I'm not quite done with talking about Don Messick just yet. Consider this post a fun bonus if you will. Back in 2024, I put together a list of my top five favorite Daws Butler roles. Now, I'm doing the same for his frequent co-star. These are, in no particular order, my favorite voices Don Messick did for Hanna-Barbera. As I'm only including five, there's going to be more than a few great characters that won't make the list. I implore you to share some of your personal favorites in the comments below, no matter how well known or obscure they may be. Now, with that out of the way, let's get into the list.
Scooby-Doo
This one is a no-brainer. If you've been following this blog for long enough, you probably know I'm not the biggest Scooby-Doo guy these days, but it would feel almost criminal to not include him on this list. He's easily the most popular of the characters Don voiced, and for good reason. While he may be cowardly, when push comes to shove, he'll do what is right and stand up for his friends. As Don himself often pointed out, "He's got human foibles. He gets into problems, but he always lands on his feet."
Astro
Moving on from Scooby, we have his predecessor, Astro, who I honestly like more than ol' Scoob. His relationship with the Jetsons family is great stuff, particularly those with Elroy and George, which couldn't be more different from each other. Despite being very similar to Scooby, Astro does have plenty of qualities unique to him, one of those being Don Messick's performance. Like the character himself, Don's performance is more over the top and exaggerated, unlike Scooby-Doo, who is more cautious and unsure. You've also gotta hand it to Astro for being the only Jetsons character to have a spin-off series, for whatever that's worth.
Boo Boo
I ranked him as one of my favorite HB characters, so of course Boo Boo had to show up here as well. Boo Boo is the perfect accomplice to Yogi, and likewise, Messick's performance is perfect alongside Daws Butler as Yogi. Whereas Yogi's voice is big and over the top, Boo Boo is more quiet and cautious. He's very much the straight man in the duo, and though another actor could have made that quite boring, in the hands of Don Messick, he's anything but. It's hard not to think of his voice when seeing the character, and in my book, that's the mark of an extraordinary voice actor.
Benton Quest
While Don Messick wasn't the actor who originated the part of Dr. Benton Quest (that honor goes to the great John Stephenson), he's without a doubt the man who made him one of the more memorable fathers in animation history. While the voice of Benton isn't too different from Don's normal voice, there's a lot more to voiceover work than doing crazy voices. Messick brought Dr. Quest both a warmness and intelligence that was vital to the character. Beyond that, the fact that the show was an action-adventure series gave Messick the opportunity for some more serious character work, which is also appreciated. Besides, who wouldn't want their dad to be a genius that takes them all over the world?
Muttley
Last but not least, I've got to give props to Dick Dastardly's nasty accomplice, Muttley. Though he's another canine character like Astro and Scooby, he might be the most unique fellow out of all of these guys. He doesn't have the character of someone like Dr. Quest or Scooby, nor does he have much of a vocabulary. Despite all that, Messick makes the character memorable with one of the most recognizable laughs in animation history. While Muttley wasn't the only character Messick played to have that distinct laugh, it's hard not to think of him when you hear it. How many other characters can you think of that are remembered from just a simple laugh? The character was a terrific sidekick to the also memorable Dick Dastardly, and their hijinks were definitely a high point of Wacky Races. Muttley is proof that a great actor can make even the simplest of roles ones worth remembering, and I think that's one of the great things about Don Messick. Just like Daws Butler and Mel Blanc, he created so many characters that endure to this day. No matter where you go, people know not just who Scooby-Doo is, but what he sounds like. If that's not an impressive legacy, I don't know what is.
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