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scooby doo turns 50
Working on a generational icon
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For background painter Tristin Cole, “What I love most about working on Scooby-Doo is that it’s almost genetic for me. I watched my father Ron Roesch, who was a background painter for Hanna-Barbera, paint backgrounds for Scooby when I was growing up. He introduced me to Iwao Takamoto when I was eight years old, and imparted in me the great sense of respect he had for Iwao.”
“When you mention Scooby to people their eyes light up and it triggers a childhood memory.” Cole feels one reason the show maintains such a firm grip on the imagination is the continuity in the backgrounds with “ a certain design and color language that was established early on.”
She adds,”Iwao gave me some words of wisdom about painting Scooby. He said if you’re painting an exterior house or building, paint the windows dark with no lights on. It automatically makes it feel haunted or spooky in the world of Scooby.”
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As for what makes Scooby-Doo still appealing after 50 years, Cole says,
“Familiarity I think people look forward to hearing Shaggy say ‘zoinks!’ or the villain say, “If it weren’t for you meddling kids!” There’s also the fact that the villain is unmasked at the end. It lets kids know that the monsters in the story aren’t real. And when Scooby or Shaggy get scared, they face their fears and end up solving the mystery or saving the day. There is a positive in that lesson.
Article excerpt from Zoinks! Scooby Doo Turns 50 By Kim Fray