Velma Dinkley

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Template:Short description Template:Pp-move Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox character Velma Dinkley is a fictional cartoon character in the Scooby-Doo franchise.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> She is usually seen wearing a baggy orange turtleneck sweater, a short red pleated skirt, knee high socks, Mary Jane shoes, and a pair of black square glasses, which she frequently loses and is unable to see without. She is seen as the "brains" of the group and also serves as Fred Jones' third-in-command.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

Character description

Throughout her various incarnations, Velma is usually portrayed as a highly intelligent young woman with an interest in the sciences. She is also often portrayed as being very well-read on obscure fields such as Norse writing (as in the third Scooby-Doo series, The Scooby-Doo Show). Due to her intelligence and problem-solving abilities, Velma is typically the first one to solve the mystery and, like Sherlock Holmes and many other fictional detectives, often keeps her conclusions secret till the end of the story. Velma Dinkley was inspired by the brainy sweater girl Zelda Gilroy, as played by Sheila Kuehl, from the late 1950s/early 1960s American sitcom The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis.<ref>Evanier, Mark. (July 10, 2002).Post Template:Webarchive on "News from Me" blog for Povonline.com. Retrieved March 27, 2006. Excerpt: "Fred was based on Dobie, Velma on Zelda, Daphne on Thalia, and Shaggy on Maynard."</ref>

A running gag in Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! and The New Scooby-Doo Movies is Velma's severe myopia and her ability to repeatedly lose her glasses (often the result of them falling off her face while she is being chased by a villain), saying "My glasses! I can't see without my glasses!" whenever she accidentally misplaces them.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Another running gag occurs when other frightened characters leap into her arms.

Velma is characterized as the most skeptical of the gang and is most likely to discount any paranormal explanations to their mysteries. This is particularly evident in the films Scooby-Doo! and the Curse of the 13th Ghost and Scooby-Doo! Return to Zombie Island, in which she discounts ghosts and zombies (which are real within the context of the franchise) that could not be unmasked by claiming they are hallucinations.<ref name="TheGamer">Template:Cite web</ref>

Character background

Like all of the Scooby-Doo kids, later ret-conned as Mystery Incorporated members, Velma has a differing personal backstory and origin in different series.

In the original series Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!, Velma is shown to attend the same high school as the rest of the gang (as stated in the inaugural episode "What a Night for a Knight"). However, by The New Scooby-Doo Movies, Velma is said to have graduated from a different high school (as stated in the episode "Spirited Spooked Sports Show"). In the film Scooby-Doo! Curse of the Lake Monster, it is revealed that her middle name is Daisy.

According to Scooby-Doo: Behind the Scenes, before she said "Jinkies!" she used to say "Oh, my!" but it wasn't as catchy. Her parents are depicted to have pushed her from an early age to excel in her studies, resulting in hundreds of awards for outstanding achievement. Because of this, she is more vocal than her comrades would like. Of course, she also does her share of sweet-talking too.

During the first season of the 2010–2013 series Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated, Velma is in a romantic relationship with Shaggy, much to the distaste of Scooby-Doo.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Their relationship ends in "Howl of the Fright Hound" (season 1, episode 10). This series' incarnation of Velma is shown to be secretive and controlling.<ref name="TheGamer" /><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In the second season of Mystery Incorporated, Velma is shown secretly working for the series' overarching villain, Mr. E, alongside Marcie "Hot Dog Water" Fleach who is Velma's former rival in science fairs. The two become friends after Velma returns to the gang and by the time of the series finale, Velma and Marcie are teammates at the Tri-state Olympiad of Science.<ref name="Implied" /> This version of Velma frequently uses the expressions "Oy" and "Oy gevalt", and is also shown listening to Klezmer music, hinting at a Jewish identity.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Love interests

Template:AnchorTemplate:Quote box Velma Dinkley is usually shown in relationships with men such as Shaggy Rogers (with whom she has a son in Scooby Apocalypse),<ref name="Pregnancy">Template:Cite news</ref> Johnny Bravo, Patrick Wisely, Sam Winchester, Ben Ravencroft, and many other male characters, although since the 2010s, she has been depicted as also being romantically interested in other women, such as Coco Diablo.

