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EXPLORE THE SPOOKY TRUTH BEHIND SCOOBY-DOO IN A NEW BOOK FROM AN ACCLAIMED FOLKLORE EXPERT
A FASCINATING STUDY OF THE MYTHS, LEGENDS, AND FOLKLORE THAT INSPIRED THE CLASSIC CARTOON
WRITTEN BY FOLKLORIST AND PODCASTER MARK NORMAN
PUBLISHING FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 13TH 2024. PRE-ORDER HERE.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Chinbeard Books and Oak Tree Books are pleased to reveal ‘Zoinks!: The Spooky Folklore Behind Scooby Doo’; a new book by author Mark Norman. A renowned folklore expert and host of the popular ‘Folklore Podcast’, Norman is known for exploring myths and traditions transferred through generations by folk stories.
Published on Friday the 13th (scary!) of September — the 55th anniversary of the debut of the first episode of Scooby-Doo — ‘Zoinks!’ presents folklore through the lens of the classic capers of Scooby-Doo, one of the most recognized and best-loved cartoon characters in the world, sharing the chilling and mystifying origins of some of the show’s popular villains.
“Scooby-Doo has drawn heavily on real-world myths, legends, and folklore from cultures around the world,” says author Mark Norman. “It’s also had a massive influence on popular culture and generated more than a few urban myths.”
‘Zoinks!: The Spooky Folklore Behind Scooby Doo’ is set to be released in limited edition hardback, available exclusively from AUK Direct. Those who pre-order will receive a pack of 10 exclusive illustrated ‘Zoinks!’ art cards — including the cover artwork by Robert Hammond (with the 9 inner illustrations presented in a Hanna-Barbera style by illustrator Rhi Wynter).
Synopsis Mystery Incorporated– Fred, Daphne, Velma, Shaggy and Scooby-Doo– have been investigating supernatural events for over fifty years and, in that time, there has never been a serious study into the make-up of Scooby-Doo … until now.
In this groundbreaking book, extensively researched and written with input from a number of the animated show’s writers and producers, folklorist and author Mark Norman– creator of the popular multi-million downloaded show The Folklore Podcast– investigates the actual folklore behind all of your favourite Scooby-Doo episodes. And even some featuring Scrappy too.
How has the show drawn on real-world folklore in its representations of ghosts, witches, monsters and more? It’s time to pull off the mask and reveal the truth behind the fiction.
The author of many books on folklore, ‘Zoinks!’ is the first time Mark Norman has combined his knowledge with popular culture. “Despite having such a massive catalogue of material, there has never been a serious study into the make-up of Scooby-Doo,” says the author. That is until now.
Barnaby Eaton-Jones, who commissioned the book, writes: “I run Chinbeard Books and there’s more of an air of Shaggy about my look, though I’ve yet to attain a dog who talks to me and jumps into my arms at the slightest moment of terror. I couldn’t resist Mark Norman’s pitch for this book, which was like someone at University, hopped up on Scooby Snacks, saying ‘Hey, man! Like, here’s my idea for my final dissertation!” and getting it accepted.”
He continues: “I’ve been a fan of Mystery Incorporated since I was young and fell in love with it all over again when ‘Be Cool, Scooby-Doo!’ came out in 2015. I’ve also been a fan of spotting the real-life folklore behind some of the stories and villains, and how the Scooby Gang riff off that. Mark Norman has provided a valuable- and amusing- resource, by linking the legendary to the legends that are Fred, Daphne, Velma, Shaggy, and Scooby-Doo.”
‘Zoinks!: The Spooky Folklore Behind Scooby Doo’ will be published on Friday the 13th of September and available exclusively from AUK Direct as a limited edition hardback (with an exclusive pack of 10 art cards per book).
About Mark Norman Mark Norman is a popular author and folklorist. Mark is the creator of The Folklore Podcast, one of the most respected shows in its genre, ranked in the top 0.5% of shows worldwide for listener figures and with approaching 2 million downloads across 9 seasons.
About Oak Tree Books Since the year 2000, Oak Tree Books — Andrews UK’s premium imprint — has all new high-quality titles, covering a range of genres from biographies, fantasy, horror and so much more! We also publish or re-publish often beloved books of characters and brands from to 70s and 80s for that nostalgic feel everyone adores.
About Chinbeard Books Chinbeard Books is a small publisher with big ideas. This small but award-winning company mainly focuses on heritage properties, or new books or graphic novels that are a little quirky and might not find a home elsewhere. Chinbeard currently holds the literary licenses for Robin of Sherwood, The Goodies, and The Tomorrow People, with more on the near horizon. They are partnered with Oak Tree Books on all bigger publishing projects.
