New Ghouls on the Block

New Ghouls on the Block is an upcoming episode of Scooby-Doo and Guess Who? This episode guest stars the cartoon version of the New Kids on the Block from their 1990 series. This episode is the first part of the three-part San Francisco Arc.

Summery
It's Fashion Week in San Francisco. However, things could be ruined with the appearance of a ghost who is threatening it. The gang goes to investigate and solve the mystery. But things get real crazy when they meet some new friends... on the Block.

Plot
The episode opens with it being night in San Francisco. A tour bus pulls up in front of a building with a woman in an outrageous purple dress and red hair. This is Diana Blake. The bus opens and the New Kids on the Block (Johnathan Knight, his younger brother Jordan, Donnie Wahlberg, Danny Wood, and Joey McIntyre) come out along with their manager Dick Scott, their bodyguard Biscuit, and their dong Nikko. Diana thanks the New Kids for coming to San Francisco's Fashion Week to display her new men's wear. Jordan said it's no biggie and that it is nice to do something other than performing. Dick reminds them that they are performing at the end of the fashion show. They go inside the exhibition building where they were having the pre fashion show party. Then, the lights start to flicker and a mist roles in. Then, from out of the mist, a screaming ghost woman in clothes from the 1900s flies up and around the hall as the people start screaming and running away. Biscuit tries to protect the New Kids, but the ghost screams in his face and he faints. The ghost then flies up to Diana and says, "No one shall take my place in the city's fashion empire!" Then, the ghost flies away and vanishes. Dick is scared for the New Kids and suggests that they leave. But Donnie says that they want to stay and do the show and help Diana. Jon asks how they are going to do that. Diana says she knows someone who can help. She takes out her phone and calls her cousin, Daphne.

''Scooby Dooby Doo, can you guess who? You know you're one in a million. Cause we can count on you, Scooby-Doo To catch any masked villain.''

Daphne: Jeepers, it's the New Kids on the Block!

It's daytime in San Francisco as the Mystery Machine is driving through the streets. Inside, Daphne thanks Fred, Velma, Shaggy, and Scooby for coming with her to help her cousin, Diana. Fred said it's nothing. Shaggy is concerned about coming to help Diana with a ghost, but if it means he and Scooby and try out some on San Francisco's famous seafood, they'll do anything. They arrive at the building where the fashion show is where they find the New Kids and Diana arguing with Dick who really thinks they should leave because of the ghost. Diana insists that they stay and help her with the fashion show and promises that nothing will go wrong. Dick says that in case they change their minds, he will be waiting at the hotel they are staying and ask that Biscuit stays with them. Biscuit tells Dick not to worry and that he is on the job. Dick leaves. Diana notices the Mystery Machine and calls out to the gang. They come up to them. Diana thanks Daphne and introduces her and friends to the New Kids. The gang recognizes "famous renowned boy band group, The New Kids on the Block". Donnie is happy to hear that and asks if they can really help with the ghost. Velma says they can because they are a group of teenage mystery solvers. Jon says that works, as long as they can get the job done and get the fashion show back on track and are happy that they are here.

Inside the exhibition hall, the gang, the New Kids, and Diana investigate the scene. Velma and Danny both spot something on the ceiling. Danny recognizes it as a pulley. The kind that is used to pull people up and down. They decide to split up and look for more clues. Fred, Daphne, Jon, and Jordan go to check the basement, Shaggy, Scooby, Joe, and Nikko check the other rooms, and Velma, Danny, Donnie, Diana, and Biscuit check the auditorium where the fashion show will take place.

Fred, Daphne, Jon, and Jordan go to the basement. Fred is a little worried about Daphne falling for Jon or Jordan since she is a New Kids fan. The three of them assured him that won't happen since Jon already has someone in his life and Jordan already knows that Daphne has someone else in her life. This makes her and Fred blush a little. Then, Jon finds something. It was an old portrait of a woman who looked a lot like the ghost.

Velma, Danny, Donnie, Diana, and Biscuit are in the auditorium. Diana is ordering the workers to try and make the place as ghost proof as possible. Velma says that Daphne told her that Diana was always a bit of a take-charge woman. Danny thinks that is good. If she was not so demanding, he probably would ask her out. Biscuit is not so sure about that. Donnie finds something hidden under some seats. There were buckets of water. Velma wonders why there could be buckets of water under the seats. But she does find some dry ice as well. She says that if dry ice is put in water, it creates a mist. The same kind of mist that appeared when the ghost did.

