Fred Jones is a fictional character in the American

animated series An animated series, or a cartoon series, is a set of Animation, animated films with a common title, usually related to one another. These episodes typically share the same main heroes, some different secondary characters and a basic theme. Series ...

Scooby-Doo ''Scooby-Doo'' is an American media franchise owned by Warner Bros., Warner Bros. Entertainment and created in 1969 by writers Joe Ruby and Ken Spears through their animated series, ''Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!'', for Hanna-Barbera (which wa ...

'', leader of a quartet of teenage mystery solvers and their

Great Dane The Great Dane is a German list of dog breeds, breed of large mastiff-sighthound, which descends from hunting dogs of the Middle Ages used to hunt bears, wild boar, and deer. They were also used as guardian dogs of German nobility. It is one o ...

companion,

. Fred has been primarily voiced by Frank Welker since the character's inception in 1969.

Character description

In most series, Fred wears a white and/or blue shirt and blue pants. In the original series, Fred wears an orange ascot 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 series '' What'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 various Rube 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 and

Daphne Daphne (; ; , , ), a figure in Greek mythology, is a naiad, a variety of female nymph associated with fountains, wells, springs, streams, brooks and other bodies of freshwater. There are several versions of the myth in which she appears, but t ...

usually go together with Velma 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 to '' Scooby-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 from ''

Show Boat ''Show Boat'' is a musical theatre, musical with music by Jerome Kern and book and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II. It is based on Edna Ferber's best-selling 1926 Show Boat (novel), novel of the same name. The musical follows the lives of the per ...

'' to soothe them. Fred one day hopes to be a famous mystery writer where he hopes to use all of his talents to the fullest. In ''

A Pup Named Scooby-Doo ''A Pup Named Scooby-Doo'' is an American animated mystery comedy series produced by Hanna-Barbera. It is the eighth incarnation of the studio's ''Scooby-Doo'' franchise and depicts younger versions of the title character and his companions as ...

'', Fred was depicted as being somewhat less intelligent and often believed crazy conspiracy theories and legends such as

Bigfoot Bigfoot (), also commonly referred to as Sasquatch (), is a large, hairy Mythic humanoids, mythical creature said to inhabit forests in North America, particularly in the Pacific Northwest.Example definitions include: *"A large, hairy, manlike ...

and mole people and read the magazine ''The National Exaggerator''. In each episode, Fred would blame the crime on the neighborhood bully, Red Herring (a play on the idiom red herring). In ''What's New, Scooby-Doo?'', the teenage version of Fred is shown to have many interests such as traps, martial arts, wrestling, and weightlifting. In '' Scooby-Doo: Mystery Incorporated'', his interests are limited to "traps and solving mysteries", although later he admits he has feelings and dates

Development

Fred Jones was inspired by the titular character of the late 1950s/early 1960s American sitcom '' The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis'', as played by Dwayne Hickman. Some network sales presentation art from an early version of ''Scooby-Doo'', entitled ''Who's S-S-Scared?'', featured early designs of Fred with brown hair. Originally named "Ronnie" when production for ''Scooby-Doo'' began in spring 1969, Fred was named by and after

Fred Silverman Fred Silverman (September 13, 1937 – January 30, 2020) was an American television executive and producer. He worked as an executive at all of the Big Three television networks, and was responsible for bringing to television such programs as '' ...

, who was then head of daytime programming at CBS and a key member of the show's development team. 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 after

Don Messick Donald Earle Messick (September 7, 1926 – October 24, 1997) was an American voice actor, known for his performances in Hanna-Barbera cartoons. His best-remembered voice roles include Scooby-Doo; Bamm-Bamm Rubble and Hoppy in ''The Flintsto ...

died in 1997) and later Shaggy (

Casey Kasem Kemal Amin "Casey" Kasem (April 27, 1932 – June 15, 2014) was an American disc jockey, actor, and radio presenter who created and hosted several radio countdown programs, notably ''American Top 40'', as well as the weekly syndicated televi ...

