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Cartoon History Lesson #19: Velma Elizabeth Dinkley

More about J. Wolffe
Posted by: J. Wolffe on September 7, 2012.

{According to Wikipedia.com}

Velma Elizabeth Dinkley is a fictional character in the American television animated series Scooby-Doo. She is prone to losing her glasses. She is usually seen wearing a baggy orange sweater, short pleated skirt (or in later episodes an A-line skirt, or sometimes shorts), knee socks, and Mary Janes (shoes). She is seen as the “brain” of the group.

Character description

Throughout her various incarnations, Velma is usually portrayed as a highly intelligent young woman with highly specific interests in science (which in the Scooby and Scrappy Doo series leads her to pursue a career as a NASA research scientist) or merely being very well read on obscure fields, such as ancient Viking writing (as in the third Scooby Doo series The New Scooby Doo Mysteries). In Scooby-Doo! Abracadabra-Doo, Velma is described by her younger sister Madelyn as being “born with a mystery book in her hand“. Consequently, Velma is usually the one to figure out the mystery, sometimes with the help of Fred and Daphne.

“My glasses!”

In the first series, notably “Where are you!” and “New Movies”, a running gag is Velma’s severe nearsightedness and her trouble with keeping her glasses on her face (often resulting in them falling off while she is being chased by the villain).

When Scooby is too afraid to volunteer to help with a mission, Velma often offers him a dog treat called a “Scooby Snack” as a bribe. Her catchphrases are: “Jinkies!,” “Jeepers!” (also used by other members of the gang, notably Daphne) and “My glasses! I can’t see without my glasses!”

Character background

Like all of the Scooby Doo gang, later ret-conned as Mystery Incorporated members, Velma has differing personal backgrounds and histories depending on which series one is referring to.

In the original Where are You! series, Velma attended the same high school as the rest of the gang (as stated in the episode What a Knight for a Night). However, in the second series, the New Scooby Doo Movies, Velma is said to have graduated from a different high school than her friends (as stated in the episode Spirited Spooked Sports Show).

Relationships

Although Velma has only been in an on-screen relationship once, boyfriend Patrick in Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed, she has had several love interests in various shows including: Ben Ravencroft in Scooby-Doo and the Witch’s Ghost, Detective Beau Neville in Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island, several unrequited crushes (from George the mailman from their old hometown, Gibby Norton, and Jason in the Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated episode “Howl of the Fright Hound”), celebrity crushes (Guy L’Avorton, Jamison Steven Ripley, and JC Chasez in What’s New, Scooby-Doo?), a possible love interest with Prince Omar in Scooby-Doo! in Where’s My Mummy?, and Winsor in Scooby-Doo! Legend of the Phantosaur. Marcy “Hot Dog Water” Fleach appears to have a crush on Velma, based on Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated credits that feature Marcy hugging a photo of Velma in place of Daphne hugging a photo of Fred (during those episodes where Marcy has temporarily replaced Daphne in the gang).

Up until Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated and Scooby-Doo! Curse of the Lake Monster neither Velma or Shaggy ever showed any real attraction beyond friendship in their previous incarnations. Though the two did often dance together or would go off together, along with Scooby, when the group separated for clues. But nothing ever came of it.

Velma has a serious relationship with Shaggy in the most recent series Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated. Velma and Shaggy have begun to secretly date and she is pushing Shaggy to make their relationship official. Shaggy, however, is hesitant as he wants to hide the relationship from Scooby until such a time when he feels confident enough to tell him. This causes some tension between Shaggy and Velma. Eventually, Scooby becomes aware that they are dating and his initial reaction was exactly what Shaggy had feared: anger, jealousy, and a sense of betrayal. The tension causes Velma to also become jealous of Scooby and become cruel and teasing to him; a stark contrast from her previous incarnations. Ultimately, Shaggy chooses Scooby (mostly due to Velma’s constant pushy attitude and jealousy) and breaks up with Velma, telling her that he doesn’t feel ready to have a girlfriend. Later Velma reconciles her friendship with Shaggy and reveals that she no longer has romantic feelings for him. Still, it is revealed in season two that Velma still as a soft spot for Shaggy, but does not want to admit it.

In Scooby-Doo! Curse of the Lake Monster, Shaggy is the one smitten with Velma. Following Velma around, he slowly works up the courage to ask her out on a date. Oblivious to all this (partly due to being possessed by Wanda Grubwort) until Shaggy eventually does ask her out, she reluctantly agrees to a date. Scooby (once again jealous of this new, budding relationship) attempts to sabotage the pairs affections. When Velma finally frees herself of the possession, she asks Shaggy if he was serious about his attraction to her and goaded on by Fred and Daphne, they kiss. Realizing that there is no chemistry between them, they agree to stay friends (much to Scooby’s relief).

In Scooby-Doo! Legend of the Phantosaur Winsor is the first real relationship Velma really explores. When they meet its love at first sight for the two intellectuals, Velma even goes to the point of trying to be more girlish to try and gain his affection. After some embarrassing moments, Velma lets go of her anxiety and both enjoy a somewhat normal date. When the Phantosaur begins to cause more havoc for the town, Velma refuses to believe that Winsor could be a suspect. Its noted that Velma’s only looked away from two possible suspects Guy L’Avorton, as she was a big fan of a his foreign films and Winsor himself. Velma would get a big heart break when it was revealed that Winsor was one of the bad guys, he later on apologizes for deceiving her. He admits he really did care for her, but Velma’s still hurt but his lies. By the end of the film she does forgive him and even asks if they can go out when he’s released from jail. An offer Winsor joyfully accepted.

