2002 was a big year for snowboarding. No, I’m not talking about Shaun White’s first X-Games medal. I’m talking about the premier episode of What’s New, Scooby-Doo.
This new variation of the classic cartoon attempted to capture a new generation of viewers with an opening theme by Simple Plan and a sweet snowboarding competition in the very first episode. For the older audience members and 70’s radio fans, this was the last Scooby-Doo series to feature Casey Kasem as Shaggy.
This premiere episode had all of the typical shenanigans of Mystery Inc, but this time in a fresh mountain setting. The gang needed to solve the mystery of a snow creature with the help of Chris Klug.
Klug was fresh off his bronze medal win in parallel giant slalom at the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics. His medal win was just one major achievement for him at this Olympics, as he became the first and (so far) only transplant recipient to compete in either a summer or winter Olympic Games.
Which achievement was a bigger deal for Klug: claiming an Olympic medal or being featured in Scooby-Doo? Well, take a look at his Instagram profile pic for some insight into that answer.
I won’t spoil the plot for you (not that there is much to spoil in Scooby-Doo), but it is worth watching for the bizarre portrayal of snowboarding. What’s New, Scooby-Doo is available on multiple streaming platforms, and you can also watch it for free here. You can catch a clip of Klug’s voice acting performance below:
Photos and Video Courtesy of Boomerang and Chris Klug