While there have been various TV and film adaptions starring Scooby-Doo and the gang, it all started in 1969 with the animated series Scooby-Doo, Where Are You? Debuting on CBS and later airing in syndication on Cartoon Network, the show followed an eclectic group of friends and their best bud Scooby as they solved mysteries that led them to face several memorable monsters.
While these classic monsters were typically criminals in disguise, some ghosts and mummies have remained iconic for decades after being caught by those meddling kids, while one fought for the top spot thanks to Reddit users.
The Black Knight
The Black Knight appeared in the series premiere "What A Night For A Knight" when this villain comes to life during every full moon to scare away visitors from the County Museum in order to host an art forgery scheme.
As the very first monster in the franchise, when the gang finally catches him, they reveal this infamous Black Knight is actually the museum curator Mr. Wickles.
The Phantom Shadows
The Season 1 episode "A Night Of Fright Is No Delight" stars not one, but two monsters called The Phantom Shadows. These green ghosts wearing chains haunted a mansion and kidnapped its heirs in order to get the fortune for themselves.
But when these phantoms then go after Scooby-Doo, his friends plot to unmask these villains and reveal their true identities as lawyers Cosgood Creeps and Cuthbert Crawls.
Redbeard's Ghost
Redbeard's Ghost was the pirate antagonist from Season 1 episode "Go Away Ghost Ship" who was said to have terrorized the Seven Seas 300 years ago, but caught the attention of Mystery Inc. when he returned to steal cargo off a ship.
Despite Shaggy and Scooby falling overboard and Fred, Daphne and Velma getting captured, the gang finally break free and reveal Redbeard's Ghost to be the ship's owner Magnus.
The Mummy Of Ankha
The most classic of all the Scooby-Doo monsters had to be the Mummy of Ankha from the Season 1 episode "Scooby-Doo and a Mummy, Too." This mummy broke into a museum and turned both the owner and Scooby into stone in order to get his hands on a diamond hidden inside a statue.
When the gang finds out Scooby had only been captured and not turned to stone, a scheme involving a lawnmower and a basketball hoop catches this monster and reveals him to be a researcher named Dr. Najib.
Mr. Hyde
Mr. Hyde is arguably the creepiest-looking monster, with orange eyes and a big, red mane and fangs who starred on The Scooby-Doo/Dynomutt Hour, one of many crossover events, this one featuring Scooby-Doo, Where Are You and Dynomutt, Dog Wonder.
In the episode "Everyone Hyde!," Mr. Hyde plots to turn everyone into a Hyde-like monster before getting caught by Mystery Inc and Dynomutt and his pals.
Miner 49'er
This villain's catchy name went hand-in-hand with his long, gray beard and dissimulating hat in the Season 1 episode "Mine Your Own Business."
When the gang gets lost in an old ghost town, they learn of Miner 49er, who haunts the local mine in search of gold. But after a mishap with some dynamite, Mystery Inc reveals the villain was a man named Hank, trying to force his friend out of business by scaring everyone off.
The Tar Monster
The Tar Monster appeared in the titular episode of Season 3 as a big, green-eyed cyclops made of tar, who would swim through tar and chase after his victims.
When the gang visits an archaeological site in Turkey, they learn The Tar Monster has kidnapped a man named Stoner in order to steal treasure before they reveal The Tar Monster was actually Stoner all along.
Spooky Space Kook
The Spooky Space Kook was a creative monster that consisted of a ghostly figure with a skull for a face inside a space helmet, appearing in the Season 1 episode of the same name.
When the gang investigates a spacecraft that crashlanded in the woods and is told by a farmer that a ghostly figure has been haunting the surrounding land, they eventually reveal the Spooky Space Kook's identity as the farmer's former neighbor who plotted to exploit his land for money.
Ghost Of Captain Cutler
The Ghost of Captain Cutler is remembered for his green diving suit draped in glowing seaweed in the show's second episode to ever air, titled "A Clue for Scooby Doo."
While this villain facades as the ghost of a diver who died at sea in a shipwreck, upon further investigation from Mystery Inc, they learn the supposed ghost is Captain Cutler alive and well, having faked his death in order to steal yachts.
The Creeper
Memorable and iconic, The Creeper takes the win for being the most notable monster from the series simply for being the most recognizable. This hunchback, green-faced villain appeared in Season 2 episode "Jeepers, It's the Creeper."
After chasing the gang, who were in possession of photographic evidence of his crimes, The Creeper was caught and unmasked, revealed to be bank robber Mr. Carswell.