I was asked by several people if we were going to do a special panel on Go-Go Mystery Machine, and my initial answer was no. It just wasn’t going to fit into my schedule, which has been excessively busy lately! With graduations, family events, working and other stuff, I feel like I have very little time to work on Scooby. Maybe it’s just because this year is flying by. I mean, how can we already be almost 1/2 way through June??
Then I decided since we were recording anyway, we should just record our thoughts on the announcement of the series. It’s not like the special episodes are 2 hours long like some of the normal panels, so it wouldn’t take too much time. And I didn’t have time to add many visuals, so I added the bare minimum. It worked out pretty well, though our original reason to record had to be rescheduled, we were still able to talk about Go-Go Mystery Machine.
Joel brought up a great point about it being similar to 13 Ghosts of Scooby-Doo and Guy Dorian had some great insights into the industry and why things are done the way they are done. Unfortunately, Wendy wasn’t able to join us, but she’ll be back when she can be!
Someone mentioned the hierarchy of the Scooby community to me the other day and it made me think…what is the hierarchy of the Scooby community? Who gets to be the leader? Who falls into place down the line? Who gets to make the rules?
The answer to all of these questions is simple…it’s no one. No one is the head of the Scooby community. There is no leader! The Scooby community is not a government, it’s an internet space that allows people to share their love of Scooby-Doo with each other, even though they could be thousands of miles apart. No one runs the Scooby community because there is nothing to run. No one can tell you how to run your pages or your channel. You get to celebrate Scooby in your own way. There are no Scooby Police. No Scooberment! (Scooby Government, in case you weren’t sure what I was talking about.)
There are hundreds of Scooby-Doo groups on social media, each with different admins and moderators. Those people get to run those groups, but that doesn’t make them the head of the community as a whole. Everyone has the right to follow or not follow each of those groups, and while there are “politics” within the groups themselves, that is not a reflection on the community as a whole.
Over the 17 years that I’ve been actively posting as Scooby Addicts, I’ve had people steal my ideas and I have asked them to stop. I try to make content that is different than what other people do, so I don’t want people taking my ideas and using them as their own. Any content creator wouldn’t want someone stealing their ideas. It’s one thing to take inspiration from what someone has done and tweak it to make it your own, it’s another to outright do what someone else is doing. I have a right to speak up for myself to protect what I’ve created, but that doesn’t mean I am in charge of anything. If speaking up for myself makes me mean, then so be it, but I work really hard on my content. It’s like I have a 2nd full time job with everything I do and I do it because I love it, so it’s upsetting when someone takes what I did and tries to use it as their own. I wouldn’t tell anyone to stop creating content, but I have a right to ask them to stop stealing my ideas. But again, it doesn’t mean I am in charge of the community.
Unlike a community where people live, the internet is not a physical location. There are no rules, per se, in the Scooby community, besides the rules set up by the specific platform you are posting on. I do think common courtesy and respect for each other and each other’s opinions is a good thing. Treating the franchise with respect is also good. Making sure you give credit to the people that created anything is important. Those are all just common sense kind of things, not official rules that if you don’t follow them you will be banished forever.
The Scooby community is made up of many people…people who love Scooby and have been life-long fans, people that had watched Scooby as a kid so it’s nostalgic, people that just enjoy seeing someone’s artwork, people that are not necessarily Scooby fans but they like bits and pieces of the Scooby franchise and everything in between. It’s full of so many different personalities and that’s great! If we were all the same, it would get pretty boring. Do you have to like everyone in the community? No! Does everyone have to like you? No! Do you know how many people have hated me for whatever reason over the 17 years I’ve been doing this? I don’t know an exact number or really know if it was that many people, but I’ll never make everyone happy, and I am ok with that. I focus on making content that makes me happy, content that brings fun and positivity to the community, content that I think Bill Hanna, Joe Barbera, Iwao Takamoto and all the other people that worked on Scooby would be proud of. I share my love of Scooby with whoever wants to be a part of it with me, and if that isn’t you, that’s ok.
I don’t know about you, but I’m happy without a hierarchy in the Scooby community. No one needs to be the top dog because Scooby-Doo himself already has that role. We can all love Scooby our own way and share that through posts, art, videos…whatever way you want! We are all free to make whatever content we want and follow or not follow whoever we want and we can still be part of the community because that is the magic of the internet! I’m not looking for numbers or fame or celebrity, I’m looking to connect with people that love Scooby-Doo. That’s it! So whether you like me or not, follow me or not, just know all I’m looking for is for the community to be fun. I’m not the best of anything and I don’t want to be. I just want to be me!
