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As if the title didn't give the game away, the Saturday-morning cartoon series What's New Scooby Doo? was the latest incarnation of the animated franchise launched by Hanna-Barbera way back in 1969. Most of the familiar characters were still in attendance: garrulous great dane Scooby Doo, the funky Shaggy, handsome Freddy, gorgeous Daphne, and brainy Velma, who comprised the crime-solving "Mystery 5" (thankfully, the irritating Scrappy Doo was absent). Bringing the concept kicking and screaming into the 21st century, the youthful mystery-hunters were equipped with the latest computer and cell phone technology. Even so, it was business as usual, with the heroes and heroines proving that the ghost of the week was actually a very live human villain who would have gotten away with it "if it hadn't been for you meddling kids." Clearly created to capitalize on the blockbuster live-action Scooby Doo theatrical feature of 2002 (the theme song of both the film and TV series was performed by the Canadian group A Simple Plan, What's New Scooby Doo? premiered on September 14, 2002, on the WB network.