The Night the Clown Cried

For the movie named after this episode, look here.

The Night the Clown Cried
Details
Episode #	201
Air date	July 30, 2012 (Cartoon Network)
Air date	June 2, 2012 (Boomerang)
Latin America air date	September 1, 2012
Written by	Mitch Watson
Directed by	Curt Geda
Chronology
Previous episode	All Fear the Freak
Next episode	The House of the Nightmare Witch

The Night the Clown Cried is the first episode of the second season of Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated, and the twenty-seventh episode overall.

Premise

After the gang disbands, Crystal Cove is being tormented by an evil man-baby called Crybaby Clown!

Synopsis

Crybaby Clown chases Sheriff Bronson Stone in his wagon throwing an exploding bottle at his car. The sheriff jumps out in time. As the new mayor, Janet Nettles, watches Crybaby Clown drive past City Hall she wonders aloud what she has gotten herself into. A mysterious masked figure shows up and comments (with a muffled voice) that it was more like a mystery. The figure tosses a folder on the desk and states that she needs to find the second incarnation of Mystery Incorporated, otherwise her time as mayor would be short-lived. The figure then jumps out the window.

Scooby was put in solitary confinement at the farm for trying to escape. Scooby explains to a cow that he had to try and escape. He states that his friends are counting on him— otherwise Professor Pericles wins. Scooby then attempts and succeeds in escaping, and is picked up by Mayor Nettles.

Shaggy is in line with the rest of his bunker mates when Scooby busts through the wall driving a tank. The commanding officer tries to do something about it but just manages to be dropped under the tank.

Shaggy and Scooby find Fred going door to door trying to find Brad Chiles or Judy Reeves. In the time the gang has been split up Fred had grown a scraggly beard. Scooby and Shaggy convince Fred to come back. Fred agrees and then once the mystery was solved he will be going back to look for his parents.

Once the three arrive in town, Crybaby Clown goes after them. As Fred runs away he is snagged up by one of his own traps. When he comments that he recognizes the net, the mysterious figure shows up and tells him that he should, because he was one that built it. The figure cuts Fred loose and comments on Fred's beard. Fred realizes that it was Velma and gives her a hug. Just as Scooby and Shaggy pull up in the Mystery Machine, Velma pulls up the cloth over her mouth. Shaggy and Scooby try to pounce on her but she easily side-steps them. When she pulls off the hat and cloth over her mouth Scooby and Shaggy immediately hug her in joy of seeing her. She makes the comment, "Oy, where was this affection when we were dating?"

Velma joins them and together they go to the Bloody Stake to get Daphne back, but to Fred's surprise, she is on a date with movie star, Baylor Hotner. As they walk out, Daphne mistakes Fred for a hobo, and Baylor gives him an energy bar.

The remaining gang show up at City Hall, where a town meeting has formed to talk about Crybaby Clown. The citizens are so desperate to rid of him, they are overjoyed to see the gang reunited. Shaggy's parents are surprised to see Shaggy & Scooby out, which the former of the two lies that he was promoted to a general and let out for undercover work with Scooby. The celebration is short-lived, however, when Crybaby Crown turns up unexpectedly, demanding a five million dollar bribe to leave them alone or continue to suffer. Sheriff Stone is eager to please Crybaby Clown, but Mystery Inc. turn down his offer. In retaliation, he cuts the lights and set off a bomb disguised as a giant diaper. A panic ensues, but everyone escapes in time.

Fred makes one last attempt to get Daphne back at her mansion. She still refuses, as she is done with mystery-solving and is now with Baylor, who gives time for her. When she shuts the door on them, Fred immediately tells the others that this was a lie, convinced that she'll join them later.

Fred comes up with a doughnut shop-themed trap in order to trap out Crybaby Clown. The trap doesn't work (because Fred counted on Daphne's return) and Crybaby Clown escapes using one of his bottle bombs to blow up Chen's Fireworks. Fred is depressed that the villain escaped and states that Mystery Incorporated won't be the same since Daphne is never coming back.

Characters

Main characters:

• Mystery Incorporated
  • Scooby-Doo
  • Shaggy Rogers
  • Fred Jones, Jr.
  • Velma Dinkley
• Daphne Blake

Supporting characters:

• Sheriff Bronson Stone
• Farmer ^{(first appearance)}
• Mayor Janet Nettles ^{(first appearance)}
• Drill sergeant ^{(only appearance)}
• Baylor Hotner ^{(first appearance)}
• Paula Rogers
• Barty Blake

Villains:

• Crybaby Clown ^{(first appearance)}

Other characters:

