Quit Clowning! is the twelfth episode of season 1 of Scooby-Doo and Guess Who?
Premise[]
Mystery Inc. helps celebrity comedian Kenan Thompson host a telethon, but find the station is cursed by the ghost of Pazzo the Clown.
Synopsis[]
At the QTTT-TV station in downtown Atlanta, Georgia, the anchors prepare for the station's annual telethon, but technical difficulties occur, in which a ghost clown attacks the set while on air. Unaware of the attacks, Mystery Inc. travels to the station, having been invited by the telethon host, comedian Kenan Thompson. Upon arrival, they are informed by the station attorney, A.J. Dobbs, that the station was cursed by the ghost of Pazzo the Clown, a clown that had his own television show on the channel. Suddenly, they experience a blackout, but this issue is shortly fixed by the contractor.
They travel to the set of the Pazzo the Clown Show, a show known for its opening credits in which Pazzo threw a pie into the face of a child. They speak with Simone, Thompson's middle school friend whom he refuses to work with. While Shaggy and Scooby play with the green screen, they encounter the ghost clown, who warns them to leave. When this warning is not heeded, Pazzo chases them onto a catwalk before disappearing. Mystery Inc. notes the fluorescent handprint the clown left on the wall, then splits up into two groups.
Shaggy and Scooby help Thompson rehearse for his performance, including entrances, impressions, and skits. Meanwhile, Velma, Daphne and Fred investigate, finding more of the clown's fluorescent paint in the form of footprints. Looking at the video archives, Velma discovers that most of the archived tapes of the Pazzo the Clown Show were erased but successfully identifies the boy whose face Pazzo throws the pie at.
Velma attempts to share her discoveries with Fred and Daphne, but is captured by the ghost clown and trapped in a soundproof booth. The members of Mystery Inc. reunite but unable to locate her, not noticing her calling for help from the booth. The clown appears and attacks the group across the set, and Thompson finds Velma inside the booth. With the ghost clown disappearing and Velma sharing her critical findings in the case, Fred Jones prepares to set a trap for the ghost clown.
The telethon officially begins and Thompson appears on air to lure the ghost clown. Starting his "Kenathon," the ghost clown appears almost immediately, but footage from the original Pazzo the Clown Show appears unexpectedly, showing Pazzo throwing a pie at a child's face. The clown is then surrounded by multiple screens showing the same footage. Visibly uncomfortable with having this footage televised, Pazzo attempts to escape on the rooftop, but is cornered. He attempts to climb a radio tower but his handhold breaks away, causing him to fall; he is saved from injury by a hook hanging to his pants, but is captured.
The clown turned out to be A.J. Dobbs. Dobbs was, in reality, the child from the Pazzo the Clown Show. Humiliated by his appearance in the opening sequence, he sought out to erase all traces of the show. As the station attorney, he destroyed footage of the show from the video archives, then blocked all movements attempting to mark the station as a historic location, where it would have been given municipal protection. To sabotage the telethon, he took advantage of the local legend and disguised himself as the ghost of Pazzo the Clown to scare people away. After he is handed over to authorities, the telethon continues, and Thompson invites the retired actor who played the real Pazzo, who has since opened his own pizzeria. Thompson fulfills his dream by having a pie thrown in his face by Pazzo.
Characters[]
Main characters:
Supporting characters:
- Kenan Thompson (only appearance)(main story and flashback)
- Meghan (only appearance)
- Simone (first appearance)
Villains:
- Pazzo the Ghost Clown (only appearance)(A.J. Dobbs's disguise)
- A.J. Dobbs (only appearance)(main story and flashback)
Other characters:
- Anchorwoman (only appearance)
- Anchorman (only appearance)
- Mayor (only appearance)(no lines)(TV or computer screen)
- Baby orangutan (only appearance)(no lines)(TV or computer screen)
- Contractor (only appearance)
- Pazzo the Clown (only appearance)(main story and flashback)
Locations[]
Objects[]
- Banana (TV or computer screen)
- Shaggy's t-shirt
- Scooby's dog collar
- Scooby Snacks (mentioned)
- Videotapes
- Velma's magnifying glass
- Pies
- Velma's glasses
- Refrigerator
- Apples
- Balloons
- Pizza
Vehicles[]
Suspects[]
| Suspect | Motive/Reason |
|---|---|
| Contractor | Annoyed that he had to rewire the entire building. |
| Simone | Angry that Kenan did not want her as his partner. |
Culprits[]
| Culprit | Motive/Reason |
|---|---|
| A.J. Dobbs as Pazzo the Ghost Clown | To shut down QTTT and erase all tapes of the Pazzo the Clown Show. |
Cast[]
Notes/trivia[]
- Shaggy announces the celebrity guest in the title card.
