Cartoon Cross-Over: Canine Guest Stars on Scooby-Doo

Scooby-Doo, where are you? If you're unfamiliar with Scooby-Doo, you might be surprised to learn that the show has earned an interesting reputation for its colorful list of guest stars. Beginning with 1972's The New Scooby-Doo Movies, Scooby-Doo started to regularly feature celebrity guests, cartoon crossovers, comic book characters, and more alongside Mystery, Inc. We'll take a closer look at our famous canine friends who have been in episodes of Scooby-Doo or any Scooby-Doo movies. (However, we will skip Hanna Barbera's Laff-A-Lympics as it's a mash-up of Hanna-Barbera cartoons and is not technically a Scooby-Doo series.) How many of these famous dogs do you recognize?

1. Bandit

[Source: Warner Bros. Animation/Fandom.com]

Bandit is the beloved dog of Johnny Quest, another Hanna Barbera production just like Scooby-Doo! Bandit has a cameo as one of the pet shop pets in the Scooby-Doo and Guess Who? episode "Peebles' Pet Shop of Terrible Terrors!". While his role is relatively small, he makes an impression on viewers when he bites Shaggy's finger.

2. Courage the Cowardly Dog

[Source: Warner Bros. Animation/IMDb]

What do you get when you combine two of the most cowardly canines? You get a mash-up like Straight Outta Nowhere: Scooby-Doo! Meets Courage the Cowardly Dog. This direct-to-video Scooby-Doo movie has the Mystery Machine gang heading to Nowhere, Kansas, to meet Courage the Cowardly Dog. You might remember watching episodes of Scooby-Doo airing on Cartoon Network, the home of Courage the Cowardly Dog. It was only a matter of time before they'd be in an animated feature together!

3. Dynomutt

[Source: Hanna-Barbera Productions/Fandom.com]

Because Scooby-Doo and Dynomutt were both under the Hanna-Barbera umbrella, they could easily pair these pups together in cartoon shows. In 1976, they did just that, creating The Scooby-Doo/Dynomutt Hour. The episodes are all split, with one part featuring Scooby-Doo and the other Dynomutt, although several episodes had crossovers where the dogs worked with each other in the same episode to solve crimes. They also had another team-up in the Scooby-Doo and Guess Who? episode "Scooby-Doo, Dog Wonder!" and the animated film SCOOB!

4. Elmo

[Source: Warner Bros. Animation/Fandom.com]

After the success of Scooby-Doo, Hanna-Barbera made multiple Scooby-Doo clones to recapture their prized pup's success. One such show was The Funky Phantom, about a trio of teen detectives with a dog named Elmo, a ghost man, and his ghost cat. The Funky Phantom wasn't nearly as successful as Scooby-Doo and ended after 17 episodes. However, in an episode of Scooby-Doo and Guess Who? Elmo and his crew co-starred alongside Mystery, Inc.

5. Fangface

[Source: Warner Bros. Animation/Fandom.com]

Yet another thinly-veiled Scooby-Doo clone, Fangface, was a cartoon created by Ruby-Spears Productions. (Ruby and Spears used to work at Hanna-Barbera and left to pursue their own work.) Instead of being a pet, Fangface is a teenage werewolf. In the direct-to-DVD movie Scooby-Doo! and the Goblin King, Fangface has a small cameo where he is seen on a page of The Amazing Krudsky's book of magical creatures.

6. Krypto

[Source: Warner Bros. Animation/DC Studios/IMDb]

Scooby-Doo and DC Comics have a long history of working together and making mash-up comics and cartoons. The most famous dog on the DC roster is Krypto, Superman's dog, who has had several shows and movies of his own. So, it shouldn't surprise anyone that the direct-to-video film Scooby-Doo! and Krypto, Too! came out in 2023. They team up to find the missing Justice League and to track down a phantom causing havoc in Metropolis.

7. Muttley

[Source: Warner Animation Group/Atlas Entertainment/1942 Pictures/IMDb]

Most canine cameos we have seen so far have been part of the good guys. However, Muttley is famously the dog of Dick Dastardly, a Hanna-Barbera villain featured in Wacky Races. Dick Dastardly generally aims to win races at all costs, with his loyal dog at his side. In the 2020 animated movie SCOOB!, it is up to Scooby and the gang, Dee Dee Skyes, Dynomutt, and the Blue Falcon, to foil the evil plot of Dick Dastardly and Muttley. Muttley also appears in a blink-and-you'll-miss-it Easter egg in Scooby-Doo! Mask of the Blue Falcon as a poster in a convention hall. A few other Hanna-Barbera dogs also appear in this manner as convention posters, including Hong Kong Phooey and Astro.

8. Wile E. Coyote

[Source: Warner Bros. Animnation/Fandom.com]

Wile E. Coyote is a famous Looney Tunes cartoon character who can be spotted chasing Roadrunner. Imagine our surprise to see that he had a cameo in What's New, Scooby-Doo? In the episode "New Mexico, Old Monster", Wile E. Coyote is in the background with a giant rocket strapped to his back and chasing Roadrunner. In true Looney Tunes fashion, Wile E. Coyote bites the dust by crashing into a massive rock.

We hope you had fun watching crossovers with our favorite cartoon canines! How many characters did you recognize? Which cartoon dogs do you think should have a crossover with Scooby-Doo? Share your thoughts in the comments below! Also, don't forget to gear up for your next mystery with our Scooby-Doo gifts.