Scrappy-Doo 1979 had begun to sink to the point of cancellation threats from ABC, who were considering between choosing between Scooby-Doo and an unnamed pilot From Ruby-Spears Enterprises, whose pilot Evanier had also written. He successfully boosted the show's ratings and kept the show alive. Scrappy has a contradicted origin. Originally as shown in the introduction of the series, Scrappy only met his Uncle Scooby as a puppy. However, the December 1980 episode of "Scooby-Doo and Scrappy-Doo" ("Scrappy's Birthday") depicts Scrappy-Doo's birth with both Scooby and Shaggy in attendance. Born at St. Bernard's Hospital to Scooby-Doo's sister Ruby-Doo on December 20,
Scooby-Doo Animation and Hanna-Barbera (by then a subsidiary of Warner Bros. following the merger of Time Warner and Turner Entertainment in 1996) began producing one new "Scooby-Doo" direct-to-video movie a year beginning in 1998. These movies featured a slightly older version of the original five-character cast from the "Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!" days. The first four DTV entries were "Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island" (1998), "Scooby-Doo! and the Witch's Ghost" (1999), "Scooby-Doo and the Alien Invaders" (2000), and "Scooby-Doo and the Cyber Chase" (2001). Frank Welker was the only original voice cast member to return for these productions. Don Messick had died