- For the Scooby Apocalypse comic story with the same name, look here.
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A Scooby-Doo! Christmas is the tenth episode of the first season of What's New, Scooby-Doo?
Premise[]
Scooby and his pals arrive in a town where Christmas is not celebrated because a headless snowman terrorizes the residents, so the amateur sleuths set out to solve the mystery.
Synopsis[]
Four kids are playing in the snow when they find a giant snowman. A kid named Tommy is dared to pull its carrot nose off. Just as Tommy is pulling the carrot out, the snowman suddenly comes to life, angered that he is trying to pull his nose out, and scares the kids. The snowman pulls his own head off and throws it after the kids and Tommy then runs off after realizing the monster is the headless snowman.
Meanwhile, Scooby and the gang are heading to a condo that Daphne's uncle allows the gang to stay there. Unfortunately, they find the bridge to the other side is blocked, forcing them to go to a town and ask if there's a detour. By the time they get there, they find the four kids running away and Daphne asks what was that all about. Shaggy points out to the snowman, but Velma finds it harmless. After Fred, Daphne, and Velma leave, the snowman makes an evil look at Scooby and Shaggy, scaring them. Jed sees the gang and is not happy about it. When Daphne mentions Christmas, he tells her not to say it because Winter Hollow doesn't celebrate it due to the Headless Snowman terrorizing the town. Just then, Sheriff Perkins arrive and tells the gang to not listen to Jed. Velma asks her for directions to Mill's Corner, but the sheriff tells her long directions of how to get there, leading the gang to stay in Winter Hollow for the night. When they get to the inn, the gang finds it with tourists and Asa points out that they're just townsfolk. The main reason why people are going to his inn is because of the Headless Snowman. Asa shows the gang to a room, but it's a closet. Fortunately, Daphne has managed to fix it up into an actual room.
Scooby and Shaggy head to the kitchen to make a holiday sandwich. Just then, the ground shakes, but the latter thinks that the former's stomach is growling. Scooby points out that it isn't and the ground shakes again. The gang comes out to find a chimney to a house destroyed. Fred asks Sheriff Perkins about how did she got there fast and the reply is that her car flashing red and blue lights really helped. Velma asks Tommy what happened. It is revealed that while he is hoping for Santa Claus to come, the Headless Snowman shows up at his house and destroys the chimney. When Tommy asks of how is Santa going to come if his chimney is destroyed, Shaggy suggests of putting it back together. However, the bricks he carried are heavy.
The gang find the snowman's footprints in a pile of snow. Just then, the Headless Snowman shows up and starts chasing them. The gang tries to hide in a stall, but to no avail. They use it to ride on it. When Tommy sees them in the dark, he thinks that it's Santa. The gang crashes into the snow.
They go back to the inn where Asa tells them that the professor of the mystery will be arriving. Just then, Tommy and his parents arrive to stay in the inn. Daphne and Velma are suspicious that Asa's business is getting good since half of the townspeople move in to his inn. Professor Higginson arrives and asks Asa where is the Headless Snowman. The latter show him to the gang where the former tells the legend of the Headless Snowman. It shows that on Christmas Eve, Seamus Fagen rode into Winter Hollow where Blackjack Brody, the infamous highway man, tries to rob any helpless wayward traveler. However, the townspeople find a snowman where he is buried into. When Daphne tells him that the Headless Snowman destroyed Tommy's home, Higginson realizes that it is one of the original Winter Hollow homes and leaves to check it out.
The gang investigates Jed's old house. Velma orders Fred to write Jed a note that he's in danger because the Headless Snowman is targeting old homes. Just then, the snowman arrives and the gang hides to find it destroying Jed's chimney. However, the hiding is blown up when Scooby made the snowman sneeze. It begins to chase the gang around.
