Shaggy Rogers
 |
| This article needs additional citations for verification. (December 2010) |
| Norville "Shaggy" Rogers | |
|---|---|
| Scooby-Doo character | |
 | |
| Portrayed by | Matthew Lillard (theatrical live-action Films) Nick Palatas (Direct-to-dvd live-action Films) |
| Voiced by | Casey Kasem (1969–1997, 2002–2009) Billy West (1998) Scott Innes (1999–2001: Direct-to-dvd Films) Scott Menville (2005–2008: Shaggy and Scooby-Doo Get a Clue!) Matthew Lillard (2002-2004,2005, 2010–Present) |
| In-universe information | |
| Species | Human |
| Gender | Male |
Norville "Shaggy" Rogers is a fictional character from the American animated television series Scooby-Doo, about the adventures of four crime-solving teenagers and Shaggy's pet great dane, Scooby-Doo. Shaggy is a cowardly slacker more interested in eating than solving mysteries. He is the only Scooby-Doo character (besides Scooby) to appear in all iterations of the franchise.
Character
Shaggy's distinct personality is evident in his speech pattern commonly due to his frequent use of punctuating his sentences with the word "like", and his appearance—he is lanky, with sandy hair worn in a shaggy style (hence his nickname) and a rough goatee with no mustache, typically sporting a green t-shirt and brown bell bottoms. In the 13 Ghosts of Scooby Doo and early direct-to-video movies he wore a red t-shirt and blue bell bottoms.
Both Shaggy and Scooby-Doo are readily bribed with Scooby Snacks and once a Shaggy Snack due to their nearly insatiable appetites, and have tendencies toward goofing off and cowardice. They justify their constant hunger by saying, "Being in a constant state of terror makes us constantly hungry!". His favorite dish is "Extra Cheese Pizza with Pickles" as revealed in the TV movie Scooby-Doo! Abracadabra-Doo.
It is mentioned in the second episode of the first season of "A Clue for Scooby-Doo", that Shaggy's desire for bizarre food combinations (chocolate covered hot dogs, and liverwurst a la mode, for example) comes from the fact that his first toy as a child was a garbage disposal. It is seen in the episode of the first series' second season, "Jeepers! It's the Creeper!" that the Hermit of the Hills' cooking (Squirrel stew with bat wings for example) disgusted both Shaggy and Scooby which is surprising since they eat anything that has bizarre ingredients.
Both his and Scooby's cowardice (as well as their appetites) have become so engrained in their characters that they are often portrayed as being expert cowards. Both Shaggy and Scooby are adept runners, have become skilled contortionists due to learning to hide in small places, experts at building barricades from various kinds of furniture and other household objects (even designing one to be collapsible just in case they need to use the barricaded door/entrance as an escape route from the monster/villain). They are also experts in what is scary (both Shaggy and Scooby have been shown to use each other's fears in their competitions in stealing one another's food) due to their being craven cowards (In the episode "Camp Comeoniwannascareya" they use this knowledge to help a fellow camp counselor and the campers scare off the camp's greedy owner who wishes to turn the summer camp into a resort for only adults)
Shaggy (and Scooby) has shown to be capable of great physical feats of athletic ability (ability to run at times bordering on superhuman) just through fear alone (even being able to run on water or use his feet to move a boat carrying Scooby, the rest of the gang, plus Velma's sister Madelyn, across a lake while being chased by a flying monster); however, these abilities are mainly comical in nature and Shaggy (along with Scooby) only appears to be capable of said feats when in a state of fear/panic. However, in the most recent DTV 'Scooby Doo: Camp Scare', he shakes the iron bars of an old-fashioned jail cell so hard they collapse out of frustration of being trapped.[citation needed]
Development
Casey Kasem, the first voice actor for Shaggy, said that he originally felt discomfort after being assigned to Shaggy. Kasem stated that while he was "hip to what hippies were about," he had never before portrayed a hippy character. Kasem had wanted to portray Fred Jones, while Frank Welker had wanted to portray Shaggy. Instead the network assigned Kasem to Shaggy and Welker to Fred.[1]
Kasem stated that as he continued to voice Shaggy, the character evolved. Kasem explained that the "voice dynamics" improved and that his laughs increasingly gained quality. Kasem added that Shaggy in 2002 is "more frightened today than he was at the beginning."[1]
Actors
Shaggy was originally voiced by Casey Kasem, who continued in the role for twenty-eight years. Billy West and Scott Innes (who also voiced Scooby for a time) briefly took over the role in several of the direct-to-video films produced in the late 1990s and early 2000s. In 2002, Kasem returned to the role for The WB's new Scooby series What's New, Scooby-Doo? as well as the all the animated movies made from 2003-2009. In the live-action films Scooby-Doo (2002) and Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed, along with the rebooted animated series Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated, and Robot Chicken Shaggy is portrayed by Matthew Lillard; in the live-action prequel Scooby-Doo! The Mystery Begins, he is portrayed by Nick Palatas. Scott Menville assumed the role of Shaggy in 2005 for "Shaggy & Scooby-Doo Get a Clue!" as Kasem's temporary replacement.