, who was cast as Shaggy, had originally wanted to voice Fred). Being cast as Fred led to the start of a long, prolific career in voice work for Welker, with ''Scooby-Doo'' being his first voice acting job. Fred Jones has been given two different first names. In '' Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated'' and '' Scooby-Doo! Haunted Holidays'', he is called Frederick, while in '' Scooby-Doo! Adventures: The Mystery Map'', he is called Fredward. In a 2012 r/IAmA,

Shaggy Rogers Norville "Shaggy" Rogers is a fictional character and one of the main characters in the ''Scooby-Doo'' franchise. He is characterized as an amateur detective, and the long-time best friend of his dog, Scooby-Doo. Character description Shaggy ...

actor Matthew Lillard additionally revealed that the original cut of the 2002 ''

'' film had Fred be revealed to be gay (which is why he always wore an ascot tie), and that Freddie Prinze Jr. had portrayed him as such throughout the film. In the continuity of '' Scooby-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. In '' Aloha, Scooby-Doo!'', his middle name is stated to be Herman. 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.

Performers

* Frank Welker (1969–present) * Norma MacMillan (Kenner Talking Show Projector record)"Cartoon Records for the Kenner Talking Show Projector"
. Retrieved 2021-02-23. * Keith Scott ( Pauls commercial) * Carl Steven (''

'') * Jerry Richardson (''Scooby-Doo! in Stagefright - Live on Stage'') *

Marc Blucas Marcus Paul Blucas (; born January 11, 1972) is an American actor. Prior to his acting career, he played college basketball with the Wake Forest Demon Deacons. He had his first starring role as soldier and love interest Riley Finn on the WB su ...

(lookalike in '' Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back'') * Freddie Prinze Jr. (''

'', '' Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed'' (live-action), ''

Robot Chicken ''Robot Chicken'' is an American adult animation, adult stop motion, stop-motion animated sketch comedy television series created by Seth Green and Matthew Senreich for Cartoon Network's nighttime programming block Adult Swim. The twelve-minute ...

'' (voice)) * Ryan Vrba (Young Fred in ''Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed'') * Chris Cox (''Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed: The Video Game'') * Jamie Wilson (''Scooby-Doo! and the Pirate Ghost - Live on Stage'') * Robbie Amell ('' Scooby-Doo! The Mystery Begins'', '' Scooby-Doo! Curse of the Lake Monster'') *

Kevin Shinick Kevin Thomas Shinick ( ; born March 19, 1969) is an American writer, producer, director and actor, as well as a comic book creator. Shinick received an Emmy award for his work on the stop-motion animated series ''Robot Chicken'', and an Emmy nom ...

('' Mad'') * Jim Wise ('' Scooby-Doo! Music of the Vampire'' (singing voice)) * Noah Michael Fish (''Scooby-Doo Live! Musical Mysteries'' (2013)) * Josh Little (''Scooby-Doo Live! The Mystery of the Pyramid'') * Chris Warner Drake (''Scooby-Doo Live! Musical Mysteries'' (2016)) * Scott Innes (

McDonald's McDonald's Corporation, doing business as McDonald's, is an American Multinational corporation, multinational fast food chain store, chain. As of 2024, it is the second largest by number of locations in the world, behind only the Chinese ch ...

commercial, ''Scooby-Doo! Playmobil Mini Mysteries'') *

Brett Dalton Brett Patrick Dalton (born January 7, 1983) is an American actor. He is best known for playing Grant Ward and Hive in ABC's series '' Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.'', as well as Detective Mark Trent in the NBC procedural drama series '' Found'', an ...

(''Robot Chicken'') *

Zac Efron Zachary David Alexander Efron (; born October 18, 1987) is an American actor. Efron began acting professionally in the early 2000s and rose to prominence as a teen idol for his leading role as Troy Bolton in the ''High School Musical'' film ...

('' Scoob!'') * Pierce Gagnon ('' Scoob!'', '' Scoob! Holiday Haunt'' (both as a child)) * Matthieu Levesque (2020; ''Scooby-Doo! and the Lost City of Gold'') * Connor Briggs (2022; ''Scooby-Doo! and the Lost City of Gold'') * Glenn Howerton ('' Velma'') * Jake Gyllenhaal (''

Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (''SNL'') is an American Late night television in the United States, late-night live television, live sketch comedy variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Michaels and Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC. The ...

'')

Relatives

Relatives of Fred's shown or mentioned during the series include: * Mayor Fred Jones Sr.: Fred's illegal "father" in '' Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated'', voiced by

Gary Cole Gary Michael Cole (born September 20, 1956) is an American actor. He began his professional acting career on stage at Chicago's Steppenwolf Theatre Company in 1985. His breakout role was playing Jack 'Nighthawk' Killian in the NBC series '' M ...