Afterwards, Scooby and Shaggy are falling to the freezing waters. Fred, Daphne, and Velma find them frozen and rescue them. As a result, Shaggy gets Daphne's coat while Scooby gets Velma's. Just then, Sheriff Perkins arrives to tell the gang that she is following the snowman's footprints that leads her to them.
Back at the inn, the gang is getting suspicious of the sheriff because she showed up after the Headless Snowman disappeared, Asa because his business is going up with people coming to his inn due to their chimneys are destroyed, and Jed because he wants all visitors out of his town. Fred has Daphne and Velma come with him to investigate and tells Scooby and Shaggy to stay here and keep warm. The latter finds it as the best split-up suggestion.
While they are keeping warm, Scooby and Shaggy are chased by the Headless Snowman from the rooftops to the town. Meanwhile, Fred, Daphne and Velma have created a trap for the snowman and they need Scooby and Shaggy to lure it there which they already are. When the snowman gets there, Daphne activates the lights, causing it to melt. They remove the head to find it is a drilling machine. However, when they open it, it is Professor Higginson.
At the inn, Higginson reveals that Blackjack Brody has concealed the gold before they found it and that is why the chimneys are covered in soot. When he states that the gold belongs to him, Asa thinks that he is a descendant of Blackjack Brody; however, Velma states that the professor's full name is William Fagen Higginson and that his great-grandfather is Seamus Fagen. When he states that all he found were bricks, Velma thinks that there is something going on. The gang, with the townspeople, arrive to find the bricks at Tommy's home have been entirely made of gold. When Professor Higginson says about going to jail for causing all this trouble, Tommy begins to have sympathy for him and forgives him by giving him his scarf. When Sheriff Perkins gives the gold, the professor has decided to give it to everyone. Just then, Scooby turns the lights in a Christmas tree on. Professor Higginson greets everyone a Merry Christmas.
Characters[]
Main characters:
Supporting characters:
- Tommy Atkinson (only appearance)
- Jeb (only appearance)
- Sheriff Ellen Perkins (only appearance)
- Asa Buckwald (only appearance)
Villains:
- Headless Snowman (only appearance)(William Fagen Higginson's disguise)
- Prof. William Fagen Higginson (only appearance)(redeemed)
- Blackjack Brody (only appearance)(no lines)(flashback only)(deceased)
Other characters:
- Steve (only appearance)
- Daphne's uncle (mentioned)
- Mouse (only appearance)(no lines)
- Mortimer Atkinson (only appearance)
- Mrs. Atkinson (only appearance)(no lines)
- Seamus Fagen (only appearance)(no lines)(flashback only)(deceased)
Locations[]
- Winter Hollow, New England (main story and flashback)
- Mill's Corner (mentioned)
- Mill's Corner University (mentioned)
Objects[]
- Local Legends of New England
- Gold bars
- Santa hat
- Spoons
- Christmas lights
- Blankets
Vehicles[]
- Mystery Machine
- Police Cruiser
Suspects[]
Suspect | Motive/reason |
---|---|
Sheriff Perkins | She always showed up right after the Snowman appeared. |
Asa Buckwald | His business was booming because the attacks of the Snowman. |
Jeb | He wanted all visitors out of town. |
Culprits[]
Culprit | Motive/reason |
---|---|
Prof. Higginson as the Headless Snowman | To look for the gold of his family, which was in bricks. |
Cast[]
Songs[]
Song | Credits | Performed by |
---|---|---|
"Christmas Fright" | Written by Jeff Martin | Rich Dickerson |
"Santa Claus, Santa Claus" | Written by Rich Dickerson & Gigi Meroni | Heavy Trevy |
"Merry Christmas Day" | Written by Rich Dickerson | Julia Fordham & Jonathan Rice |
Notes/trivia[]
- This episode was originally titled "Ho! Ho! Horrors!".[2] This ended up being used as another title by Cartoon Network.
