We all know and love “that meddling dog” named Scooby-Doo. He is helping in the real world as well, as young Matthew Davis, who has Down syndrome, will say.
Matthew is a big fan of Scooby-doo. He has dozens upon dozens of Scooby pillows, Scooby-Doo stuffed animals, toys, Mystery Machine replicas, DVDs. He also often dresses like Shaggy or Fred, sometimes wears a Scooby-Doo costume, too, Tulsa World reports.
Matthew is 16 years old. He has Down syndrome but loves to be a part of the gang, to solve mysteries. When asked why does he love Scooby-Doo so much, Matthew says it is because “they are all best friends”. He also adds that Scooby is both a best friend and a best dog.
When Matthew was a baby and it was confirmed he had Down syndrome, his parents came to the realization that Matthew was not going to be the type of kid who could fall in love with, for instance, playing sports.“ And when he started loving Scooby so much, this is his sport, kind of,” his mother says. “That’s his obsession. So it made us feel a lot better that he would be actually into something so much.”
Before Scooby-Doo, Matthew’s first TV love was Elmo from Sesame Street when he was two years old. But one day, as his mother was flipping the channels, Matthew saw Scooby-Doo. “Dog!” he exclaimed so she turned the channel back. Ever since then Matthew and Scooby are inseparable.
Thanks to his friendship with Scooby-Doo, Matthew learned to write words other than his name, draws, improved his memory skills and sparked his imagination. “He’s very observant now when we go places because he says he is looking for clues,” his mother says.
“I was kind of worried when he was younger that he might get scared of the monsters and stuff, but he has never been. At one time, when we first moved into this house, he was worried that there was a monster in his closet, but then he realized Scooby would solve the mystery and he would just take off the mask, so he has never been really scared of monsters because of the movies”, his mom adds.
Being surrounded by Scooby-Doo stuff makes Matthew really happy. He wants to have a real Mystery Machine so his mom is thinking of ways to make some. Maybe a salvage van in the yard.
Mom said Matthew was “just in heaven” the day he attended a performance of “Scooby-Doo Live!” She said her mother-in-law escorted Matthew to the show, and he got moist eyes when Scooby came on stage. “He was just so starstruck, you know?”
When the mother of Scooby-Doo’s No. 1 fan was asked if there is anything she would like to say to the people responsible for creating Scooby tales.
Two words: Thank you.
