Scooby-Doo vs. Snoopy

ANNOUNCER: From the brains behind Brains On!, it's Smash Boom Best.

JACOB: The show for people with big opinions.

MOLLY BLOOM: Hi! I'm Molly Bloom, and this is Smash Boom Best, the show where we take two things, smash them together, and ask you to decide which one is best. Today's debate is a pop culture mash-up of two iconic characters. It's a Great Dane with a brain against a very regal Beagle. It's Scooby-Doo versus Snoopy. We've got actor-comedian Brad Milison ready to solve the mystery of why team Scooby-Doo is so dazzling.

BRAD MILISON: I'm ready to Scooby-Dooby-Doo this thing.

MOLLY BLOOM: And director-actor Denzel [? Velan ?] is here to take us on a fantasy adventure in honor of Team Snoopy.

[? DENZEL VELAN: ?] Anything is paw-ssible for your favorite pup and mine, Snoopy.

MOLLY BLOOM: [LAUGHS] And here to judge it all is Jacob from Atlanta, Georgia. Jacob loves reading action novels, making music, and spending time with his little brother. Hi, Jacob.

JACOB: Hi, Molly.

MOLLY BLOOM: So, Jacob, how many instruments do you play?

JACOB: Let's see. There was the ukulele, the tenor saxophone, the piano, and digital music. So that's four.

MOLLY BLOOM: How would you describe the style of music you make?

JACOB: It's more of like a jump in genres. Like one minute, we could be making hip hop. The next minute, we could be making jazz or we could just be doing something off the cuff.

MOLLY BLOOM: That is so cool. And on a totally different topic, you told us earlier that shrimp is nirvana for your taste buds. So, you're a shrimp fan. What is your favorite shrimp dish?

JACOB: It's the fried shrimp that my mom makes. I tried it once and I loved it.

MOLLY BLOOM: Good job, mom! So do you have any special connections already to Scooby-Doo or Snoopy?

JACOB: When I was younger, Scooby-Doo used to scare me a lot. Like when my teacher would put it on, she'd have to send me to another classroom.

MOLLY BLOOM: Oh, no.

BRAD MILISON: Oh, great.

MOLLY BLOOM: Was Scooby-Doo scary or just like the show generally?

JACOB: The show in general.

MOLLY BLOOM: OK. So like, Scooby-Doo himself, was he scary to you?

JACOB: No.

MOLLY BLOOM: OK.

JACOB: I saw him as a great example.

BRAD MILISON: Phew.

MOLLY BLOOM: OK, so he's a lovable pup in a scary, scary show. OK. And what about Snoopy?

JACOB: My dad is former Air Force. And one of the places where he used to work at, Snoopy was kind of one of their mascots, and I got to meet him one day.

MOLLY BLOOM: Whoa. You met the Snoopy. That's pretty awesome. So do you have any advice for our debaters today?

JACOB: Just do your thing.

MOLLY BLOOM: Do your thing. Will Jacob side with Brad or Denzel? Only time will tell. Jacob, are you ready to judge today's debate?

JACOB: I'm always ready.

MOLLY BLOOM: [LAUGHS] Great. Before we dive in, let's review the rules of the game. Every debate consists of four rounds of argumentation-- the Declaration of Greatness, the Micro Around, the Sneak Attack, and the Final Six. After each round, our judge, Jacob, will award points to the team that impresses him the most, but he'll keep his decisions top secret until the end of the debate.

Listeners, we want you to judge, too. Mark down your points as you listen. At the end of the show, head to our website, smashboom.org, and vote for whichever team you think won. OK. Brad, Denzel, and Jacob, are you ready?

[? DENZEL VELAN: ?] Excited to be here.

BRAD MILISON: I'm so ready.

JACOB: Ready as I'll ever be.

MOLLY BLOOM: Then it's time for the--

ANNOUNCER: Declaration of Greatness.

MOLLY BLOOM: In this round, our debaters will present a well-crafted, immersive argument in favor of their side. Then, they'll each have 30 seconds to rebut their opponent's statements. We flipped a coin. And Brad, you're up first. Tell us what makes Scooby-Doo so true blue.

BRAD MILISON: Hey, dude, have you seen that weird open mine across town?