- This was aired as a prime-time special on a Friday evening at 8:30pm (December 13, 2002), instead of its Kids' WB Saturday morning slot.[1]
- Winter Hollow may have originally been called "Christmas Hollow".[1]
- Tommy and his family name isn't mentioned on-screen or in the end credits, but it was used in a character description.[3]
Miscellaneous[]
- "Zoinks" count: 2.
- "Jeepers" count: 2.
- "Jinkies" count: 1.
Cultural references[]
- This episode is a Christmas parody of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.
- In the end they said that William Fagen Higginson was the "richest man in town." This echos a line from the Christmas movie, It's A Wonderful Life. In that movie the main character was rich in friends. In this case Higginson was rich literally as well, since he had just found his ancestor's missing gold.
- When the Headless Snowman melts, he makes reference to The Wizard of Oz, saying, "Oh, I'm melting! Oh, what a world!" just like the Wicked Witch of the West.
Adaptations[]
- In 2012, Scholastic published Scooby-Doo! A Merry Scary Holiday, with comic-book style panels.
Animation mistakes and/or technical glitches[]
- None known.
Inconsistencies/continuity errors and/or goofs/oddities[]
- It's unknown which of Daphne's uncles sent them to the condo.
- Early on, Shaggy picks up a gold brick and it's too heavy for him, but later the townspeople are lifting them one-handed as if they were made of cardboard.
- Higginson claimed he rushed over from Mills Corner when he got the call about the Snowman. He couldn't have done this because the bridge was out and the best detour would take over two hours. He was lying; he was already on the Winter Hollow side acting as the Snowman, but nobody called him on this lie.
- Technically, it's impossible that the entire town didn't celebrate Christmas before the events of the episode, as Tommy and his friends only found the Headless Snowman that night, and it was just an urban legend before Higginson got the idea.
In other languages[]
Language | Name | Meaning |
---|---|---|
Polish | Święta Scooby'ego | Scooby's Christmas |
French | Le bonhomme de neige sans tête | The Headless Snowman |
Home media[]
What's New, Scooby-Doo?: Volume 4 - Merry Scary Holiday VHS released by Warner Home Video on October 5, 2004.
What's New, Scooby-Doo?: Volume 4 - Merry Scary Holiday DVD released by Warner Home Video on October 5, 2004.
What's New, Scooby-Doo?: Volume 10 - Gentlemen, Start Your Monsters DVD released by Warner Home Video on November 20, 2006.
Quoi d'Neuf, Scooby-Doo?: Volume 10 - A Fond les Ballons! DVD released by Warner Home Video on September 12, 2007.
What's New, Scooby-Doo?: Complete 3rd Season DVD set released by Warner Home Video on January 8, 2008. For unknown reasons this episode was switched with the third season special, A Scooby-Doo Valentine.
What's New, Scooby-Doo?: Volumes 9 & 10 - Spooky Case & A Mad Race! DVD released by Warner Home Video on May 30, 2011.
Scooby-Doo! and the Snow Creatures DVD released on September 9, 2011.
Scooby-Doo! 13 Spooky Tales: Holiday Chills and Thrills DVD set released by Warner Home Video on October 16, 2012. Erroneously called Scooby-Doo! Christmas.
Scooby-Doo! and the Snow Creatures DVD released by Warner Home Video on October 1, 2013.
Quotes[]
(The Gang need accommodation for the night) |
Scooby: Scooby-Dooby-Doo-be-doo-be-doo! |
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 King, Susan (December 8, 2002). "Christmas in the Eyes of Children". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 25, 2015.
- ↑ Sarah Baisley (December 3, 2004). "Christmas Cheer at Cartoon Network". Animation World Network. Retrieved June 22, 2023.
- ↑ @GeorgeDotyIV (November 12, 2015). "@jim_krieg @ScoobySnackFact Couldn't find the script, but found the character descriptions we sent to casting...". Twitter. Retrieved September 26, 2016.
External links[]
- A Scooby-Doo! Christmas at IMDb
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