Miscellaneous[]
- Disguises: Fred as Fred Flintstone and Daphne as Jeannie.
- Traps: A circle of TV monitors showing Pazzo throw a pie in a kid's face - unsuccessful due to Simone.
- Clues: Fluorescent handprint on wall, fluorescent footprints, erased video archives.
- Ruh-roh: 1 (plus plenty more by Shaggy and Kenan)
- "Zoinks" count:
- "Jeepers" count:
- "Jinkies" count: 1
- "This mystery is starting to come together" count" 1
- Velma loses her glasses: When thrown in the sound-proof booth by Pazzo the Ghost Clown.
Cultural references[]
- There are several Hanna-Barbera references:
- As Kenan Thompson walks down the hall, posters of The Banana Splits and The Herculoids can be seen.
- As Pazzo the Ghost Clown finds two mannequins, Fred and Daphne sneak away as Fred Flintstone and Jeannie, from the The Flintstones and Jeannie, respectively. Daphne's disguise is more obvious than Fred's, who is dressed rather generically in comparison.
Animation mistakes and/or technical glitches[]
- In a few scenes, the story plays with Shaggy's green T-shirt disappearing in front of a green screen. However, when Shaggy, Scooby and Kenan Thompson hide in front of the weather green screen, first we can see his T-shirt, as we could if we were looking at him directly. But when they emerge his T-shirt is missing, as if we are looking at them via a TV screen.
Inconsistencies/continuity errors and/or goofs/oddities[]
- It's not explained how the gang know Kenan before the start of the episode.
- The anchorman at the beginning of the episode is credited as "Sports guy", despite the fact he doesn't say anything sports-related.
- When Dobbs is introduced, he is seen wearing glasses, but after his unmasking, the glasses disappear.
- Why would Dobbs dress as a ghost clown when Pazzo is still alive?
- How could Pazzo haunt the station immediately after Meghan and AJ Dobbs left for a meeting with the station's bankers?
- The video tapes Velma checks look like ordinary VHS tapes, which do not have the video quality required of a TV station. Stations typically stored their programs on special format reel to reel video tapes before digital storage took over.
- How could Simone be in the same middle school drama club as Kenan Thompson, who was born in 1978 and also the same high school year as Christian Slater who was born in 1969?
- Velma claims she was locked in the soundproof booth by Pazzo, although Kenan seemingly has no problems opening the same booth to hide from the clown later on.
In other languages[]
| Language | Title | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Polish | Klaunada odpada! | The Clown is Gone! |
| Turkish | Soytarılığı Bırak! | Quit Jester! |
| Greek | Η Κατάρα του Κλόουν! | The Curse of the Clown! |
Home media[]
Scooby-Doo! and Guess Who?: The Complete First Season DVD set released by Warner Home Video on January 19, 2021.- Scooby-Doo and Guess Who?: The Complete First Season DVD set released by Warner Home Video in January 18, 2021.
- Scooby-Doo! and Guess Who?: Season One DVD released by Warner Home Video on May 31, 2021.
Quotes[]
Daphne: It wouldn't be a mystery without a creepy basement. |
Kenan Thompson: Excuse me, miss, is this hiding spot taken? |
A.J. Dobbs: And I would've gotten away with it, too, if it weren't for you meddling... (pie in the face) |
External links[]
| Previous episode: | Series: | Next episode: |
| Now You Sia, Now You Don't! | Scooby-Doo and Guess Who? (Season 1) |
What a Night, for a Dark Knight! |