• Randy's mom ^{(no lines)}
• Cow ^{(only appearance)(no lines)}
• Brad Chiles ^(mentioned)
• Judy Reeves ^(mentioned)
• Drake Brothers ^{(only time mentioned)}
• Colton Rogers ^{(no lines)}
• Mr. Baywosenthal ^{(no lines)}
• Fred Jones, Sr. ^(mentioned)
• Angel Dynamite ^(mentioned)
• Cassidy Williams ^(mentioned)
• Professor Pericles ^(mentioned)
• Nan Blake ^(mentioned)

Locations

• Crystal Cove
  • Crystal Cove Spook Museum
  • Fruitmeir's
  • Crystal Cove City Hall
  • Farm
  • Barnstow Military Academy
  • Bloody Stake
  • Blake Mansion
  • Dawn of the Doughnuts
  • Chen's Fireworks
  • Vegan-O
  • Z'Patos

Objects

• Scooby Snacks ^(mentioned)
• Hotners'
• Dirty diaper bomb
• Doughnuts
• Flour
• Crossbows
• Eggs
• Frosted Thins[sic]
• Barrel

Vehicles

• Crybaby Clown's buggy
• Sheriff Bronson Stone's police car
• Janet Nettles's limousine
• The Mystery Machine

Cast

Frank Welker	Scooby-Doo Fred Jones, Jr. Barty Blake
Matthew Lillard	Shaggy Rogers
Grey DeLisle	Daphne Blake Paula Rogers
Mindy Cohn	Velma Dinkley
Patrick Warburton	Sheriff Bronson Stone
Kate Higgins	Mayor Janet Nettles
Mark Hamill	Crybaby Clown Drill sergeant
Matt Lanter	Baylor Hotner
Mitch Watson	Farmer Random citizen

Continuity

• From the recap:
  • The Freak of Crystal Cove stood on where a window used to be at the Old Spanish Church and laughed. (Pawn of Shadows)
  • The Freak of Crystal Cove was unmasked and unveiled to be Fred Jones, Sr. (All Fear the Freak)
  • After Fred was distraught over the parents that he'd never even known about, he called off the engagement between him and Daphne and decided to leave Crystal Cove in search of his real parents. (All Fear the Freak)
  • Daphne scolded Velma for not telling the gang about Angel's secret earlier. (All Fear the Freak)
  • Shaggy's parents told him that he would be going to millitary school while Scooby-Doo would be sent to a farm. (All Fear the Freak)

Notes/trivia

• This episode was originally set to air May 2012, but instead was released online and the televised premiere was pushed back to July 10 and then finally July 30 of the same year.^{[citation needed]}
• Crybaby Clown mentioned Redbeard's Ghost and Mano Tiki Tia as cases Mystery Inc. solved. In the regular continuity, the latter case was set in Hawaii. This case must have been closer to home, since Daphne said she had never been further than Gatorsburg.
• The drill sergeant calls Shaggy, "Private Hippy".
• This is the only two-parter episode in the series, and also the second episode, after Dead Justice, in which the monster gets away.
• This is the first episode in the series (and the franchise as a whole) that features a 'previously' segment. This trend will continue until Come Undone.
• The 'previously' segment is announced by Fred.
• Mark Hamill who voices Crybaby Clown in the episode also voices another villainous clown themed-character DC Comics supervillain the Joker (archenemy of Batman) on TV and in video games.

Cultural references

• The title seems to be based on the notoriously bad unreleased Jerry Lewis movie, The Day the Clown Cried. The clown's voice is also reminiscent of Jerry Lewis.
• Shaggy resembles the titular character from the sitcom, Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.
• During the meeting, Crybaby Clown scratches his nails on the chalk board and mentions how the townspeople know him and how he earns a living, this is a reference towards the film, Jaws, when Quint scratches his nails on the chalk board and says the exact same lines.

Inconsistencies/continuity errors and/or goofs/oddities

• It's unknown how much time passed between All Fear the Freak and The Night the Clown Cried. Due to Fred's long hair and beard, it can be assumed it was at least several months.

In other languages

Language	Name	Meaning
Italian	La Notte Del Clown	The Night of the Clown
Spanish (Latin America)	La Noche en que el Bufón Lloro	The Night the Buffoon Cried
French	La Nuit du clown triste	The Night of the Sad Clown
Polish	Płaczący Klaun	The Crying Clown
Greek	Τη Νύχτα που Έκλαψε ο Κλόουν	The Night the Clown Cried

Home media

• Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated: Season Two, Part 1 - Danger in the Deep DVD set released by Warner Home Video on November 13, 2012.
• Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated: The Complete Season 2 DVD set released by Warner Home Video on October 7, 2014.
• Scooby-Doo! Mystères associés: L'intégrale de la saison 2 (Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated: The entirety of season 2) DVD set released by Warner Home Video on September 10, 2013.

External links

• TBA

Previous episode:	Series:	Next episode:
All Fear the Freak	Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated Season 2	The House of the Nightmare Witch