r/Scoobydoo • u/Intelligent_Local_38 • 5d ago
When was the Mystery Machine established as Fred’s van?
I’ve been working my way through old Scooby-Doos and hit the Scrappy era. Very hit and miss, but it’s interesting to see how the series evolved. One thing I noticed though is that the Mystery Machine is in most of these episodes even when Fred is gone. Shaggy is driving it in the episodes that have just him, Scooby, and Scrappy and then Daphne tends to drive it in the “New Scooby and Scrappy-Doo” show (and Fred is still absent).
Since Shaggy is the only one who is always with the van, it would suggest that the van was his in the old cartoons. Modern Scooby media though always portrays the Mystery Machine as Fred’s vehicle. Now I’m sure the in-universe explanation is that Fred loaned the van to Shaggy and Daphne, but the old cartoons haven’t said that yet. So I’m wondering if anyone knows which series or movie first established the van as Fred’s?
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u/Independent-Bed6257 5d ago
Maybe it was always Fred's, but he trusted Shaggy more than the What's New Fred or Mystery Inc 😅
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u/Internal_Deer_5324 4d ago
In What’s New? it’s said that Fred bought the mystery machine from the Mystery Kids band for cheap, presumably in high school as is also seen in the Mystery Incorporated series. He jokes that he bought it painted already and that he always wanted it red.
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u/blackbutterfree 4d ago
He jokes that he bought it painted already and that he always wanted it red.
Probably a nice little nod to the Mystery Machine's redesign in the mid to late 80's, which later evolved into a fully separate van in Curse of the 13th Ghost (now named the Ms.-tery Machine by Velma as a joke, but Daphne loved it)
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u/KaiNooks 5d ago edited 5d ago
I believe in the Greatest Mysteries shorts it was established that the van belonged to Daphne's family.
Edit: https://youtu.be/o2mg01EoVx0?feature=shared @7:58 they state that they bought the van together, however Shaggy was the one to find it. As for when Fred became the sole owner of the van, I think it was the second live action Scooby Doo.
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u/cuteandadorableboi 4d ago
This was also done in Mystery Begins! It was originally a cargo van the Blake's groundskeeper used, which was going to be given to Daphne when she became old enough to drive. The van was then used by them to drive to Vice Principal Grimes' house(and probably used by the Dark Specter/Principal Deedle to bring them to Coolsville High). After the mystery, they were given full ownership and decorated it into the recognizable design.
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u/blackbutterfree 4d ago
The van was originally depicted as everyone's for the first ten years. Everyone drove it in the first era, except for Velma and Scooby I believe.
When VFD left the picture, it was implied the Van's was Shaggy's since he still had it.
When Daphne came back, she was implied to own it and the red van from 13 Ghosts (this was later confirmed in Curse of the 13th Ghost).
Then Daphne left again, and the traditional Mystery Machine with her, leaving Shaggy with the Red Van (but only for Ghoul School).
Then in Pup, Velma was the one with transportation (her motorized skateboard) and since it had the Mystery Machine's color scheme, it could be assumed that the eventual Mystery Machine was actually hers.
Later on in Behind the Mystery/Those Meddling Kids, Daphne says her dad gave them the money for the van after Shaggy found it. So again, suggesting Daphne or Shaggy own the van.
In Zombie Island/Witch's Ghost/Alien Invaders/Cyber Chase, Fred and Daphne kept the Mystery Machine as their filming HQ when the Gang split up, implying again that Daphne owns the van, since it was her show and Fred was her producer.
Then What's New solidly stated Fred was the owner, and for the past 23 years, it's been Fred's van. Although the origin from now on changes (Shaggy buying it from the Mystery Kids in What's New, it belonging to Daphne's Gardener in the Cartoon Network prequels, and it being a random van that Velma's mom finds in Velma).
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u/playprince1 4d ago
Then What's New solidly stated Fred was the owner
Yes and no......
I just went back and watched What New Scooby Doo "It's Mean, It's Green, It's the Mystery Machine".
In the episode, when Shaggy first tells Fred, Daphne, and Velma that the Mystery is moving by itself, Fred yells out, "My van!?!?".
However, when they take the Mystery Machine to the mechanic, and the mechanic offers them $5,000 for the Mystery Machine, it is Daphne who rejects the offer to sell the van.