Shaggy, Scooby, Joe, and Nikko find themselves in the greenroom. Shaggy and Scooby immediately make large sandwiches. Joe wonders how Shaggy and Scooby could eat such big foods. Shaggy says they had years of practice. Scooby and Nikko have a dog talk about what it is like to have to eat so much when a dog like himself can sleep so much. Scooby answers that it is just how he is built. Nikko is a little fascinated and a little confused. Joe decides to play a little joke on Shaggy and waves a napkin in front of him and saying it is the ghost. Shaggy gets scared and almost drops his sandwich. Joe laughs saying that he could not resist and assures him it's just a napkin. However, Shaggy and Scooby are still scared. Even Nikko is shaking as the three of them tell Joe to turn around. When he does, he finds the real ghost. The four of them run for it.

They regroup with the others as the ghost appears and repeats her warning to Diana and disappears as the lights all burst and cause an electric shower. Biscuit gets everyone under the tables. They are okay.

At the hotel lobby, Fred, Daphne, Jon, and Jordan show the others the portrait. Diana says it does look like the ghost. She identifies the woman as Madame Michelle LeBlanc. She was a fashion designer who came to San Francisco from Paris, France in 1903 to establish a foothold in America for her fashion empire. Madame LeBlanc ruled the fashion scene of the city with an iron fist and worked her workers (some of which were just children) to the bone. She also turned down many new ideas from her fellow designers and workers because she thought her own designs were all. When she thinks someone couldn't do the work anymore, she 'disposes' of them. Many of San Francisco's high society wore her clothes and many people had to suffer for them with Madame LeBlanc not caring about them at all. The designers and workers were miserable and suffering. But it did not last long. When the Great San Francisco Earthquake of 1906 hit, Madame LeBlanc's home collapsed on her. When the fire brigade dug her up, they found she had been crushed to death. Since then, it was rumored that her ghost still haunts the fashion scene in San Francisco. That is why San Francisco rarely has a Fashion Week. Out of fear that LeBlanc's Ghost would rise and punish any fashion designer who tries to take her place as the queen of fashion in San Francisco. Velma says that the real culprit is using the rumor to scare everyone. But why?

Then, the doors of the hotel burst open and a young man in some kind of pirate-like outfit comes in shouting "MISS BLAKE! NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK! IT IS I, MATTHEW PATEL! THE TIME HAS COME FOR YOU TO PAY!" Diana groans and introduces him to the gang and the New Kids as Matthew Patel. He came because he was angry at Diana because she chose the New Kids to wear her designs instead of him. She reminds him that she has already chosen and that he needs to get over it. Matthew warns Diana that the fashion show will fail as long as Madame LeBlanc's Ghost hovers over her. Donnie states that Matthew is a real jerk. Velma adds that it also makes Mattew suspicious. Then, Diana's assistant, Emma, comes and asks her to look at the schedule for the fashion show and after-party along with the concert. Diana is not happy with is as the concert is supposed to be before the after-party. She orders Emma to fix it. She says that it will take some time. Fortunately, Jon quickly helps her as schedules and organizing is his thing. She thanks him and leaves. Dick comes down and asks how things are going. Diana tells him that she and the gang are working on it. Dick says just in case, he has already purchased the tickets for a quick flight back to Boston. Shaggy suggests he get two more for him and Scooby. Fred says that they are staying. Jon agrees and that the need to do the show. They decide to go to bed for the night and figure more on the case in the morning. Fred and Biscuit would take the first watch.

While they were asleep, Shaggy, Scooby, and Danny sneak out to the hotel kitchen for a late-night snack. Shaggy and Scooby try to eat a whole platter of leftover hamburgers, but Danny suggests they should try his health shake. They try it and they actually like it. Danny is surprised as most people dissed his health shakes. Then, smoke fills the air. Shaggy says that Danny may have left the stove on, but he says that health shakes are not cooked and that it is actually mist. Then, Madame LeBlanc's Ghost appears. The three of them run out of the kitchen and into the dining hall. The ghost follows them. When she gets there, Shaggy and Scooby, disguised as waiters, lead Madame LeBlanc to a table. When she arrives, Danny, disguised as a chef, gives her one of his health shakes which she finds disgusting and spits it out at Danny who says, "Dissed again." The ghost sees past the ruse and resumes to chase the three.

Out in the hall, the others wake up to find Shaggy, Scooby, and Danny gone. They hear their screams and go out into the hall where they are being chased by Madame LeBlanc's Ghost. A chase scene ensues as the New Kid's song, Never Gonna Fall in Love Again is playing in the background. After the chase and ghost disappears, Dick comes out to see what the commotion was. Daphne said the ghost attacked Shaggy, Scooby, and Danny. Dick is now sure that they leave, but the others insist that they will stay and solve the mystery. Dick is still unsure and decides that if they want to put themselves at risk, they will have to do it without him and he can just wait for them in Boston. Jordan assures them that Dick is like this sometimes and he will change his mind.

