Issue of the day New Scooby-doo spin-off controversy

IT’S Scooby-doo, but not as you know it. More details have been revealed about an upcoming spin-off series featuring the character Velma in an entirely new light – and not all fans are on board.

Scooby-doo, where Are You? That was the title of the first of many Scooby-doo cartoons that have aired since the character debuted on screen back in 1969.

He’s an amateur sleuth?

In case you haven’t tuned in for a while, the popular animated series tells the tale of Great Dane Scooby-doo and teenagers Fred, Daphne, Shaggy and Velma, who travel around in the Mystery Machine as they solve mysteries that supposedly involve supernatural creatures – but usually end with a hoax being uncovered and a mask being pulled off to reveal the bad guy’s real identity.

Velma is the brainbox?

Usually seen in her trademark orange jumper and black-rimmed glasses, she is definitely the brains of the operation; with a talent for problem-solving.

So what’s the new series about? The new HBO Max spin-off – simply titled Velma – sees her reimagined as an Asian character, whose voice will be played by Mindy Kaling, the star of US shows such as The Mindy Project and the American version of The Office.

So?

Just like the rest of the “Scooby gang”, Velma has traditionally been white in the animations and in the 2002 and 2004 movies, in which she was portrayed by former ER actress Linda Cardellini.

There’s no Scooby-doo?

Discussion was heated online after the president of Warner Bros’ Global Kids, Young Adults and Classics, Tom Ascheim, revealed more about the show, saying it was “not for children” and that Velma – like Kaling – will be of East Asian descent and will live “in a different world” to the one she is known for, where “there’s no dog and no van”.

Cue online outrage…

One tweeter declared it was “another attempt” to change “the past of much loved cartoons, movies, books, anything and everything we like”. Another said: “Changing the race of the character is one thing (it’s weird, but whatever), but if you’re also changing the setting and removing everything else Scooby Doo related, why not just make a brand new character?”

Some fans expressed support? One said: “Mad congrats to Mindy Kaling for being cast as Velma in the new Scooby Doo. The character was meant to be smart, cute and curvy...perfect casting.”

There is precedent?

Actress Hayley Kiyoko, who is of

Japanese descent, played Velma in two live-action TV films that aired on Cartoon Network in 2009 and 2010, while Puerto Rican actress Gina Rodriguez voiced Velma in the 2020 animated movie Scoob!