MAN: Oh, yeah. That's old man Johnson's haunted spaghetti mine.

BRAD MILISON: What? A haunted spaghetti mine?

MAN: Yeah, it used to be old man Johnson's diamond mine, but then he said it was actually a spaghetti mine. So, yeah.

BRAD MILISON: How do you mind spaghetti?

MAN: Every night, a crew goes in there and comes out with pretty heavy bags. Bags too heavy to be filled with spaghetti. And if you get near the mine, a ghost will show up and chase you away. Now that I think about it, it's a little odd that the ghost doesn't chase away the workers who regularly go in there. But that's just life sometimes.

BRAD MILISON: This is all super fishy. Should we investigate the mine and see what's happening?

MAN: Nah, let's just leave it alone. I'm sure the authorities will figure it out.

BRAD MILISON: If only there was some crime-solving dog that could go in and find the truth. Oh, wait. There is.

[BEST COAST, "SCOOBY DOO THEME SONG"] Scooby-Dooby-Doo, where are you?

We got some work to do now

BRAD MILISON: Meet Scooby-Doo, the greatest dog ever. This canine sings, cooks, dances, and, most of all, investigates. As a core member of the crime-solving company Mystery Incorporated, this Great Dane has solved well over 300 mysteries. And it's no wonder he's such a great detective.

Sleuthing is in his DNA. Great Danes were originally bred to track wild boars, and they've known to be loyal and smart. Scooby is incredibly smart. And while some dogs can roll over or play fetch, Scooby doo can skateboard, surf, drive, wear disguises, and even talk.

MOLLY BLOOM: All right, Fido, speak.

FIDO: [BARKING]

MOLLY BLOOM: OK, Fido. Now, drive into town and go solve some crime.

FIDO: [GROWLS]

BRAD MILISON: With traits like those, it's no wonder this doggo makes such a great detective. But clues aren't the only thing Scooby-Doo likes to sniff out. If you haven't already noticed, Scooby likes his food, especially Scooby snacks.

Scooby-Doo, or, as I like to call him, Foodie-Doo, has eaten incredible treats with incredible people, like churros with the band Kiss, bat milk and cookies with Batman, five-alarm chili, gumbo, Moon Sky Island peppers, peanut butter and pineapple pizza, and even space food. Do you know how incredibly hard it is to get any of these foods?

WOMAN: Pardon, me server. Could I please have the five-alarm chili?

WAITER: Oh, I'm so sorry. We only carry three-alarm chili.

WOMAN: Oh, OK. Well, do you have any bat milk and cookies?

WAITER: I'm afraid those are only for the Batman.

WOMAN: Oh, man. Well, can I at least get a Scooby snack?

WAITER: I'm afraid you Scooby can't.

BRAD MILISON: See? While only a select few of us have seen the wonders of the world, Scooby-Doo has literally tasted them. And why shouldn't he? Scooby-Doo is the epitome of a champion. While it's no secret that he's easy to scare, what we fail to mention is that he's always ready to face his fears to do what's right, even when that means going up against baddies that would make any hero shiver.

Besides running into hundreds of adults dressed like monsters, Scooby has tussled with zombies, ninja robots, aliens, and evil werecats. Despite all this, whenever things get scary, Scoob doesn't let tragedy befall his friends, family, and loved ones. He jumps into action.

His name isn't Scooby-Don't, it's Scooby-Doo. And if that isn't the mark of courage, I don't know what is. So the next time you see a mystery, like, I don't know, a haunted spaghetti mine, ask yourself, what would Scooby-Doo do?

Would he leave it alone and let a bunch of ne'er-do-wells get away with a crime? Or would he sniff out some clues, eat some treats, and save the day? I'm willing to bet a Scooby snack, he'd do the right thing.

MOLLY BLOOM: Wow! A mighty, magnificent declaration of greatness there for a mystery-solving pup. So, Jacob, what stood out to you about Brad's Declaration of Greatness?

JACOB: The fact that Scooby-Doo would do anything to help his loved ones and family.

MOLLY BLOOM: OK, Denzel. It's time for your rebuttal. Tell us why we should call this dog a scaredy cat. You've got 30 seconds, and your time starts now!