Relatives

Relatives of Velma shown during the series’ run include:

Dale and Angie Dinkley
Velma’s parents, voiced by Kevin Dunn and Frances Conroy. They own the Crystal Cove Mystery Museum, which has in its display all of the costumes from the villains the gang has defeated over the years, as well as other objects that have connections to the supernatural or the unexplainable. Angie constantly tries to help her daughter in any way she can, while Dale tends to reprimand Velma.
Madelyn Dinkley II
Velma’s younger sister voiced by Danica McKellar and Olivia Hack. She appears to be in her late teens and somewhat resembles her older sister in appearance & personality. Ironically, Velma herself refers to Madelyn as a nerd and doesn’t seem to realize how much alike they really are. Unlike Velma, Madelyn wasn’t exactly sure what she wanted to do for a living and had previously attended clown college until she discovered a fondness for stage magic and enrolls in a school for stage magicians. Madelyn has a huge crush on Shaggy Rogers and as a result of this, Shaggy refers to Madelyn as “Doe-eyed Dinkley” or by simply “Madds“. She plays an important role in Scooby-Doo! Abracadabra-Doo, when the magic school she’s enrolled in is being terrorized by a giant griffin.
Aunt Meg and Uncle Evan
Velma’s aunt and uncle, who live in a small town called Banning Junction which features in a Halloween episode of What’s New, Scooby-Doo?.
Marcy
Velma’s cousin and the daughter of Meg and Evan. She is studying mechanical engineering in college, but unlike Velma she is fashionable. This along with Marcy’s interest in Fred made her Daphne’s rival of sorts. She was born on Halloween which over time led to her hatred of the holiday as it usually upstaged her birthday (even her parents have forgotten it). Consequently, she used local legend and her engineering background to create “Mechanical Scarecrow Monsters” to terrorize the town.

Other Relatives

  • Aunt Thelma: works with dolphins at a marine institute.
  • Uncle Dave (Walton):
  • Uncle John: works as an archaeologist.
  • Uncle Cosmo: also works as an archaeologist.
  • Uncle Elmo: a doctor.
  • Uncle Ted: also works as an archaeologist
  • Chloe Dinkley: Velma’s 13 year old sister

Velma has been voiced by several actresses. From 1969 to 1974, Nicole Jaffe voiced Velma; from 1976 to 1979, the late Pat Stevens voiced the character. From 1979 to 1980, Marla Frumkin provided her voice. Velma did not speak in the Scooby-Doo and Scrappy-Doo final episode, “The Ransom of Scooby Chief”. After the character’s absence from 1980 to 1983 series, Marla Frumkin reprised the role of Velma as a guest star in The New Scooby-Doo Mysteries. Velma was absent again until A Pup Named Scooby-Doo when Christina Lange voiced the role. B.J. Ward voiced Velma in a Johnny Bravo crossover episode. From the animated movie, Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island, B.J. Ward reprised her role in all movies through Scooby-Doo and the Cyber Chase. Nicole Jaffe returned to voice Velma in the movies, Scooby-Doo and the Legend of the Vampire and Scooby-Doo and the Monster of Mexico.

Velma, as portrayed by Linda Cardellini in Sco...

Linda Cardellini as Velma

In the latest three Scooby series, What’s New, Scooby-Doo?, Shaggy & Scooby-Doo Get a Clue! and Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated, as well as all cartoon movies made since 2004, Velma is voiced by Mindy Cohn. In the 2002 and 2004 live-action movies, Velma is played by Linda Cardellini. Velma is portrayed by Hayley Kiyoko in the 2009 live-action movie Scooby-Doo! The Mystery Begins and its live-action sequel Scooby-Doo! Curse of the Lake Monster.

Sexual orientation

Members of the fanbase of the original Scooby-Doo speculated that Velma was a lesbian, eventhough the original Scooby-Doo series did not explicityly refer to Velma’s sexuality. James Gunn, the screenwriter of the Scooby-Doo film, said that he was “pretty sure she’s gay.” Linda Cardellini, the actress who portrayed Velma in the film, said “There were a few scenes where Velma comes out of her shell. I wouldn’t say she comes out of the closet.” Cardellini added, “I thought more along the lines that maybe her sexuality is a little ambiguous.”

Jeffrey P. Dennis, author of “The Same Thing We Do Every Night: Signifying Same-Sex Desire in Television Cartoons,” argued that the romantic connection between Velma and Daphne Blake is “mostly wishful thinking” because Velma and Daphne “barely acknowledge each other’s existence.” The makers of the film script inserted a reference to the rumor, where Velma ogles Daphne, in a draft script and the writers later intended for Velma to kiss Daphne, but the scenes were never filmed.

Despite these opinions, all of the movies, including the second Scooby-Doo film, Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island, Scooby-Doo and the Witch’s Ghost, a couple of episodes of What’s New, Scooby-Doo? and the Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated series, depict her as being attracted to male characters.

In Scooby-Doo! Curse of the Lake Monster, she is saved from the spirit of Wanda Grubwort by Shaggy, who had taken a romantic interest in Velma earlier on in the movie, and they both kiss but there is no “chemistry” between them so they decide to remain as friends. This is the only time there is any actual romance with the character, which also includes a date between Velma and Shaggy earlier on in the film, except in Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated.

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