The Real Dog Playing Scooby-Doo in Netflix's New Series Is Too Cute for Words
In the first teaser for Netflix's highly anticipated 2027 series Scooby-Doo: Origins, one star in particular is stealing the spotlight.
The scene in the teaser features a very special pup who's about to make cinematic history, as this is the first time a real dog is playing Scooby-Doo.
@netflix SCOOBY IS FINALLY REAL!!! Meet our goodest boy in Scooby-Doo: Origins, coming to Netflix in 2027 @scoobydoonetflix
original sound - Netflix
How cute is the chocolate Great Dane puppy who's playing Scooby?!
Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! made its debut as an animated series on September 13, 1969, on CBS and was produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions.
It would go on to become one of the most popular and iconic cartoons of all time, mainly because of its dog character, the beloved Scooby.
There were actually five live-action films made starting in 2002-Scooby-Doo, Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed, Scooby-Doo! The Mystery Begins, Scooby-Doo! Curse of the Lake Monster and the series Daphne & Velma-with the first two starring Sarah Michelle Gellar and Matthew Lillard, but Scooby remained animated.
So, to have a real Great Dane puppy featured in this new series is quite incredible for fans.
Related: Great Dane ‘Steals' Brother's Skateboard With Sneaky ‘Scooby Doo' Moves
What Breed Is Scooby-Doo Supposed To Be?
Writers Joe Ruby and Ken Spears of Hanna-Barbera created Scooby-Doo, and the character's design was by Iwao Takamoto.
All the creators of Scooby based him on the Great Dane breed, as he was quite large but very friendly and loyal.
For reference, Great Danes can be as large as 32 inches tall at the shoulder and weigh between 110 and 175 pounds.
They're also known for being great family dogs (and the perfect pups for the crime-solving gang of Mystery Incorporated).
Though the cartoon and CGI versions of Scooby could talk to the other characters and often walked on their hind legs, real Great Danes don't do that (though it made for fun entertainment).
It will be interesting to see how the new series portrays Scooby since they are using a real dog actor.
Will he still talk? Will he do cartoonish action stunts?
We did find that Scooby-Doo will be voiced by actor Frank Welker, so we assume this will be a talking dog (with the help of special effects).
The rest of the cast of Scooby-Doo: Origins includes McKenna Grace as Daphne, Tanner Hagen as Shaggy, Abby Ryder Fortson as Velma, Maxwell Jenkins as Fred, and Paul Walter Hauser as Scooby's parent, and of course, this adorable puppy actor and then a grown Great Dane will most likely play older Scooby.
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This story was originally published June 14, 2026 at 9:20 AM.