Mount Holyoke, and at large, the Five College Consortium, have been prone to several fun sayings. These sayings have originated over the years and have no known creators, but the few that are known are as follows: “Smith to bed, Mount Holyoke to Wed,” referencing the feud between Mount Holyoke and Smith in a rather misogynistic way. “Amherst–where only the H is silent,” referencing its mildly confusing pronunciation and playing on the stereotype of having an opinionated and potentially overconfident student body. “We’re saving ourselves for Yale,” a cheeky unofficial saying that references the humorous tale of alumnae saving their virginities so they could marry a Yale graduate. Clearly, these are outdated and a sign of the times simply by existing, but the colorful consortium and its culture led to an intriguing theory: that the 5 colleges inspired the Mystery Gang. Officially, this is false. Allegedly, as the story goes, the creator of Scooby Doo went to UMass and was inspired to write the consortium into his show. Read along to find out who Mount Holyoke is and to see my ratings on the theory’s accuracy!
- Scooby-Doo As UMass Amherst
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“Scooby-Doo, the ungainly, oversized mutt, is UMass, whose students are represented as hyper, immature-yet-lovable youngsters.” –Snopes.com
My Rating: 7/10
I’m not sure I’m seeing the vision. In writing this post, I actually kept mistaking Shaggy as UMass Amherst. That might be, however, because I saw a UMass student who looked exactly like Shaggy locked in during finals at Williston, with nothing but a Poland Spring gallon of water and his laptop. And fitted up with his Birkenstocks in 20-degree weather.
- Shaggy As Hampshire College
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“Shaggy, the light-brunette fellow with the unkempt hair, several days’ growth of beard, wrinkled shirt, baggy pants, and slouched physique, is Hampshire, whose students are represented as, ‘Turn on, tune in, and drop out’ sorts — lazy, unmotivated, and heavily into drugs.” –Snopes.com
My Rating: 7.5/10
Okay, but which alum from Hampshire hurt this author at Snopes.com? Matter of fact, when did Shaggy take some time off from the Gang to piss in this person’s cereal? Anyway, I can kind of see where they’re coming from style-wise, but I’m still not fully convinced.
- Freddy As Amherst College
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“Fred, the clean-shaven blonde lad dressed in a sporty outfit and loafers, is Amherst, whose students are represented as prep school-educated young men bankrolled through college and into successful careers by family money.” –Snopes.com
My Rating: 10/10
This one makes sense. Yes, Amherst has certainly progressed and become much more diverse, but Freddy’s vibe isn’t something that needs to necessarily be physically emulated. You don’t have to look like a Freddy–tall, blonde, preppy, male, rich–to be a Freddy. To be a Freddy, you just have to radiate that same vibe. Passionate in a quirky way, mystery-forward, intelligent. And Freddy’s vibe has never left Amherst.
- Velma As Smith College
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“Velma, the bob-haired, bespectacled brunette gal clad in a shapeless thick sweater, unfashionable pleated skirt, and knee socks, is Smith, whose students are represented as frumpy, intellectual lesbians.” –Snopes.com
My Rating: 6.5/10
Maybe it’s Emily Gilmore, maybe it’s Northampton, but this character match never sat right with me. Ignoring the obviously shady undertones here, I always thought Smith would be perceived as more “fashionable” because of their proximity to a relatively urban location. Further, I think we can ALL be intellectual lesbians in shapeless, thick sweaters.
- And for the grand reveal… Daphne as Mount Holyoke College
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“Daphne, the pretty auburn-haired girl who wears a form-displaying outfit coordinated with a matching hair ribbon and offsetting neck scarf, is Mount Holyoke, whose students are represented in this tableau as polished, upper-class young ladies more interested in acquiring rich husbands than university sheepskins.” –Snopes.com
My Rating: 8/10. For feminism’s sake.
Obviously, I wanted to give this match a 10/10 because it’s Mount Holyoke, but the audacity of the legend honestly made me demote 2 points. In all seriousness, though, Daphne is a baddie, and I’ve been seeing baddies all day, every day since I got here. So, discounting the sexism in the reasoning for this match, a win is a win to me.
Clearly, this legend is a falsehood, but the time in which it circulated (1960s-70s), was a different era. It’s funny to hear the echoes of generations of students still living on in the reasoning for the Mystery Gang matches, and how some aspects of them ring true today. What do you think of the legend?