Daphne Blake is a

fiction Fiction is any creative work, chiefly any narrative work, portraying individuals, events, or places that are imaginary, or in ways that are imaginary. Fictional portrayals are thus inconsistent with history, fact, or plausibility. In a tradi ...

character Character or Characters may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''Character'' (novel), a 1936 Dutch novel by Ferdinand Bordewijk * ''Characters'' (Theophrastus), a classical Greek set of character sketches attributed to The ...

in the ''

Scooby-Doo ''Scooby-Doo'' is an American animated media franchise based on an animated television series launched in 1969 and continued through several derivative media. Writers Joe Ruby and Ken Spears created the original series, ''Scooby-Doo, Where Are ...

'' franchise. Daphne, depicted as coming from a wealthy family, is noted for her beauty,

orange hair Red hair (also known as orange hair and ginger hair) is a hair color found in one to two percent of the human population, appearing with greater frequency (two to six percent) among people of Northern or Northwestern European ancestry and ...

, lavender heels, fashion sense, and her knack for getting into danger, hence the nickname "Danger-Prone Daphne".

Overview

Character description

The Daphne character was inspired by the sophisticated teen character Thalia Menninger, as played by Tuesday Weld, from the late 1950s and early 1960s American sitcom ''

The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis ''The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis'' (also known as simply ''Dobie Gillis'' or ''Max Shulman's Dobie Gillis'' in later seasons and in syndication) is an American sitcom starring Dwayne Hickman that aired on CBS from September 29, 1959, to June 5 ...

''. According to '' Scooby-Doo: Behind the Scenes'', Daphne wanted to be both a

supermodel A supermodel, also spelled super-model or super model, is a highly paid fashion model who usually has a worldwide reputation and often a background in ''haute couture'' and commercial modeling. The term ''supermodel'' became prominent in the po ...

and a detective even as a child (the latter of which disappointed her parents). Her aspirations had an effect on her personal life as she was late for dates whenever she went on mysteries with the gang; she and Fred deny the rumors that they are dating. Her father gave her and her friends the

seed money Seed money, sometimes known as seed funding or seed capital, is a form of securities offering in which an investor invests capital in a startup company in exchange for an equity stake or convertible note stake in the company. The term ''seed'' ...

to start off and, prior to buying the Mystery Machine, Daphne's parents gave her gas money to drive them to where there were mysteries to be solved. Together with her other teenage companions, Fred Jones,

Velma Dinkley Velma Dinkley is a fictional character in the '' Scooby-Doo'' franchise. She is usually seen wearing a baggy orange turtleneck sweater, a short pink pleated skirt (or in later episodes an A-line skirt, or sometimes shorts), knee socks, Mary Ja ...

, Shaggy Rogers, and Shaggy's Great Dane,

, Daphne would engage in solving various mysteries. In the first series, Daphne was portrayed as the beautiful, enthusiastic, and eager to help, but occasionally clumsy and danger-prone member of the gang (hence her nickname, "Danger-prone Daphne") who follows her intuition. She sometimes serves as the

damsel in distress The damsel in distress is a recurring narrative device in which one or more men must rescue a woman who has either been kidnapped or placed in general peril. Kinship, love, or lust (or a combination of those) gives the male protagonist the motiv ...

and would occasionally get kidnapped, tied up, and then left imprisoned. But as the franchise went on, she became a stronger, more independent character who could take care of herself. During the series' fourth incarnation, '' Scooby-Doo and Scrappy-Doo'', some of the episodes focused on Daphne. In the episode, "Shiver and Shake, That Demon's a Snake", Daphne buys an idol which is cursed by a snake demon. On the sailboat, the snake demon attacks Daphne and demands an idol to return. In the episode, "The Scary Sky Skeleton", Daphne is reunited with her old friend, Wendy. In the episode, "I Left My Neck in San Francisco", Daphne becomes sick and she's unable to help the gang to solve the mystery about The Lady Vampiress of the Bay. Due to the vampiress’s look, Daphne's unseen reflection in the mirror, the bat flying around Daphne's bed and herself returning to bed a little later, Scooby, Shaggy and Scrappy are convinced that Daphne is a vampiress. When the vampiress is revealed to be Lefty Callahan, Scooby, Shaggy and Scrappy realize they made a mistake in suspecting Daphne and she is feeling well again. When the original Mystery Inc. group took a hiatus from the franchise in the 1980s, Daphne was initially absent too, with the series focusing on the comedy antics of Scooby, Shaggy, and Scrappy. However, when the "Whodunnit?" aspect returned to the series with '' The New Scooby and Scrappy-Doo Show'' (later retitled ''The New Scooby-Doo Mysteries)'', Daphne returned, now an accomplished investigator assisted by Shaggy and the two dogs, investigating supernatural occurrences. She continued to help Scooby battle evil forces of the supernatural in the '' 13 Ghosts of Scooby-Doo'' series. In the film ''

Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island ''Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island'' is a 1998 American direct-to-video animated mystery comedy horror film based on Hanna-Barbera's '' Scooby-Doo'' Saturday-morning cartoons. In the film, Shaggy, Scooby, Fred, Velma, and Daphne reunite after a year ...

'', Daphne had a very successful investigative TV series called ''Coast to Coast with Daphne Blake'' on a

al channel called "Americana", which the show had aired on for two seasons. The producer of the show was Fred Jones. Throughout the various incarnations of the character, there has been speculation that Daphne and Fred had an attraction toward each other. This is emphasized in many of the direct-to-video films and the TV series '' Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated''. By the time of the second season, they are shown to be actively dating, showing more of their feelings toward each other. In the first live-action ''

'' film, the two initially are just friends with but as the film progresses, they begin to develop a romantic interest in each other and briefly kiss after saving Spooky Island. In the sequel '' Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed'', they are in a relationship.

Performers

Stefanianna Christopherson Indira Stefanianna (born Indira Stefanianna Christopherson; December 15, 1946), also credited as Indira Danks and Stefanianna Christopherson, is an American actress and singer of Icelandic heritage, perhaps best known for her role as the origina ...

(1969–1970; ''

Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! ''Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!'' is an American animated comedy television series created by Joe Ruby and Ken Spears and produced by Hanna-Barbera for CBS. The series premiered as part of the network's Saturday morning cartoon schedule on Septem ...

'' (season one)) * Heather North (1970–1997, 2003; ''Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!'' (season two), ''

The New Scooby-Doo Movies ''The New Scooby-Doo Movies'' is an American animated mystery comedy television series produced by Hanna-Barbera for CBS. It is the second animated television series in the studio's '' Scooby-Doo'' franchise, and follows the first incarnation, ' ...

'', '' The Scooby-Doo Show'', '' Scooby-Doo and Scrappy Doo'', '' The New Scooby and Scrappy-Doo Show'', ''

The 13 Ghosts of Scooby-Doo ''The 13 Ghosts of Scooby-Doo'' is an American animated television series produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions, and the seventh incarnation of the studio's ''Scooby-Doo'' franchise. It premiered on , and ran for one season on ABC as a half-hour ...

'', ''

Johnny Bravo ''Johnny Bravo'' is an American animated comedy television series created by Van Partible for Cartoon Network and distributed by Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution. It is the second of the network's Cartoon Cartoons, which aired fr ...

'', ''

Scooby-Doo! and the Legend of the Vampire ''Scooby-Doo! and the Legend of the Vampire'' is a 2003 American direct-to-video animated adventure film, and the fifth in a series of direct-to-video films based upon the '' Scooby-Doo'' Saturday morning cartoons. It was completed in 2002, and r ...

'', ''

Scooby-Doo! and the Monster of Mexico ''Scooby-Doo! and the Monster of Mexico'' is a 2003 American direct-to-video animated adventure film; the sixth in a series of direct-to-video films based upon the '' Scooby-Doo'' Saturday morning cartoons. It was released on September 30, 2003, ...

'') *

Norma MacMillan Norma MacMillan (September 15, 1921 – March 16, 2001) was a Canadian actress, best known for voicing numerous characters in animation and claymation, including Casper the Friendly Ghost on '' The New Casper Cartoon Show'', Gumby on '' The ...

(1971; Kenner Talking Show Projector record) * Robyn Moore (1981; Pauls commercial) *

Kellie Martin Kellie Martin (born October 16, 1975) is an American actress. She is known for her roles as Rebecca "Becca" Thatcher in '' Life Goes On'' (1989–1993), Lucy Knight on '' ER'' (1998–2000), Samantha Kinsey in the '' Mystery Woman'' TV film seri ...

(1988–1991; ''

A Pup Named Scooby-Doo ''A Pup Named Scooby-Doo'' is an American animated mystery comedy series produced by Hanna-Barbera. It is the eighth incarnation of the studio's ''Scooby-Doo'' franchise and depicts younger versions of the title character and his human companion ...

