Scooby-Doo
by Cyrus Tolman
You cannot turn on a television and not see food in one form or another. Whether it be a family eating in a sitcom, the fans eating in the stands at a sporting event, or one of the countless cooking shows. One show sticks out, Scooby-Doo; to be more specific, the characters of Shaggy and Scooby-Doo. The two characters are notoriously always hungry. The rest of their friends are constantly trying to solve mysteries, but Shaggy and Scooby are always trying to find their next meal.
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Their constant hunger can say many things about people. The most obvious connection people will draw is that they are “stoners,” and all the marijuana they smoke makes them hungry. This could very well be true. Perhaps, it says something about how drugs can affect the way we interact with food. Nicotine is known for making people less hungry, while other drugs such as marijuana is known for making people hungry. However, perhaps it is a nervous eating habit for them. They are always terrified in the show, and maybe it is their way of coping with the situation. Stress-eating is a known issue with which many people deal. Alternatively, Shaggy could just be a stereotypical teenage boy who is forever hungry and will eat everything in sight. Maybe the same goes with Scooby. Maybe Scooby-Doo is just a stereotypical dog who will eat most anything that is put in front of it. No matter the reason for their hunger, food is essential to who they are and characters like them.
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There are many characters like Shaggy and Scooby who appear in film. They are often dim-witted and/or brutish. These characteristics serve to make the characters seem baser than their peers. It makes the characters more relatable to the base needs and instincts of humans and animals. These characters often embody these elements of humanity to juxtapose the often-polar opposite of their trope, the civilized brainiac with no need for emotion, food, or any other baser need.