Scooby and the Gang wouldn't exist were it not for the talent of animator Iwao Takamoto.

Born in Los Angeles in 1925, Iwao and his family were forced to live in a Japanese internment camp during World War II. The Los Angeles Times reports the following:

"Takamoto found inspiration for his career in a place he rarely spoke of: the Manzanar War Relocation Center for Japanese Americans, where he and his family spent much of World War II.

Sketching to amuse himself, he caught the attention of two fellow internees, former art directors, who encouraged Takamoto to go into animation.

After returning to Los Angeles, he was quickly hired by Walt Disney Studios just before the end of the war in 1945."¹

During the early 1960s, Iwao went to work for the Hanna-Barbera animation studio, where he was given the task of creating the appearances of Scooby and the Gang.

From the Los Angeles Times: "Takamoto insisted that making Scooby big and clumsy would give the dog more comic potential. From a breeder of show dogs, he 'found out what made a prize-winning Great Dane and went in the opposite direction,' Takamoto told Australia's Sydney Morning Herald in 1997."

From BBC News: "The dog breeder showed him [Takamoto] pictures and 'talked about the important points of a Great Dane, like a straight back, straight legs, small chin and such', Mr. Takamoto explained. 'I decided to go the opposite [way] and gave him a hump back, bowed legs, big chin and such. Even his colour is wrong.'"²

In short, Iwao Takamoto made Scooby into the visual opposite of a Great Dane.

Regarding the success of Scooby and the Gang, TV Tropes quotes Iwao as saying, "And I got away with it thanks to those meddling kids and their dog."³

Information Sources:

¹Nelson, V.J. (2007, January 10). Iwao Takamoto, 81; animator for Hanna-Barbera drew Scooby-Doo. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved from http://articles.latimes.com/2007/jan/10/local/me-takamoto10

²Scooby-Doo's creator dies aged 81. BBC News. Retrieved from http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/6243717.stm

³Western Animation / Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! TV Tropes. Retrieved from http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/WesternAnimation/ScoobyDooWhereAreYou