Prestina (Kath Soucie) is the main villainess from "For Letter Or Worse," episode 1.05 of A Pup Named Scooby-Doo (airdate October 8, 1988). She was the host of a magic show that aired on HBTV, the same network that aired the titular popular game show, For Letter or Worse (a parody of Wheel of Fortune).
Prestina's show was axed in favor of HBTV extending For Letter or Worse into a hour-long format. She was shown being gracious to the show's host, Davey the Letter Guy, about his elevation; claiming that there were no hard feelings. In actuality, however, Prestina was furious over losing her show, and she sought revenge on the network. Her plan involved dressing up as the ghost of notorious gangster Al Cabone and scaring away everyone from the network, which would cause HBTV to go out of business.
To cover her tracks, the evil Prestina donned two more disguises; one of them a handyman named Pop O'Connor, and another a magician known as The Great Mel. Her plan was successful at first; her alter-egos were suspected by Shaggy and Daphne as the actual ghost. However, Prestina was revealed when the gang captured her in a set up game of For Letter or Worse, with Scooby solving the puzzle: "Prestina is the ghost." The villainess was later dropped into the pool by the gang, and she was later unmasked by Velma. As to how Prestina was pinpointed as the ghost, Velma stated that Prestina and her alter-egos had one common thread: Prestina's gold ring, which she wore as herself and as Pop and Mel. Prestina revealed her bitterness over her show being canceled and stated that if she couldn't have a show, no one could. She was later arrested and taken away by police.
Trivia[]
- Prestina was A Pup Named Scooby-Doo's first one-shot villainess.
- Prestina's ghost disguise was voiced by Frank Welker (imitating Edward G. Robinson).
- Kath Soucie would later go on to voice another Scooby Doo villainess: Susan Dinwiddie from What's New, Scooby Doo?
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