Buffy receives a birthday gift in 2002
Buffy Summers' birthday was an event in January 19th, and she was born in 1981. Notably, since her arrival in Sunnydale, most of Buffy Summers’ birthday celebrations were followed by undesirable supernatural events.
The date was shared with Drusilla’s birthday.[1]
History
In 1998, the Scooby Gang held a surprise party for her 17th birthday at The Bronze, but was interrupted by the After this, a moment of perfect happiness with her caused her boyfriend Angel to lost his soul and return to his evil persona “Angelus”.[1][2]
In 1999, Buffy’s father Hank Summers broke their tradition of going together to watch the Ice Capades. Completing 18 years old, she was stripped of her Slayer powers in preparation for the Cruciamentum, which ended up causing her mother Joyce Summers’ to be kidnapped by Zachary Kralik. Rupert Giles, revealing the nature of the test to Buffy, was fired from the Watchers Council.[3]
In 2000, after her 19th birthday party, Giles was transmogrified into a Fyarl demon by Ethan Rayne, causing Buffy to stab and almost kill him in mistake.[4]
In 2001, her sister Dawn Summers discovered her origin as the Key, and had a subsequent identity crisis during Buffy’s 20th birthday party. Dawn ran away and faced Glory, having to be defended by the Scooby Gang.[5]
In 2002, all of the participants of Buffy’s 21st birthday party, including anyone else who entered the house, was trapped inside the Summers residence by Dawn’ unwitting wish to Halfrek. After Spike's suggestion of not commemorating her birthday to avoid these undesirable supernatural events,[6] no birthday parties were held anymore.
Behind the scenes
- Whenever Buffy’s birthday was celebrated on-screen, it was always during the twelfth or thirteenth episode of the season.
- In "I Robot, You Jane", an online school profile of Buffy originally states that her birthday is October 24, 1980. Then, in the same episode, the report states her birthday is May 6, 1979. A probable continuity error, the demon messing with the computer files at the time could explain the discrepancy.
- In "Nightmares", her tombstone read 1981 to 1997. Since this is Giles’ nightmare, perhaps he didn’t know her actual year of birth, but it’s more likely just a continuity error.
- In "Doomed", Buffy claimed to be “Capricorn on the cusp of Aquarius”, which implies her birthday was somewhere between January 17th and 23rd.
- Love Dares You, Part One comic issue had a special third cover celebrating Buffy’s birthday, two days before its publishing.