The only other thing I want to say is that the community will be a better place if we all work together and support each other. So many people let jealousy or other things get in the way and there is no reason for it. Everyone will be more successful if we support each other and make the community a happy place where everyone is welcome.
“Coming together is a beginning, staying together is progress, and working together is success.” — Henry Ford
Oriental Trading Companyhas always been a great place to get little trinkets for goody bags for parties. I used to buy from them all the time when my kids were in elementary school and I always wished they would have Scooby-Doo stuff.
I was scrolling through Facebook today and an ad came up for Oriental Trading that had a little picture of Scooby-Doo. I clicked on it, not thinking to take a screenshot of the ad because now I can’t find it, and to my surprise, there was so much Scooby stuff on their site! It was really cool to see it all there, even if I wasn’t thrilled with the prices.
Here are some of the items they have available:
There are several products available for Valentine’s Day – Valentine’s cards that come with pencils, temporary tattoos and personalized crayons.
They have craft kits, including one for Easter and one for 4th of July. They have also sold Christmas ornament craft kits.
Coloring books and pencils are great for goodie bags. They are even better when they have Scooby-Doo on them!
You can’t go wrong with stickers and pins, which both sets seem to have matching designs. The pull-back Mystery Machine is pretty cool too!
In additional to all these little trinkets, they also sell the Trick-or-Treat studio masks, Handmade By Robots figures, Gemmy Industries inflatables and more.
Be sure to check out Oriental Trading Company’s website if you’re looking for little Scooby items for goody bags or just want to add them to your collection. Hopefully, they will keep adding Scooby items to their inventory.
I would love to buy all the items on their site, but it’s just not cost effective for me to do so. Maybe a bunch of us could get together, we each buy one of the items and then we each send 1 to each other. Since the items come in packs of 12 to 24, it could work out pretty good. If anyone is interested, let me know!
This interview was 2 years in the making and Scott did not disappoint! Over the past 2 years, we have gotten to know Scott a bit.
Scott has had an extensive career in animation and I knew there were projects that he’s worked on that never saw the light of day. I was excited to talk to him about them, and incredibly excited when he offered pictures of those projects to go with the conversation.
One project was called Son of Scooby-Doo, which he first mentioned on The Unmasked History of Scooby-Doo Podcast. I have been obsessed with learning more about this project since that interview aired on August 21, 2020. I had to know what the son of Scooby-Doo looked like and who he hung out.
Scott talks about the Son of Scooby-Doo and some other projects that he worked on with Iwao Takamoto that didn’t get made. He shared some images from those projects, which you can see in the YouTube version of the interview.
In addition to these projects, Scott talks about his career and he tells us some great stories! You don’t want to miss this interview!
January is almost over and I wanted to end the month with my list of Scooby stuff that is coming in 2024. I’m sure I am missing something, so if you know of something else, let me know and I’ll add it and credit you.
2023 went by so fast! It felt like such a blur. My mind still thinks it is June 2023, yet here we are in January 2024.
There are a few things I hope to see this year…a new series, besides Velma season 2, a new movie and some fun merchandise. I’d also like to see them release Scoob! Holiday Haunt! Puppy Scooby from Scoob was super adorable and we need to have more of him!
Let’s take a look at the stuff we know is coming or has been released in 2024…
SCOOBY-DOO EXPLORES BOOKS BY JOHN SAZAKLIS
John Sazaklis wrote a new Scooby-Doo book series where Scooby-Doo explores different places. The books are written for 5-8 year olds and were released on January 1, 2024. Each books sells for $8.99.
Scooby-Doo Explores Cities – Scooby-Doo and the Mystery Inc. gang are globe-trotting! From Paris to Sydney to New York City, they are doing some big city sight-seeing. The gang explores the landmarks, weather, and geography in each location. Young readers will delight in using the clues in the text and photos to guess which city the gang is visiting before turning the page.
Scooby-Doo Explores Habitats – Scooby-Doo and the Mystery Inc. gang are exploring different habitats. They’re visiting mountains, deserts, oceans, and more! Young readers will delight in using the clues in the text and photos to guess which habitat the gang is visiting before turning the page.
Scooby-Doo Explores the Neighborhood – Scooby-Doo and the Mystery Inc. gang discover a new neighborhood. There are so many places to explore, including a library, post office, fire station, and more Young readers will delight in using the clues in the text and photos to guess which place the gang is visiting before turning the page.
Scooby-Doo Explores Transportation – The Mystery Machine broke down, and Scooby-Doo and the Mystery Inc. gang are stranded. It’s going to take every type of transportation to get back home, including a bus, train, boat, plane, and more! Young readers will delight in using the clues in the text and photos to guess what type of transportation the gang is using before turning the page.
