split up and search for clues!" Possibly the most famous words spoken in any "Scooby-Doo" series apart from Scooby's traditional catchphrase. Fred is always the man with the plan who's faithfully led the gang for decades, even into the paranormal and unknown (they even crossed over with "Supernatural" once upon a time). Fred has always been the one with his head firmly on his shoulders, ready for whatever comes at him, all the while pining over Daphne (who he wouldn't kiss until 2013's "Scooby-Doo! Stage Fright"). Yet in recent years, Fred's become a lot more self-conscious and introspective, with the live-action 2002 film and "Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated" making him something of a blockhead, while the most current animated films play along. Regardless, it's nice to see a more sensitive side from Mystery Inc.'s fearless leader as he charges headfirst into battle.
While the show might be called "Scooby-Doo," there's no doubt that Fred's leadership and muscle are vital to the success of the Mystery Inc. gang. The show would certainly look very different without him.
3. Daphne Blake
The youngest member of the Mystery Inc. gang is definitely one of the most popular with "Scooby-Doo" fans. Daphne isn't just your first childhood cartoon crush, she's so much more. In fact, Daphne has stuck with "Scooby-Doo" longer than everyone but Shaggy as both a member of "The 13 Ghosts of Scooby-Doo" and "The New Scooby-Doo Mysteries" crews (though Fred and Velma would return in the latter). "Danger-Prone Daphne" has gone through a lot of changes over the years, and while she still gets captured by monsters quite a bit, the 21st century has seen her fight back. After being played by "Buffy" star Sarah Michelle Gellar in the 2002 film and its sequel, Daphne's been able to take care of herself and her friends a bit better than she could in the '70s. But the most drastic change would be in DC Comics' "Scooby Apocalypse" series, which saw Daphne turn from a journalist to a gun-toting post-apocalyptic survivor who watches Fred die in her arms. Yeah, it's pretty intense.
But what has always made her a fan favorite is that regardless of her privileged upbringing, or how many times she's kidnapped, Daphne refuses to back down and will always fight for her friends, making her the heart of the gang. That's the mark of a true hero, and why Daphne remains one of the most popular "Scooby-Doo" characters to date.
2. Shaggy Rogers
It's no secret that Shaggy fits into all the beatnik and hippie stereotypes from the 1960s and '70s, basically creating the classic horror stoner trope we know and love, but Shaggy is also much more than that. The only human character to appear in every single incarnation of "Scooby-Doo" in a leading capacity, Shaggy always sticks beside his best friend's side. So much so that in "Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated" he actually broke up with Velma because it was affecting their friendship. While that might not be the best approach, it proves that if Shaggy is anything, it's loyal. Plus, he's always happy to grab a bite to eat. What's more important in a good friend? After Shaggy was voiced by Casey Kasem for decades, Matthew Lillard took over the role in 2002 with the first live-action film, and has played Shaggy in many films, TV series, and video games ever since.
Shaggy has become something of a meme culture icon as well, which has even translated into his animated appearances in recent years. There's no doubt that as long as Scooby-Doo is out there chasing and solving different mysteries, Shaggy will be right beside him doing the same, even if it ends with them running away screaming.
1. Scooby-Doo
Of course the most popular "Scooby-Doo" character of all time had to be Scooby himself. As if there was any doubt, Scooby has been beloved by audiences around the globe for over fifty years, countless animated appearances, and a special highlighting the show's legacy. Who doesn't love Scooby-Doo? This charming Great Dane might be a bit of a coward, but he'll always see the job through, especially when Scooby Snacks are involved. Whether he's the mythical "heart of the jaguar" or just a puppy with a nose for adventure, Scooby has always been the star of the show and being a talking dog, which is incredible in and of itself, has only made him more timeless. A true comedic force, Scooby-Doo is one of the most recognizable cartoons on the planet — right up there with Mickey Mouse and Bugs Bunny, but with a lot more exciting adventures under his belt.
"Scooby-Doo" wouldn't be the same without Scooby — just look at that terrible Daphne and Velma spinoff — and if time has proven anything, it's that he has timeless appeal.