Daphne Blake

This article is about the original incarnation of Daphne Blake. For other incarnations, seeDaphne Blake (disambiguation).

Daphne Blake

Daphne Blake^[2] is the fashion-loving member ofMystery Inc. Daphne's characteristic trait in the gang is her tendency to get into danger, hence earning the nickname"Danger-prone Daphne".

Physical appearance

For a full list of what Daphne wears, seeDaphne's outfits and disguises

Daphne is a teenage female, with an hourglass figure and shoulder-length red hair. Her most worn outfit consists of a purple top, dress, pink pantyhose, and purple shoes. She also wears a plastic purple headband and a green scarf.

At the timeShaggy Rogers andScooby-Doo moved intoShaggleford Manor, her outfit consisted of a purple long-sleeved dress with a light purple border, pink stockings, and purple boots. She continued to wear the headband.

Personality

While not as smart asVelma Dinkley, Daphne would always solve her problems in a different way. She later became more confident and started playing a more active role as time went on,^{[Note 1]} having learnt self defense.^[3][4]

Injunior high, Daphne was more vain and fashion sensitive, likely to stop in the middle of investigating due to a dirt patch on her clothes, than being afraid of ghosts (which she had a strong disbelief in). She would commonly call upon her butler,Jenkins, to do various tasks, such as ridding her of people, beating a monster up, etc.

Skills and abilities

Daphne has displayed many abilities, such as having a black belt in Karate; she can use different kinds of. She can use her make-up accessories to open locked doors and cages.^[5]

She is very flexible, and can think quickly during a fight.

She's also very good at picking locks with whatever she can use.  Also, she is very good at surfing.^[6][7][8]

She's an amateur musician, playing both the piano^[9] and being able to sing.^[10]

She's also a talented motorcyclist, having riding since she was five.

History

Animated history

Main article(s):Daphne Blake/animated history

Comic history

Main article(s):Daphne Blake/biographical account of comic appearances

Novel history

Main article(s):Daphne Blake/biographical account of novel appearances

Video game history

Main article(s):Daphne Blake/biographical account of video game appearances

Family and relatives

For a complete list of Daphne's family members, lookhere. For other relatives, lookhere.

Occupation

Despite her family's extravagantly rich background, she chooses to live independent of that wealth in her adolescence, having the same money problems as the rest ofthe gang.

• Junior detectives-for-hire: When the gang was in their preadolescence, and Daphne was at her most vain, they worked out ofa clubhouse, calling themselves theScooby-Doo Detective Agency, and charged a minimal fee for their services in solving the mysteries in their hometown ofCoolsville. (APNSD)
• Movie extra: The gang was given parts as extras inSandy Duncan's film, after solving the case atMammoth Studios. (TNSDMovies:Sandy Duncan's Jekyll and Hyde)
• Carnival owner: Scooby, along with the rest of the gang, was given a share ofDick Van Dyke'scarnival, after saving it from going under. She was put in charge of the tunnel of love in the carnival's grand reopening. (TNSDMovies:The Haunted Carnival)
• Investigative journalist: Twice whenMystery Inc. broke up, she went into the world of journalism. The first time she became a freelance reporter, forming the second incarnation of the Scooby-Doo Detective Agency, along withScooby-Doo,Shaggy Rogers, andScrappy-Doo. (TNSD&SDS,TNSDMysteries) The second time she hostedher own televised news show, withFred as her cameraman and producer. (Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island)

Additionally, when she was younger,her father put her in charge ofhis arcade, (APNSD:Horror of the Haunted Hairpiece) while in her adolescence, she and Fred formed asinging duo to compete inTalent Star. (Scooby-Doo! Stage Fright)