The next morning, the gang and the New Kids arrive at the exhibition building to find a group of protestors outside demanding that the New Kids not be part of the fashion show. When they see the New Kids, they all rioted shouting angrily. One of the protestors comes up to them and introduces herself as Misses Agatha Waterson, the president of M.O.M. (Mothers of Morality). They want the New Kids out of the fashion show. And if they must be part of it, they want them to do it without Jon. When Diana asks why, Mrs. Waterson says that children watch the fashion show and they are afraid that "someone like Jon Knight" would influence them to go down such a foreboding path. When Jon hears this, he gets upset and says that Mrs. Waterson is the real bad influence and yells at the protestors to leave before he calls the police. Mrs. Waterson just scoffs as tells them good luck trying to have a fashion show when everyone is too busy running and screaming from an angry ghost. With that, she and M.O.M. leave.

In the green room, the gang and the New Kids find Jon breathing heavily. Jordan assumes he is having a panic attack. Daphne asks what is wrong. Jon reveals that the New Kids were broken up for a time, partly because of him. He used to suffer from high anxiety and resorted to scheduling, organizing, and even surfing to help him overcome it. But after some years, they just lost their effect and he had a breakdown. This lead to a derailment in the New Kids' career as this lead to them falling apart and breaking up. Jon explains that the reason behind his anxiety was due to the fear that everyone would find out that he is gay (which Daphne finishes). This was because back then, the LGBT community was hardly accepted and feared that if anyone knew the truth, the New Kids would be criticized. So he left. However, with some support from Jordan and their family, Jon finally overcame his hardships. Jon even met his future husband along the way. He finally came out that he is gay and the New Kids fans accepted him. Even the other New Kids accepted him when they "posse up again for good" and the New Kids on the Block were back. Jon accepted the invitation to be part of this fashion show since San Francisco is a known supporter of the LGBT community and that this year's San Francisco Fashion Week takes place during Pride Month (June). But those protestors, especially Mrs. Waterson, said some very hurtful things. Daphne, Diana, and Jordan assure Jon that they are just the minority and that everyone in the city is happy that he is here. Velma also states that Mrs. Waterson is a prime suspect along with Mattew Patel since both of them have motives to ruin the fashion show. Diana gets a call saying that it is time to get ready to rehearse for the show.

In the auditorium, the New Kids practice their posses and walking down the catwalk. Diana barks at Emma to call IT to get the lights improved. Emma calls them. When she is done, Velma and Danny notice Emma's phone's wallpaper. It was a picture of a young Emma in some circus wearing a harness. Emma says it was a picture of her when she attended circus camp. She was great with safety harness tricks. Emma then goes as Mattew Patel bursts in again saying that Diana was going to replace the New Kids with him one way or another. He begins throwing fireballs. Luckily, the New Kids dodge them with their dance moves. Mattew is surprised to see them combat his mystical powers. Velma doubts he has any and suspects that there is a reasonable explanation. Suddenly, the mist comes in again and Madame LeBlanc's Ghost appears again threatening to destroy Diana unless she cancels the fashion show and leave San Francisco forever. Diana refuses, saying that this is to be the biggest display of her men's wear ever. The ghost says she warned her and begins flying after Diana. Fred manages to get her away and begins chasing the gang and the New Kids around.

After they manage to lose the ghost, they return to the auditorium which is still covered in mist. Velma looks under the seats to see that the mist is coming from the buckets of water which now had dry ice in them. Velma says that because they say the ghost at the same time Mattew was with them, that rules him out as a suspect, but is beginning to piece together who the real culprit is. Fred says it is time to set the trap with Diana, the New Kids, Shaggy, and Scooby as the bait. Shaggy and Scooby refuse to do so until Donnie offers them each a truckload of Scooby Snax.

The New Kids are on the catwalk rehearsing with Shaggy and Scooby disguised as photographers. Then, Madame LeBlanc's Ghost appears again and tries to make a go at the New Kids. Then, Fred pulls a rope that drops the curtains on the ghost. The gang and the New Kids go up to the ghost to try and unmask her, but she rips her way out of the curtains and begins to chase them again. Just when the ghost managed to get them cornered, a sandbag drops on her, making her fall to the ground with Biscuit grabbing her. They wonder who dropped the sandbag. It turns out the one who did it was Dick. Jordan is happy the Dick changed his mind just as he predicted. Dick said he could not just abandon the New Kids like that. They are more than his clients, they are his friends.

