Ruh-Roh, it looks like there's more Scooby-Doo adventures on the way, as HBO Max and Cartoon Network have just greenlit the new series Scooby-Doo! And the Mystery Pups for their Cartoonito block of programming. The new series will premiere in the summer of 2024.
Cartoonito is a block of programming created to air on Cartoon Network and stream on HBO Max, created specifically for a preschool-age audience. The new series is the first-ever Scooby-Doo preschool series, and will be a CGI-animated adventure comedy that will follow best pals Scooby-Doo and Shaggy as camp counselors at a sleep away camp. There they will lead a whole new crew in solving mysteries in and around the campgrounds. The new series is produced by Warner Bros. Animation. Veteran Scooby-Doo voices and cast members have signed on to lend their voices to the project, including Frank Welker and everyone's favorite Shaggy, Matthew Lillard.
The new series will feature a sleep-away camp filled with a group of pups who make up the residents of the camp, along with many typical camp adventures, such as fireside ghost stories and canoe rides. The mysteries included in the series will tend toward the goofy, rather than spooky, as the series is aimed at a younger audience. The show will work to encourage its young viewers to solve the mystery alongside the collaborative trio of pups. The new series will help viewers to work on their confidence and learn the power of teamwork.
Amy Friedman, head of kids and family programming for Warner Bros. said: of the new project, “[t]his show combines everything we love about Scooby—his humor, his loyal friendship with Shaggy, his mystery-loving spirit—all in an innovative and accessible format for preschoolers. Cartoonito parents and caregivers will get to introduce kids to their beloved childhood hero in a totally new way.”
Sam Register, president of Warner Bros. Animation and Cartoon Network Studios added to Friedman's statement by saying,"[w]e are thrilled to finally give preschoolers a version of Scooby to call their own. With plenty of laughs, fun, and clues to chase, this show promises to entertain the youngest of mystery solvers."
Frank Welker and Matthew Lillard will play Scooby and Shaggy respectively. Mark Palmer serves as co-executive producer and showrunner. Erik Knutsen is serving as supervising producer. Sam Register also serves as executive producer on the series.
Scooby-Doo! And the Mystery Pups will make its premiere on Cartoon Network and HBO Max beginning summer of 2024.