Notes/trivia

• The name "Daphne" comes from Greek mythology. Daphne was a nymph with whom Apollo was obsessed. Her father saved her by turning her into a laurel tree. A genus of plants, including the laurel, is named Daphne. Shrubs of this genus are sweet smelling and usually have brightly colored berries.
• TheBlakes have a long history of getting themselves into danger.^[11]
• A common goof throughout older episodes would be the disappearance of one or more of Daphne's pink pantyhose, replaced with her natural skin color in some shots.
• Due to different animators, Daphne's eye color is completely variable, ranging from black, to blue, to green. Black is the base color used for almost every character from 1969-1991.
  • FromScooby-Doo on Zombie Island toScooby-Doo and the Cyber Chase, she had blue irises; interestingly, when she hypnotized was in theScooby-Doo, Where Are You! episodeGo Away Ghost Ship, she had blue irises in a close-up.
  • In the opening sequence ofScooby-Doo! Abracadabra-Doo, she had green pupils.
  • InScooby-Doo! and the Curse of the 13th Ghost, she had purple pupils.
• One question on the quiz included onScooby-Doo, Where Are You!: The Complete 1st and 2nd Seasons, relates to Daphne's father fundingMystery Inc. and buying them theMystery Machine, which is based on what was claimed onScooby-Doo: Behind the Scenes, a special with eight segments which was featured on WHV's VHS release ofScooby-Doo's Original Mysteries. (It also aired onCartoon Network under the name,Those Meddling Kids.) That special was made independently (even if it did use the then current cast of voices) and none of what was claimed has made it into canon. If the gang were supported then they wouldn't need to look for a job likeShaggy Rogers,Fred Jones, and evenScooby-Doo did in theTSDS episodeHigh Rise Hair Raiser. Although it seems to ignore, but not out right contradict theWNSD episodeIt's Mean, It's Green, It's the Mystery Machine (although the special was made before the episode in question, which itself already available to buy before theWAY set), that depicted the Mystery Machine to have originally belonged toFlash Flannigan who used it as a tour bus for theMystery Kids, for which he was the keyboardist. It's possible, but not definite that Mr. Blake brought the van fromSusan Dinwiddie, the mother/manager of the Mystery Kids.
• Some fans have posited that Fred and Daphne share an attraction to each other,^[12] but this has yet to be truly declared as such in the series itself (thoughCartoon Network, in its various promotional bumpers, has had fun with this notion), althoughScooby-Doo! Stage Fright did have the two of them finally admit this behind each other's backs, as well as actually kissing each other on the lips during their song.
• According toThe 13 Ghosts of Scooby-Doo, Daphne is presumably ticklish.
• Daphne didn't say "Jeepers" in theA Pup Named Scooby-Doo TV series.
• Daphne's redesign inShaggy & Scooby-Doo Get a Clue!, is based onSarah Michelle Gellar'sportrayal inScooby-Doo: The Movie andScooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed.
• For unexplained reasons, Daphne very rarely says "Jeepers" in comics published byDC Comics, particularly in theScooby-Doo, Where Are You? andScooby-Doo! Team-Up titles.

Behind-the-scenes

Daphne was inspired by Thalia Menninger (played by Tuesday Weld) in the 1960's sitcomThe Many Lives of Dobie Gillis.^[13]

Voices of Daphne

For a full list of voice actors for Daphne Blake, seeList of Voice Actors for Daphne Blake

Stefanianna Christopherson was the original voice of Daphne, in the first season (1969-70) ofScooby-Doo, Where Are You!

Heather North assumed her role when Christopherson married in 1970. North continued to voice Daphne until 1980, when Daphne was dropped from the series. Daphne returned to Scooby-Doo withThe All-New Scooby and Happy-Puppy Hour Show in 1983, and North resumed her role as voice actress untilThe 13 Ghosts of Scooby-Doo was cancelled in 1986. North reprized her role as Daphne in 1997'sJohnny Bravo-Scooby-Doo crossover episode, and the 2003 direct-to-video filmsScooby-Doo! and the Legend of the Vampire andScooby-Doo! and the Monster of Mexico.

Kellie Martin voiced the junior-high school aged Daphne inA Pup Named Scooby-Doo from 1988 until 1991.

Mary Kay Bergman assumed the role of Daphne from Heather North for the first three DTVs from 1998-2000, until she committed suicide.

Grey DeLisle took over the role in 2001 for the fourth DTV,Scooby-Doo and the Cyber Chase, and then was temporarily switched with North in the above-mentioned DTVs. During this time, DeLisle was also voicing the character in the TV seriesWhat's New, Scooby-Doo?, from 2003 to 2006. She resumed the role as Daphne in the DTV series in 2004 (Scooby-Doo! and the Loch Ness Monster) and has continued being the voice of Daphne on TV through to the seriesScooby-Doo and Guess Who?

In other languages

The most prolific actor in each foreign language is listed below.

Gallery

Artwork

Daphne fromA Pup Named Scooby-Doo.

Toys

Wacky Wobbler Bobble Head byFunko.

Dorbz by Funko.

Pop! by Funko.

Bendable toy byBendEms.

See also:LEGO;Playmobil.

See also

• Daphne Blake/biographical account of comic appearances
• Daphne Blake/biographical account of novel appearances
• Daphne Blake/biographical account of video game appearances
• Categorised gallery
• Villains who have kidnapped Daphne Blake
• Kidnapping Daphne Blake - a complete list of kidnappings
• Scooby-Doo and Daphne Blake
• Fred Jones and Daphne Blake
• Daphne Blake and Velma Dinkley
• Shaggy Rogers and Daphne Blake
• Daphne Blake and Scrappy-Doo

Footnotes

References