Scott Innes may not be a household name, but odds are, you’ve heard his voice in one place or another.
If you listened to Springfield radio back in the early ‘90s, you may have heard his voice over the airwaves when he was a DJ for a local station.
Later into the ‘90s and early 2000s, you may have heard Innes on your TV set — as the official voice of Scooby-Doo and Shaggy from the iconic Scooby-Doo franchise, characters that he still occasionally portrays to this day.
This weekend, he'll be back in Springfield as a featured guest at Missouri Comic Con, being held Saturday and Sunday at the Springfield Expo Center.
It’s an exciting homecoming for the former Springfield resident, whose “Innes and Company” morning show on KKHT 98.5 FM entertained the masses.
“We were known for doing all the big crazy stuff,” Innes recalls. “We married three couples on Valentine's Day, three years in a row. Tiny Tim was the best man and Jimmy Jameson from the rock group Survivor came in and was kind of the wedding singer. It was a fun time, probably my most fun time in radio history, and I've been in radio for a long time now.”
Innes’ penchant for funny voices and impersonations served him well even after he moved to Louisiana in the mid-1990s. He put together a Scooby-Doo parody on his show and pitched it to Hanna-Barbera. Little did he realize that Scooby’s longtime actor, Don Messick, had retired, Scooby needed a new voice. Innes fit the bill nicely. After going through the audition process, Innes was selected.
“Talk about some big paws to fill!” he says.
For most of the late ‘90s and early 2000s, Innes was the official voice of Scooby, soon took over the role of Shaggy, and even occasionally portrayed Fred, as well as Scooby’s incorrigible little cousin, Scrappy.
“It's a great honor,” he says. “These characters are bigger than life. They've touched so many people's lives.”
WANT TO GO?
Missouri Comic Con
Where? Springfield Expo Center
635 E St Louis St, Springfield, MO 65806
When? Saturday, Feb. 10, 10 a.m.-6 p.m.
Sunday, Feb. 11, 11 a.m.-5 p.m.
Ticket prices
Weekend general admission (advance): $50, Military $40
Saturday or Sunday general admission (advance): $30, Military $25
Kids ten and under free with paid adult (limit two kids per adult paid ticket)
Prices listed are for tickets purchased in advance; prices go up at the door.
More information
Working on screens and in speakers of all sizes
Innes remains in radio today, doing a morning show in Louisiana as well as the occasional voiceover for Scooby-Doo or other projects. He’s also the ring announcer in the film “The Iron Claw,” which is still in movie theaters as of this writing.
“He's high energy, always has a smile on his face,” says Missouri Comic Con media manager Joey Mills. “He still acts like the kid that I knew on the radio all those decades before. Having him back in town, for me personally — it's really special.”
Missouri Comic Con will mark Innes’ first visit to his old stomping grounds in more than a decade.
“I love Springfield,” Innes says, “It's one of my favorite places. Springfield's the little city that could. You feel like you're in Aunt Bea's backyard, but still have all the amenities — you know you're something when Buc-ee’s comes to town! I'm looking forward to spending a little time catching up and seeing a lot of people.”
Of course, Innes will be far from the only familiar face of pop culture in Springfield this weekend. Goonies and “Lord of the Rings” fans will want to line up early to meet actor Sean Astin, who portrayed Mikey and Samwise, respectively, in addition to other classic roles.
If you’re a Trekkie, you won’t want to miss out on a chance to meet Todd Stashwick, Michelle Hurd or Beverly Crusher herself, Gates McFadden. Steve Burns of “Blue's Clues” fame will make his first visit to Springfield, as will voice actor Billy West, who portrayed the title characters on “Ren & Stimpy” and roughly half the cast of “Futurama.” Other notable guests in town this year include anime voice actors Erika Harlacher and Caitlin Glass; the voice of Disney’s Pocahontas, Irene Beddard; wrestlers Kane and Kurt Angle and a host of other actors and artists. It's a who’s-who of talent spanning decades and generations.
“I love it when the kids drag the parents out,” Innes says, “and so many times, you see the parents drag the kids out! It's given a venue for the stars of yesterday to come out and meet their fans, and they share how those characters touched their lives.”
Springfield’s Con taking flight
It's a stellar second showing for Missouri Comic Con. Despite this only being its second year, the event has quickly become a tremendous draw for southwest Missouri pop culture enthusiasts and for out-of-towners.
“I was going every year and doing shows in Kansas City,” says Mills, who also acts as master of ceremonies for Missouri Comic Con’s main stage events. “A lot of folks from the area were traveling two, three, four hours to go to bigger conventions, so I knew that it would probably work pretty well here.”
An estimated 10,000 people were at the 2023 event, making it among the highest populated shows in the Springfield Expo Center’s history. For this year’s show, online ticket presales have already surpassed that number.
The influx of new people necessitates more space. This year’s festivities will be split between the Expo Center, which will house the guest tables, exhibitors and vendors, and the University Plaza Convention Center across the street, where the guest Q&As and discussion panels will be held. The con’s crew hopes that this expansion will accommodate the expected jump in attendance.
“It has grown beyond what any of us would have expected for a first- or second-year show,” Mills says.
In addition to celebrity guest Q&A sessions, the con will feature other informative and entertaining pop culture panels about cosplay, anime, trivia and more. Vendors will be selling their wares ranging from posters to figurines to swords and tabletop gaming supplies. Board and video games will be set up for free play, and the ever-popular costume contest promises to be another standing room only event. (Quick side note: If you’re looking to dress up yourself, why not take a look at our handy tips and tricks guide?)
“You’re going to find something there that you're absolutely going to enjoy,” says Mills, “whether it's just watching everybody in costumes walking by, meeting a celebrity, attending a Q&A or a panel or seeing the exhibits. We've got some fantastic local talent, people that put in all their time and effort. I promise you, you're going to find something totally unexpected that's going to blow you away.”
“Everybody has their inner geek,” adds Innes. “People would never have had a place they can go and nobody judge them. Comic cons let the geek come out in all of us without anybody being judgmental. And we need more of that.”
