The Dinosaur Deception is the second half of the third episode of The New Scooby and Scrappy Doo Show, airing on September 17, 1983. Written by Gene Ayres, this episode features the gang in Puerto Vallarta Mexico visiting San Pablo village encountering a Dinosaur that is a cross between a T-Rex and a Brontosaurus, and blows smoke out of its nostrils.
The Dinosaur Deception
The episode begins with two men in white suits plowing and seeding a field in Mexico. They hear a cry for help from Doctor LaRue who tells them the dinosaur is approaching. We then see the Dinosaur snatch and run off with Dr. LaRue.
We cut to the interior of the Mystery Machine (not wearing their seat belts like we saw in earlier episodes – I guess because the laws in Mexico are more relaxed), and they are visiting the village of San Pablo, which is Spanish for St. Paul and I reckon that has nothing to do with dinosaurs. Scrappy sees a parasailer, and before know it, the gang stop to take into the activity.
Shortly after, Scooby and Shaggy gets tangled up in a Paraglider which detaches from Daphne’s boat. Scooby and Shaggy crash land in a village where everyone is in a panic, and poor Scooby and Shaggy get a close look at the dinosaur he begins to run after them.
Meanwhile, Scrappy and Daphne go looking for Scooby and Shaggy, and Scrappy falls into a dinosaur footprint that is full of oil. They also find the parachute which leads them to Scooby and Shaggy.
The dinosaur makes another appearance and Daphne notices something funny about it. We see more oil puddles on the ground and a man in the distance who vows to get the gang off the trail of the dinosaur. The gang do reach the dinosaur following the oil and they also find a passage in the dinosaur that opens up ramp.
Inside the dinosaur they are lead to a cave from out of the dinosaur’s mouth. Inside the cave they find silver ore, and Daphne realizes they are in the lost silver mine of Montezuma. We also discover that the dinosaur is some kind of silver processor, which turns silver ore into silver ingots.
Taking chase, the dinosaur catches its tail on a cactus, ripping off the costume. We also discover the man behind the scheme who pretended to be a doctor in order to scare everyone away. The police lead him off, and we also see a giant egg hatch where a real dinosaur baby emerges.
My Score
I give this one a 6 out of 10. It’s a fun little adventure, but still has some mystery to it and I quite enjoyed the parasailing adventure and mine scenes in this one, as well as Scrappy falling into the dinosaur footprint only to find oil.
While not spooky, it is creative and I think it was quite imaginative at times.
