Scooby-Doo was originally a sheepdog named Too Much who played the drums in a rock band.

In 1968, CBS executive Fred Silverman wanted a new Saturday morning cartoon. Writers Joe Ruby and Ken Spears created a show called Mysteries Five. It featured five teens and a sheepdog named Too Much. They eventually worried the sheepdog looked too much like Hot Dog from the cartoon The Archies.The creators asked artist Iwao Takamoto to redesign the dog. Takamoto talked to a Great Dane breeder to learn what a perfect dog of that breed looked like. He then drew Scooby-Doo with the exact opposite features. He gave the dog a curved back, bowed legs, and a double chin to make him look funny.The name Scooby-Doo came from a Frank Sinatra song called Strangers in the Night. Silverman heard Sinatra sing the nonsense words doo-be-doo-be-doo at the end of the track. He decided to rename the dog and make him the star of the show. The new show, Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!, premiered on September 13, 1969.Choosing a Great Dane instead of a sheepdog helped the animators. A sheepdog has too much hair covering its face and body. The short hair of a Great Dane allowed the artists to draw more expressions and funny movements.