First, the top five--the best episodes of the original 1969-1970 "Scooby Doo" series and, IMHO, the best Scooby shows ever. Four of them are "perfect" episodes--episodes where the classic Scooby formula (teaser showing the villain, introduction to the gang, searches for clues, funny scenes alternating with scary ones, final denoument) is deployed to best effect, with all the elements of story and animation working well together.

What a Night for a Knight
The pilot episode where it all began remains an all-time highlight. Just look at those nighttime scenes, with their use of atmospheric moonlight and shadow. Pause your DVD (if that's how you're watching it) and let your eyes linger over the rich background detail. And there's the music as well. There are also (unusually for Scooby) a couple of nice daytime shots. The characterizations are also fine--everybody is just like they're supposed to be, although Velma isn't yet showing just what she can do as a detective. This was miles ahead of any other cartoons on TV at the time, or for many years afterward.

A Gaggle of Galloping Ghosts
It wasn't until the latter half of the first season that the series matched its pilot. This one has no fewer than three monsters. While it's not as scary as some, there's lots of fun stuff going on. Even Shaggy seems to be enjoying himself most of the time! It may well be the best-looking episode ever--there are dozens of beautiful background paintings. After several viewings over the years I'm still noticing details I'd never caught before. Especially nice is the wonderful lighting. Note the scene in the car's headlights near the end.

Which Witch is Which?
Another great-looking setting. The simple touch of adding chirping crickets on the soundtrack over many scenes adds greatly to the sense of mood and place. This is one of the most atmospheric off them all. The Witch and Zombie make a great pair of villains. And there are some fine bits of animation--especially when the Witch appears and disappears.

Kooky Space Kook
If I had to list one episode as the best ever example of the classic Scooby formula in action, this would be it. The pacing is flawless. We get a wonderfully scary teaser to introduce the villain. Then he is kept under wraps for several scenes while the viewer is led to expect him to pop up at any time. Then he really does start popping up, usually when you DON'T expect it. And most of the story takes place on that wonderful abandoned airport, with all the derelict planes standing around.

Nowhere to Hyde
The first episode of the 1970 second (half) season can't be considered a "perfect" episode due to the unnecessary musical chase scene that most of the second-season episodes were burdened with. Apart from that it has everything going for it. The teaser and introduction of Hyde are excellent. Hyde's a great villain, who gets a couple of good shock moments. And there are lots of interesting camera angles and compositions onscreen. More recent Scooby shows are often great fun, but they just don't have moments as carefully staged and effective as the best scenes in an episode like this.

Very nice, Daphne! This would be most of my own Top 5 as well, except I would trade the Hyde episode for the Creeper one. I still love Kooky Space Kook above all the others, for all the reasons you mentioned.

Next, some episodes that didn't make the top five--but are still very good.

What the Hex Going On?
Begins with the scariest Scooby teaser. The sound and imagery of this scene are truly nightmarish. Again, later Scooby series just don't have moments like this where music, sound effects, and imagery are deployed that carefully for overall effect. In this case that's the problem--it's really TOO scary for a children's show. They have to dial things back in the latter part of the episode, creating a jarring contrast with what goes earlier. Still, it has some fine moments.

Foul Play in Funland
One of several episodes with no teaser to introduce the villain at the very start. It also has a few too many gags that don't quite work. Still, there are several good scenes, notably the sequence where the lights are shown going off all over the park. And the amusement park setting is beautifully rendered. It really does capture some of the feel of being in such a place at night.

Backstage Rage
This one's only problem is that it gets off to a slow start--no teaser, and you don't really see the villain until halfway through. But that last half is classic! This one has left some of my most vivid childhood TV memories. The old dark theater setting and the weird events that take place there create a perfect atmosphere for chills and thrills.

Scooby Doo and a Mummy Too
Again, there's no teaser and it gets off to a bit of a slow start. But the mummy's repeated unexpected appearances make him a great villain, there are lots of good backgrounds and scenes, and it's probably Velma's finest hour. We see her resourcefulness, detective skills, and leadership ability at their best.

A Night of Fright is No Delight
For once the lack of a teaser is no problem. The stormy introduction to the old dark house (another wonderful setting) and the reading of the will are all old Hollywood cliches--and are probably better done than Hollywood ever did them. The scene where the Phantom Shadow stalks a victim at the stroke of midnight is brilliantly done. There's a stretch in the middle that drags, but then the show picks up again as it keeps ratcheting the tension higher and higher.

