Google has paid tribute to Scooby-Doo’s Velma coming out as a lesbian.
The search-engine has added a cascade of LGBTQ+ flags and some colourful confetti to searches of “Velma”, “Velma Scooby-Doo”, the character’s full name “Velma Dinkley”, and even just her surname alone.
The flags trickle down the screen before the animation disappears, and icons allowing you to either play it again or share it on social media pop up. Want to see for yourself? Simply Google “Velma”.
The move comes after the release of Trick or Treat Scooby-Doo confirmed Velma’s sexuality, though fans had long believed her character to be gay. James Gunn, who wrote the live-action movies, and director Tony Cervone, who has worked on many of the Scooby-Doo animations, had both said previously that they had wanted to portray Velma as openly gay before but weren’t able to.
In Trick or Treat Scooby-Doo, which is currently available to rent or buy on Amazon Prime Video ahead of its HBO Max debut, Velma’s sexuality is confirmed when she develops a massive crush on villain Coco Diablo.
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Coco (pictured above alongside her talking cat Esteban) runs a criminal costume design empire, and is responsible for many of the outfits donned by Mystery Inc’s biggest adversaries.
Despite her evil side, she develops a soft spot for Velma in the direct-to-video animation, which sees the Scooby Gang take down a bunch of doppelgänger ghosts.
It’s not the first time Google has added animations to its search engine, with both The Batman and K-pop band BTS also getting their own designs. There are also special icons that pop up at the top of Google search results when you google the names of each of the Friends characters (Rachel Green, Ross Geller, Monica Geller, Chandler Bing and Phoebe Buffay), too.
Trick or Treat Scooby-Doo is available to rent or buy on Amazon Prime Video now – try Amazon Prime Video free for 30 days. Looking for something else to watch? Check out our TV Guide.
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