[? DENZEL VELAN: ?] Thank you so much. Yeah, Scooby-Doo really thinks he's a real Sherlock Bones, but everyone knows that his investigation style is quite rough. We noticed that we wanted a bon apetit meal from him with his Scooby snacks, but yet, we failed to mention one single vegetable that Scooby would eat. Doesn't sound like a very full meal to me. And we mentioned that Scooby likes to jump into action, more like jump into Shaggy's arms, which seems to happen every time that Scooby encounters anything.

MOLLY BLOOM: And time. So puntacular. Excellent work, Denzel.

BRAD MILISON: Well, I just want to say that Scooby snacks are, in fact, named after Scooby, and it's usually the incentive to get him to go solve a crime or do something scary. So those snacks must be pretty good for him to be willing to do things for them.

[? DENZEL VELAN: ?] I would just like to say fun things like ice cream, pop tarts also get me really excited for short periods of time. But when we think about it, it's not creating a consistent Scooby sensation.

BRAD MILISON: But those short periods of time create many good results and solutions to crime. So, maybe it's good.

MOLLY BLOOM: Excellent work, both of you. All right. Denzel, it is your turn. Please tell us why Snoopy is far from poopy.

[? DENZEL VELAN: ?] Snoopy is more than a cartoon dog. He brings the world together. Like imagine you get home from school. You've had a rough day. And you just want to be around someone who gets it.

DAD: Hey, son. How was--

[? DENZEL VELAN: ?] Finally, you can dive into the creative world of Charles Schulz, with the best, most interesting and, dare I say, cutest cartoon dog to ever exist-- Snoopy.

So iconic. Did you know he was based on Charles Schulz's own dog? And he takes on a million different identities, like an arm wrestler, [GRUNTING] a pirate, [GROANING] even pretending to be Dracula.

DRACULA: Bwa-ha-ha-ha!

DAD: Hey, kiddo. How's it going? Wait, what are you reading? Is that Snoopy?

[? DENZEL VELAN: ?] Hey, dad. You know Snoopy?

DAD: Know him? I'm the captain of the neighborhood Snoopy fan club.

[? DENZEL VELAN: ?] We have one of those?

DAD: We can, now that we have two members. Scoot over and let's read together.

[? DENZEL VELAN: ?] See? Everybody loves Snoopy. I remember the first time I saw him. I was watching the Macy's Thanksgiving parade with my mom and I saw the Snoopy balloon in his fun ice-skating outfit. Snoopy has been a staple character in the parade since 1968, and has appeared the most out of any character, with dozens of appearances so far.

This dog has range. He uses his imagination to be everything. From a tortured writer to a World War I flying ace, with his brown leather flying cap, scarf, and goggles for safety.

The World-War-I-flying-ace Snoopy transformed his doghouse with his imagination into a Sopwith Camel biplane, which is a very old type of airplane. Snoopy would wander through parts of Europe that World War I aviators went to. He'd stop in cafés to gulp down root beers. He is so cool.

RED BARON: Cool? That dog is nothing but a pain in the empennage.

[? DENZEL VELAN: ?] That's the Red Baron, aviator Snoopy's arch nemesis, and a fellow war-plane pilot. The two of them would get into dogfights. [LAUGHS] Sorry. But that's the actual word for war-plane battles.

RED BARON: He's right, you know?

[? DENZEL VELAN: ?] Thanks, Red Baron. By adopting all these cool, snoop personas, Snoopy showed us we could be anything we dreamed of, too. And did you know that the whole Snoopy being a pilot idea was inspired by Charles Schulz's son Monty?

Yeah, he was into making plastic airplane models, and that gave Charles the idea. Kids are at the heart of Snoopy, and so is friendship and imagination. At his core, Snoopy is the embodiment of friendship, family, and creativity. Right, dad?

DAD: You got it, Denzel. Now, turn the page. I got to know what happened.

GRANDPA: Hey, you two.

[? DENZEL VELAN: ?] Grandpa!

DAD: Dad!

GRANDPA: Well, what are you two up to? Oh, I love Snoopy.

DAD: Another member of our Snoopy fan club.

[? DENZEL VELAN: ?] I wonder how many more we can get. [CLEARS THROAT] Jacob, [CLEARS THROAT] listeners of a super cool podcast, want to join us?

