Charlie the lifelike robot caused chaos at the seaside boardwalk amusement park known as Funland.
Originally, he was built by Funland’s owner, Gerald Jenkins, to operate the park’s attractions and test the rides autonomously, without the need for human operators or park technicians.
However, things took a frightening turn when he began running wild after hours, scaring off visitors and destroying equipment. Upon investigation, Charlie’s strange behavior wasn’t the result of a ghost in the machine, but of human interference. The culprit was Sarah Jenkins, the sister of the park’s inventor! Hoping to protect Charlie from being exploited or misused, she reprogrammed him to chase people away so the park would shut down before opening to the public.
Charlie’s unpredictable movements and eerie silence make him one of the most unsettling characters in this exhibit, but he is not a villain at all. He’s merely a misunderstood machine.
"He's not bad… he's just not finished!"
- Gerald Jenkins
As Featured In:
Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! (1969) Season 1, Episode 8 “Foul Play in Funland”