Scoobypedia
Register
Advertisement
This article is about the original incarnation of Velma Dinkley. For other incarnations, see Velma Dinkley (disambiguation).

The sarcastic girl speaks the truth.

The Elder, Scooby-Doo! and KISS: Rock and Roll Mystery

Velma Dinkley[1] is the bespectacled resident genius of Mystery Inc., often being the one to decipher the clues and solve the crimes.

Physical appearance

For a full list of what Velma wears, see Velma's outfits and disguises

Velma is a teenage female, with chin-length auburn hair and freckles. She is somewhat obscured by her fashion choices, wearing a baggy, thick turtlenecked orange sweater, with a red skirt, knee length orange socks and black Mary Jane shoes. Velma has a slightly wider waist than the thinner framed Daphne Blake, as seen when both are dressed in swimwear, but this may be exaggerated due to her sweater, which makes her look somewhat heavyset. Her facial shape is also more circular/square compared to the ovular shape Daphne. She is also well known for her thick-framed, square glasses.

Personality

She has a fascination with mysteries (her younger sister Madelyn said that she was "born with a mystery book in her hand".[2] At times she can be competitive with other people who are very intelligent like she is, such as Verona Dempsey.[3]

She is sharp-witted and sometimes sarcastic, not lost on others.[4] She also seems to love secrecy, and has a bit of slyness in her character, as she was the only gang member to actually perpetrate a hoax, albeit for a noble reason, as she was helping Omar Karam protect Cleopatra's riches.[5] In the same case, she was also overly-caring of the gang, as she wanted to protect them from harm's way, despite everything they've been through.[5]

When she found some unappetizing chicken at the Addams Family mansion, she said "it's time to start my diet." While this may be an excuse, the phrasing "my" rather than "a" implies that she may diet regularly, perhaps self-conscious of her weight.[6]

She loses her glasses on a regular basis, immediately claiming "My glasses. I can't find my glasses" or "I can't see without my glasses," before hitting the floor to crawl around until she finds them.

She is a very serious skeptic, and has a philosophy that they're always a rational explanation (and admits that it's kinda boring).[citation needed]

She conquered her extreme phobia of clowns during the Menacing Metallic Clown case.[7]

She also thinks herself as pure of heart and got annoyed that no one kidnaps her during the Valdronya case.

She can also identify fake jewels by looking at them, having dealt with a variety of monster jewel thieves for years.

Skills and abilities

Mental

Velma knows Morse Code, which she claims to have learned in Girl Scouts.[citation needed]

Physical

As a young child, she knew martial arts.[8]

She has above-average grip and core strength, as in a sea episode she was able to dangle on a very wide pipe (bigger objects are more difficult to grip than smaller diameter bars) and hold her legs out straight in front of her (90 degree bend in hips) to avoid hitting a monster as it ran past her through a doorway.

Velma is also incredibly strong in her shoulder overhead pressing muscles (trapezius, deltoids). She was able to simultaneously life two female wrestlers (who tend to be heavier than normal women due to the extra muscle) and throw them through the air above her head level, one per hand. She claimed the move was called the "Flying Dinkley".[9]

History

Animated history

Main article(s): Velma Dinkley/animated history

Comic history

Main article(s): Velma Dinkley/biographical account of comic appearances

Novel history

Main article(s): Velma Dinkley/biographical account of novel appearances

Video game history

Main article(s): Velma Dinkley/biographical account of video game appearances

Family and relatives

For a complete list of Velma's family, look here. For other relatives, look here.

Romantic interests

Occupation

Behind-the-scenes

Velma was inspired by Zelda Gilroy (played by Sheila James) on the early 1960's sitcom The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis.[10] Although the characters are quite different, in that Zelda would scheme to get the Dobie (the Fred type), instead of the hippy, being Maynard. In the unrelated Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated, Velma was very interested in Shaggy.

Original voice actress, Nicole Jaffe, adlibbed the catchphrase, "Jinkies."[11]

Voices of Velma

Nicole Jaffe was the original voice of Velma, and portrayed the character in both Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! (1969-72) and The New Scooby-Doo Movies (1972-74). Jaffe married and retired from acting in 1974.

Patricia Stevens was brought in as Jaffe's replacement when Scooby-Doo resumed production in 1976.

Marla Frumkin replaced Stevens mid-way through the 1979-80 season of Scooby-Doo and Scrappy-Doo (1979-1980). Frumkin voiced the character in four more episodes of Scooby-Doo and Scrappy-Doo before Velma was dropped from the series. Velma later returned as a semi regular character in four episodes of The New Scooby-Doo Mysteries, with Frumkin again voicing the character.

Christina Lange voiced the preadolescent Velma in A Pup Named Scooby-Doo from 1988 to 1991.

B.J. Ward voiced the character in several direct-to-video films from 1997 until 2002.

