What kind of dog is Scooby Doo? It doesn't take the Mystery Inc. gang to find the answer

For more than 50 years, the Mystery Inc. gang has been solving mysteries and leaving villains saying, "I would have gotten away with it too, if it weren't for you meddling kids."

Tagging along in the hijinks with Shaggy, Velma, Fred and Daphne is the lovable talking dog, Scooby-Doo. Scoobert "Scooby" Doo is the best friend and pet of Shaggy Rogers and is always around to help find clues or eat a Scooby snack.

But what breed is the eponymous character of "Scooby-Doo?" Hop in the Mystery Van and read on to learn more about the franchise.

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What kind of dog is Scooby Doo?

Scooby-Doo is a Great Dane. The character was designed by Iwao Takamoto, an animator at Hanna-Barbera. According to the American Kennel Club, Great Danes are "the mighty 'Apollo of Dogs,'" which is very unlike the silly and cowardly Scooby-Doo.

When designing Scooby, Takamoto received the help of a colleague at Hanna-Barbera who bred Great Danes. In a 2006 interview, Takamoto said his colleague detailed all of the positive things that make a prize-winning Great Dane.

From there, he designed Scooby-Doo with the opposite of those favorable traits. For instance, prized Great Danes often have sturdy backs, but Scooby's is sloped. While real-life dogs of the breed have strong chins, Takamoto "under-swung" Scooby's chin.

A sloping chin, spots, a long tail, a sloped back and bow legs make up the beloved Scooby-Doo but are definitely not the makings for a purebred show dog.

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When did 'Scooby-Doo' come out?

The original "Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!" series premiered in 1969. Starring Shaggy, Daphne, Fred, Velma and, of course, Scooby-Doo, the cartoon followed the Mystery Inc. gang and their investigations to take down evildoers.

The original show ran on CBS until 1970, but it spurred a franchise featuring spin offs, movies and other forms of media, including live-action films starring Freddie Prinze Jr. as Fred, Sarah Michelle Gellar as Daphne, Matthew Lillard as Shaggy and Linda Cardellini as Velma.

One of the latest adaptions of the Scooby-Doo franchise, "Velma," is scheduled to premiere in 2023 on HBO Max. The animated series geared for an adult audience will star Mindy Kaling as Velma, Constance Wu as Daphne, Glenn Howerton as Fred and Sam Richardson as Norville, also known as Shaggy.

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Who voices Scooby Doo?

Throughout the years, Scooby Doo has been voiced by many different actors.

The current voice actor for Scooby Doo is Frank Welker, who has voiced Scooby since 2002. But his first time voicing the dog was in 1979 in "Scooby-Doo Goes Hollywood" as Baby Scooby Doo. Additionally, Welker is original and current voice actor of Fred Jones.

The original voice of Scooby was done by Don Messick, who voiced the Great Dane from 1969 to 1996.

As for the live-action films, "Scooby-Doo" and "Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed," Scooby Doo was voiced by Neil Fanning.

Where to watch 'Scooby-Doo'

If you are looking to watch the original "Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!" series, it can be streamed on HBO Max. "What's New, Scooby-Doo?" which ran from 2002 to 2006, can be streamed on HBO Max.

The first live-action movie "Scooby-Doo" is available for streaming on Netflix. Its sequel "Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed" is also available on the platform.

If you want access to a majority of the animated Scooby-Doo series, as well as over two dozen movies, they can be streamed on Boomerang.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: What kind of dog is Scooby Doo? A Great Dane with some differences