Peer-reviewed
'Adventure time' and gender stereotypes
'Adventure Time', the Cartoon Network series created by Pendleton Ward, is ubiquitous. Almost every primary school kid I know is obsessed with the adventures of Jake the dog and Finn the human. The characters, stories and relationships have escaped the confines of TV and now saturate the cultural landscapes of primary schoolchildren (and quite a few adults, too). The Ooovian characters can be found in video games, on lunchboxes and on clothing, and the series seems to be the birthday party theme of the year.
So what is it about this talking dog and his adopted human brother that garners such devotion? Part of the appeal lies in the dreamy yet loopy hand-drawn animation style. Another compelling factor is the ever-expanding mythology of the Candy Kingdom, in the Land of Ooo, that has built up over the as-yet-unfinished series. And among its vast array of characters, surely almost every viewer can find at least one to identify with
Article, 2015