What ages is Scooby-Doo aimed for, and why does my 4 year old like it?!!?

[seashells]

I never watched it as a kid so I didn't even know what it was about. But DH watched it and liked it, so he apparently thought it was a good idea to pick up a video at the library.

Now Scooby-Doo is my 4 year old's favorite thing to watch. (She watches videos but we have no tv programming). It has monsters and ghosts and ghouls and such. I am glad to say that she 1) seems to understand very well that what is on the TV is not real (since we have no tv programming, this is literally true, that nothing she sees on it is real, it's all actors or drawings) and 2) does not seem to be scared of anything she sees on Scooby-Doo. She likes to play monsters and such with her daddy, they'll chase each other around and such. So it's all fun for her. No nightmares either.

But all the same when I see it on, I just go - ugh. Surely it's for older kids, for starters, right? If so, why is my 4 year old into it?

I guess one thing that's good about it is that I don't see a whole lot of licensing with it. As opposed to Dora or the Disney Princesses, which are everywhere (and yes, have my kid in their clutches too). Eh, if I had it my way, the damn TV would have been freecycled a long time ago.

[Thalia the Muse]

My kid was OBSESSED with Scooby-Doo when she was four! I think it's because they identify with Scooby, who is a cute dog but acts like a person and loves to eat snacks and has friends who love him and take care of him and take him on adventures. Plus, she really liked stuff that was sort of "scary" but not really - none of the monsters on Scooby Doo are real, it's always someone in a costume "who would have gotten away with it, too, if it wasn't for those kids and their dog!" and no one ever gets hurt.

[Kuba'sMama]

Yea, I have a four year old who likes Scooby doo too (she has an older brother though). Her good friend likes it as well (same age). The silly thing is, as far as kids' cartoons go, I usually have no patience for them, but can sit through Scooby doo from time to time. Some kids (like mine) do like a bit of silly, spooky fun. I don't think it's that bad. What drives me more nuts are those "kid" shows with romantic plot leads, or stupid bathroom humour... that is not encouraged at my house at all.

[Daffodil]

My 7 year old and my 4 year old love Scooby-Doo. We know at least one other family with kids the same ages who also love it. It also seemed weird to me that young kids would like it so much when it's about kids (or young adults?) who are so much older, but apparently it's popular with a lot of young kids. A big part of the appeal for my 4 year old is that it's about scary stuff. He loves scary stuff. Both kids also seem to think it's really funny.

[tinybutterfly]

Be sure they are the old Scooby Doo shows if you are wanting no real monsters. Some of the newer ones can be pretty scary and do have real monsters. And any of them with Scrappy Do in them are just annoying in my opinion.

My boys LOVED Scooby Do when they were little.

[Storm Bride]

I loved Scooby-Doo when I was little. It wasn't scary at all (and I have very little tolerance for on-screen scary stuff). It was goofy and it made me laugh. Shaggy and Scooby were just so...screwed up, but somehow they always managed to make things work. Even as a very young kid, it was funny.

[MeepyCat]

It can be so hard to say why kids like things. In this case, though, it seems pretty reasonable (and pretty harmless). She started watching with her daddy, stuff from the show became part of their mutual play, and now it's part of the way they relate to each other. Also, the old Scooby Doo was nicely predictable - the setting changed, and some of the details, but the plot was always, always the same. Great for toddlers and pre-schoolers who like repetition and predictability.

[34me]

My dh loves the old ones too. So I'd say yeah, 4 is about right.

[bjorker]

They are EXTREMELY formulaic and predictable, which is why I could never stand that show, but I could totally see how a young child would love that sort of thing.

[seashells]

Thanks, guys, I feel much better about it!

I don't know how old the shows she is watching are, but they certainly aren't too recent - they come from the VHS section of the library.

They don't seem to be closed captioned (I'm hearing impaired) so I don't really follow it, and haven't really tried. That's why I didn't even watch Scooby as a kid, you can't read a cartoon's lips. (Well, you actually sort of can with a Pixar movie but I digress). So all I've seen is a few seconds when I walk by. Also DH and DD have been bringing home the comic books from the library and I read them to DD. I'm actually sort of impressed at how she can follow along, since a comic book isn't really something you read to another person very well. It's not a narrative and you have to keep track of who's talking, etc.