MOLLY BLOOM: Wow. An imaginative argument there for a dog that's captured all of our imaginations. Jacob, what stood out to you about Denzel's Declaration of Greatness?

JACOB: The fact that Snoopy is an icon with a lot of folks and he is a pretty much recognizable face.

MOLLY BLOOM: Very, very true. OK. Brad, it is time for your rebuttal. Tell us why Snoopy is worse than a bad bowl of soupie. You've got 30 seconds, and your time starts now.

BRAD MILISON: OK. The quintessential snapshot of Snoopy is him napping on his doghouse. So I'm just going to say it. He's a little bit lazy. And, Denzel, you mentioned he's got a million different identities. There's flying ace. There's Joe Cool. What's with all these identities?

Who is the real Snoopy? It's giving identity crisis. Lastly, Charles, Schulz himself said, I like the fact that when he's in real trouble, he can retreat into a fantasy. Well, that must be nice to live with your head in the clouds, but real trouble calls for real solutions. Scooby-Doo is out there daily, risking life and limb.

MOLLY BLOOM: And time.

[? DENZEL VELAN: ?] Oh, Brad. You're really barking up the wrong tree here. You seem to have forgotten the importance of sleep, especially communicating that to younger audiences. We should be getting around eight hours of sleep, maybe more if your body needs that. Snoopy always takes care of himself.

You mentioned options as a bad thing, but I think our buddy Jacob over here knows the power of options, as he plays many instruments himself. So it seems like you're taking a dig at our judge there, which is kind of a shame, if I do say so myself. And also, for someone who's based in LA, you should understand the power of imagination and creativity.

BRAD MILISON: I love imagination and creativity. But, at the same time, there's a time and place. And, again, when there's real things going on that need actual solutions and people to take action, we can't just escape and pretend to be flying on top of our dog houses. We got to go do things. And yeah, sleep's important, but there's a limit for that, too.

MOLLY BLOOM: OK. Excellent points all around. But Jacob, it is time for you now to award some points. Please give one point to the Declaration of Greatness that you liked best and one point to the rebuttal that won you over. You get to decide what makes a winning argument.

Did one team's jokes make you giggle? Was another team's logic to die for? Both points could go to the same person or each person could get a point. Award your points, but please don't tell us who they're going to. Have you made your decision?

JACOB: Yes, I have.

MOLLY BLOOM: Excellent. Denzel and Brad, how are you two feeling so far?

BRAD MILISON: I'm feeling good. Denzel's already offering some really great points that I'm excited. I feel like we're really on the playing field together here.

[? DENZEL VELAN: ?] I'm doing positively great.

MOLLY BLOOM: Wonderful. All right, it's time for a break. Grab a treat and go for a quick walk.

JACOB: And we'll be right back with more Smash Boom Best.

ANNOUNCER: You're listening to State of Debate, home to rage and rhetoric and awe-inspiring argumentation.

TAYLOR LINCOLN: Hello, you logic-loving lovelies. It's me, All-Start Debate champ Taylor Lincoln, here with everyone's favorite debate duderino, Todd Douglas!

TODD DOUGLAS: Hello, friends. And boy, oh boy do we have a doozy of a debate to play for you today.

TAYLOR LINCOLN: That's right. And this one is chock-full of logical fallacies.

TODD DOUGLAS: Those are bad arguments that make it easy for your opponent to poke holes in what you're saying.

TAYLOR LINCOLN: And these two have fallen into the same trap. They're using the appeal to ignorance fallacy. That's when you say something must be true because there's no evidence showing otherwise. Let's take a listen.

MAXINE: Admit it, Maggie.

MAGGIE: Admit what, Maxine?

MAXINE: The cookies! They're gone.

MAGGIE: So?

MAXINE: So, you stole them. You stole the cookies from the cookie jar.

MAGGIE: Who? Me?

MAXINE: Yes, you.

MAGGIE: Couldn't be.

MAXINE: Then who?

MAGGIE: Well, I don't know. Maybe it was you?

MAXINE: Me? Do you have any proof that I did it?

MAGGIE: No, but do you have any proof you didn't do it?

MAXINE: Well, no, but do you have any proof you didn't do it?