'') *

Mary Kay Bergman Mary Kay Bergman (June 5, 1961 – November 11, 1999), also credited as Shannen Cassidy, was an American voice actress and voice-over teacher. She was the lead female voice actress on ''South Park'' from the show's 1997 debut until her death. Thr ...

(1998–2000; ''

'', '' Scooby-Doo! and the Witch's Ghost'', ''

The Scooby-Doo Project ''The Scooby-Doo Project'' is a 1999 live-action/animated hybrid comedy Halloween television special satirising ''The Blair Witch Project'' and the ''Scooby-Doo'' franchise. It aired during Cartoon Network's ''Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!'' marat ...

'', '' Scooby-Doo! Mystery of the Fun Park Phantom'', '' Scooby-Doo and the Alien Invaders'') * Grey DeLisle (2000–present) *

Rachel Kimsey Rachel Kimsey is an American actress. She holds a BFA from Brigham Young University, which she earned in 2000. Career Kimsey portrayed Mackenzie Browning on the soap opera ''The Young and the Restless'' beginning in March 2005 but was let go ...

(2001; ''Scooby-Doo! in Stagefright - Live on Stage'') *

Sarah Michelle Gellar Sarah Michelle Prinze ( ; born April 14, 1977) is an American actress. After being spotted at the age of four in New York City, she made her screen acting debut in the television film ''An Invasion of Privacy'' (1983). A leading role on the te ...

(2002–2005, 2012, 2018; ''

'', '' Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed'' (live-action), ''

Robot Chicken ''Robot Chicken'' is an American adult animated stop motion sketch comedy television series, created and executive produced for Adult Swim by Seth Green and Matthew Senreich along with co-head writers Douglas Goldstein and Tom Root. The write ...

'' (voice)) *

Emily Tennant Emily Tennant (born August 9, 1990) is a Canadian actress. She played Ivy Young on the Canadian comedy television series '' Mr. Young''. Life and career Tennant was born in Vancouver, British Columbia. In 2000, she played her first role in the ...

(2004; ''Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed'' (young Daphne in a flashback sequence)) *

Adrienne Wilkinson Adrienne Wilkinson is an American actress. She is known for playing Eve, the daughter of Xena in the TV series '' Xena: Warrior Princess'' in the fifth and sixth seasons. She has appeared in numerous television series such as ''Angel,'' ''Charm ...

(2004; '' Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed: The Video Game'') *

Cree Summer Cree Summer Francks (born July 7, 1969) is a American-Canadian actress and singer. She has worked extensively in animation, voicing long-running characters such as Susie Carmichael in '' Rugrats'' and Elmyra Duff in ''Tiny Toon Adventures'' and ...

(2005; ''

Drawn Together ''Drawn Together'' is an American adult animated sitcom created by Dave Jeser and Matt Silverstein and premiered on Comedy Central on October 27, 2004. The series is a parody of '' The Surreal Life'' and follows the misadventures of the housemat ...

'') * Selina MacDonald (2009; ''Scooby-Doo! and the Pirate Ghost - Live on Stage'') *

Kate Melton Kaitlyn Melton (born June 23, 1992) is an American actress. She is best known for playing as Daphne Blake in two Scooby-Doo live-action prequel films, ''Scooby-Doo! The Mystery Begins'' and ''Scooby-Doo! Curse of the Lake Monster''. Robert Lloyd ...

(2009–2010; '' Scooby-Doo! The Mystery Begins'', '' Scooby-Doo! Curse of the Lake Monster'') * Rachel Ramras (2011, 2013; '' Mad'') * Melissa Rapelje (2013; ''Scooby-Doo Live! Musical Mysteries'') * Julia Cave (2014; ''Scooby-Doo Live! The Mystery Of The Pyramid'') *

Erin Cottrell Erin Cottrell (born August 24, 1975) is an American actress who has appeared in the role of Missie LaHaye in five of the eight films in the ''Love Comes Softly'' series. She was born in Yardley, Pennsylvania. She acted in ''Love's Long Journey' ...

(2015; ''Robot Chicken'') * Charlie Bull (2016; ''Scooby-Doo Live! Musical Mysteries'') * Sarah Jeffery (2018; ''

Daphne & Velma ''Daphne & Velma'' is a 2018 American direct-to-video comedy mystery film directed by Suzi Yoonessi. The film is a spin-off of the ''Scooby-Doo'' franchise featuring the title characters Daphne Blake and Velma Dinkley. The film is produced by Ash ...