In 2020, James Gunn, the screenwriter of the 2002 Scooby-Doo film, stated that Velma was written "eyeballing Daphne" in early drafts of the script in accordance with the film's original intent as an R-rated deconstruction of the Scooby-Doo canon (with Shaggy meant to be depicted as a stoner, and Fred a gangster, the latter also ambiguously portrayed in the final film by Freddie Prinze Jr. as "Template:No italicclosetedTemplate:No italic gay or bisexual because of the ascot"),<ref>Entertainment Weekly, 636/637 – Jan 25 Issue. Page 38</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> although the final film would see Velma have a romance with a male waiter, with the film's 2004 sequel Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed further depicting Velma in a full romantic relationship with Seth Green's character, Patrick Wisely.

While addressing comments on his Instagram page in 2020 about Mystery IncorporatedTemplate:'s episode director labelling its version of Velma as being bisexual, producer Tony Cervone confirmed in response that his intention was for this iteration of Velma's relationship with Marcie "Hot Dog Water" Fleach to be depicted—as clearly as would be permitted at the time—as a romantic one, following her previous failed relationship with Shaggy, with the characters subtly implied to be in a relationship in the series finale, with Marcie referring to Velma as "my girl".<ref name="Implied">Template:Cite webTemplate:Cbignore</ref><ref>Zachary, Brandon. “How One Scooby-Doo Series Quietly Gave Velma Dinkley a LGBTQ Storyline.” CBR, CBR, 21 Feb. 2022, www.cbr.com/scooby-doo-series-velma-dinkley-lgbtq-storyline/. </ref> In the 2022 animated film Trick or Treat Scooby-Doo!, Velma is depicted as "crushing big time" on female supporting antagonist Coco Diablo,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> which was widely reported by online news media as confirmation of the character's lesbianism.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> However, right after the release of Trick or Treat, it was revealed that Velma would have a "secret crush" on Fred in the HBO Max adult-oriented and metafictional streaming television series Velma,<ref>Template:Cite tweet</ref> pitched as a "love quadrangle",<ref name="Gizmodo">Template:Cite news</ref> in which both Shaggy and Daphne would be depicted as having crushes on a South Asian version of Velma.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The show received overwhelmingly negative reception. It gathered criticism for its characterization and departures from Scooby-Doo such as removal of Scooby-Doo.<ref name=":0">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=":1">Template:Cite web</ref> On October 8, 2024, the show was cancelled.<ref name=":2">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=":3">Template:Cite web</ref>

Portrayals

Voice actors

Headshot of Gina Rodriguez
Gina Rodriguez voices Velma Dinkley in Scoob!.

From 1969 to 1973, Nicole Jaffe voiced Velma. From 1976 to 1979, Pat Stevens voiced the character. From 1979 to 1980, Marla Frumkin provided her voice. After the character's absence from the 1980 to 1983 series, 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, then reprised her role in all films from Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island on through Scooby-Doo and the Cyber Chase as well as an episode of the Adult Swim animated series, Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law.<ref>Template:Cite AV media</ref> Nicole Jaffe returned temporarily to voice Velma in the direct-to-video films Scooby-Doo! and the Legend of the Vampire and Scooby-Doo! and the Monster of Mexico.

From 2002 until 2015, Velma was voiced by Mindy Cohn of The Facts of Life fame. In Scooby-Doo! Adventures: The Mystery Map, Velma is voiced by Stephanie D'Abruzzo. On July 8, 2015, it was announced that Kate Micucci would take over the role of Velma in the then-upcoming series Be Cool, Scooby-Doo!. Trisha Gum voiced Velma in The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part. Velma was voiced by Ariana Greenblatt as a child and Gina Rodriguez as a teenager in the animated film Scoob!,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Scooby-Doo Film ‘Scoob’ Finds Its Young Velma and Fred (Exclusive) Template:Webarchive The Wrap, May 23, 2019,</ref> with Greenblatt being set to reprise the role of her younger self in Scoob! Holiday Haunt before the film was canceled in August 2022.<ref name="ComicBook"/> She makes a silent cameo in her aforementioned form (like the rest of the gang) as a spectator in Space Jam: A New Legacy.

