When the Cicada Calls is the thirteenth episode of the first season of Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated.
Premise[]
Employees of Destroido are being attacked by the Cicada Creature, which can command swarms of the insects.
Synopsis[]
Kelsepian, an employee from Destroido - a notoriously hazardous company in Crystal Cove, receives a threatening call while on his way home. The caller tells him that something bad will happen to him if he doesn't quit his job, but he ignores the deep voice on the line on the assumption that it is just a prank. Further down the road he is attacked by the Cicada Creature, a huge swarm of insects that nearly pushes him off the cliff and into the water below. The next day, Scooby-Doo and the gang are listening to a lecture from Dr. Rick Yantz about cicadas. Yantz's good looks capture the interest of the girls, especially Daphne, who is frustrated by Fred's obsession to traps. Yantz disapproves of Shaggy and Scooby eating Nature slivers because they are from Destroido, so they are supporting a polluting company, which he dislikes. While eating his favorite snack, Shaggy chokes on a letter demo from Mr. E telling them that a mystery is at the hospital.
The gang make it to the hospital and Fred attempts to ask Daphne out on a date. He is rebuffed when she finds out he wants to take her to Trap-Expo 3000. Inside, they find the Destroido employee being stripped of all the cicadas that stuck to him in the attack. Sheriff Stone tells them that a giant creature made entirely of a swarm of insects had attacked the Destroido worker. While the gang are eager to solve the mystery, Fred's father forbids them from solving another mystery that would prove that the town's monsters are only criminals in elaborate costumes (especially since he's planning a Cicada Bug Festival).
The gang soon find themselves visiting another Destroido employee, Hugh Dederdee, in the emergency room after he was attacked by the creature inside his own shower. Shaggy and Scooby become immersed in excitement when they find that he is also being visited by Grandma Moonbeam, the creator of Nature Slivers - one of their favorite snacks. As Mr. Dederdee begins to recount the Cicada Creature attack for them, his heart monitor spikes as he shouts, "bugs!" repeatedly. Eagerly leaving the room, the gang enters the elevator but are unexpectedly taken to the basement even though Shaggy pressed Lobby and approached by the Cicada Creature. The creature threatens them for trying to solve the caper and promises that they will be attacked the following night unless they drop their investigation.
The gang realize that they're running out of time finding clues. Fred becomes determined to prove that the cicada loving, Destroido hating Dr. Yantz is the creature because of Daphne's infatuation with him. They break into the school and find him playing a mysterious tune to a group of cicadas with a harp-like instrument. Fred begins interrogating Yantz and accuses him being a "girlfriend stealer", causing Daphne to swoon. Yantz calls the police, which brings Mayor Jones and Sheriff Stone to intervene. Though initially upset, Fred's father joyously demands that they show up to the freshly planned Cicada Bug Creature Festival because a monster attack would be a huge tourist attraction. Meanwhile, Ed Machine receives a threatening call while golfing and is attacked by the Cicada Creature immediately after hanging up.
The following night at the Cicada Festival, Daphne says she overheard that Fred had classified her as being his girlfriend and accepts his invitation to go on a date at the trap exhibit. Just before the two finally define themselves as boyfriend and girlfriend, they are interrupted by Fred's father and are told to be near the front for the Cicada Creature. Shaggy sees that Yantz has entered a ride called The House of Spooky Things, and the gang decide to follow him. After triggering many of the house's surprises, which even Shaggy and Scooby say aren't spooky, they find themselves trapped with the Cicada Creature that is all too eager to destroy them.
Using Fred's strength against the weak walls of the structure, they escape and lead the Cicada Creature through the festival and into the parking lot where the Mystery Machine has been rigged as a giant vacuum. Though Fred initially struggles to activate it, he manages to turn it on, allowing Scooby to vacuum up the cicadas and reveal someone under the swarm. Scooby removes the culprit's headgear to reveal Grandma Moonbeam, who wanted to shut down Destroido. She found out they began adding landfill waste as a new a secret ingredient to make Nature Slivers more tasty; when she demanded that they return to her original healthy recipe, they refused (mainly over the growing sales). Because they owned the product, there was nothing she could do to stop them, she vowed to have revenge. Grandma Moonbeam saw a documentary about a researcher using sound waves to control penguin's movements and decided to use it for her revenge plot, substituting cicadas for penguins. Sheriff Stone arrests Moonbeam while Mayor Jones expresses his disappointment that none of the monster tourist attractions ever work out. After Moonbeam is driven away, Shaggy proposes that they all go to the Clam Cabin to celebrate, but Daphne declines and explains that she has a date with Fred.
Later at the Trap Expo, Daphne and Fred are trapped by one of the exhibits and locked in the building after hours. Despite having to wait until morning for employees to return and let them out, Daphne enjoys having her date with Fred.
