TVSquad

Mental Floss has a clever little quiz in which you must determine whether various descriptions of bizarre crimes actually happened in real life, or are merely plots of various Scooby-Doo cartoons. I'd recommend taking the quiz before reading any further.

I surprised myself by actually scoring 9 out of 10. The only one I was fairly positive about was number four, as I'm fairly certain no Hanna Barbera cartoon would ever feature someone pointing a gun at someone else. At least, not lighter fare like Scooby Doo. I'm sure Batman has had various weapons aimed at him on more than one occasion.

Here's a couple bits of animation news:

Early this year I told you 12 Oz Mouse would be returning with new Web-only episodes. Well the first one is online over on Adult Swim, so check it out.

I was indifferent to 12 Oz Mouse at first, but after finally watching the episodes in order and becoming immersed in its odd little world, it quickly became one of my favorite Adult Swim series. It's nice to see it back in any form.

If the surreal post-modern weirdness of 12 Oz Mouse isn't your thing, you can always check out some new Hanna Barbera cartoons that were recently added to iTunes. The new store includes episodes of Scooby-Doo, The Jetsons, Huckleberry Hound, The Flintstones and Yogi Bear.

Here are the new TV DVDs, in stores tomorrow.

• American Dad - Vol. 2
• Banacek - Season 1
• Coach - Season 2
• Curious George - Rocket Ride and Other Adventures
• ER - Season 7
• Frasier - Season 9
• Home Improvement - Season 6
• M*A*S*H - Goodbye, Farewell, and Amen
• Martin - Season 2
• Masters of Horror - Right To Die
• Monarch of the Glen - Series 6
• Playboy After Dark - Collection 2
• A Pup Named Scooby-Doo - Vol. 6
• The Rockford Files - Season 4
• Tom and Jerry - Tex Avery's Droopy: The Complete Theatrical Collection
• Tom and Jerry Tales - Vol. 2
• The War At Home - Season 1
• Wings - Season 4

Here are the new TV DVDs, in stores tomorrow:

• Avatar: The Last Airbender - Book 2, Vol. 2
• The Batman - Season 3
• Murder in Suburbia - Series 2
• Proof - Season 2
• Scooby-Doo All Stars - Season 3
• The Streets of San Francisco - Season 1, Vol. 1
• Teen Titans - Season 3
• The Untouchables - Season 1, Vol. 1

Welcome to TV Squad Lists (formerly 'The Five'), a feature where each blogger has a chance to list his or her own rundown of things in television that stand out from the rest, both good and bad.

A couple of other bloggers have made lists concerning movies that have been made into TV shows and vice versa. There's The Top 10 Movies Based on TV Shows, The Top 5 Shows That are Better than the Movie, Four Small Screen to Big Screen Flops and AOL's own list. Here is my effort. Enjoy.

1. The Avengers: I tried to sit through this move twice and couldn't do it either time. If anyone can explain the plot to me, they can have my job. This movie is the exact opposite of the TV show. Boring, unoriginal, ignorant and unpleasant to watch.

2. Lost in Space: After the cameos by the surviving original cast members, stop watching. Since when is Dr. smith a psycho? I know Heather Graham is hot, but why is Don West more interested in getting laid than getting home? And what is up with the stupid CGI alien? I'd rather see a monkey with Spock ears.

Guess what? Batfink is coming out on DVD in June. The set will include all one hundred episodes of the series.

Actually, screw Batfink. Here's even better news: every episode of The Ant and the Aardvark on DVD next month.

I'm going to make a confession: I actually like A Pup Named Scooby Doo better than the original Scooby Doo. I found the original rote and unimaginative, and while A Pup Named Scooby Doo wasn't exactly the greatest cartoon either, it had funky animation and a self-awareness I could really dig. As far as Scrappy Doo, the spunky little scamp many fans believe ruined the Scooby Doo series (I never thought he was that bad), you can read about his origins over on Mark Evanier's site.

After losing co-founder Joseph Barbera and animator Ed Benedict, Hanna Barbera is again saying good-bye to yet another legend. Iwao Takamoto, who designed Scooby-Doo, Shaggy and the rest of the Mysteries Inc. gang, passed away yesterday at the age of 81.

While Ed Benedict is credited with designing the original Flintstones characters, Takamoto designed the Great Gazoo. He also created Muttley, the wheezing dog featured on such shows as Laff-A-Lympics, Dastardly & Muttley in Their Flying Machines and Wacky Races; and Astro, the Jetson's dog who, oddly enough, sounded not unlike Scooby-Doo (both were voiced by Don Messick). His other credits at Hanna Barbera include Josie and the Pussycats, Jabberjaw and many, many others.

• 24 - Season 5
• Animaniacs - Vol. 2
• Dukes of Hazzard - Season 7
• Dungeons & Dragons - Complete Series
• Mission: Impossible - Season 1
• Pinky and the Brain - Vol. 2
• Roseanne - Season 6
• Saturday Night Live - Season 1
• Survivor: Vanuatu - Complete Season
• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - Vol. 6
• What's New Scooby-Doo? - Vol. 10

What's New Scooby-Doo? was an updated version of the classic Scooby-Doo, Where Are You? that stuck with the basic premise of the gang solving spooky mysteries, but with new gadgets and contemporary music to give everything a more modern feel. The only voice actors who remained from the original series were Casey Kasem as Shaggy and Frank Welker as Fred (who also took over the voice of Scooby-Doo after Don Messick passed away in 1997). All other characters were voiced by different people. The animation was done by Warner Bros, giving it a more fluid look than the Hanna-Barbera original. The first season of the cartoon, which ran for just under three years on the WB, will be released on DVD on February 20, 2007. Fans of the original series probably don't care too much about this modern version, but younger kids seem to like it. Besides, it's not like people my age aren't more familiar with the Ralph Bakshi version of Mighty Mouse than the original Terrytoons version. Things get updated for new generations, that's how this nutty industry works sometimes.

[via Toon Zone]