The
Scooby Gang, or "
Scoobies", are a group of characters in the
cult television series and comic book
Buffy the Vampire Slayer who battle the supernatural forces of evil. The team consists of
Buffy Summers and her friends and colleagues who assist her in her duties as the
Slayer. First forming in the Season One episode "
The Harvest" to prevent
The Master from opening a portal to
hell, the line-up of the group varied from year to year, but the core that remained intact throughout the series' run was Buffy herself and her best friends,
Xander Harris and
Willow Rosenberg, as well as her Watcher,
Rupert Giles. This group was also called the "slayerettes." The group was first referred to as the Scooby Gang by Xander Harris in the Season Two episode "
What's My Line, Part One" as a reference to the group of monster-hunting teenagers from the
Hanna-Barbera animated series
Scooby-Doo that is otherwise known as
Mystery Inc., who investigate and solve supernatural/occult monsters mysteries much like The Scoobies in Buffy. The first visible sign was in Season 1, Episode 11, where Willow is seen wearing a Scooby Doo T-shirt, Buffy sports the Daphne trademark neck scarf, and later Xander responds, "Can you say, 'Gulp'?" as Shaggy often does.
Sarah Michelle Gellar, the actress who plays Buffy, would later also appear as
Daphne Blake in the films
Scooby-Doo and
Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed.