Bedlam in the Big Top

Bedlam in the Big Top is an episode from Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!.

WARNING: This article contains spoilers!

Characters

 * Scooby-Doo
 * Shaggy Rogers
 * Velma Dinkley
 * Daphne Blake
 * Fred "Freddie" Jones
 * Harry the Hypnotist AKA (The Ghost Clown)
 * Mr. Barnstorm
 * Max the Midget
 * Sam the Strongman

Location

 * Barnstorm's Circus

Synopsis
The gang happen on a supposed accident scene involving Max the Midget and Sam the Strongman from a circus downtown. When they tell the gang this, the gang visits the circus and meets the ringman, Mr. Barnstorm. He tells them that the circus is being haunted by a Ghost Clown. After the gang leaves, Shaggy discovers that Scooby is missing, and they go back to the circus to look for him.

Plot
At the circus, the gang splits up. Velma and Shaggy find Scooby performing the high-wire act on the tightrope. He was put in a trance by the Ghost Clown. The Ghost Clown then snaps Scooby out of the trance, amused as he watches Scooby almost fall off the wire, luckily, Velma and Shaggy save him.

Meanwhile; Fred is locked in a trunk by the Ghost Clown, and Daphne is put in a trance to ride a unicycle in which Shaggy states, "She can't even ride a bicycle!" Scooby saves Daphne this time by getting an elephant to spray water on her, thus snapping Daphne out of the trance. After freeing Fred from the trunk, the gang decides to trap the Ghost Clown in a cage, with Shaggy and Scooby as bait. However, when they try to surprise the Ghost Clown, Shaggy is caught and hypnotized into taming lions. Scooby saves him just as he is about to be eaten by a lion. The Ghost Clown chases them and ends up caught in the cage, but mysteriously vanishes from it. Fred then says, "I would've bet money we had him!" This unlocks Shaggy's memory: The clown uses a gold coin to hypnotize his victims. Scooby and Shaggy go out to find him again, but when the clown tries to make them act like chimpanzees, the two hold up a mirror, causing the effect to backfire on the Ghost Clown and he is now acting like a chimp.

Trapped in a cage, the Ghost Clown is revealed to be Harry the Hypnotist, who had an act with the circus, but they caught him stealing which he was imprisoned for. Velma deduces that he wanted to get revenge. His "disappearing" act was used with a Ghost Clown balloon, which disappeared when deflated. Barnstorm's circus then really does go on, and Shaggy and Scooby get to be in Sam the Strongman's act.

Trivia

 * This Episode was loosely adapted into the Gold Key Scooby Doo Comic Issue #9 "The Phantom Clown." On the cover of the comic the Ghost Clown's colors are different.

Goofs

 * It is revealed in this episode that Daphne can't even ride a bicycle, however, she rides one in one of the new Scooby Doo movies proficiently.