The inspiration behind the 1970s cartoon 'Josie and the Pussycats', Josie DeCarlo, died in her sleep last week. No word on a cause of death. She was 82. Her husband, cartoonist Dan DeCarlo, created the show. He died in 2001.

Josie has said that Dan's idea to do 'Josie and the Pussycats' was inspired by a vacation. She told the 'New York Times', "We went on a Caribbean cruise, and I had a costume for the cruise, that's the way it started.

"The hairdo came after. One day, I came in with a new hairdo with a little bow in my hair and he said, 'That's it!'"

The show was about an all-girl pop band that toured the world with their entourage, getting mixed up in 'Scooby Doo'-like adventures and mysteries.

In fact, the girls teamed up with the 'Scooby Doo' gang for a 1973 episode of 'The New Scooby Doo Movies'. Here's a clip:

Interesting Fact: Valerie, a member of the Pussycats, was the first regular female black character in a Saturday morning cartoon show!

'Josie and the Pussycats' ran for 16 episodes in 1970 and was followed by the spin-off series 'Josie and the Pussycats in Outer Space'. It started in 1972, and also ran for 16 episodes.

A 'Josie and the Pussycats' album came out in 1970, which featured three singers including Cheryl Ladd, who later replaced Farrah Fawcetton 'Charlie's Angels'.

More recently, there was a live action 'Josie and the Pussycats' movie, which starred Rachael Leigh Cook, Tara Reid and Rosario Dawson.

Here's the 'Josie and the Pussycats' theme song:

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