Mindy Cohn, formerly a lead actress on the 1980s TV sitcom The Facts of Life became the voice of Velma in the series What's New, Scooby-Doo? from 2002-2006 and remained the voice on TV up to the series Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated (2010-2013). She portrayed Velma in the direct-to-video films from 2004 to 2015; with the exception of two direct-to-video films in 2003 in which Jaffe returned to voice Velma. In the DTV Scooby-Doo! Music of the Vampire her singing voice is provided by Bets Malone in the song, Done With Monsters and its reprise.

Kate Micucci began voicing Velma in the series Be Cool, Scooby-Doo! (2015-2017) and has also voiced Velma in the continuing direct-to-video film series.

In other languages

Actor Language Notes
Tiziana Avarista Italian Bravo Dooby-Doo, Scooby-Doo and the Alien Invaders
Agata Gawrońska-Bauman Polish Current (since the 90s); before 2006, she was credited as Agata Gawrońska.
Tomoe Hanba

Mei

Japanese Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!, Scooby-Doo and Scrappy-Doo (first series), The New Scooby-Doo Mysteries, Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island, Scooby-Doo! and the Witch's Ghost, Scooby-Doo and the Alien Invaders, Scooby-Doo and the Cyber Chase


Lego Scooby-Doo! Haunted Hollywood

Caroline Pascal French Scooby-Doo! Return to Zombie Island
Giuliana Jakobeit

Tanya Kahana

German Batman: The Brave And The Bold


Shaggy and Scooby-Doo Get A Clue!

Orly Tagar

Eti Castro

Hebrew Batman: The Brave And The Bold

What's New, Scooby-Doo

Nair Amorin Portuguese Scooby-Doo and the Alien Invaders, Scooby-Doo and the Cyber Chase, Scooby-Doo and the Legend of the Vampire, Scooby-Doo and the Loch Ness Monster, Scooby-Doo and the Monster of Mexico, Scooby-Doo and the Samurai Sword, Scooby-Doo and the Witch's Ghost, What's New, Scooby-Doo?, The New Scooby-Doo Movies, Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island, Aloha, Scooby-Doo!, Chill Out, Scooby-Doo!, Scooby-Doo in Where's My Mummy?, Scooby-Doo! Pirates Ahoy!, Scooby-Doo, Where Are You?
Olga Golovanov Russian What's New, Scooby-Doo

Notes/Trivia

  • The junior-high school aged, A Pup Named Scooby-Doo version of Velma was animated with a rapid walk similar to that of Marvin the Martian. She was also drawn with glasses somewhat as large as her head. This younger Velma always carried a suitcase with her (compact size) that holds a very advanced computer.
  • In the Johnny Bravo episode, Bravo Dooby-Doo, the Scooby-Doo cast meet Johnny, with Velma briefly developing a crush on him, but changed her mind by the episode's end. Also in Bravo Dooby-Doo, homage is paid to Velma's catchphrase, "Jinkies!" When Johnny and the gang are being chased by the evil gardener, Johnny exclaims, "Jinkies," then wonders, "Jinkies... Jinkies. Hey, isn't that a breakfast cereal or something?". He also paraphrases another catch phrase, when, after a collision, both Velma's and Johnny's glasses are knocked off. As they search around for them, Velma says her signature phrase, "My glasses! I can't see without my glasses!" while Johnny laments, "My glasses! I can't be seen without my glasses!"
  • What's New, Scooby-Doo? tried to add interests and phobias that were neither mentioned before or after the series aired:
  • Velma is a huge a fan of ice hockey, knowing most of the game strategies (she discusses a few of them with Brett Hull). She even gets to play for the United States team in the finals.[12]
  • She is the only member of Mystery Inc. to be the monster during a case, albeit for a noble reason.[5]
  • Velma's redesign in Shaggy & Scooby-Doo Get a Clue!, is based on Linda Cardellini's portrayal in Scooby-Doo: The Movie and Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed.
  • A goat villager from the Animal Crossing franchise shares Velma's name and appearance.

Gallery

Artwork

Toys

See also: LEGO; Playmobil.

See also

References

  1. TNSDMysteries: Happy Birthday, Scooby-Doo, season 1, episode 1.
  2. Scooby-Doo! Abracadabra-Doo, direct-to-video film 14.
  3. WNSD: Fright House of a Lighthouse, season 3, episode 1.
  4. Scooby-Doo! and KISS: Rock and Roll Mystery, direct-to-video film 24.
  5. 5.0 5.1 5.2 Scooby-Doo! in Where's My Mummy?, direct-to-video film 9.
  6. TNSDMovies: Wednesday is Missing, season 1, episode 3.
  7. WNSD: A Terrifying Round with a Menacing Metallic Clown
  8. APNSD
  9. WNSD: Wrestle Maniacs
  10. Evanier, Mark (June 10, 2002). Shaggy Dog Story". Retrieved March 28, 2018.
  11. Ryan, Patrick (September 3, 2019). "'Scooby-Doo' at 50: Cast, creative team reflect on celebrity guests, origins of 'Jinkies!'". USA Today. Retrieved October 21, 2019.
  12. WNSD: Diamonds Are a Ghoul's Best Friend, season 3, episode 7.
Advertisement