Characters[]
Main characters:
Supporting characters:
- Mayor Fred Jones, Sr.
- Sheriff Bronson Stone
- Dr. Rick Yantz (only appearance)
- Ed Machine (first full appearance)
Villains:
- Cicada Creature (only appearance)(Grandma Moonbeam's disguise)
- Grandma Moonbeam (first appearance)
Other characters:
- Kelsepsian (only appearance)
- Cicadas (only appearance)(no lines)
- Hugh Dederdee (only appearance)
- Dr. Thistle (first appearance)
- Photographer (no lines)
Locations[]
Objects[]
Vehicles[]
- The Mystery Machine
- Kelsepian's car
- Traffic cars
Suspects[]
| Suspect | Motive/reason |
|---|---|
| Rick Yantz | He showed visible hatred towards Destroido and he is an expert on cicada bugs. So he could have trained them to attack Destroido's employees |
Culprits[]
| Culprit | Motive/reason |
|---|---|
| Grandma Moonbeam as the Cicada Creature | To get revenge against Destroido Corp. for changing her recipe. |
Cast[]
| Frank Welker | Scooby-Doo Fred Jones, Jr. Cicada Creature |
|---|---|
| Matthew Lillard | Shaggy Rogers |
| Grey DeLisle | Daphne Blake Dr. Thistle Witch cutout stand |
| Mindy Cohn | Velma Dinkley |
| Gary Cole | Mayor Fred Jones, Sr. |
| Patrick Warburton | Sheriff Bronson Stone Clown cutout stand |
| Dave Allen | Dr. Rick Yantz Announcer Hospital PA |
| Joe Holt | Hugh Dederdee Golfer 1 |
| Richard McGonagle | Ed Machine Announcer Creepy voice |
| Marion Ross | Grandma Moonbeam |
| Paul Rugg | Kelsepsian Jingle singer Hairy sasquatch cutout stand |
Continuity[]
- This is one of many episodes where Velma excessively shows her grudge towards Scooby for Shaggy caring more for him than her.
Notes/trivia[]
- The name of the Trap-Expo 3000 Fred and Daphne go to on their first date is revealed in Stand and Deliver.
- The gang finds another clue from Mr. E which came from Shaggy's bag of Nature Silvers made by Destroido Corp. This is likely foreshadowing Mr. E being the CEO of the company.
- The episode was supposed to have been included on the Straight Outta Nowhere: Scooby-Doo! Meets Courage the Cowardly Dog DVD, but for unknown reasons, it was not. Instead Decoy for a Dognapper from Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!, The Gruesome Game of the Gator Ghoul from The Scooby-Doo/Dynomutt Hour, and The Chiller Diller Movie Thriller from Scooby's All Star Laff-a-Lympics were included in its place.
- It is possible that the reason behind this is because John R. Dilworth who was the creator of Courage the Cowardly Dog opted not to be involved in the film's production. Had he been involved in the film's production, it is most likely that this episode would have been included on the DVD as well as the Courage the Cowardly Dog episodes Courage in the Big Stinkin' City and Evil Weevil.
Cultural references[]
- The episode title appears to be a reference to the mystery/horror Japanese visual novel and anime series Higurashi no Naku Koro ni (When the Higurashi Cry). "Higurashi" are a breed of Cicadas.
Animation mistakes and/or technical glitches[]
- TBA
Inconsistencies/continuity errors and/or goofs/oddities[]
- TBA
In other languages[]
| Languages | Name | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Spanish (Latin America) | Cuando la Cigarra Llama | When The Cicada Calls |
| Spanish (Spain) | La Llamada de la Cigarra | The Cicada Call |
| Italian | Cicalando Cicalando | Cicading Cicading |
| Portuguese | Quando a Cigarra Liga | When a Cicada Leagues |
| French | L'Attaque des Cigales | Attack of the Cicadas |
| Hungarian | Tücskökkel hadakozó | Fighting with Cicadas |
| Greek | Το Κάλεσμα του Τζίτζικα | The Call of the Cicada |
| Polish | Zew cykad | The Call of the Cicadas |
Home media[]
Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated: Season One, Part 2 - Crystal Cove Curse DVD set released by Warner Home Video on January 24, 2012.- Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated: The Complete Season 1 DVD set released by Warner Home Video on October 8, 2013.
- Scooby-Doo! 13 Spooky Tales: For the Love of Snack DVD set released by Warner Home Video on January 7, 2014.
- Scooby-Doo! Mystères associés: L'intégrale de la saison 1 (Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated: The entirety of season 1) DVD set released by Warner Home Video on October 3, 2012.
Quotes[]
Cicada Creature: I Warned You! Mystery Voice: I told you, if you quit your job at Destroido and leave forever, something terrible would happen to you. |
External links[]
- TBA
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| The Shrieking Madness | Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated Season 1 |
Mystery Solvers Club State Finals |