Fred Jones (Scooby-Doo)

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Template:Infobox character Fred Jones is a fictional cartoon character in the American animated series Scooby-Doo, leader of a quartet of teenage mystery solvers and their Great Dane companion, Scooby-Doo. Fred has been primarily voiced by Frank Welker since the character's inception in 1969.

Character description

In most series, Fred wears a white and/or blue shirt and blue pants. In the original series, Fred wears an orange ascot tie with a blue shirt and white sweater. In the 1990s direct-to-video films, Fred generally wears a light blue shirt. In the 2002 series What's New, Scooby-Doo?, Fred's outfit was given an update, with his orange ascot being replaced with a blue stripe. He is often shown constructing various Rube Goldberg traps for villains, which Scooby-Doo or Shaggy often set off by mistake, causing the villain to be captured in another way. Fred usually takes the lead in solving mysteries. When searching for clues, Fred and Daphne usually go together with Velma coming along, but sometimes Fred and Daphne pair off, leaving Velma to go with Shaggy and Scooby. Although generally a very nice guy, Fred can be bossy at times forcing Shaggy and Scooby to take part in nabbing the villain despite their fears and/or better judgment.

According to Scooby-Doo: Behind the Scenes, his boyhood nickname was "Pickle." He was voted "Best Looking" in school and was once part of a performance troupe before he devoted himself to solving mysteries. His drama training helps him get into the minds of the villains the gang faces. Daphne says that whenever they're feeling particularly scared, Fred would sing songs from Show Boat to soothe them. Fred one day hopes to be a famous mystery writer where he can use all of his talents to the fullest.

In A Pup Named Scooby-Doo, Fred was depicted as being somewhat less intelligent and often believed conspiracy theories and legends such as Bigfoot and mole people and read the tabloid magazine The National Exaggerator. In each episode, Fred would blame the crime on the neighborhood bully, Red Herring (a play on the idiom red herring). In What's New, Scooby-Doo?, the teenage version of Fred is shown to have many interests such as traps, martial arts, wrestling, and weightlifting. In Scooby-Doo: Mystery Incorporated, his interests are limited to "traps and solving mysteries," although later he admits he has feelings and dates Daphne.

Development

Frank Welker (pictured in 2016), Fred's original and longtime voice actor

Fred Jones was inspired by the titular character of the late 1950s/early 1960s American sitcom The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis, as played by Dwayne Hickman.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Some network sales presentation art from an early version of Scooby-Doo, entitled Who's S-S-Scared?, featured early designs of Fred with brown hair.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Originally named "Ronnie" when production for Scooby-Doo began in spring 1969,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Fred was named by and after Fred Silverman, who was then head of daytime programming at CBS and a key member of the show's development team.<ref name=L>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>Template:Citation</ref> Frank Welker, a young comedian and impressionist, was asked by the network to audition for the voice of Fred, although he had originally intended to audition for first Scooby-Doo (whom he eventually did get to voice after Don Messick died in 1997) and later Shaggy (Casey Kasem, who was cast as Shaggy, had originally wanted to voice Fred).<ref>(2001). Interview with Frank Welker and Casey Kasem. In Their Own Words [documentary featurette from The Scooby-Doo/Dynomut Hour: The Complete Series DVD bonus features]. New York, Los Angeles, CA: Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc.</ref><ref name="Sigesmund">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Being cast as Fred led to the start of a long, prolific career in voice work for Welker, with Scooby-Doo being his first voice acting job.

Fred Jones has been given two different first names. In Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated and Scooby-Doo! Haunted Holidays, he is called Frederick,<ref>Template:Cite episode</ref><ref>Scooby-Doo! Haunted Holidays. DVD. Warner Home Video. 2012.</ref> while in Scooby-Doo! Adventures: The Mystery Map, he is called Fredward.<ref>Scooby-Doo! Adventures: The Mystery Map DVD. Warner Home Video. 2013.</ref>

In a 2012 Reddit r/IAmA, Shaggy Rogers actor Matthew Lillard additionally revealed that the original cut of the 2002 Scooby-Doo film had Fred be revealed to be gay (which is why he always wore an ascot tie), and that Freddie Prinze Jr. had portrayed him as such throughout the film.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

In the continuity of Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated, it was revealed that Fred's father Fred Jones Sr. was not, in fact, his biological father, but instead, a man who kidnapped him as a child and raised him as his own son. His biological parents Brad Chiles and Judy Reeves later returned, but Fred continued to use the last name of Jones. In the series finale, when the universe is restarted to where Fred was never raised by Fred Jones Sr., but rather his biological parents, it is never stated what his last name is in a new reality. In Aloha, Scooby-Doo!, his middle name is stated to be Herman.<ref>Aloha, Scooby-Doo! DVD. Warner Home Video. 2005.</ref> While every member of the mystery gang is shown to have a catchphrase they use to express shock or surprise, Fred is the only member without one.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

In a 2020 interview, head writer Mitch Watson stated that the Mystery Incorporated incarnation of the character was written as "slightly on the spectrum [...] we never said this in the series, but this is what we, this was what was in our minds."<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Performers

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Zac Efron voices Fred Jones in Scoob!.

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  • Ryan Vrba (Young Fred in Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed)
  • Chris Cox (Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed: The Video Game)
  • Jamie Wilson (Scooby-Doo! and the Pirate Ghost - Live on Stage)<ref name="Pirate Ghost">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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  • Josh Little (Scooby-Doo Live! The Mystery of the Pyramid)<ref name="Pyramid">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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  • Chris Warner Drake (Scooby-Doo Live! Musical Mysteries (2016))<ref name="Musical Mysteries 2">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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  • Scott Innes (McDonald's commercial, Scooby-Doo! Playmobil Mini Mysteries)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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  • Connor Briggs (2022; Scooby-Doo! and the Lost City of Gold)<ref name="Lost City">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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Relatives

Relatives of Fred's shown or mentioned during the series include:

References

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