| Fred Jones | |
|---|---|
| Scooby-Doo character | |
 | |
| First appearance |
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| Created by | Joe Ruby Ken Spears |
| Designed by | Iwao Takamoto |
| Voiced by |
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| Portrayed by |
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| In-universe information | |
| Nickname | Freddie |
| Gender | Male |
| Alignment | Good |
| Significantother | Daphne Blake |
| Relatives | see below |
Fred Jones is a fictionalcartoon character in the Americananimated seriesScooby-Doo, leader of a quartet of teenage mystery solvers and theirGreat Dane companion,Scooby-Doo. Fred has been primarily voiced byFrank Welker since the character's inception in 1969.
In most series, Fred wears a white and/or blue shirt and blue pants. In the original series, Fred wears an orangeascot tie with a blue shirt and white sweater. In the 1990s direct-to-video films, Fred generally wears a light blue shirt. In the 2002 seriesWhat's New, Scooby-Doo?, Fred's outfit was given an update, with his orange ascot being replaced with a blue stripe. He is often shown constructing variousRube Goldberg traps for villains, which Scooby-Doo or Shaggy often set off by mistake, causing the villain to be captured in another way. Fred usually takes the lead in solving mysteries. When searching for clues, Fred andDaphne usually go together withVelma coming along, but sometimes Fred and Daphne pair off, leaving Velma to go with Shaggy and Scooby. Although generally a very nice guy, Fred can be bossy at times forcing Shaggy and Scooby to take part in nabbing the villain despite their fears and/or better judgment.
According toScooby-Doo: Behind the Scenes, his boyhood nickname was "Pickle." He was voted "Best Looking" in school and was once part of a performance troupe before he devoted himself to solving mysteries. His drama training helps him get into the minds of the villains the gang faces. Daphne says that whenever they're feeling particularly scared, Fred would sing songs fromShow Boat to soothe them. Fred one day hopes to be a famous mystery writer where he can use all of his talents to the fullest.
InA Pup Named Scooby-Doo, Fred was depicted as being somewhat less intelligent and often believedconspiracy theories and legends such asBigfoot andmole people and read thetabloid magazineThe National Exaggerator. In each episode, Fred would blame the crime on the neighborhood bully,Red Herring (a play on the idiomred herring). InWhat's New, Scooby-Doo?, the teenage version of Fred is shown to have many interests such as traps, martial arts, wrestling, and weightlifting. InScooby-Doo: Mystery Incorporated, his interests are limited to "traps and solving mysteries," although later he admits he has feelings and datesDaphne.
Fred Jones was inspired by the titular character of the late 1950s/early 1960s American sitcomThe Many Loves of Dobie Gillis, as played byDwayne Hickman.[4] Some network sales presentation art from an early version ofScooby-Doo, entitledWho's S-S-Scared?, featured early designs of Fred with brown hair.[5]
Originally named "Ronnie" when production forScooby-Doo began in spring 1969,[6] Fred was named by and afterFred Silverman, who was then head of daytime programming at CBS and a key member of the show's development team.[7][8]Frank Welker, a young comedian and impressionist, was asked by the network to audition for the voice of Fred, although he had originally intended to audition for first Scooby-Doo (whom he eventually did get to voice afterDon Messick died in 1997) and later Shaggy (Casey Kasem, who was cast as Shaggy, had originally wanted to voice Fred).[9][10] Being cast as Fred led to the start of a long, prolific career in voice work for Welker, withScooby-Doo being his first voice acting job.
Fred Jones has been given two different first names. InScooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated andScooby-Doo! Haunted Holidays, he is called Frederick,[11][12] while inScooby-Doo! Adventures: The Mystery Map, he is called Fredward.[13]
In a 2012Redditr/IAmA,Shaggy Rogers actorMatthew Lillard additionally revealed that the original cut of the 2002Scooby-Doo film had Fred be revealed to begay (which is why he always wore anascot tie), and thatFreddie Prinze Jr. had portrayed him as such throughout the film.[14]
In the continuity ofScooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated, it was revealed that Fred's father Fred Jones Sr. was not, in fact, his biological father, but instead, a man who kidnapped him as a child and raised him as his own son. His biological parents Brad Chiles and Judy Reeves later returned, but Fred continued to use the last name of Jones. In the series finale, when the universe is restarted to where Fred was never raised by Fred Jones Sr., but rather his biological parents, it is never stated what his last name is in a new reality. InAloha, Scooby-Doo!, his middle name is stated to be Herman.[15] While every member of the mystery gang is shown to have a catchphrase they use to express shock or surprise, Fred is the only member without one.[16]
In a 2020 interview, head writer Mitch Watson stated that theMystery Incorporated incarnation of the character was written as "slightlyon the spectrum [...] we never said this in the series, but this is what we, this was what was in our minds."[17]
Relatives of Fred's shown or mentioned during the series include:
Fred was based on Dobie, Velma on Zelda, Daphne on Thalia and Shaggy onMaynard
The original storyboards for "What a Night for a Knight" identify the Fred character as Ronnie
That character [Fred] started out... I think his name was 'Geoff'... and then he became 'Harvey'. And then all of a sudden, Fred [Silverman] came in and said [the character] was going to be 'Fred'. So, I guess he had something to do with that.
Hey Matt, loved you inScream. I heard thatScooby-Doo was originally scripted and shot as a much more adult-oriented movie, but then got edited to be more family friendly. If that's true, any chance you could give some details on the stuff that got cut out?u/matthewlillard gladly answer. It was after the heat ofSHREK and the studio was all for a [sic] above the kids head line of comedy... they brought inJames Gunn (SUPER?SLITHER? He's the best ever, love him) and he delivered that version of the script. Yes to all the things you think it is. Smokey van. Velma eyeballing Daphne. Fred being gay because of the ascot. When we tested the parents flipped their lids and Warners got scarred. Its one of the crown jewels in their library and couldn't risk a back lash. also the demons were really scarry... [sic] they were softened.
'Cause you know, in our version of Mystery Incorporated Fred is slightly on the spectrum. You know, he is slightly, he's a little bit Asperger's-y, you know, with his obsession with traps and his inability to sort of read human emotions properly and everything. So again, we never said this in the series, but this is what we, this was what was in our minds.