As the police arrive, Fred unmasks Madame LeBlanc. The true culprit was Emma. Velma explains that she and Danny spotted the pulley in the exhibition hall. Emma was using it to make it appear that she could fly. This was thanks to her time in circus camp where she mastered the art of harness tricks. But to make sure no one saw the wires or the pulleys, Emma used dry ice and water which when mixed together creates a ghost-like mist, another trick she learned at circus camp. Since Emma is a fashion designer herself and using the portrait of Madame LeBlanc, she created the ghost costume. Diana asks Emma why she did it. Emma says that she has done everything for Diana. She took all the yelling and the ordering and being worked to the bone. She was even the one who helped her with the designs they were going to be used in the show. She was even the one who suggested to Diana to ask the New Kids to display them. But Diana has never thanked her for any of it. She was just far too busy ordering and bossing people around to even care how her employees feel. Diana asks Daphne if this is true. She does. Velma says that Diana dressed up as Madame LeBlanc's Ghost to scare everyone away and ruin the fashion show which could also ruin Diana's reputation. After that, she was going to steal the designs they worked on together and pass them off solely as her own. Diana apologizes to Emma and her employees for all the years of hardship she put them through, making her no different than Madame LeBlanc, and promises to be a better boss to them. Donnie tells them that a little kindness goes a long way. Emma is hauled away by the police as she says, "And I would have gotten away with it, too, if it hadn't been for you meddling kids and famous renown boy band, The New Kids on the Block." Diana tells Emma thanks before she is taken away. She also thanks her again because her stunts with the pulleys and the dry ice gave her an idea for the fashion show.

That night at the fashion show, the gang, joined by Dick, Biscuit, Nikko, and Jon's husband Harley Rodriguez watch the show as the New Kids emerge from the mist and are lifted around the auditorium. The New Kids get ready to perform and dedicate their first song to the gang for helping them solve the mystery of the Ghost of Madame LeBlanc. They perform You Got It (The Right Stuff).

After the after-party, the New Kids say their farewells to the gang hoping they would see each other again soon. Then, they leave. The gang decides it is time to return home. They are driving in the night. Shaggy and Scooby are just disappointed that they did not get a chance to try any of the local delicacies. Suddenly, the Mystery Machine breaks down in the middle of Chinatown. They try to call a tow truck, but they found that they have forgotten to charge their phone because they were too busy trying to solve the mystery. Daphne notices a shop is still open and wonders if they can go inside and use their phone. They gang goes inside as the camera pans up to show the shop's sign: Uncle's Rare Finds.

Characters
Main Characters: Supporting characters:
 * Mystery Inc.
 * Scooby-Doo
 * Shaggy Rogers
 * Fred Jones
 * Daphne Blake
 * Velma Dinkley
 * The New Kids on the Block
 * Jonathan Knight
 * Jordan Knight
 * Donnie Wahlberg
 * Danny Wood
 * Joey McIntyre

Villains: Other characters:
 * Dick Scott
 * Biscuit
 * Nikko the Dog
 * Diana Blake
 * The Ghost of Madame Michelle LeBlanc
 * Emma
 * Matthew Patel
 * Agatha Waterson
 * Fashion show workers
 * Mother of Morality
 * Hotel workers
 * Harley Rodriguez
 * The Bear Brothers (cameo)
 * Grizzly Bear
 * Panda Bear
 * Ice Bear
 * Chloe Park (cameo)
 * Charlie (cameo)
 * Lucy (cameo)
 * Estelle (cameo)

Locations

 * San Francisco, California
 * Uncle's Rare Finds (at the end)

Objects

 * Pulleys
 * Dry ice
 * Buckets of water
 * Hamburgers
 * Danny's health shakes
 * Phones
 * Diana's men's wear

Vehicles

 * The Mystery Machine
 * The New Kids' Tour Bus

Trivia

 * Due to budget cuts, mainly due to hiring Satya Bhabha, the real New Kids on the Block could not voice themselves in this episode. Instead, the cast of the original 1990 animated series, The New Kids on the Block, reprise their roles. However, the real New Kids on the Block do provide their cartoon selves' singing voices.
 * Dave Fennoy who voiced Dick Scott and J.D. Hall who voiced Biscuit were both left out. Instead, their roles were provided by Phil Morris and Kevin Michael Richardson respectively.


 * Satya Bhabha reprises his role as Matthew Patel from the movie version of Scott Pilgrim vs. the World.
 * This is probably the first time in the Scooby-Doo franchise (and probably all of Hanna-Barbara) that features LGBT characters.
 * Johnathan Knight and Harley Rodriguez are a real-life same-sex couple.


 * Characters from the Cartoon Network series, We Bare Bears, make non-speaking cameos throughout the episode.
 * The Bear Brothers (Grizzly, Panda, and Ice Bear) are seen walking on the sidewalk as the New Kids' Tour Bus pulls in.
 * Chloe Park and Charlie are seen in the hotel lobby.
 * Lucy is seen sweeping the front of a store.
 * Estelle is one of the people watching the fashion show.