'') *

Cristina Vee Cristina Danielle Valenzuela (born July 11, 1987), known by her stage name Cristina Vee, is an American voice actress and voice director. She provides voices for English dubs of anime, animation, and video games. Vee's roles in anime include ...

(2020; ''Scooby-Doo!

Playmobil Playmobil () is a German line of toys produced by the Brandstätter Group (Geobra Brandstätter GmbH & Co KG), headquartered in Zirndorf, Germany. The signature Playmobil toy is a tall (1:24 scale) human figure with a smiling face. A wide ran ...

Mini Mysteries'') *

Amanda Seyfried Amanda Michelle Seyfried ( ; born December 3, 1985) is an American actress. Born and raised in Allentown, Pennsylvania, she began modeling at age 11 and ventured into acting at 15, with recurring roles as Lucy Montgomery on the CBS soap opera ...

(2020; ''

Scoob! ''SCOOB!'' is a 2020 American computer-animated mystery comedy film produced by the Warner Animation Group, and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures. It is a reboot of the theatrical'' Scooby-Doo'' film series and the third theatrical film b ...

'') *

Mckenna Grace Mckenna Grace (born June 25, 2006) is an American actress. She began acting professionally at the age of six, with her earliest roles including Jasmine Bernstein in the Disney XD sitcom ''Crash & Bernstein'' (2012–2014) and Faith Newman in t ...

(2020–2022; ''Scoob!'', ''Scoob!: Holiday Haunt'' (both as a child)) * Constance Wu (''Velma'')

Appearance

Her usual appearance in the franchise consists of a purple mini-dress, pink

pantyhose Pantyhose, called sheer tights, or tights, are close-fitting legwear covering the wearer's body from the waist to the toes. Mostly considered to be a garment for women and girls, pantyhose first appeared on store shelves in 1959 for the advert ...

, purple shoes, and a green scarf. In ''

,'' '' Scooby-Doo! and the Witch's Ghost,'' and '' Scooby-Doo and the Cyber Chase'', she wears a purple and green three-piece suit with matching shoes. In '' Scooby-Doo and the Alien Invaders'', she wears a purple sleeveless shirt with pink shorts and purple trainers boots or shoes. As a child, she wears a pink sweater, red skirt, and pink pantyhose with white

go-go boot Go-go boots are a low-heeled style of women's fashion boot first introduced in the mid-1960s. The original go-go boots, as defined by André Courrèges in 1964, were white, low-heeled, and mid-calf in height, a specific style which is sometimes ...

s, which she hates getting dirty. In ''

'', she wears other purple and pink clothes, such as a purple jumpsuit and a purple dress with a white belt. In ''

'', she wears various outfits, but mostly a purple/pink dress with pink knee high boots.

Relatives

Relatives of Daphne, shown during the series' run include: * George Robert Nedley Blake: Daphne's father * Elizabeth Maxwell-Blake: Daphne's mother * Daisy Blake: Daphne's sister, a doctor. Voiced by

Jennifer Hale Jennifer Hale is a Canadian-American voice actress. She is best known for her work in video game franchises such as ''Baldur's Gate'', '' Mass Effect'', '' Metal Gear Solid'', '' BioShock Infinite'', '' Metroid Prime'', ''Overwatch'', and '' Sta ...

. * Dawn Blake: Daphne's sister, a model * Dorothy Blake: Daphne's sister, a race car driver * Delilah Blake: Daphne's sister, a

Marine Marine is an adjective meaning of or pertaining to the sea or ocean. Marine or marines may refer to: Ocean * Maritime (disambiguation) * Marine art * Marine biology * Marine debris * Marine habitats * Marine life * Marine pollution Military ...

. Voiced by Jennifer Hale. * Uncle Matt Blake: Daphne's paternal uncle, a cattle rancher * John Maxwell: Daphne's maternal uncle * Olivia Dervy: Daphne's aunt * Jennifer Blake: Daphne's cousin * Danica LaBlake: Daphne's cousin, a famous

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

model. Voiced by

Vanessa Marshall Vanessa Marshall (born October 19, 1969 in Los Angeles, California, U.S.) is an American voice and television actress who is most active in films, cartoons and video games. She is the daughter of actress Joan Van Ark and reporter John Marshall. ...

. * Shannon Blake: Daphne's Scottish cousin. Voiced by Grey DeLisle. * "Sandy" Blake: Daphne's uncle, owner of a beach resort in

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and ...

