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| Available at Amazon.com |
There’s always one minority that’s fiercely mocked in entertainment: The Rich Kids. Movies and TV shows depict them as the overdogs that deny poor waifs true happiness. They’re never allowed to be normal. Hollywood believes wealthy children can’t be truly happy since they have everything they could ever want. You must suffer and starve to smile. Rich kids are characterized as spoiled brats, clueless inbreds and dumb. Who could the little Vanderbilts, Rockefellers and Gettys embrace as role models in Tinseltown? There was Bruce Wayne, but he only became Batman after his parents were murdered. Couldn’t there be a happy rich kid with loving parents. One that didn’t suffer for the entertainment of others?
Salvation arrived with Richie Rich. He’s loaded with more money than anyone in the world. On top of that his house was covered in dollar signs. He had no problem worshiping cash. There was no shame in being extremely wealthy. His still-married parents adored him. He was a perfect role model for Donald Trump. He was called “The Poor Little Rich Boy” in order to sell this character to the children whose parents couldn’t afford a summer retreat in Rhode Island. But was he ever poor? After watching Richie Rich Scooby-Doo Show: Volume One, there’s no poverty to this character. He doesn’t fret that all his loot can’t buy a soul. He’s rich, fulfilled and loving it.
The animated cartoon does alter the character from his classic comic book form. He no longer wears shorts and a spiffy dinnerjacket. They stuck him with a red sweater and blue slacks. They also put him through a growth spurt and lost the baby fat. He looks buff when he strips down. Perhaps he used his great fortune to hit the steroids?
Not everyone was beautiful in the world of the moneyed elite. Reggie Van Dough was the nasty rich cousin of Richie. He represented the wicked kids who inherited cash. Richie humbles him to make us believe that money doesn’t matter. But the money doesn’t hurt. Ever notice they didn’t make “Paulie Poverty: The Richest Little Poor Kid?” Would they ever have a character proclaim, “I’d rather have a good friend than go to bed with a full belly?”
Richie’s good friend is Gloria, his semi-girlfriend. She represents a middle class that can cling to the wealthy. What’s a little creepy is that Gloria is voiced by Nancy Cartwright. Richie is making time with the voice of Bart Simpson. She sounds like Bart in a skirt and wig. The rich are known for being kinky so the idea that Richie would spend time with a transvestite isn’t too shocking.
Even though this is called The Richie Rich Scooby-Doo Show, there’s no crossover action. Richie doesn’t hang in the Mystery Machine. They alternate seven minute episodes featuring each character during the hour long show. The Scooby-Doo segments mainly feature Scooby, Shaggy and Scrappy-Doo. For all the fans of Scrappy-Doo, you’ll be in puppy heaven. Instead of solving mysteries and exposing old men faking it as ghosts, we’re given comical mishaps involving real spooks. This trio resembles two stoners hanging out with a cocaine fiend.
The Richie Rich Scooby-Doo Show: Volume One is for the hardcore fans of the Dog Detective and the Loaded Lad. Unlike classic Hanna-Barbera cartoons such as Top Cat and The Flintstones that appeal to adults and kids, The Richie Rich Scooby-Doo Show is aimed straight at a seven-year-old. The lack of Fred, Velma and Daphne reduces the intelligence factor of the Scooby element. Most of Richie’s episodes seem to revolve around him paying for insane inventions to prevent his money being stolen. There’s more fluff than fun in this series.
The Episodes
Scooby Doo shorts: “Scooby Ghosts West,” “Swamp Witch,” “Waxworld,” “A Close Encounter with a Strange Kind,” “A Fit Night Out for Bats,” “The Chinese Food Factory,” “Scooby’s Desert Dilemma,” “Stuntman Scooby,” “Mummy’s the Word,” “The Old Cat-and-Mouse Game,” “Scooby’s Three-Ding-a-Ling Circus,” “Hang in There, Scooby,” “Scooby’s Bull Fright,” “Stow-aways,” “Long John Scrappy,” “Scrappy’s Birthday,” “Sir Scooby and the Black Knight,” “Bungle in the Jungle,” “Scooby in Wonderland,” “Scooby’s Fun Zone” & “Scooby’s Mysterious Island.”
Richie Rich shorts: “Piggy Bank Prank,” “Muscle Beach,” “Robotnappers,” “One of Our Aircraft Carriers is Missing,” “The Rare Scare,” “Kitty Sitter,” “Spring Cleaning,” “Silence Is Golden,” “The Shocking Lady Strikes Again,” “The Blur,” “Cur Wash,” “The Kangaroo Hop,” “Irona vs. Demona,” “Chef’s Surprise,” “The Snow Bounders,” “The Abominable Snow Plan,” “Miss Robot America,” “Constructo,” “Counterfeit Dollar,” “The Greatest Invention in the World” & “Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Bug.”
The video is 1.33:1 full frame. The transfers are sharp so that you can see the dust that collects on the animation cell. The audio is Dolby Digital mono. You can hear the change clink when Richie shakes his bountiful pockets. There’s also a French dub in case you’re curious if folks in Paris have a different word for “Zoinks.”
The Story of Richie Rich (9:45) is an effective compact history of the character. We learn how he was a short feature in another character’s comic book for the longest time. Various animation vets and historians break down how the series was developed.
It’s hard to enjoy Richie Rich knowing that he’d be Donald Trump in the real world. The Richie Rich Scooby-Doo Show: Volume One is best watched by those who adored the series as a kid or by children who have large trust funds.
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Warner Home Video presents The Richie Rich Scooby-Doo Show: Volume One. Voiced by: Nancy Cartwright, Casey Kasem, Lennie Weinrib & Don Messick. DVD Contents: 7 Episodes on 2 discs. Rating: Not Rated. Released on DVD: May 20, 2008. Available at Amazon.com
About Joe Corey
