The cast includes a blond guy who wears an ascot, a glamorous red-headed girl, a near-sighted brainy girl, a lovable scruffy slacker, and their talking dog who helps them solve mysteries.

No, this isn't a famous cartoon series, it's the Horse Trade Theatre Group and Maximum Taisposure [sic] presentation of Spooky Dog & The Teenage Gang Mysteries. Written by Eric Pilner and Amy Rhodes, the production will play at the Kraine Theater starting Oct. 13 (that's Friday the 13th, ooh spooky) for an open-ended run.

In Spooky Dog, the ghost of a scorned '60s rock star, named Go-Go Ghost, that has been haunting the Creepola County Fair for years, has now kidnapped the biggest celebrity performer of the fair. Now it's up to his smart, fashion-savvy, teenage friends and their talking dog to load up the psychedelic Clue Caravan and rescue their missing celebrity friend.

Pilner and Rhodes were the same writing team that brought downtown New York City the 1999 FringeNYC Overall Excellence Award-winning Jinkies! The Totally Unauthorized, Partially Improvised, Scooby Doo Mysteries Live On Stage. Spooky Dog is a cartoon 'parody' however, and, unlike Jinkies, features the original characters Ted, Tiffany, Thelma, Scraggly and their dog Spooky Dog.

For $15 tickets to Spooky Dog, playing at the Kraine, 85 East 4th St. (between Bowery and Second Ave.), call (212) 539-7686. -- by Ernio Hernandez