The Scooby-Doo Interactive Bookcase Topper by Spooky Pinball has tons of assets, gameplay interaction, and even it’s own video mode. If you have the pinball machine, this topper will make gameplay even better!
Features Include
Official Scooby-Doo Custom Art by Brad Duke
Interactive Sliding Bookcase Mechanism
Secret LCD Bookcase Video Screen
Back Alley Creations Officially Licensed Bookcase Sculpture
Full RGB LED Villain Lit Frames/Light Shows
Over 10 minutes of classic Scooby-Doo Where Are You footage
New Villain footage from “What the Hex Going On”
Exclusive Villain Capture and Multiball Animations
Exclusive on Topper Hallway Chase Scooby Snack Video Mode
Interactively coded into current and future gameplay modes.
Fully Updates with standard Spooky Pinball Code Updates
SCOOBY-DOO! AND KRYPTO MYSTERIES BOOKS
A set of books starring Scooby-Doo and Krypto the Superdog written by by Michael Anthony Steele and illustrated by Mike Kunkel were released on January 1, 2024. The set included 4 books at $6.99 each.
Dogs vs. Cats – Scooby-Doo and the Super-Pets Krypto, Streaky, and Misty are all good crime fighters. But which animal is better—cats or dogs? After an emerald cat statue is stolen, the cats and dogs agree to a contest to find out. As the clues are sniffed out, who will come out on top?
The Case of the Stolen Scooby Snacks – Scooby-Doo thinks his pal Krypto deserves a reward. What’s a better reward than a Scooby Snack? But when he goes to look for his favorite snacks, they are all gone! Scooby Snacks have been stolen all over the city! Who is snatching the tasty treats?
The Haunted Dog Park Mystery – Scooby-Doo is enjoying a day at the dog park when a glowing ghost dog appears! When meddling monsters also pop up at the park, Krypto and Scooby team up to stop them. But who is behind these mysterious happenings?
The Obedience Class Caper – Scooby can’t resist joining an obedience class that is offering free snacks. But soon, all the dogs except Scooby have robbed a jewelry store! The dazed dogs don’t remember how they got there. Krypto and Scooby are on the case! But soon Krypto is being controlled too! Can the two crime-solving dogs get to the bottom of the mystery before anything else is stolen?
KELLOGG’S 30-COUNT SCOOBY_DOO GRAHAMS
Kellogg’s released a 30-count bag of Scooby-Doo graham cracker snacks. The bag contains individual bags of both chocolate and cinnamon Scooby grahams that can be used as Valentine’s. I first heard they were available at Walmart, however, I wasn’t able to find them there. I did find them at Target though.
GHOUL SCHOOL, BOO BROTHERS AND RELUCTANT WEREWOLF COMING TO BLU-RAY
On January 18, 2024, Warner Archives announced that Scooby-Doo and the Ghoul School, Scooby-Doo! Meets the Boo Brothers and Scooby-Doo! and the Reluctant Werewolf would be released on Blu-Ray as part of The Hanna-Barbera Superstars 10 box set and individually on February 27, 2024.
BATMAN SCOOBY DOO MYSTERIES BOXED SET #1
The boxed set includes 4 books – The Case of the Cursed Crop, The Chilling Ice Rink Escapade, The Crazy Convention Caper, The Escape from Mystery Island and was released on January 1, 2024. The books were written by Michael Anthony Steele and illustrated by Dario Brizuela. The set sells for $28.00.
THE BATMAN & SCOOBY-DOO! MYSTERIES ONGOING COMIC BOOK SERIES
We learned in 2023 that The Batman & Scooby-Doo! Mysteries would return as an ongoing series from The Beat. Writers Sholly Fisch, Ivan Cohen, Amanda Deibert, and Matthew Cody will continue to work on the comic series, with J. Torres being added to the list. Artists Dario Brizuela and Scott Jeralds will also return and Megan Huang will join them. The cover price is $2.99.
Issue #1 was released on January 2, 2024 – A new ongoing series teams up Gotham’s greatest detectives with Crystal Cove’s teen sleuths! The big top’s the place for thrills and chills–even more so when a traveling circus is haunted! But even Scooby and the gang don’t realize just how chilling it is for Nightwing…because this is Haly’s Circus, Dick Grayson’s childhood home!
Issue #2 will be released on February 6, 2024 – Come to Slaughter Swamp and get a selfie with Solomon Grundy! For the adventure tourism crowd, that’s a potent lure, and there’s a real estate developer who has big plans…and a lot of swamp to profit from! Will Batman and the gang from Mystery Inc. figure out what’s going on in time to save some Gothamites from a zombie disaster?
