Frank Welker Reveals His ‘Favorite’ “Scooby-Doo” Episode After 57 Years of Voicing Fred (Exclusive)

Frank Welker Reveals His ‘Favorite’ “Scooby-Doo” Episode After 57 Years of Voicing Fred (Exclusive) https://ift.tt/x2JYTKg

“‘Scooby-Doo’ was the first animated series I did, and we are still doing it,” Welker tells PEOPLE

Frank Welker; Fred Jones from ‘Scooby-Doo.’
Credit: Erika Goldring/Getty;Alamy

NEED TO KNOW

• Frank Welker is reflecting on his decades-long legacy as the voice of Fred Jones in the Scooby-Doo franchise
• The 80-year-old voice actor tells PEOPLE which episode stands out as a “favorite” and recalls the fun of having the voice cast become part of the mystery
• Welker also explains what he believes has kept Scooby-Doo a lasting favorite for nearly 60 years

For close to six decades, Frank Welker has been one of the defining voices of Scooby-Doo, bringing Fred Jones to life since the character first appeared in 1969.

Across the franchise’s many animated series and incarnations, Welker has remained Fred’s primary voice, while also becoming the voice of Scooby-Doo himself beginning in 2002. When asked about the episodes that stand out most from his decades with the gang, the 80-year-old points to a later entry that turned the familiar voice cast into part of the mystery itself.

“So many to choose from but…one I particularly liked was in the last season we did, [Scooby-Doo and Guess Who?]” Welker tells PEOPLE exclusively, referring to season 2, episode 24, “A Haunt of a Thousand Voices!”

Frank Welker.
Credit: Rebecca Sapp/WireImage

It is not surprising that one of Welker’s favorite Scooby-Doo episodes is one where he and his fellow costars become guests in the very series they helped bring to life.

“Towards the end of the season, one of our crazy writers wrote a show where we were the guest stars,” Welker explains. “The idea was the gang was to come to my mansion located on a cliff in Pacific Palisades complete with my own private airstrip and recording studio. So, the Scooby gang meets all the real actors: Matt Lillard, Grey DeLisle and Katie Micucci, and yours truly, Frank Welker.”

According to the veteran voice actor, it was the blurring of reality and animation that became the episode’s biggest source of fun. “It was so wonderfully confusing we had no idea who was who and what was what…that was a true mystery for all of us,” Welker recalls. “We loved doing that episode.”

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Frank Welker.
Credit: Cartwright/Universal/Kobal/Shutterstock

Welker’s connection to Scooby-Doo is also unusually personal. Fred was the first animated character he ever voiced, and nearly six decades later, he is still playing him.

Along the way, other actors have stepped into the role, including Freddie Prinze Jr. in 2002’s Scooby-Doo: The Movie and Zac Efron in 2020’s Scoob!, but Welker’s version of Fred has remained a defining one. 

That longevity may also come from how naturally the character has fit Welker over the years, with the actor noting that Fred is “about as close to my own voice as you can get.” 

And while technology has changed dramatically over the years, the characters and voices audiences have grown to love have remained the same.

“So many shows over so many years, and though technology changed, we didn’t!” Welker tells PEOPLE, emphasizing the beauty in consistency and familiarity. “I think that is the very reason generations like it and keep passing it along.”