Cartoons are an ingrained part of our culture. We grew up on cartoons, and the lessons found therein. Cartoons have exponentially changed over the past 30 years in that they have morphed into basic insanity. There are still cartoons that present certain lessons to take away, but nothing compared to the cartoons of our youth in the 1980s. Clearly I represent a particular generation, and those older than me might not share the same sentiment, while those younger have probably already lost interest and are chasing the sunlight coming in through the window.
Aside from the lessons learned, there was a bond we shared with the characters in these cartoons. We felt like heroes alongside G.I. Joe as they fought Cobra Commander and his less than capable fighting force. We sympathized with the daily struggle of Prince Adam as he faced ridicule that He-Man wasn't subject to. Probably that had to do more with his princely man skirt though. We laughed along with the irreverent behavior of the Hanna-Barbera characters as they raced or exited stage left. And for the purpose of this article, we felt the tension of the Scooby-Doo gang as they searched for answers as to who was haunting the amusement park.
As I got older, and the cartoons seemed more like cartoons than reality I started to notice the inherent humanity presented in the characters. They weren't boilerplate; they were designed a certain way, with certain problems that we - as children - may have absorbed into our subconscious. As we had a habit of dressing up or behaving like our favorite characters, if the influence was great enough, some of us may have taken away more from their behavior than we may realize. While this may sound a little bit nutty, and I'm sure the oncoming onslaught from the fanboy trolls will show, pointing out the psychological problems in cartoon characters is more than obsessive geekiness, it's ridiculous. Which is why it's been entertaining the hell out of me for all these years.
As cartoons evolve and now our own kids are watching them, I think this line of thinking is important. So in this multi-part series I'm going to look at some of the most influential and popular cartoons over the past 30 years, and do a little psychological profile on the characters. This might help us to explain to our children just why the behavior their favorite cartoon character is exhibiting is whacked. I'll be sticking to human or humanoid characters, as kids can pretty much tell someone like Spongebob is not only not real, but a complete freaking nutcase. That being said, and as indicated by the title, this week I'm going to start with Scooby-Doo.
Fred Jones (Diagnosis: Classic Narcissism)Fred is a consummate professional, from the way he handles dealings with the clients of the gang to the final reveal of the villain. Every activity is paced out and deliberately performed. Not only is Fred's behavior self-centered, but he clearly has issues with his vanity - that is, he's really vain. Hell, the dude wears an ascot to solve mysteries. You can't get any more vain than that.
Further diagnosis shows that Fred does not like criticism, especially about his appearance but generally about his decisions. He is continuously intolerant of the opinions and decisions of others, only considering them when there is no other alternative, but in the end makes it seem like not only was it his decision but he is in clear control. He delegates assignments, but then is quick to blame when there is a screw-up. His constant disapproval of the way Shaggy & Scooby behave is another clear indicator of narcissism. Not to mention his posture, which is commanding and seeks to make everyone around him feel smaller. He also runs really, really weird. I'm guessing this had to do more with the animation style than Fred himself.
The thing is about Fred, no matter how self centered he is - he gets the job done with the help of his team. You'll notice that of course about the whole Mystery Inc. gang. While each of them suffers from some sort of mental disorder that would cause problems for them in most social situations, the social situation of solving crazy mysteries at amusement parks is the perfect environment for their combined issues.
Daphne Blake (Diagnosis: Dependent Personality Disorder)Being "the pretty one," Daphne comes from a wealthy background. She is accident prone and almost nearly always finds herself being kidnapped or accidentally breaking something, therefore remaining the center of attention which, similar to narcissism, was based more on dependence. She always needed to be rescued from said kidnappings, and usually it was Fred to her rescue. Clearly his affection and appreciation for her personal well being and presence kept her disorder fueled. She was the classic "damsel in distress."
The interesting thing about Daphne though, in relation to being dependent, is that she got better. While she started off as a poor model for young girls' confidence (look pretty and the big strong man will come rushing to your rescue) she turned into a very independent woman. She learned martial arts, she learned how to pick locks and while never as intelligent as Velma or Fred still developed useful problem solving skills. This complete change from being a helpless pretty girl to a self sufficient woman changed the character of Daphne and hopefully inspired many self centered "princesses" to do the same.
Velma Dinkley (Diagnosis: Obsessive–Compulsive Personality Disorder)Not to be confused with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, which is a high anxiety disorder that causes bad thoughts and compulsions and what not. No, OCPD is when everything needs to be just so. It has to with order, rules and expectations and this causes anxiety when things are out of a certain expected order. This doesn't mean that Velma expects everything to be in a straight line, just that she expects things to be how she expects them to be. Out of all the gang though, having OCPD and choosing to solve mysteries for a living isn't actually a bad thing.
