Daphne Blake

Daphne Ann Blake is a fictional character in the long-running American animated series Scooby-Doo. Daphne, depicted as coming from a wealthy family, is noted for her red hair, her fashion sense, and her knack for getting into danger.

Overview

Voices

• Indira Stefanianna Christopherson (1969-1970)
• Heather North (1970-1985, 1997, 2002-2003)
• Kellie Martin (1988-1991)
• Mary Kay Bergman (1998-1999, until her death)
• Grey DeLisle (2001-present)

Character biography

Together with her other teenage cohorts, Fred Jones, Shaggy Rogers, Velma Dinkley, and Shaggy's pet Great Dane Scooby-Doo, Daphne would engage in solving various mysteries the gang would run across. She was often portrayed as the stereotypical "damsel in distress", being the one female in the group who is most likely to get kidnapped, tied up, gagged and left helpless, earning her the occasional nickname "Danger-prone Daphne." In Scooby-Doo and the Loch Ness Monster her cousin Shannon told the gang how the Blakes had designed the castle, leading to the fact that most people called the Blakes danger prone.

Although she was not as smart as Velma, Daphne would attempt to solve her problems in a fashionable way. She later became more confident and started playing a more active role as time wore on. In What's New, Scooby Doo?, Daphne has also been known to open locks or do other tasks with strange items from her purse. It has been theorized by many viewers that Daphne and Fred are attracted to one another, something the later direct-to-video features and the Warner Bros. feature films toyed with while never officially putting them together (although Daphne did kiss Fred in the gladiator scene in Scooby-Doo and the Cyber Chase). This was also heavily hinted at in Johnny Bravo crossover episode, most notably when he and Daphne go off to 'investigate' the basement together, and his various winks to the viewer whenever Daphne lands in his hands - but this episode may have been a parody. In later renditions, Daphne has also been shown as a bit athletic and is a black belt in martial arts, and she also appears to be a little less intelligent than in the early days and sometimes flirtatious.

Daphne's character gained more prominence in the early-1980s Scooby-Doo spinoffs, when the focus of the series briefly shifted to her, Scooby-Doo, Scrappy-Doo, and Shaggy. This was particularly noteworthy in the spinoff The 13 Ghosts of Scooby-Doo, where Daphne replaced Fred as the group's leader.

The youthful Daphne portrayed in A Pup Named Scooby Doo would commonly call upon her butler, Jenkins, to do various tasks, such as ridding her of people, beating a monster up, freaking out, etc. This version was also portrayed as much more fashion-sensitive, easily scared, and smaller than her future self.

Relatives

Relatives of Daphne shown during the series' run include:

• George R. Blake: Daphne's father, the creator of the product "Blake's Bubbles".
• Elizabeth Blake: Daphne's mother.
• Uncle Matt: Daphne's uncle, a cattle rancher.
• John Maxwell: Daphne's uncle, a movie director.
• Olivia Derby: Daphne's aunt.
• Jennifer: Daphne's cousin.
• Danica: Daphne's cousin, a famous French model.
• Shannon Blake: Daphne's Scottish cousin.

Daphne's tendency to get into trouble is apparently something of a family trait. As her cousin Shannon explained in Scooby-Doo and the Loch Ness Monster : "For centuries we Blakes have been falling through trap doors, finding secret passageways, getting kidnapped, and getting caught in overly complicated booby traps of our own design. If there's one thing we Blakes are famous for it's being — how should I put this? — danger prone." This caused a chain reaction of Mystery Inc. looking at Daphne.

Fred Jones

Since the series began Fred and Daphne have always had strong romantic feelings for each other. It is hinted that in Scooby Doo on Zombie Island that they did have a relationship and broke up. There is also jealousy when Daphne witnesses Fred flirting with the Island/Cat girl Lena. Going back to 1969 when Scooby-Doo began viewers thought of the fact they were romantic lovers because they danced together in dance-offs and teamed up together in splitting up. But teaming up together wasn't a good reason because of the fact that Fred 85% of the time took Velma, but it was strongly hinted in that episode of Johnny Bravo when they were gonna split up and Daphne choose Scooby as her partner but Fred whispered something in her ear and she changes her mind, and especially when she fell in his arms when he blinked. Then in the direct-to-video films they toyed with it but never officially put them together. But in Scooby-Doo and Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed they were played by 2 romantic real life lovers and put them together in the movies. Some viewers looked back at the way she treated Shaggy in corcern and emotion like when they shared that hug in the first episode of The 13 Ghost of Scooby-Doo or in the The Scooby-Doo Show episode "Spooky Case of the Grand Prix Race" those are all good examples but did they ever come to realize that Shaggy is a brother figure to her. I mean yeah maybe they are alike in ways but Shaggy was a brother figure to her, but Fred is supposed to be her boyfriend. If you back to splitting up Fred never split up Velma with Shaggy and Scooby to tell Shaggy "Daphne is my girl not yours and Velma could be yours." He did it because Daphne is danger prone and Shaggy is a idiot who always ends up kidnapped like Daphne.

In other media

Daphne, as portrayed by Sarah Michelle Gellar in Scooby-Doo

Daphne was portrayed by Sarah Michelle Gellar in the film Scooby Doo and its sequel, Scooby Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed. Her husband Freddie Prinze Jr. played Fred in the other Scooby-Doo movies also. In the movies Daphne and Fred began a relationship in the first, that followed on through the second.

Sarah Michelle Gellar reprises Daphne in the Robot Chicken episode "Operation: Rich in Spirit." She is one of the victims killed by Jason Voorhees.

Trivia

Daphne was voted number 9 in Maxim's list of Hottest Cartoon Babes.

According to the trivia quiz on the DVDs in the 'Complete 1st and 2nd Seasons' pack, Daphne's father helped pay for the van the gang drives around in, the psychedelically painted "Mystery Machine."

In the Johnny Bravo cartoon "Bravo Dooby-Doo", while Velma liked Johnny, Daphne was a bit harsh towards him. He offered Daphne a huge dinner plate in one scene and she stomped on his foot, hard. This is in contrast to a spoof commercial featuring a relationship between Johnny and Velma, which Velma ended when Johnny proposed marriage.

The second-season episode of The Venture Bros. entitled ¡Viva los Muertos! features the entire Scooby-Doo cast re-imagined as famous serial killers and radicals. Daphne's analogue, "Patty", is frightened and submissive, somewhat reminiscent of Patty Hearst.

In an episode of What's New Scooby Doo, Daphne is outraged that a criminal cast a television extra to impersonate her and comments "Was Sarah Michelle Gellar too busy?", making a reference to Gellar playing Daphne in the movies.

She also appears in an episode of Harvey Birdman Attorney at Law when Shaggy and Scooby are accused of doing drugs and running from the police. She is constantly hit on by Peanut (Birdboy) throughout the episode.

In "Scoobra Kadoobra" of "The 13 ghosts of Scooby-Doo" it is revealed that Daphne has ticklish feet.