MAGGIE: Well, no, but do you have any proof you didn't know that you didn't do it?

MAXINE: Well, no, but do you have any proof you didn't know that I didn't know that you didn't do it?

MAGGIE: Well, no.

BOTH: So it must be you!

[BUZZER]

TODD DOUGLAS: Wow. Not only are they all out of cookies, they're all out of logic, too.

TAYLOR LINCOLN: Talk about adding insult to injury.

TODD DOUGLAS: Right? Mm! Chocolate chip.

TAYLOR LINCOLN: Todd, did you take the cookies?

TODD DOUGLAS: What? Of course not.

TAYLOR LINCOLN: You have crumbs all over your shirt.

TODD DOUGLAS: Well, that's all the time we have for today. We'll see you next time on--

BOTH: State of Debate.

PRESENTER: Smash Boom Best.

MOLLY BLOOM: You're listening to Smash Boom Best. I'm your host, Molly Bloom.

JACOB: And I'm your judge, Jacob.

MOLLY BLOOM: And we love getting debate suggestions from our listeners. Take a listen to this adorable debate idea from Mia.

MIA: My debate idea is bunnies versus birds.

JACOB: Aw, too cute.

MOLLY BLOOM: We'll check back in at the end of this episode to see which side Mia thinks should win.

JACOB: And now, it's back to our debate-- Scooby-Doo versus Snoopy.

MOLLY BLOOM: That's right. And it's time for round two, the--

ANNOUNCER: Micro Round.

MOLLY BLOOM: For the Micro Round challenge, each team has prepared a creative response to a prompt they received in advance. For Brad and Denzel, the prompt was letter to the editor, where each person has to pretend like they're writing into a newspaper editor complaining about the other side. Brad went first last time. So Denzel, you're up. Give us a letter on what Scooby-Doo could do better.

[? DENZEL VELAN: ?] Dear, editor, I am writing to you today confident that a full overhaul of your publication team is needed immediately. After seeing your recent coverage of a dog trying to solve crimes, assisted by bumbling young people, one of whom is always losing her glasses, it is evident that much like that woman, seeing things clearly isn't your publication's strong suit.

You must rethink your entire editorial approach, and I have suggestions. I know a wonderful therapist named Lucy who could do an advice column, a tough-as-nails gal named Peppermint Patty who can cover sports, and is quite good with a football, if I do say so myself. And you might be wondering who should be in charge.

The head honcho, the top dog. Why? Maybe someone who, hashtag, has over 1.9 billion uploads on TikTok. Maybe someone who has been featured by the Kim Kardashian on her Instagram stories in a framed poster.

Maybe perhaps Snoopy could run everything since he is a world-famous author/novelist. Sure, that title may be self-described, but that doesn't make it any less true. Sincerely, Snoopy. I mean, Joe Cool. Yeah, they'll never know it was me.

MOLLY BLOOM: Oh, excellent work. OK. Brad, now it is your turn. Tell us the news on why Snoopy is a snooze.

BRAD MILISON: To whom it may concern, my name is Mr. Wiggles and I am the first person Scooby-Doo and his gang, quote, unquote, "busted." I was a museum curator creating fake versions of paintings and selling the real ones. Plus, I was pretending to be the possessed armor of a knight, but that's neither here nor there.

After I was caught, I had a lot of time to myself to reflect on that dark period of my life, and the truth of why I did it. I was scared to create my own art. So scared that I turned to forgery. Once I lost the museum and all my faux paintings, I realized something profound-- my life was now a blank canvas.

So I secured for myself an actual blank canvas. I made one brushstroke, then another. And soon enough, I found I was painting beautiful seascapes and sunrises. Even though I resented Scooby and those meddling kids for a long time, I can now look back and express gratitude to them.

Without Scooby-Doo, I would have never unlocked the artist within. Scoobs has the power to change people for the better. I wish I could say the same for that other dog, Snoopy, but how can he affect others when he literally spends his days sleeping on his house? Who even does that?

[SNORING]

Snoopy is surrounded by young, impressionable minds and he makes no effort to help them develop. It is a waste of potential, and it makes my appreciation for that Great Dane Scooby grow tenfold. Signed, Mr. Wiggles.