. * Skip and Peggy Jones: Fred's father and mother in the film '' Scooby-Doo! Pirates Ahoy!''. Voiced by Tim Conway and Edie McClurg. * Brad Chiles and Judy Reeves: Fred's real father and mother in '' Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated'', voiced by

Tim Matheson Tim Matheson (born Timothy Lewis Matthieson; December 31, 1947) is an American actor and director. Some of his best-known acting roles include the title character of the 1960s animated ''Jonny Quest (TV series), Jonny Quest'' TV series, Eric "O ...

and Tia Carrere (younger selves voiced by Nolan North and

Kari Wahlgren Kari Wahlgren (born July 13, 1977) is an American voice actress who has provided English-language roles for animated movies, TV series, and video games. She got her start in anime voice-overs as List of FLCL characters#Haruko Haruhara, Haruko H ...

). * Eddie Jones: Fred's uncle from ''

'', voiced by Frank Welker. The publisher of the tabloid

newspaper A newspaper is a Periodical literature, periodical publication containing written News, information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide variety of fields such as poli ...

''The National Exaggerator''. * The Count von Jones: Fred's uncle who lives in a

castle A castle is a type of fortification, fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by Military order (monastic society), military orders. Scholars usually consider a ''castle'' to be the private ...

near a factory that makes specialized

coffin A coffin or casket is a funerary box used for viewing or keeping a corpse, for burial, entombment or cremation. Coffins are sometimes referred to as caskets, particularly in American English. A distinction is commonly drawn between "coffins" a ...

s, and runs a

Museum A museum is an institution dedicated to displaying or Preservation (library and archive), preserving culturally or scientifically significant objects. Many museums have exhibitions of these objects on public display, and some have private colle ...

. * Uncle Karl: Fred's uncle who runs a

cheese Cheese is a type of dairy product produced in a range of flavors, textures, and forms by coagulation of the milk protein casein. It comprises proteins and fat from milk (usually the milk of cows, buffalo, goats or sheep). During prod ...

shop near

Lake Michigan Lake Michigan ( ) is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is the second-largest of the Great Lakes by volume () and depth () after Lake Superior and the third-largest by surface area (), after Lake Superior and Lake Huron. To the ...

Wisconsin Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...

. He appears in "Fright House of a Lighthouse". He is shown to be better than Fred at bench-pressing. * An uncle who is in the

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Air force, air service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is one of the six United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Tracing its ori ...

and works for a space agency. * An uncle who is first cymbalist in the

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines or simply the Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for conducting expeditionar ...

band. * A 3-year-old nephew. Mentioned in '' The New Scooby-Doo Movies'' episode that guest-starred

The Monkees The Monkees were an American pop rock band formed in Los Angeles in the mid-1960s. The band consisted of Micky Dolenz, Davy Jones (musician), Davy Jones, Michael Nesmith, and Peter Tork. Spurred by the success of ''The Monkees (TV series), Th ...

member Davy Jones, "The Haunted Horseman of Hagglethorn Hall". * Jed Jones: Fred's cousin working for Monstrous, Fright, and Magic. He is voiced by

Chris Edgerly Chris Edgerly is an American voice actor. Life and career Edgerly provided the voice of Peter Potamus on the Adult Swim animated series ''Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law'', in addition to several guest voices on the TV series ''Drawn Togeth ...

in '' Scooby-Doo! Unmasked''. * Donald Jones alias Professor Huh?: Fred's father in '' Be Cool, Scooby-Doo'' with an interesting backstory. *

Bobby Flay Robert William "Bobby" Flay (born December 10, 1964) is an American celebrity chef, food writer, restaurateur, and Television presenter, television personality. Flay is the owner and Chef de cuisine, executive chef of several restaurants and fr ...

aka Uncle Bobby in ''

Scooby-Doo! and the Gourmet Ghost ''Scooby-Doo! and the Gourmet Ghost'' is a 2018 American Animated film, animated Comedy film, comedy mystery film produced by Warner Bros. Animation and distributed by Warner Home Video, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment, and the thirty-first entry ...

''.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jones, Fred Animated human characters Child characters in animated films Child characters in animated television series Fictional amateur detectives Fictional American detectives Fictional paranormal investigators Male characters in animated films Male characters in animated television series Male characters in animation Male characters in film American male characters in television Scooby-Doo characters Teenage characters in film Teenage characters in television Television characters introduced in 1969 Teenage characters in animated films Animated characters introduced in 1969