The Groovy Gang were minor characters on The Venture Bros.
Character Background[]
The Groovy Gang were a group of mentally disturbed individuals that claimed to be amateur detectives that traveled the world in a van to solve mysteries that may or may not exist. The group consists of the insane, violent-tempered, and self-righteous leader Ted, the weak-willed kidnapping victim Patty, the angry, extremist-feminist, Val, the paranoid, jittery hippie Sonny, and the terrifying, possibly demon-possessed dog Groovy. While the Gang purportedly existed to solve mysteries, Ted never seemed to have a clear definition of "mystery", and, in reality, the Gang seemed to make their living by looting the buildings they would break into during their adventures. According to Patty, the gang has been driving to her parent's home for 10 years, suggesting they had been active for that length of time.
The gang had previously encounter Hank and Dean before in Mexico, which led to the death of one set of clones who were then thrown in a ravine. They would bump into the Ventures again this time at their The Venture Compound after running out of gas there, which Ted believes to be a sign from God. They would eventually confront The Ventures again; Ted and Sonny were killed by Brock Samson, Groovy by Venturestein, while Patty and Val would escape with their status unknown. Ted and Sonny would be resurrected as Venturestein's by Dr. Venture and sold to General Manhowers who used them as a suicide bomber army. Venturestein would later recruit them in his own army and would later join him in Abomination.
Characters[]
- Ted: the clearly disturbed leader of The Groovy Gang. He controls the others with threats both verbally and with a gun. He is a parody of Fred Jones from Scooby-Doo and serial killer Ted Bundy.
- Sonny: the a hyper-paranoid, unhinged, and downright shaggy member of The Groovy Gang. Sonny is the only person that his talking Great Dane, Groovy, will speak to, much to Sonny's chagrin, as the other members of the Groovy Gang believe that Sonny is merely hallucinating. He is a parody of Shaggy Rogers from Scooby Doo and serial killer David Berkowitz, a.k.a. "Son of Sam".
- Groovy: he was the Great Dane-like demon and the mascot of The Groovy Gang. He is capable of speech, but will only talk to Sonny, claiming to have no interest in speaking to anybody else because only Sonny is chosen by a evil entity known as "The Master". His voice is more Germanic, menacing and demonic, and he often advises Sonny to do terrible things to punish the wicked in the name of The Master. He is a parody of Scooby the Dog, and of Harvey, the dog of David Berkowitz's neighbor. David Berkowitz, claimed the dog was possessed and compelled Berkowitz to commit murder (Berkowitz later admitted the claim was false).
- Patty: is the quiet and meek beret wearing member of The Groovy Gang. She was apparently kept in a cage at most times by Ted, the leader of the gang. Ted also didn't allow her to shower or see her parents for ten years. Patty along with Val are the only members of The Groovy Gang to survive and escape the Venture Compound. She is a parody of Daphne Blake from Scooby Doo and Patty Hearst, the granddaughter of newspaper mogul William Randolph Hearst and kidnapping victim of the Symbionese Liberation Army, a left-wing paramilitary group. She and Val are the only members of the Groovy Gang to escape the Venture Compound alive.
- Val: is a chain-smoking, feminist, lesbian and a member of The Groovy Gang. She frequently quotes passages from the S.C.U.M. manifesto written by radical feminist Valerie Solanas and is also a parody of Velma Dinkley from Scooby Doo. She and Patty are the only members of the Groovy Gang to escape the Venture Compound alive.
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- The Groovy Gang is very clearly inspired by Mystery Inc., the mystery-solving gang in "Scooby-Doo, Where Are You?" However, each member of the Groovy Gang is also based on a famous 20th century personalities and serial killers.