Scooby-Doo stars in one of the most widely-known and beloved Saturday-morning cartoons in history. The franchise followed several Hanna-Barbera cartoons in the 1960s, and went on to become the company's most successful property, spawning over a dozen shows and even more movies. The simple premise follows a group of kids and their talking dog as they solve mysteries around the world.

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The Scooby-Doo characters have all been written as fairly humorous throughout their history, from subtle and dry humor to laugh-out-loud moments. In fact, the original Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! series had a laugh track to make it feel like a sitcom for kids. As the franchise aged, new showrunners and writers added layers of comedy and puns that enhanced the humor of its characters.

10 Daphne Blake

Daphne screams in Mystery Incorporated cartoon

Daphne Blake began as the most wooden character of the group, often a damsel in distress to move the plot along. However, as the franchise progressed, Daphne gained more characterization and a sense of humor, especially in What's New, Scooby-Doo?.

Daphne isn't the biggest joker around, but in the series where she has more personality, she does. In fact, she has one of the coldest yet funniest lines in the franchise, when she effectively shut down Velma for talking too much.

9 Fred Jones

Fred jones smiles in a Scooby-Doo cartoon

Fred Jones was usually a bland figure, but he actually has a great sense of humor. Especially during The New Scooby-Doo Movies, Fred had his funniest moments interacting with guest stars or while alone with Daphne, where he'd deliver deadpan puns.

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Fred has slowly had his love of traps hammed up into a personality trait, to the point of it just being funny. His dedication to solving mysteries, even at the expense of the gang's safety, was hilariously parodied in the short episode "Night of the Living Doo."

8 Velma Dinkley

Scooby-Doo Velma Dinkley smiles and reads

Velma Dinkley is without a doubt the brains behind the Mystery Inc. gang and their mystery-solving ability. She's often the first person to figure out the identity of the ghost or monster the gang are up against. She also knows her way around a joke.

Velma would often be the one to comment on the cowardly nature of Scooby and Shaggy, sometimes to humorous effect. As the franchise aged up, she got even funnier in series like Mystery Incorporated and the live action movies. Despite the poor quality of her titular animated series, she was the funniest part of Velma.

7 Scrappy-Doo

Scrappy-Doo emerges from a robot in the Scooby-Doo movie

Scrappy is the character many Scooby-Doo fans love to hate. Originally created in the hopes of renewing the interest of kids in the franchise for a new generation, Scrappy is the plucky, over-zealous nephew of Scooby, who traveled the world solving various mysteries.

Whether fans love or hate him, Scrappy brings some extra comic relief to the gang's dynamic. The humor stems from the puppy always charging headfirst into a dangerous situation, quite often going so far as to volunteer Scooby for things he really didn't want to do.

6 Red Beard

Three pirates standing together in the Scooby-Doo episode Go Away Ghost Ship. 

Red Beard is one of the few Scooby-Doo villains who was funnier than he was scary. Created for the episode "Go Away, Ghost Ship," the villain would capture vessels at sea, forcing the gang's intervention. When they encountered him, the captain threatened to forcibly induct the gang into his crew.

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Red Beard's funny moments ranged from hiding behind a painting of himself to an extremely hammed up portrayal of a pirate. Even if viewers don't find the villain particularly funny, his non-stop laughter at his own jokes strongly suggest he has enough humor for everyone.

5 Old Man Wickles

Old Man Wickles looks over at Shaggy in a disguise

Although it took a long time - 35 years - to flesh out his character, Old Man Wickles is actually the oldest character created for the franchise besides the Scooby gang. In the original series' first episode, Jeremiah Wickles was revealed to be the villainous Black Knight.

In Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed, Wickles was a grouchy, retired crook looking to move on with his life. Played by Peter Boyle, the ex-con projected a hilarious combination of villainy and elderly frustration, best seen when he scares off investors by asking the gang what they did with his toilet brush.

4 Sheriff Stone

Sheriff Stone points to his badge in Mystery Incorporated

Created for Mystery Incorporated, Sheriff Stone (voiced by Patrick Warburton) is the by-the-book cop of Crystal Cove. He's also a very over-the-top character who fits right into the series' more satirical spin on the Scooby-Doo franchise.

Sheriff Stone's blunt personality and vendetta against the gang gave him many of the show's funniest moments. His rigid, straight-laced persona juxtaposed with the more indifferent characters were what made him so funny, and his inflated sense of self came across as a classic small-town cop cliché.

3 Scooby-Dum

Scooby-Dum chats with Mystery Incorporated members in The Scooby Doo Show

Scooby-Dum was Scooby-Doo's less intelligent cousin, and accompanied the gang for several episodes after they solved the Gator Ghoul case. While traveling the country with the gang, Scooby-Dum was something of a klutz and outdid Shaggy and Scooby in poor detective skills.

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The writers created Scooby-Dum, like Scrappy, in the hopes of creating a new character to renew interest in the show from audiences. The Great Dane finds virtually every joke hilarious, and causes his fair share of the show's laugh track.

2 Scooby-Doo

Scooby-Doo drooling because he's about to eat Scooby Snacks.

As the namesake of an entire franchise, Scooby-Doo has many of the best moments and lines from the various iterations of his show. The Great Dane with a speech impediment, Scooby is one of the biggest cowards on TV, while also having a wholesome nature.

Scooby has been a source of humor and joy for kids and adults alike since his first appearance, where he'd misunderstand words and act confused at the idea there was a dog around. However, by far his funniest moments came from the 2002 movies, where his naïveté merged with James Gunn's funny writing.

1 Shaggy Rogers

Matthew Lillard as Shaggy Rogers in Scooby Doo movie.

Shaggy Rogers has been the funniest member of the Scooby-Doo universe since the franchise's inception. The beatnik kid and Scooby's best friend, Shaggy is often the gang's voice of reason, even if only motivated by a desire to avoid monsters.

When Shaggy went Super Saiyan in Legend of the Phantosaur, he became an instant meme, only adding to his comedic reputation. However, his funniest lines stem from the 2002 movie, including a "kids won't get it" reference to fear of hydro colonic therapy and weed references.

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