. Voiced by Adam West. * Anna Blake: Daphne's cousin in the video games; '' Scooby-Doo! First Frights'' and ''

Scooby-Doo! and the Spooky Swamp ''Scooby-Doo! and the Spooky Swamp'' is a third person platform video game developed by Torus Games and published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment for the PlayStation 2, Wii and Nintendo DS consoles and also for Microsoft Windows. The g ...

'' * Anne Blake: Daphne's younger cousin in the ''Scooby-Doo'' video game * Thornton Blake V: Daphne's uncle, owner of a golf course near

Lake Erie Lake Erie ( "eerie") is the fourth largest lake by surface area of the five Great Lakes in North America and the eleventh-largest globally. It is the southernmost, shallowest, and smallest by volume of the Great Lakes and therefore also ha ...

Frank Welker, Kath Soucie, and Jennifer Hale voice the Blakes in '' Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated'' series, Vanessa Marshall voiced Danica in the '' What's New, Scooby-Doo?'' TV series, and Grey DeLisle who voiced Shannon in the film ''

Scooby-Doo! and the Loch Ness Monster ''Scooby-Doo! and the Loch Ness Monster'' is a 2004 direct-to-video animated adventure film, and the seventh direct-to-video film based upon the ''Scooby-Doo'' Saturday morning cartoons. It was released on June 22, 2004, and it was produced by ...

'' (direct-to-DVD video). Welker also voiced George on ''

''.

Don Messick Donald Earle Messick (September 7, 1926 – October 24, 1997) was an American voice actor. He was best known for his performances in Hanna-Barbera cartoons. His best-remembered vocal creations include Scooby-Doo, Bamm-Bamm Rubble and Hoppy in ...

voiced two of Daphne's uncles: Matt Blake on '' The Scooby-Doo Show'' and John Maxwell on ''

''.

In other media

Daphne was portrayed by

in the film ''

'' and its sequel, '' Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed'' and voiced in the animated series ''

''. Her husband Freddie Prinze Jr. played Fred in the same films and ''Robot Chicken.'' In these films, Daphne and Fred began a relationship in the first film that followed on through the second. Unlike the previous incarnation of the character, Gellar's version of Daphne is trained in martial arts during Mystery Inc.'s 2-year-long departure in the first film, as she is tired of being a damsel in distress on every case that she is involved in with the gang. Coincidentally, this subversion of the damsel in distress to a strong female fighter almost mirrors Gellar's widely recognized role of the

title character The title character in a narrative work is one who is named or referred to in the title of the work. In a performed work such as a play or film, the performer who plays the title character is said to have the title role of the piece. The title of ...

in the TV series ''

Buffy the Vampire Slayer ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' is an American supernatural drama television series created by writer and director Joss Whedon. It is based on the 1992 film of the same name, also written by Whedon, although the events of the film are not consid ...

''. Though in the first film, she is captured by the masked wrestler Zarkos, although she beats him in a fight at the end. Daphne is portrayed by

in the third film '' Scooby-Doo! The Mystery Begins'' (released as a TV film in 2009) and its sequel '' Scooby-Doo! Curse of the Lake Monster'' (which debuted in 2010) These two films are prequels to the first two live-action films and show how the gang met while in high school. Daphne is the president of the drama club at Coolsville High School and the lead in a school musical.

voices the character for the animated film ''

'' while

voices the younger version of Daphne. On February 10, 2021, it was announced that an adult-oriented ''Scooby-Doo''

streaming television Streaming television is the digital distribution of television content, such as TV shows, as streaming media delivered over the Internet. Streaming television stands in contrast to dedicated terrestrial television delivered by over-the-air a ...

series, '' Velma'', would be released to

HBO Max HBO Max is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. Launched in the United States on May 27, 2020, the service is built around the libraries of HBO, Warner Bros., Cartoon Ne ...

, following the various members of Mystery Inc. involved in a " love quadrangle", with Daphne portrayed as an Asian foundling adopted by two mothers, with "complicated feelings" for Velma.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Blake, Daphne Television characters introduced in 1969 Fictional amateur detectives Fictional female detectives Fictional paranormal investigators Fictional socialites Scooby-Doo characters Comedy film characters Animated human characters Female characters in animation Female characters in film American female characters in television Teenage characters in film Teenage characters in television Female characters in animated films Child characters in animated films Female characters in animated series Teenage characters in animated films