You see, while it is a disorder, Velma shows that having a certain order to things in life helps you understand what is out of place and is able to provide her with a keen view of the unseen clues. Velma is very adept at solving puzzles and putting together the pieces, due to her expectations of the order of things, and her constant anxiety that something is amiss. Along with Fred, Velma is the primary case solver and leads the Mystery Inc. gang in being the one to pull the "great reveal" at the end of each episode. Her behavior clearly teaches to have a greater understanding of the world through having a less than flexible attitude towards it. It's an interesting conundrum, but if you think about it long enough it makes sense.
Norville "Shaggy" Rogers (Diagnosis: Cowardly Pothead with Hints of Paranoia)While Shaggy shows hints of true Paranoid personality disorder, it's clearly not full blown as he generally trusts the rest of the Mystery Inc. gang, though not fully. He always feels like they are dragging him into a situation he doesn't want to be in, and expresses this through incessant whining supported by his sidekick, Scooby. However, at the root Shaggy doesn't suffer from any clear mental disorder. Instead, he's just a paranoid pothead who is about as brave as a wet paper bag. He has extreme cowardice, which is not a side effect of the implied drug use. If anything, Shaggy is a lesson against drug use. His constant craving for "Scooby Snacks" and other weird snack foods (because his first toy as a child was the garbage disposal) paired with his constant fear of the world around him makes him the least effective of the gang. It's clear they keep him around for comic relief, and to keep the rest of them on their toes.
Whether they would admit it or not, Shaggy's paranoid behavior enables the rest of the team to function properly. Most of his paranoia is inadvertently aimed at what we later find out to be the bad guy, or the reason the old boarded up possibly haunted house is shut down. Through this constant craving for running away and snacks, Shaggy and Scooby often stumble upon a key in solving the case, further enabling the others to do their jobs. Unfortunately, Shaggy is generally too stupid (due to loss of memory because of drug use) to solve the case himself. While we can only assume the drug of choice is marijuana (hence the snacking,) the oft performed feats of great agility (superhuman running and what not) would imply something stronger is at use. The lesson here is that drugs are bad, but when you are really scared they can help you run on water. If you are a cartoon character.
Scooby-Doo (Diagnosis: Dissociative Identity Disorder)First off, Scooby thinks he's people. Not only does he occasionally walk upright and eat the same kind of strange concoctions that Shaggy consumes, but he talks. Scooby has a broken English speech pattern that every one can understand. "Ruh-roh, Raggy" is easily translated and muttered every episode. Aside from thinking he is people, which is clear dissociative behavior, he also behaves as his nature sometimes, that of a dog. Walking on four legs, eating food intended for animals and not wearing clothes. Because when he's acting like people, he sometimes is known to don a disguise and walk upright.
The thing that really set Scooby solidly in the loony bin in my mind is his extended family of nutty dogs that all think they are people. This shows a clear lack of proper parenting and probably some inconsistencies in the DNA. Something, somewhere is messed up with the Doo family. There are highly intelligent dogs, from southern ones to clowns and even a lion who thinks he's a dog who thinks he is people. While not all of them are cowards like Scooby, all of them generally display the inability to cope with their chosen and set reality, and none of them lead a standard "dog's life."
As an aside, the most frequently seen member of the Doo family was Scooby's nephew Scrappy-Doo. Scrappy is the complete opposite of Scooby, and even has a clear speech pattern. What he's not is a coward. He is brave and vigilant, to the point of showing signs of having a Napoleon (inferiority) complex, overcompensating for his short stature with irrationally brave behavior, constantly challenging the opinions and fortitude of others in his presence. His overcompensation for his height and the cowardice of his uncle usually results in him dangling upside down, being held by a larger foe. This clearly teaches a lesson that trying to use brute force and impetuously rushing into battle without thinking just to show how tough you are is not always the best idea. But Scrappy was never one to heed the patient advice of others.
The biggest lesson that this ragtag gang of socially, mentally and reality disabled kids taught us was that teamwork was important. Not only teamwork, but the combination of different personalities within a similar situation. At least, that kind of behavior helped them solve mysteries that usually involved some hunched over old guy wearing a glowing mask trying to make a profit or prohibit some land from being sold. When it came to cartoons, this was one of the most important lessons learned, and none of them did teamwork better than the Mystery Inc. crew.
Images: Copyright Hanna-Barbera Productions
