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Description
4. Bedlam In The Big Top

One of the show's most standout and deadly villains on full display and one that is guaranteed scary for anyone with coulrophobia.

Positives:

The Ghost Clown is one of if not the most cunning and deadliest of the classic Scooby-Doo Villain lineup in terms of how he executes his plan of hypnotizing victims including members of the gang to do dangerous stunts and acts that could get them hurt or worse, as a means of throwing dirt on the Circus and getting it to never see the light of day. He's one of the most dangerous villains for that reason alone. In addition to that, his evil Clown may be simple but is still very effective in terms of being creepy and like I said anyone with severe coulrophobia will likely find him way more unnerving and I like how the episodes gives a bit of lore to the Ghost by saying that he's a superstitious entity that is a bad omen to any circus.

In addition to that, his trick of hypnosis via Gold Coin on his victims is definitely a unique ability he possesses that further adds to his character.

Scary clowns these days are nothing new but the Ghost Clown I believe was one of the earliest examples of such (even predated Stephen King's novel It) and scary clowns are a monster category that the Scooby-Doo franchise utilizes frequently throughout its run with seemingly one in almost each installment, and The Ghost Clown himself is among the franchise's most recognizable and iconic monsters.

I really enjoy how the whole mystery is set during one whole night at this just abandoned Circus and the backdrops with the Circus locales add a unique flare to the spooky atmosphere.

Negatives:

Small nitpick but when the Ghost Clown gets captured by accidentally hypnotizing himself to act like a chimpanzee, how did he not notice Shaggy And Scooby clearly holding up mirrors to reflect the hypnotic coin? Maybe he was really in the zone but it kind of made him look ignorant in that final bit, where he was doing very well for a villain up until that point.

Also a little gripe with the gang att he start, how can you forget Scooby? This is actually one of those times where had Scooby not gotten left behind, the gang probably would have been on their way after heeding Barnstorm's warning.

Final Thoughts:

Bedlam In The Big Top is a phenomenal showcase of a classic Scooby-Doo villain in The Ghost Clown and is one that since like most of the greats is a classic staple episode of the original series that still holds up to this day.

And here is joshvirgin and his thoughts on the episode....

Hey Again As Promised Here Is My Review Of The “Scooby Doo” Episode “Bedlam In The Big Top” Enjoy.
m.youtube.com/watch?v=XmIqA_DX…
“Zoinks! It’s Scooby Doo And Cyber And JV Too.”
“Bedlam In The Big Top.” The Episode Starts In Perhaps The Most Bizarre Way Possible For A “Scooby Doo” Episode. The Gang Are Driving Aimlessly It Seems In The Mystery Machine Until By Their Own Luck They Encounter A Circus Strong Man And A Midget Riding A Bicycle For Two That Unexpectedly Breaks In Half Leading To The Two Ramming Into Each Other. After Being Saved They Introduce Them Selves As Max The Midget And Sampson The Strong Man. They Fled A Near By Circus Claiming It Was Jinxed. Upon Closer Inspection Mystery Inc. Learn It Was Haunted By A Ghost Clown. Apparently Haunting Circuses And Causing All Kinds Of Disturbances Not To Mention Driving Performers Away. When The Gang Meet Him Face To Face He Hypnotizes Them Each With A “Pretty Coin Of Gold” And Forces Them To Do A Circus Act. Such As Scooby Doing A High Wire Act Daphne Riding A Unicycle Act And Shaggy Acts As A Lion Tamer. Strangely At No Point Does He Hypnotize Freddy Or Velma. Wonder How They’d Go. In Any Case Most Of The Stunts The Gang Are Subjected To Doing Are Deadly. Except Daphne’s As It Acts As A Distraction To Shaggy Scooby And Velma But I Digress. Scooby Almost Falls And Upon Getting Caught On Balloons The Ghost Clown Mercilessly Tosses Darts To Kill The Dog. Shaggy Gets The Deadliest One Of Them All Facing A Lion And If Not For Scooby Shaggy Would Surely Have Gotten Eaten. The Ghost Clown Might Be The Most Deadly Villain The Gang Faces In The Original Series As He’s Pretty Much Willing To Kill These Kids And Their Dog And Essentially Let The Circus Take The Blame And Likely Get It Shut Down. He Is Also The Creepiest Given He’s A Clown. In The End He’s Revealed To Be Harry The Hypnotist A Former Actor In The Circus Who Was Busted Using His Bit To Steal Money. He Used The Ghost Clown As A Front To Get Back At The Circus And Thus Leave The Show With No Performers. He’s Hoisted Up By His Own Petard Once Shaggy And Scooby Rig His Gold Coin Thanks To Some Mirrors Making Him Act Like A Monkey. A Funny And Imaginative Way Of Defeating Him And A Good Case Of The Duo Pulling Through. “Bedlam In The Big Top” Is Good In The Fact It Takes Advantage Of Its Circus Setting And The Ghost Clown Being A Some What Threatening Villain In The Series. Though One Minor Complaint I Have Is That Certain Bits Like Daphne Unicycling Lingers On When It Could Just As Easily Be Trimmed Down. But Other Than That It’s An Effectively Creepy And More Exotic Episode With Scooby And The Gang. 3/5.
What Do You Think?