Mystery Mask Mix-Up
There are too many jokes that don't work here, and some of them involve ethnic humor of a sort that looks offensive now. But the episode also has lots of great moments--a nicely done car chase, a scene where zombies strike without warning, several instances of great lighting. This is probably Daphne's best episode. We see her being both sweet and gentle and righteously indignant and brave.

Haunted House Hang-Up
Begins with a superb teaser that sets the stage and atmosphere and then suddenly builds to a shock. The early scenes of the gang entering the chilly, creepy house are also great. Then halfway through it turns into a farce. Both halves of the episode work well on their own terms, but it would've been best if they hadn't changed direction so abruptly.

And next, the one with Batman and Robin.

Now some episodes with good moments that might have been great but fell short.

Hassle in the Castle
After "What a Night for a Knight" the show had several misfires in a row. Evidently it took them a while to hit their stride. Here we have a great old castle setting and a scary (and quite ghostly) ghost. There are some good moments, such as Daphne's first-ever encounter with a trap door. Unfortunately somebody kept deflating the scary moments by splicing in canned laughter, and the animation isn't as good as it would be later in the season.

A Clue for Scooby Doo
The ghost of Captain Cutler is one of the coolest-looking ever. He also gets a great introduction sequence, where the viewer meets him right away and is then kept in suspense for a bit waiting for Scooby to run into him. Unfortunately we see very little of him after that. While there's something to be said for not overexposing your villain, in this case he's so camera shy much of his potential is wasted. This one also has some sub-standard animation--a real shame, given the ambitious underwater scenes.

Go Away Ghost Ship
More wasted potential. Redbeard is a fine larger-than-life villain, and far more articulate and interesting than the average Scooby ghost. But he doesn't get any truly first-rate scenes, his henchmen are total nobodys, and there are too many gags that don't come off. To see the character done better, check out the 1972 "movie" called "The Ghostly Creep from the Deep" (co-starring the Harlem Globetrotters).

Who's Afraid of the Big, Bad Werewolf?
A not particularly good villain sunk by being repeatedly made a total fool of (Though oddly enough it scared me pretty badly when I was very small). On the plus side, there are beautiful outdoor settings and some more of those interesting camera angles and compositions. This really was a very visual show, not just "illustrated radio" like so many other cartoons of the time.

Next some episodes that were neither outstandingly good nor outstandingly bad. They were still far better than most Saturday morning cartoons.

Bedlam Under the Big Top
There aren't any really scary scenes, and the backgrounds and atmosphere weren't as good as in the better episodes. The hypnosis scenes are quite effective.

That Snow Ghost
Winter snowscapes aren't as interesting to look at as the usual Scooby settings, I guess. There aren't any really well-done scenes. The Snow Ghost is memorable mainly for the exceptional violence with which he attacks our heroes. He really was a nasty piece of work!

Jeepers It's the Creeper
The Creeper isn't a very charismatic villain, and he never does anything very ghostly. This episode is short of the really well-done scare scenes and visual touches one sees in the best episodes. It is a good bit funnier than the others in this category, though--there's some quite funny slapstick. And a couple of good moments of characterization. The Creeper is also historically the first to complain at the end of "meddling kids."

Scooby's Night With a Frozen Fright
About as run-of-the-mill as it gets. The villain does nothing but run around and hit things, and there are no really good backgrounds or sequences. It's all done to a good standard of quality, but the episode never really goes anywhere.

A Tiki Scare is No Fair
Lots of beautiful backgrounds, but again there are no outstanding scenes and the villain isn't that great. And there are a number of misfired gags.

Finally, even the best shows have their flops:

Decoy for a Dognapper
This actually has some good scenes--the railway trestle rescue, the scene where the gang hears about the dognapper, the ghostly Indian warrior on horseback. But the show begins in broad daylight (!) and it's all too clear from the start that our heroes are dealing with mere thugs instead of ghosts.

Mine Your Own Business
This has a very weak villain, isn't all that good-looking or well-animated, and isn't even terribly funny. Neither the writing nor the execution work well.

Never Ape an Ape Man
Not quite as much of a dreary waste of time as the one above, but it's close. Fortunately a long streak of disappointments and flops was about to be broken with episodes like "Backstage Rage."

Never Fool With a Phantom
They must have run out of time and money while making this, the last of the original series episodes. It's a jumbled-up mess, neither well-written nor well-animated. What a sad note to end the series on! But it was really just the beginning for a Scooby screen career that is still going strong 40 years later.

Those were fun team-ups, but they were from the 1972 series, not the original series I'm ranking here.

Imagine if sweet but klutzy Daphne had ever tried to impersonate Batgirl.

Then you are discriminating against Scooby-Dum, IMO.

These reviews are great, TMK!

It would be funny to watch, no?