Jinkies!

To say Velma is the brains of the Scooby-Doo gang would be something of an understatement. Let's see if she meets the criteria for stereotypical smart cartoon girl. Glasses, check! Conservative dress, check! Explains absolutely everything, check!

VELMA (to SHAGGY): My glasses! I can't see without my glasses!

Without Velma, Mystery Inc. would have gone completely broke within 24 hours of being formed. Fred may be the gang's leader, but Velma is definitely the brains of the operation. Velma is always the first to find a clue, and she's always the one who figures out which of the people met at the beginning of the episode is masquerading as the ghost/phantom/monster.

VELMA (to ALL): Hey! A clue!

Velma, due to cost-saving measures, is almost always seen wearing the same outfit: a brown, pleated skirt with matching flats; an orange turtleneck sweater with matching kneesocks; and retro chic square glasses. She also keeps her hair short and conservative. Velma's hair color is brown, and her glasses obscure the color of her eyes, but I would speculate that they are brown as well.

VELMA (to DAPHNE): Oh, please! You get kidnapped so much you should come with your own ransom note!

Scooby-Doo has been re-invented many times, and Velma has been played by the following people:

  • Linda Cardellini
    • Movies
      • Scooby-Doo (2002)
      • Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed (2004)
    • Video Games
      • Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed (2004)
  • Mindy Cohn
    • Television
      • What's New Scooby-Doo? (2002)
    • Video
      • Scooby-Doo and the Loch Ness Monster (2004)
      • Aloha, Scooby-Doo (2005)
    • Video Games
      • Scooby-Doo! Mystery Mayhem (2004)
  • Marla Frumkin
    • Television
      • Scooby and Scrappy-Doo (1979)
  • Nicole Jaffe
    • Television
      • Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! (1969)
      • The New Scooby-Doo Movies (1972)
    • Video
      • Scooby-Doo's Greatest Mysteries (1999)
      • Scooby-Doo's Creepiest Capers (2000)
      • Scooby-Doo and the Legend of the Vampire (2003)
      • Scooby-Doo and the Monster of Mexico (2003)
  • Lauren Kennedy
    • Movies
      • Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed (2004)
  • Christina Lange
    • Television
      • A Pup Named Scooby-Doo (1988)
  • Patricia Stevens
    • Television
      • The Scooby-Doo/Dynomutt Hour (1976)
      • Dynomutt, Dog Wonder (1978)
      • Scooby-Doo and Scrappy-Doo (1979)
      • Scooby-Doo Goes Hollywood (1979)
      • The Richie Rich/Scooby-Doo Hour (1980)
      • The Scooby and Scrappy-Doo Puppy Hour (1982)
  • B.J. Ward (II)
    • Television
      • The Scooby-Doo Project (1999)
      • Night of the Living Doo (2001)
    • Video
      • Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island (1998)
      • Scooby-Doo and the Witch's Ghost (1999)
      • Scooby-Doo and the Alien Invaders (2000)
      • Scooby-Doo and the Cyber Chase (2001)
    • Video Games
      • Scooby-Doo and the Cyber Chase (2001)
      • Scooby-Doo: Night of 100 Frights (2002)

VELMA (to ALL): ...and I know who did it!


Sources:
- http://www.imdb.com for actress names/projects
- watching the show (even for quotes, which are approximated)

I can't remember when I saw my first example of sexy Velma cosplay. It was probably over 15 years ago, before we had Instagram and before cosplay was a common thing. At the time, it was probably quite surprising, that a minor character from an old cartoon was not only being cosplayed, but being cosplayed in a sexy fashion. At the time, the idea was probably to be surprising and subversive: Daphne was the designated cute girl, while Velma was the nerd in dowdy clothing. But for some reason, the idea of sexy Velma Dinkley caught on, and now, a dozen years later, it is a common cosplay. What started out as a subversion has become a cliche.

Not that I am objecting too much. The idea of our shy sidekick getting her chance in the limelight makes sense as an appealing dream to a lot of us, and even while it is titillating, it manages to be wholesome. Sexy Velma cosplay is just one of the things the internet's unusual pattern of emergent behavior has brought about, and will probably be seeing it for a while.


BrevityQuest 2020

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