MOLLY BLOOM: So good to hear from Mr. Wiggles again. All right. Jacob, what stood out to you about Brad and Denzel's Micro Rounds?

JACOB: For Scooby-Doo's, I do love the part where he has helped reform the criminals and help them get into a different passion. And for Snoopy, the mentioning of the kids and what they have done in the show's impressions into real life would be great. I just missed that you did not mention his good old pal Woodstock.

MOLLY BLOOM: Oh. Very good. All right. Jacob, it is time to award another point, but don't tell us who it's going to. The criteria are completely up to you. Did someone write a letter that made you feel feelings, think thoughts?

One would one make subscribe to that paper? Would another make you cancel your subscription? Whatever the criteria, it's completely subjective and completely up to you. Have you made your decision?

JACOB: Yes, I have.

[BELL]

MOLLY BLOOM: Fantastic. Then it's time for our third around, the super stealthy--

ANNOUNCER: Sneak Attack.

MOLLY BLOOM: This is our improvised round, where debaters have to respond to a challenge on the spot. Today's Sneak Attack is called initial thoughts. Your mission is to write an acrostic poem for your side.

The first letter of each line in your poem will spell out the name of your side when you read it vertically. So, if my word was bug, my poem might be-- B, beautiful insect. U, under a flower. G, go, bug, go. So, spells out the word bug. Does that make sense, Denzel and Brad?

BOTH: Yes.

MOLLY BLOOM: OK. So we're going to have Scooby. We're not going to make you do Scooby-Doo, because it has to be the same amount of letters. So we'll do Scooby and Snoopy. We're going to start with Brad. Show us why you're not a newbie when it comes to Scooby.

BRAD MILISON: Super sleuth. Chews on mysteries and snacks. Observant and outstanding. Brave and understanding. You've got some work to do now, Scooby.

JACOB: Nice one.

BRAD MILISON: Thanks.

MOLLY BLOOM: Very nice. An ode to Scooby. All right, Denzel. It's your turn. Please tell us why you're the number one groupie when it comes to Snoopy.

[? DENZEL VELAN: ?] Sensational snicker. Never backing down. Original. Only himself. Party puppy. Yes to Snoopy always.

MOLLY BLOOM: Aw. Lovely. All right, Jacob, this is a tough one, but you have to award a point to the acrostic that impressed you the most. Have you made your decision?

JACOB: I'm ready.

[BELL]

MOLLY BLOOM: Perfect. Then it's time for our final around--

ANNOUNCER: The Final Six.

MOLLY BLOOM: In this round, each team will have just six words to sum up the glory of their side. OK, Denzel, let's hear your six words for Snoopy.

[? DENZEL VELAN: ?] Making fetch happen, Snoopy's top dog.

[LAUGHTER]

MOLLY BLOOM: Wonderful. OK. Brad, it is now your turn. Give us your six words for Scooby.

BRAD MILISON: While Snoopy's snoozing, Scooby's out sleuthing.

MOLLY BLOOM: Oh, very nice! OK, Jacob. It is time to award a final point for this Final Six. Have you made your decision?

JACOB: Decision made.

[BELL]

MOLLY BLOOM: OK. Tally up those points. Are you ready to crown one team the Smash Boom Best?

JACOB: Yes.

MOLLY BLOOM: Drum roll, please.

[DRUM ROLL]

And the winner is--

JACOB: It's a tie, actually.

[? DENZEL VELAN: ?] He split a point. He split a point.

MOLLY BLOOM: You split a point? Is it 2.5 versus 2.5?

JACOB: Yes.

BRAD MILISON: Oh, wow!

MOLLY BLOOM: Oh, my gosh. So what was the one you split the point for?

JACOB: I split it on the Final Six.

BRAD MILISON: Wow.

MOLLY BLOOM: OK. This is an exciting surprise. And to make this show have a winner today, we are going to do a super duper, super exciting--

ANNOUNCER: Tie breaker. Tie breaker. Tie breaker. Tie breaker.

MOLLY BLOOM: Denzel and Brad, were going to give you each five seconds to do the best possible impression of your side, whatever that means to you. OK. Brad, you are going to go first. You have five seconds. It starts now.

