10 Things You Didn't Know About Scooby Doo

5. Frank Sinatra Inspired Scooby's Name - Or Did He?

Scooby Doo
Ray Stubblebine/AP

Had Mysteries Five gotten off the ground, it would’ve followed the format of The Archie Show, with the characters performing a song during each episode. Scooby, who was then named Too Much, was the bongo player, so it’s apt that his name was inspired by a popular song.

Confirming which one, however, is no easy task. Sacha Distel’s 1958 hit Scoubidou would seem like a contender, as would Denise by Randy And The Rainbows (later covered by Blondie as Denis) with its doo-be-doo-be-doo chorus, but the most widely circulated version of the story seems like a bad joke.

According to legend, CBS executive Fred Silverman was on his way to a meeting when he heard Frank Sinatra’s recording of Bert Kaempfert’s song Strangers In The Night. Ol’ Blue Eyes’ improvised doo-be-doo-be-doo stuck in his mind, and Scooby Dooby Doo was born.

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Ian Watson is the author of 'Midnight Movie Madness', a 600+ page guide to "bad" movies from 'Reefer Madness' to 'Poultrygeist: Night of the Chicken Dead.'