Well, anyway, it does make me feel better. It just didn't look like 4 year old material to me, but DD is not very sensitive at all.

[tinybutterfly]

Originally Posted by Storm Bride

I loved Scooby-Doo when I was little. It wasn't scary at all (and I have very little tolerance for on-screen scary stuff). It was goofy and it made me laugh. Shaggy and Scooby were just so...screwed up, but somehow they always managed to make things work. Even as a very young kid, it was funny.

Yea, my brother and I were big Scooby fans when we were kids. I really enjoyed rewatching them with my boys. It was fun.

[Jessy1019]

My son got into Scooby Doo around 2.5, his 3rd b-day was Scooby themed, and he still almost always chooses Scooby DVDs from Blockbuster, when he gets a chance to pick.

I loved Scooby as a kid -- probably around 4 or so, too, though Gilligan's Island was my true love at that age. I don't see anything wrong with Scooby for younger kids . . . my daughter is 7 and has pretty much outgrown it, though she'll watch a little here and there.

[Thalia the Muse]

It's really totally harmless (although I'm pained by how bad the animation quality is) -- although the Scooby gang are mixed-sex teenagers running around together in a big van they never date or kiss or give any indication that they've been through puberty. Nobody has a bad or snotty attitude. There's no real violence. It glorifies teamwork and friendship and using reason to figure out clues.

I always assumed that Shaggy was a total stoner and that's why he eats so much, but that goes right over a preschooler's head!

[Aubergine68]

My middle child (now age 6) just loved/loves Scooby Doo. There are several series, as far as I can tell, some of which are scarier than others, so if you pick up something new, a preview might be useful.

There was one extended (feature-length, maybe) vhs we picked up at the library where the ghosts were real- a male horror writer/witch was trying to bring back the ghost of his ancestress, who was also an evil witch. There were also good Wiccans in the show too -- kinda complex for Scooby Doo. Too scary for my kids, anyway. Maybe someone else can supply a title?

ETA I googled. Scooby Doo and the Witches' Ghost. (1999)

The live action movies are also a little *too* scary for preschoolers, imo.

My son has been a very anxious preschooler, even beyond the normal anxiety of that age. I think he loved Scooby and Shaggy because they are scared of *everything*, just like he is/was, but yet they got through it all and in a bumbling way that you can laugh at.

I tolerate the ongoing Scooby Doo obsession because I think in some weird way it helps him deal with his own fears.

[aggieP]

My kid is a tiny bit younger but he loves Scooby Doo too. He loves monsters so I think that is part of it Hes got some scooby doo books too.

I mean a funny talking dog! What could be better

[mae14]

my kids love scooby too. my 5 year old loves it for the mystery and how they look for clues. she is totally into the detective stuff right now. my 3 year old loves it because scooby is so funny to him and alway getting into trouble.

[meemee]

what they like why depends on their personality.

dd is an adventure kinda girl. she loves adventure stories. she hated any moralistic kinda stories. like friends doing things to help friends.

it was really hard for me to find books for a two year old which involved an adventure.

its because of that at 2 she looooooved DORA but would refuse to watch Blues Clues because it had some academics in it.

so check his personality. perhaps he loves teh goofy voice or the running or something else.

[mamalisa]

Originally Posted by bjorker

They are EXTREMELY formulaic and predictable, which is why I could never stand that show, but I could totally see how a young child would love that sort of thing.

I agree. My 4 year old loves it as well.

[kate42]

Scrappy Do is a blight on humanity.

I loved Scooby when I was a kid in the 70s and DD loves it now. The newer ones aren't nearly as awesome as the originals but not as craptastic as a lot of kids' shows out there.

[greenmom4]

my 4yo dd loves it, too - and I thought it was so weird because I vehemently disliked SD when I was a kid. Although, I think she likes the theme song more than the actual show :P