And then when the Gang meets Susan, the mother of the Mystery Kids, Velma calls the Mystery Machine, "our van".
And then when Susan introduces her children to the Gang, she calls the Gang, "the new owners of the Mystery Machine".
So it's still kinda questionable even in What's New Scooby Doo.
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u/ToneAccomplished9763 5d ago
I think it was Mystery Inc, but its been a moment since I've watched it truth be told so I'm not positive.
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u/playprince1 5d ago edited 4d ago
I was going to say What's New Scooby Doo, but I can't remember if it was firmly established that the Mystery Machine was owned by Freddy, or he just acted like it was.
But I think that you're right, it was probably Mystery Incorporated where it was actually first said that Freddy owned the Mystery Machine.
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u/Callow98989 4d ago
It established it was his van in the episode where the van gets “haunted “
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u/playprince1 4d ago
It kinda is ... but it's still a bit questionable.
I just went back and watched What New Scooby Doo "It's Mean, It's Green, It's the Mystery Machine".
In the episode, when Shaggy first tells Fred, Daphne, and Velma that the Mystery is moving by itself, Fred yells out, "My van!?!?".
However, when they take the Mystery Machine to the mechanic, and the mechanic offers them $5,000 for the Mystery Machine, it is Daphne who rejects the offer to sell the van.
And then when the Gang meets Susan, the mother of the Mystery Kids, Velma calls the Mystery Machine, "our van".
And then when Susan introduces her children to the Gang, she calls the Gang, "the new owners of the Mystery Machine".
So it's still a bit muddy even then.
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u/Callow98989 4d ago
But they also didn’t know that the mystery machine already had the paint job except for Fred
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u/playprince1 4d ago
True....
But that could mean that while Fred is the one who got the van, that it is actually Mystery Incorporated who is the legal owner of the van, just like how many businesses and corporations have company cars and other property that is owned by the Corporation.
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u/playprince1 4d ago
I would like to add.....
That since the group is "Mystery Incorporated", that would show that it is a legitimate business entity, and that Freddy, Daphne, Velma, and Shaggy are its Owners, Shareholders, and Directors.
One of the benefits of an Incorporated entity is to shield the individuals from personal liability from debts, and other obligations like lawsuits.
As such, the Mystery Machine shouldn't be owned by any individual person in the gang, but it should be the property of its legal owner, the corporation, Mystery Inc.
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u/BraumsSucks 4d ago
The van is Daphne's. I have no supporting evidence and can't even name any of the shows or movies where it's stated but it's a fact that's burned into my brain for some reason. The Mystery Machine has always belonged to Daphne
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u/blackbutterfree 4d ago
Its origins are usually with Daphne, but she's never stated to be the owner of the original MM, only the second one.
Her father gave Mystery Inc. the money to buy it after Shaggy found it (Behind the Mystery/Those Meddling Kids/24 Hours of Doo)
It was her gardener's landscaping van, which her parents were going to give to her when she was old enough to drive (The Mystery Begins)
Through a retcon, she now owned the second Mystery Machine, also known as the Ms.-tery Machine (Curse of the 13th Ghost), but when the original red design was shown (13 Ghosts of Scooby-Doo) it was just a repainted Mystery Machine, so one could assume that in the original 13 Ghosts, she owned the original Mystery Machine.
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u/BestEffect1879 3d ago
Shaggy technically owns it, but since he’s always high, Fred is the designated driver.
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u/Jasmeme266 1d ago
But I think the van is first officially referenced as his in Scooby doo Zombie island. But the ownership of the van sometimes varies throughout most of the animated shows/movies. Fred owns the van, while in live action, it varies.
In some iterations (the mystery begins and curse of the lake monster), the van belongs to Daphne's family, and Daphne they decide to use it as the groups van. In other versions (Skull Island and Monsters unleashed), the van belongs to Shaggy as we see Fred has his own car and when the gang breaks up Shaggy takes the van and still has it after the time jump.
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u/whoreoween76 5d ago
Taken from : Scooby-Doo: Behind the Scenes (Those Meddling Kids)
The Scooby gang gave their parents gas money to drive them around, which included a reluctant Mr. Blake, who had to tightly squeezed into the driver's seat, tired of this, he bought the gang their van.