BRAD MILISON: Ra-row. Tie breaker. Break him. Choose me.

[LAUGHTER]

MOLLY BLOOM: OK. Denzel, same for you. You have five seconds. Your time starts now.

[? DENZEL VELAN: ?] Doo, doo, doo, doo. Doo, doo, doo. Doo, doo, doo, doo. It's Snoopy.

MOLLY BLOOM: And time.

[LAUGHTER]

Wow. So cool, so good. Both were excellent. But now, Jacob, you have to decide who won that round. No splitsies anymore. Please tell us who has won our super duper special tie-breaking round.

JACOB: Scooby-Doo.

BRAD MILISON: Yay!

[? DENZEL VELAN: ?] Ugh. (SINGING) Womp, womp.

BRAD MILISON: Rank ru.

[LAUGHTER]

MOLLY BLOOM: Wow.

BRAD MILISON: Denzel, I think you did a great job, and I really liked you pushing back on me pushing back on the importance of imagination.

[? DENZEL VELAN: ?] Brad, everything that you brought up in your discussion reminded me back to me watching Scooby-Doo and every iteration of it, and made me just want to go home and watch another episode or movie.

MOLLY BLOOM: Well, that is it for today's debate battle. Jacob crowned Scooby-Doo the Smash Boom Best, but what about you?

JACOB: Head to smashboom.org and tell us who you think won.

MOLLY BLOOM: Smash Boom Best is brought to you by Brains On! And APM Studios.

BRAD MILISON: It's produced by Molly Bloom, Anna Weggel, and Aron Woldeslassie.

MOLLY BLOOM: We had engineering help from Cameron Wiley, with sound design by Anna Weggel and Hans Buetow.

[? DENZEL VELAN: ?] Our editors are Shahla Farzan and Sanden Totten.

BRAD MILISON: And we had production help from Rose Dupont, Anna Goldfield, Ruby Guthrie, Marc Sanchez, and Nico Gonzalez Wisler.

MOLLY BLOOM: Our executive producer is Beth Pearlman, and the APM Studios executives in charge are Chandra Kavati, Alex Schaffert, and Joanne Griffith. Our announcer is Marley Feuerwerker-Otto. And we want to give a special thanks to Austin Cross and Taylor Kauffman. Brad, is there anyone you'd like to give a shout-out to today?

BRAD MILISON: I'll give a shout out to all dogs, animated or not. I just think if you have a dog, you feel like a winner.

MOLLY BLOOM: Aw. Puppies everywhere. And Denzel, how about you? Any shout-outs?

[? DENZEL VELAN: ?] Yeah. Shout-outs to all the fantastic creatives creating cartoon dogs that will just keep inspiring us.

MOLLY BLOOM: I love it. And how about you, Jacob? Any special thanks or shout-outs?

JACOB: Yeah, special thanks to my mom, my dad, and my little brother for supporting me.

MOLLY BLOOM: Very nice. And before we go, let's check in and see who Mia thinks should win the bunnies versus birds debate.

MIA: I think birds will win because they live very long and there are many types of them. And I think more people have them as pets.

MOLLY BLOOM: If you are between the ages of 13 and 18 and you'd like to be a judge, or if you're any age and you have an idea for a knock-down, drag-out debate, head to smashboom.org/contact and drop us a line. And make sure to subscribe to Brains On! Universe on YouTube, where you can watch animated versions of some of your favorite episodes. We'll be back with a new Smash Boom Best debate battle next week. See ya!

BRAD MILISON: See you later.

[? DENZEL VELAN: ?] Bye.

MOLLY BLOOM: Bye!

[THEME MUSIC] Ooh, you have the Smash Boom Best

Ooh, puts you through the test

Ooh, you have a Smash Boom Best

Ooh, better than the rest

It's Smash Boom Best

It's Smash Boom Best

[? DENZEL VELAN: ?] So we can use other words besides the letters of our acrostic?

MOLLY BLOOM: Yeah. Yeah, you could do a sentence.

[? DENZEL VELAN: ?] Ooh.

MOLLY BLOOM: OK.

[? DENZEL VELAN: ?] Could I get like two minutes?

JACOB: Yeah, take your time.

MOLLY BLOOM: Absolutely.