Issue #3 will be released on March 5, 2024 – Catwoman won’t stand by and be blamed for another string of robberies in Gotham–she’ll turn herself in first! Batman is on her side, but will Mystery Inc. fall for her innocent act? Could this all be part of an even deeper scheme?!
Issue #4 will be released April 2, 2024 – Every Gotham City citizen knows its buildings are adorned with more gargoyles than anywhere else. But they never expected the human inhabitants of those buildings to start morphing into gargoyles! It’s up to Batman, Scooby, and the gang to solve the mystery—which leads them straight to one of Batman’s most unexpected villains!
SCOOBY-DOO! WHERE ARE YOU? COMIC SERIES
The comic book series Scooby-Doo! Where Are You? continues with new issues released every 2 months. The first issue of 2024, #126, will be released on February 6, 2024.
Scooby-Doo, Where Are You? #127 will be released April 2, 2024.
VALENTINE’S SCOOBY STATUE
I know some people found this Valentine’s Scooby-Doo statue last year, but it was made for Valentine’s Day 2024 so I’m including it in my post. I find this Scooby to be super cute. He looks vintage.
MULTIVERSUS HAPPY MEAL TOYS
According to a post of Reddit, McDonald’s in Europe released MultiVersus toys in their Happy Meals, including a tin and sticker of Shaggy. There has been no timeframe given for when the toys will be available in other regions.
SCOOBY-DOO! MANSION MAYHEM EXHIBIT
The Scooby-Doo! Mansion Mayhem Exhibit is traveling and will be at the following locations:
The Magic House, St. Louis, MO – Ends January 15, 2024
Impression 5 Science Center, Lansing, MI – Opens January 27, 2024
Museum of Discovery and Science, Fort Lauderdale, FL – September 20, 2024 – January 5, 2025
The exhibit is well worth it! If you can see it, I highly recommend it!
THE BATMAN & SCOOBY-DOO! MYSTERIES VOLUME 4 #7-12
There isn’t a lot of information regarding this, here is the synopsis – It all starts when Alfred’s old friend from butler school is in town, and he’s brought along his charges: Daphne and Scooby-Doo! When Scooby and his pal Ace are dog-napped, the humans will have to rescue them without giving away any family secrets. Collects The Batman & Scooby Doo Mysteries #7-12. The book is set to release on June 18, 2024.
A HALLOWEEN MYSTERY! (LITTLE GOLDEN BOOK)
Illustrated by Dario Brizuela, the book is set to release on July 2, 2024. The book will cost $5.99.
It’s Halloween night, and everyone’s favorite Warner Bros. characters are having a haunted house decorating competition! But when the houses get sabotaged, can super sleuths Daphne and Velma get to the bottom of the mystery before it’s time for the judging? For the first time, iconic Warner Bros. and DC characters such as the DC Super Heroes, Scooby-Doo and Mystery Inc., the Looney Tunes, Tom & Jerry, and more are interacting together in this fun Halloween Little Golden Book—perfect for kids ages 2 to 5 and Warner Bros., DC, and Hanna-Barbera fans of all ages!
VELMA TALKING BUST & ILLUSTRATED BOOK
The Velma Talking Bust and Illustrated Book by Shaenon K. Garrity is supposed to be available on August 6, 2024. The talking Velma bust will be 3 1/2″ and will say 10 phrases. The mini book will be a 32-page, 2-1/2″ x 3″ guide to all things Velma, complete with full color images.
VELMA AND THE MYSTERY OF THE RIVER GHOST: A MYSTERY INC. PICTURE BOOK
The book, written by Robb Pearlman and illustrated by Pedro Riquelme, is set to be released on September 3, 2024 and will feature The Hex Girls. The book will cost $18.99.
While on a class trip, Fred, Shaggy, Daphne and Scooby get seasick, leaving Velma and the Hex Girls to solve a riverboat ghost mystery.
VELMASEASON 2 & HALLOWEEN SPECIAL
Velma season 2 is coming! There is no mention of when the 2nd season will air.
There is also a mention of a Velma Halloween special. It hasn’t been confirmed if that will be part of the Velma series or not, however, Mindy Kaling is listed as the voice actor, so it would make sense that it would be part of the series.
MY THOUGHTS
As I was compiling this list, I was thinking there was barely anything coming in 2024! Seeing it all in one blog post makes me realize just how much stuff has been released already this month and how much we still have coming! I’m looking forward to a great year! I just hope it doesn’t go by as fast as last year!