- Casey Kasem (1969–1997, 2002–2009)
- Billy West (1998)
- Scott Innes (1999–2002)
- Scott Menville (2005–2008)
- Matthew Lillard (2002 and 2004 live-action films, 2005 Robot Chicken, 2010–present as a voice actor)
- Nick Palatas (Scooby-Doo! The Mystery Begins (2009), Scooby-Doo! Curse of the Lake Monster (2010))
Relatives
Relatives of Shaggy shown during the series include:
- Samuel Chastain Rogers and Wendy Rogers ("Mom and Pops"): Shaggy's parents. Shaggy's father is a police officer in most incarnations, save for Mystery Incorporated (in which his first name is Colton not Samuel; although this may just be another middle name that he is using as his first name). At one point, Shaggy's parents lived in Plymouth, Massachusetts. Casey Kasem voiced "Pops" from The New Scooby and Scrappy-Doo Show through the first season of Mystery Incorporated. Grey DeLisle voices "Mom" in Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated.
- Maggie Rogers: Shaggy's younger sister. In A Pup Named Scooby-Doo, she was nicknamed Sugey.
- Wilfred: Maggie's fiancé/husband, and Shaggy's brother-in-law.
- Gaggy Rogers: Shaggy's uncle, who likes to play practical jokes.
- Uncle Shagworthy: Shaggy's rich uncle. Not only does he look like his nephew — he has the same appetite and cowardice. He keeps his most precious possession, food, in a secret refrigerator with valuable jewels. Voiced by Casey Kasem.
- Great Uncle Nat (Nathaniel): Shaggy's great-uncle. Voiced by Lennie Weinrib.
- Uncle Beauregard: Shaggy's late uncle, who left his entire fortune and his Southern mansion and plantation to Shaggy in his will. He was referred to in Scooby-Doo Meets the Boo Brothers, although he never made an appearance.
- Fearless Shagaford: Shaggy's uncle, who owns the Fearless Detective Agency (see Fearless Fosdick)
- Uncle Albert Shaggleford: Shaggy's rich uncle, an inventor who's only appeared in Shaggy and Scooby-Doo Get a Clue!. Voiced by Casey Kasem.
- McBaggy Rogers: Shaggy's ancestor. Founder of the Rogers household and settled in present-day Plymouth, Massachusetts. He is the owner of Scooby's ancestor, Yankee-Doodle Doo. Made an appearance in The New Scooby and Scrappy Doo Show episode Wedding Bell Boos. Appears to be a pilgrim.
Reception
Some viewers of the original Scooby-Doo believed that Shaggy smoked marijuana. A Newsweek interviewer asked Casey Kasem if he had ever observed that subtext in the series; Kasem responded, "there wasn't anything like that at all" and "we never even thought of it." Kasem added that he never observed any of his colleagues making a joke about Shaggy smoking marijuana, explaining "guess it's because, I don't know, it was a wholesome show from beginning to end." According to Kasem, he was not aware of the subtext until the Newsweek interviewer brought it up. The makers of the Scooby-Doo film had shot several scenes parodying the subtext; few of those scenes were included in the final film product. Kasem was not aware of this, as he did not track the development of the film.[1] Matthew Lillard, the actor who portrays Shaggy in the film, said that he did not believe that Shaggy consumed marijuana. Lillard said "He just seems like that. He acts a little goofy and high, he's lovable and scared - and just happens to have the munchies."[2]
References
- ^ a b c Sigesmund, B.J. "The Inside Dope." Newsweek. June 14, 2002. Available at Lexis-Nexis.
- ^ Breznican, Anthony. "Are hidden meanings present in the 'Scooby-Doo'movie?, Filmmakers and cast members say some hints are there, but won't be understood by children." Philadelphia Inquirer. June 20, 2002. D10 Features Magazine. Retrieved on December 12, 2010.
