🔍 JINKIES! 🔎

QUEER WORD
JINKIES

What it means: An exclamation of surprise or disbelief, often used in moments of revelation or shock.

Let’s use it in a sentence: ‘Jinkies!’, Dana exclaimed after tripping over the body of a 8,000-year old mummy that had mysteriously appeared in her small mid-western town whilst she was trying to solve the mystery of the missing candelabra.

A little bit of history: If you grew up watching classic Scooby-Doo cartoons (or even binge-watched a season last week—no judgment here!), you’ll likely recognise ‘Jinkies!’ as the signature catchphrase of Velma Dinkley, the bespectacled brains of the Mystery Inc. gang.

First uttered all the way back in 1969 on the very first season of Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!, ‘Jinkies’ quickly became Velma’s go-to expression, often used when she stumbled upon a major clue or finally put all the pieces of the mystery together.

But what does any of this have to do with a newsletter about queer vocabulary?

Well, the short answer is - Velma is a queer icon.

No, seriously.

From her practical wardrobe choices (hello sexy orange turtleneck sweater!), to her unapologetic intellect and fierce independence, Velma has long resonated with LGBTQ+ audiences as the relatable, no-nonsense antidote to the overly glamorous, designed-for-the-hetero-male-gaze Daphne.

Since her debut fans have picked up on Velma’s queer-coded vibes and embraced her with open arms—writing (quite frankly, filthy) fan fiction, creating head-canons, and celebrating her as an emblem of quiet rebellion against heteronormative social norms.

But it's no longer just queer-coding.

No, no, no. It’s now been confirmed that Velma is… one of us!

Her 'crushing big time' on costume designer Coco Diablo in Trick or Treat Scooby-Doo! (2022) finally made her queerness official, cementing her as the LGBTQ+ legend we all knew she was.

And, of course, the conservative think pieces and backlash quickly followed.

Christian author Raymond Arroyo, appearing on a Fox News show, stated, “This is kind of really offensive on the level that we’re disrupting these beloved characters. I’m waiting for them to tell us that Scooby and Shaggy shared more than a Scooby Snack in that Mystery Mobile.”

But us queer audiences knew that Velma's official coming out wasn't about pandering or disruption—it was a long-overdue recognition of the queer subtext that has always been present in the cartoon.

Now, back to this week's word, which we can now officially claim as a queer outcry...

Though its exact origins are a little murky, jinkies likely evolved from older, similarly playful exclamations like ‘jeepers’, 'gee willickers' or ‘gee whiz,’ which were popular in mid-20th century American slang.

By the time the character of Velma was introduced the terms would have sounded dated and out-of-touch, and was used to establish her character as nerdy and uncool.

But, you know what’s cooler than cool?

Unaware, oblivious, aloof sapphic excellence!

Long live Velma Dinkley!