On February 10, 2021, it was announced that Velma will have her own streaming television series on HBO Max in January 2023 with Mindy Kaling voicing her while executing producing with Charlie Grandy, Howard Klein and Sam Register. Titled Velma, the series follows an adult-oriented and metafictional "love quadrangle" Mystery Inc.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="Gizmodo" /> with Velma portrayed as being of Indian descent.<ref name="Trailer">Template:Cite AV media</ref> On July 11, 2022, the trademark for the series was listed as abandoned,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> only for HBO Chief Content Officer Casey Bloys to confirm the series to still be in production in August,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> with it previewing at New York Comic Con on October 6, 2022.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The first two episodes of the series debuted on HBO Max on January 12, 2023; the other eight were released within the following months.<ref name="TVLine">Template:Cite web</ref> Velma was cancelled after two seasons and a special as a result of negative reviews.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2" /><ref name=":3" />

Additional voice actors

Parodies

Live-action portrayals

Template:Multiple image In the 2002 and 2004 live-action films, Velma is played by Linda Cardellini, who then voiced her for the Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed video game and Robot Chicken. Lauren Kennedy portrayed young Velma in a flashback sequence in Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed. Velma is portrayed by Hayley Kiyoko in the 2009 live-action film Scooby-Doo! The Mystery Begins and its 2010 sequel Scooby-Doo! Curse of the Lake Monster. Sarah Gilman portrayed the young Velma in the 2018 direct-to-video film Daphne & Velma.

Additional live-action actors

  • Randi Rosenholtz (2001; Scooby-Doo! in Stagefright – Live on Stage)<ref name="Stagefright 1">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="Stagefright 2">Template:Cite web</ref>
  • Laura Sicurello (2009; Scooby-Doo! and the Pirate Ghost - Live on Stage)<ref name="Pirate Ghost">Template:Cite web</ref>
  • Michele Dumoulin (2013; Scooby-Doo Live! Musical Mysteries)<ref name="Musical Mysteries 1">Template:Cite web</ref>
  • Louise Wright (2014; Scooby-Doo Live! The Mystery Of The Pyramid)<ref name="Pyramid">Template:Cite web</ref>
  • Rebecca Withers (2016; Scooby-Doo Live! Musical Mysteries)<ref name="Musical Mysteries 2">Template:Cite web</ref>
  • Alicia D'Ariano (2020; Scooby-Doo! and the Lost City of Gold)<ref name="Lost City">Template:Cite web</ref>

Parodies

Relatives

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

  • Angie and Dale Dinkley: Velma's parents in Scooby-Doo: Mystery Incorporated and Scooby Apocalypse. They run the Crystal Cove Spook Museum
  • Mr and Mrs Dinkley: Velma's parents in A Pup Named Scooby-Doo
  • Madelyn Dinkley: Velma's younger sister that attends a magic school in Scooby-Doo! Abracadabra-Doo
  • Otto Dinkely (né Von Dinkelstein) and his wife: Velma's German immigrant great grandparents in Scooby-Doo! Frankencreepy
  • Basil Von Dinkelstein: Velma's scientist great uncle in Scooby-Doo! Frankencreepy
  • Uncle John: Velma's archaeologist uncle in The Scooby-Doo Show
  • Dave Walton: Velma's US-Canadian border patrol officer uncle in The Scooby-Doo Show
  • Cosmo Dinkley: Velma's archaelogist paternal uncle in The New Scooby-Doo Mysteries
  • Uncle Elmo: Velma's doctor uncle in A Pup Named Scooby-Doo
  • Aunt Thelma: Velma's marine biologist aunt in A Pup Named Scooby-Doo
  • Evan, Meg, and Darcy: Velma's farmer uncle, aunt, and cousin in What's New, Scooby-Doo?
  • Thelma Dinkley: Velma's Egyptologist cousin in Scooby-Doo! Mystery Adventures
  • Various relatives in books and comics including uncles Albert, Brad and Robert, aunts Selma and Gretchen, cousins Tavish MacDougal, Lilia and Sarah, and an unnamed grandfather.

In other media

Velma appears in the Teen Titans Go! episode "Cartoon Feud", the Jellystone! episode "Frankenhooky", and Supernatural episode "Scoobynatural". Velma also appears in the 2021 film Space Jam: A New Legacy, with her SCOOB design. She appears as an NPC in Lego Dimensions, a playable character in Multiversus, and appears as a skin in Fortnite.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Velma appears in many other Scooby-Doo videogames, books, comics, and other merchandise.

References

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