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Why Casey Kasem quit playing Shaggy
You can't always have it your way.
After 28 years of playing Shaggy, Casey Kasem walked out.
Casey Kasem, nationally beloved radio host and voice actor, played Shaggy since the first episode Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!. By 1997, Kasem had not only recorded hundreds of episodes but had played a pivotal role in the development of Shaggy as a character. He developed Shaggy's voice and mannerisms, quipped phrases that Shaggy would repeat throughout the years, and had grown to love the character that he had played since 1969. So, why did he walk away?
According to animation historian, Jim Korkis, Kasem had been a vegetarian since the 1970s and had been turning down meat, fish, and dairy commercials since the 1980s. He later transitioned from vegetarian to vegan, all while playing the pizza-loving, sandwich-inhaling Shaggy. Kasem recalled, “...I asked the director at the time if it would be possible to quietly make Shaggy and Scooby vegetarians in the series. The director of the shows at the time (they) said, ‘Sure, Casey, we can do that’. So when Scooby and Shaggy had a pizza, instead of pepperoni, they would put vegetables on it. Instead of a hamburger, they would have an elaborate peanut butter and jelly sandwich.” Kasem's principles were satisfied, even if the public didn't necessarily know it.
In 1997, Burger King released Scooby-Doo themed toys with their Kids Club meals. Hanna-Barbera was enlisted to assist with the commercials, something Kasem was tapped to participate in as the voice of Shaggy. Previously, Kasem turned down other commercial voice acting jobs that went against his principles; a cigarette commercial and Kellog's cereal, on the grounds that cereal is often eaten with milk. But, those were roles for Casey Kasem as a voice actor — this was a role for Shaggy, and at this time the only Shaggy was Kasem. Obviously, Kasem wasn't going to do the commercials, at this point he had been a vegan and animal-rights advocate. Also, canonically Shaggy was a vegetarian at this point too, even if it hadn't been officially announced to the fans. Kasem spoke to Hanna-Barbera he couldn't do it, saying "It was against my conscience to promote something that I myself wouldn't eat."
Hanna-Barbera were understanding of Kasem's situation. At this point he had voiced Shaggy in over 300 episodes and several movies, he had proven his loyalty and commitment to the Scooby-Doo franchise. But, they were still obligated to make a commercial for Burger King. So, Casey Kasem quit playing Shaggy to let other voice actors take on the role for the Burger King commercials. The most recent Scooby-Doo show, A Pup Named Scooby-Doo, had finished airing in 1991, so at this point Kasem was only voicing Shaggy in movies, commercials, and a video game. Up and coming voice actors were called on to fill in Kasem's shoes. Tom Kenny (the future voice of Spongebob Squarepants) took over the commercial, Billy West played Shaggy in Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island, Scott Innes played Shaggy in most other projects: Scooby-Doo and the Witch's Ghost, The Scooby-Doo Project, Scooby-Doo and the Alien Invaders, and Scooby-Doo Cyber Chase.
Then, everything changed in 2002 when Hanna-Barbera asked Kasem to return for a series of holiday specials. Kasem agreed to return on the condition that Shaggy and Scooby go back to being vegetarians, which Hanna-Barbera agreed to. From then on, Kasem continued playing Shaggy until 2009. when he retired from voice acting — but even then, he returned for Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated where he voiced Colton Rogers, Shaggy's father.
