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When the Cicada Calls is the thirteenth episode of the first season of Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated.

Premise[]

Employees of Destroido are being attacked by the Cicada Creature, which can command swarms of the insects.

Synopsis[]

Kelsepian, an employee from Destroido - a notoriously hazardous company in Crystal Cove, receives a threatening call while on his way home. The caller tells him that something bad will happen to him if he doesn't quit his job, but he ignores the deep voice on the line on the assumption that it is just a prank. Further down the road he is attacked by the Cicada Creature, a huge swarm of insects that nearly pushes him off the cliff and into the water below. The next day, Scooby-Doo and the gang are listening to a lecture from Dr. Rick Yantz about cicadas. Yantz's good looks capture the interest of the girls, especially Daphne, who is frustrated by Fred's obsession to traps. Yantz disapproves of Shaggy and Scooby eating Nature slivers because they are from Destroido, so they are supporting a polluting company, which he dislikes. While eating his favorite snack, Shaggy chokes on a letter demo from Mr. E telling them that a mystery is at the hospital.

The gang make it to the hospital and Fred attempts to ask Daphne out on a date. He is rebuffed when she finds out he wants to take her to Trap-Expo 3000. Inside, they find the Destroido employee being stripped of all the cicadas that stuck to him in the attack. Sheriff Stone tells them that a giant creature made entirely of a swarm of insects had attacked the Destroido worker. While the gang are eager to solve the mystery, Fred's father forbids them from solving another mystery that would prove that the town's monsters are only criminals in elaborate costumes (especially since he's planning a Cicada Bug Festival).

The gang soon find themselves visiting another Destroido employee, Hugh Dederdee, in the emergency room after he was attacked by the creature inside his own shower. Shaggy and Scooby become immersed in excitement when they find that he is also being visited by Grandma Moonbeam, the creator of Nature Slivers - one of their favorite snacks. As the man Dederee begins to recount the Cicada Creature attack for them, his heart monitor spikes as he shouts, "bugs!" repeatedly. Eagerly leaving the room, the gang enters the elevator but are unexpectedly taken to the basement even though Shaggy pressed Lobby and approached by the Cicada Creature. The creature threatens them for trying to solve the caper and promises that they will be attacked the following night unless they drop their investigation.

The gang realize that they're running out of time finding clues. Fred becomes determined to prove that the cicada loving, Destroido hating Dr. Yantz is the creature because of Daphne's infatuation with him. They break into the school and find him playing a mysterious tune to a group of cicadas with a harp-like instrument. Fred begins interrogating Yantz and accuses him being a "girlfriend stealer," causing Daphne to swoon. Yantz calls the police, which brings Mayor Jones and Sheriff Stone to intervene. Though initially upset, Fred's father joyously demands that they show up to the freshly planned Cicada Bug Creature Festival because a monster attack would be a huge tourist attraction. Meanwhile, Ed Machine receives a threatening call while golfing and is attacked by the Cicada Creature immediately after hanging up.

The following night at the Cicada Festival, Daphne says she overheard that Fred had classified her as being his girlfriend and accepts his invitation to go on a date at the trap exhibit. Just before the two finally define themselves as boyfriend and girlfriend, they are interrupted by Fred's father and are told to be near the front for the Cicada Creature. Shaggy sees that Yantz has entered a ride called The House of Spooky Things, and the gang decide to follow him. After triggering many of the house's surprises, which even Shaggy and Scooby say aren't spooky, they find themselves trapped with the Cicada Creature that is all too eager to destroy them.

Using Fred's strength against the weak walls of the structure, they escape and lead the Cicada Creature through the festival and into the parking lot where the Mystery Machine has been rigged as a giant vacuum. Though Fred initially struggles to activate it, he manages to turn it on, allowing Scooby to vacuum up the cicadas and reveal someone under the swarm. Scooby removes the culprit's headgear to reveal Grandma Moonbeam, who wanted to shut down Destroido. She found out they began adding landfill waste as a new a secret ingredient to make Nature Slivers more tasty; when she demanded that they return to her original healthy recipe, they refused (mainly over the growing sales). Because they owned the product, there was nothing she could do to stop them, she vowed to have revenge. Grandma Moonbeam saw a documentary about a researcher using sound waves to control penguin's movements and decided to use it for her revenge plot, substituting cicadas for penguins. Sheriff Stone arrests Moonbeam while Mayor Jones expresses his disappointment that none of the monster tourist attractions ever work out. After Moonbeam is driven away, Shaggy proposes that they all go to the Clam Cabin to celebrate, but Daphne declines and explains that she has a date with Fred.

Later at the Trap Expo, Daphne and Fred are trapped by one of the exhibits and locked in the building after hours. Despite having to wait until morning for employees to return and let them out, Daphne enjoys having her date with Fred.

Characters[]

Main characters:

Supporting characters:

Villains:

Other characters:

Locations[]

Objects[]

Vehicles[]

Suspects[]

Suspect Motive/reason
Rick Yantz He showed visible hatred towards Destroido.

Culprits[]

Culprit Motive/reason
Grandma Moonbeam as the Cicada Creature To get revenge against Destroido Corp. for changing her recipe.

Cast[]

Frank Welker Scooby-Doo
Fred Jones, Jr.
Cicada Creature
Matthew Lillard Shaggy Rogers
Grey DeLisle Daphne Blake
Dr. Thistle
Witch cutout stand
Mindy Cohn Velma Dinkley
Gary Cole Mayor Fred Jones, Sr.
Patrick Warburton Sheriff Bronson Stone
Clown cutout stand
Dave Allen Dr. Rick Yantz
Announcer
Hospital PA
Joe Holt Hugh Dederdee
Golfer 1
Richard McGonagle Ed Machine
Announcer
Creepy voice
Marion Ross Grandma Moonbeam
Paul Rugg Kelsepsian
Jingle singer
Hairy sasquatch cutout stand

Continuity[]

  • This is one of many episodes where Velma excessively shows her grudge towards Scooby for Shaggy caring more for him than her.

Notes/trivia[]

Cultural references[]

  • The episode title appears to be a reference to the mystery/horror Japanese visual novel and anime series Higurashi no Naku Koro ni (When the Higurashi Cry). "Higurashi" are a breed of Cicadas.

Animation mistakes and/or technical glitches[]

  • TBA

Inconsistencies/continuity errors and/or goofs/oddities[]

  • TBA

In other languages[]

Languages Name Meaning
Spanish (Latin America) Cuando la Cigarra Llama When The Cicada Calls
Spanish (Spain) La Llamada de la Cigarra The Cicada Call
Italian Cicalando Cicalando Cicading Cicading
Portuguese Quando a Cigarra Liga When a Cicada Leagues
French L'Attaque des Cigales Attack of the Cicadas
Hungarian Tücskökkel hadakozó Fighting with Cicadas
Greek Το Κάλεσμα του Τζίτζικα The Call of the Cicada
Polish Zew cykad The Call of the Cicadas

Home media[]

Quotes[]

Cicada Creature: I Warned You!

Mystery Voice: I told you, if you quit your job at Destroido and leave forever, something terrible would happen to you.

External links[]

  • TBA


Previous episode: Series: Next episode:
The Shrieking Madness Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated
Season 1
Mystery Solvers Club State Finals
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