Where’s Scooby-Doo? is the twelfth episode of The New Scooby and Scrappy Doo Show and originally aired on December 3, 1983. With a story by Charles M. Howell and Tom Ruegger, you know you are going to be in for a good time!  This episode is a fun take on a classic Agatha Christie Novel called “Murder on the Orient Express”.

Where’s Scooby-Doo? – Episode Review

The episode begins at the Orient Express Train Station. Scrappy is excited as all the spies and secret agents in the world ride the Orient Express. Disguised in a trench coat, Scooby has a briefcase that is packed full of Scooby Snacks. We also learn the gang are taking the train after getting a mysterious note that says “Please Join Us on the Orient Express – Signed Your Mysterious Admirers!”

At the station, we are introduced to several characters who may or may not be spies. These characters are:

• Sidney Gaspar – a famous Gourmet.
• Dr. Natasha – a suspicious woman wearing a stethoscope – so you know she’s a doctor.
• Beatrice Whimsey – an innocent looking elderly lady who knits.
•  a short man who warns the gang about a mummy that is chasing him.

We learn the short man opened a mummy’s tomb and now he’s being chased.  We also learn about a Fuel Formula stolen by a Spy. While all this chaos in the station, Scooby and Shaggy are confronted by the mummy and we have a quick chase where Scooby’s briefcase of delicious Scooby Snacks is mixed up with all the other traveler briefcases.

Picking up the wrong briefcase (it’s full of knitted items), Scooby and the gang board the Orient Express, and we also see the mummy on the train get out of his Sarcophagus.

Scooby realizes he’s exchanged his briefcase with the elderly knitted lady (who doesn’t know how to knit) and runs into the mummy, just as Scooby is about to scream, the train’s horn muffles his cries for help.

The little man shows up at Shaggy’s door and explains that Scooby is in grave danger before disappearing, and we hear the lost cries of Scooby-Doo. The gang run into the train isle and find Scooby’s collar.

Searching for Scooby, the gang start knocking on doors (or in Scrappy’s case, knocking down doors) to find out who kidnapped Scooby. Barging into the elderly lady’s room, the lady explains Scooby pulled a mummy out of her storage cabinet and Scooby found a briefcase full of cooking goods (belonging to Sidney Gaspar) before he was once again chased by the Mummy.

The gang then head to the dining car in search of Sidney. While going through a tunnel, the train hallway turns dark and Shaggy is confronted by the Mummy, ending part one of this segment of the episode.

Part two of the episode picks up with Shaggy still confronted by the Mummy. Shaggy is able to escape by disguising himself as a Train ticket keeper.

Daphne and Scrappy then show up with some torn up newspapers that have the headline “Top Secret Fuel Formula Stolen”, but the actual article is torn out of it.  The gang then head to the dining care where we learn from Sidney Gaspar that Scooby was dressed as a Maître De and had seated him. Later on, in an attempt to get Sidney’s suitcase, Scooby dressed up as a woman.

Sydney explains after some commotion with the mummy, Scooby opened his suitcase, and inside was a Stethoscope that belonged to the Diabolical Doctor Natasha, and the gang head off and confront the Doctor.

The Doctor explains that Scooby showed up at her door and explained that there was an epidemic of Scooby Snack-itis and if anyone came into contact with any Scooby Snax they must turn them over at once. Scooby sneaks into her office and opens her suitcase and finds several travel photos of Egypt.

Associating Egypt with the little guy, the gang head off to find him. Shaggy is the first to find him and the little guy explains they already know what they need to know to find Scooby.

Daphne decides they need to find baggage storage and they find Scooby tied up inside the Egyptian sarcophagus. They also find Scooby’s red suitcase of Scooby Snacks and cracks open a box.

Scooby explains he was trapped by the Mummy, the elderly lady, Doctor Natasha and the little guy. Scooby was then tied up and carried off by the little man and the Mummy.

Daphne finds the full newspaper that Scooby had bought and we get to see the real article which explains the top secret fuel formula was stolen by a fugitive scientist.

The mummy walks in and then starts to laugh, revealing himself to be Sydney Gaspar. All the other suspects pop out and then explain that they are the Super Sleuth Society and that everything was a big hoax. Everything is one big hoax.

Daphne isn’t completely sold and then grabs the knitted sweater off the elderly lady’s suitcase to reveal that it is knitted in morse code (maybe she should have tried Steganography. Beatrice Whimsey takes off her elderly lady mask and runs off with Scooby’s suitcase of Scooby Snax.

Scooby takes off after her and we get a fun train chase where Scooby and Shaggy capture the spy in the Egyptian Sarcophagus, so Scooby treats himself to one more Scooby snack.

In Vienna the gang are thanked by the local police for the apprehension of the spy. Scooby then does a quick gag fright by coming out of the Sarcophagus dressed as the mummy.

My Review

I give this episode an 8.5 out of 10. This episode is smartly written, and a lot of fun, playing off of the Scooby tropes in creative ways while also introducing some new, but whacky humour to the series.

With this episode we get a bit of a mystery, a somewhat scary monster, a spy thriller and a whole slew of suspects, plus a ton of humour as we flashback to the many outfits of Scooby-Doo. We also get multiple versions of Scooby’s story, told from different perspectives. It’s an ambitious episode, and I feel if you like the humour of the 13 Ghosts of Scooby-Doo, you will certainly dig this episode.