Description
4. Bedlam In The Big Top

One of the show's most standout and deadly villains on full display and one that is guaranteed scary for anyone with coulrophobia.

Positives:

The Ghost Clown is one of if not the most cunning and deadliest of the classic Scooby-Doo Villain lineup in terms of how he executes his plan of hypnotizing victims including members of the gang to do dangerous stunts and acts that could get them hurt or worse, as a means of throwing dirt on the Circus and getting it to never see the light of day. He's one of the most dangerous villains for that reason alone. In addition to that, his evil Clown may be simple but is still very effective in terms of being creepy and like I said anyone with severe coulrophobia will likely find him way more unnerving and I like how the episodes gives a bit of lore to the Ghost by saying that he's a superstitious entity that is a bad omen to any circus.

In addition to that, his trick of hypnosis via Gold Coin on his victims is definitely a unique ability he possesses that further adds to his character.

Scary clowns these days are nothing new but the Ghost Clown I believe was one of the earliest examples of such (even predated Stephen King's novel It) and scary clowns are a monster category that the Scooby-Doo franchise utilizes frequently throughout its run with seemingly one in almost each installment, and The Ghost Clown himself is among the franchise's most recognizable and iconic monsters.

I really enjoy how the whole mystery is set during one whole night at this just abandoned Circus and the backdrops with the Circus locales add a unique flare to the spooky atmosphere.

Negatives:

Small nitpick but when the Ghost Clown gets captured by accidentally hypnotizing himself to act like a chimpanzee, how did he not notice Shaggy And Scooby clearly holding up mirrors to reflect the hypnotic coin? Maybe he was really in the zone but it kind of made him look ignorant in that final bit, where he was doing very well for a villain up until that point.

Also a little gripe with the gang att he start, how can you forget Scooby? This is actually one of those times where had Scooby not gotten left behind, the gang probably would have been on their way after heeding Barnstorm's warning.

Final Thoughts:

Bedlam In The Big Top is a phenomenal showcase of a classic Scooby-Doo villain in The Ghost Clown and is one that since like most of the greats is a classic staple episode of the original series that still holds up to this day.

And here is joshvirgin and his thoughts on the episode....

Hey Again As Promised Here Is My Review Of The “Scooby Doo” Episode “Bedlam In The Big Top” Enjoy.
m.youtube.com/watch?v=XmIqA_DX…
“Zoinks! It’s Scooby Doo And Cyber And JV Too.”
“Bedlam In The Big Top.” The Episode Starts In Perhaps The Most Bizarre Way Possible For A “Scooby Doo” Episode. The Gang Are Driving Aimlessly It Seems In The Mystery Machine Until By Their Own Luck They Encounter A Circus Strong Man And A Midget Riding A Bicycle For Two That Unexpectedly Breaks In Half Leading To The Two Ramming Into Each Other. After Being Saved They Introduce Them Selves As Max The Midget And Sampson The Strong Man. They Fled A Near By Circus Claiming It Was Jinxed. Upon Closer Inspection Mystery Inc. Learn It Was Haunted By A Ghost Clown. Apparently Haunting Circuses And Causing All Kinds Of Disturbances Not To Mention Driving Performers Away. When The Gang Meet Him Face To Face He Hypnotizes Them Each With A “Pretty Coin Of Gold” And Forces Them To Do A Circus Act. Such As Scooby Doing A High Wire Act Daphne Riding A Unicycle Act And Shaggy Acts As A Lion Tamer. Strangely At No Point Does He Hypnotize Freddy Or Velma. Wonder How They’d Go. In Any Case Most Of The Stunts The Gang Are Subjected To Doing Are Deadly. Except Daphne’s As It Acts As A Distraction To Shaggy Scooby And Velma But I Digress. Scooby Almost Falls And Upon Getting Caught On Balloons The Ghost Clown Mercilessly Tosses Darts To Kill The Dog. Shaggy Gets The Deadliest One Of Them All Facing A Lion And If Not For Scooby Shaggy Would Surely Have Gotten Eaten. The Ghost Clown Might Be The Most Deadly Villain The Gang Faces In The Original Series As He’s Pretty Much Willing To Kill These Kids And Their Dog And Essentially Let The Circus Take The Blame And Likely Get It Shut Down. He Is Also The Creepiest Given He’s A Clown. In The End He’s Revealed To Be Harry The Hypnotist A Former Actor In The Circus Who Was Busted Using His Bit To Steal Money. He Used The Ghost Clown As A Front To Get Back At The Circus And Thus Leave The Show With No Performers. He’s Hoisted Up By His Own Petard Once Shaggy And Scooby Rig His Gold Coin Thanks To Some Mirrors Making Him Act Like A Monkey. A Funny And Imaginative Way Of Defeating Him And A Good Case Of The Duo Pulling Through. “Bedlam In The Big Top” Is Good In The Fact It Takes Advantage Of Its Circus Setting And The Ghost Clown Being A Some What Threatening Villain In The Series. Though One Minor Complaint I Have Is That Certain Bits Like Daphne Unicycling Lingers On When It Could Just As Easily Be Trimmed Down. But Other Than That It’s An Effectively Creepy And More Exotic Episode With Scooby And The Gang. 3/5.
What Do You Think?