Was Sammy (from Scooby-Doo) actually a big stoner?

As you may have already noticed, the character of Sammy in Scooby-Doo could easily be associated with stoner culture due to his laid-back attitude and frequent munchies. Here are 7 reasons why we think Sammy is a big, fat stoner.

The craving

You'll remember that part of Sammy and Scooby's quality is their endless appetite and willingness to do anything for food, especially their Scooby Snacks.

It sounds like a convenient excuse, but their big appetite may be due to something else. We're all familiar with «munchies»: the cannabis-induced cravings are one of the well-known effects of stoners.

It's also why Sammy's food cravings are a little... weird. From extra-cheese pizza with pickles in Scooby-Doo! Abracadabra-Doo, chocolate-covered hot dogs and liverwurst, the series explains that Sammy was given a garbage disposal as a toy when he was younger.

Marie-Jeanne is Sammy's favorite name

The theory that Sammy is a cannabis enthusiast emerged as early as 2002, when director Raja Gosnell picked up on this reading of things and planned to allude to it throughout the Scooby-Doo movie. Newsweek and Entertainment Weekly shot several scenes referring to his weed use, but these were removed from the final film to make it more family-friendly.

However, one scene has remained. When Sammy, Scooby and the rest of the gang take the plane to Spooky Island, Sammy meets and instantly falls in love with a girl named (surprise, surprise). It seems like an innocent coincidence until you hear the rest of the dialogue.

«My name is Marie-Jeanne« she introduces herself. Sammy's eyes sparkle and he exclaims: «That's my favorite name!.

Sammy's personality

Sammy is cowardly, absent-minded and goofy, if very endearing. The reason fans speculate about his weed habits is also due to his personality and how it fits with the behavior of people under the influence sacred grass.

For someone so afraid of ghosts, Sammy often overlooks the ones in a room until they move or scream. He tends to be absent-minded, and when it's time for them to run away, he and Scooby are often slow to react. Scooby and Sammy tend to laugh for the slightest reason when they're not looking for ghosts.

This could simply be part of their character, but their personality would be easily explained if we considered that they might be under the influence of cannabis.

The «hippie» stereotype»

From the van to his appearance, Sammy was most likely modeled on the stereotypical 70s stoner hippie. You couldn't show him smoking explicitly in a children's program, but you could use direct references that only adults would understand.

Sammy is always unkempt (hence the name «Shaggy»), caring very little about his hygiene or facial hair. He's always talking about food or cravings, and is constantly rambling, whether at high or low speed.

As for the van, it originally belonged to Fred, who was almost always seen as the one driving the Mystery Machine. However, in Scooby-Doo and Scrappy-Doo (a series in the saga), Fred is said to have given his van to Sammy, who is said to have solved mysteries with Scooby and Scrappy. The series is set in the late 1970s. The idea of a stoner like Sammy driving a windowless van decorated in the flower-power theme of hippies and grass only deepens the theory.

Sammy's «hallucinations

As series regulars know, Sammy is the lanky, cowardly friend of Fred, Velma and Daphne, who spends most of his time with his dog, Scooby. But this seemingly mundane setup has been linked to several darker theories.

One of them is that Sammy was born into a well-to-do family where drugs, especially cannabis, were abundant. Since his three companions regularly made fun of him, he was more comfortable confiding in Scooby.

What makes this theory even darker is that Scooby has long since passed away and is merely the product of Sammy's hallucinations. Add to this the idea that he can talk to his (supposedly deceased) pet dog. This only creates more room for speculation.

Cannabis clichés

Apart from the fact that he's the most easily frightened, another glaring difference between Sammy and the rest of the gang is his physical appearance. While Velma, Fred and Daphne are portrayed as grown-ups with well-established looks, Sammy is presented as a more laid-back, less polished version of the other three.

Because of Sammy's messy hairstyle, baggy clothes and constant paranoia, fans theorized that he might be permanently high. After all, the cartoon saw the light of day in 1969, as the world entered the famous «Flower Power» era.

Of course, the cartoon itself featured depictions of Sammy, Scooby and the gang with various allusions to cannabis smoking.

«We're lost in the fog.» Of course you are.

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Like Sammy, cartoonists can't draw Scooby-Doo smoking pot. But we have no idea what Sammy and Scooby-Doo are doing in the back of their van!