“When bad things happen, I know you want to believe they are a joke, but sometimes life is scary and dark. That is why we must find the light.”
-BMO, “The Creeps” (Adventure Time Wiki, 2014)

Can a cartoon improve a person’s outlook on life? On April 5, 2010, the popular TV show Adventure Time (created by Pendleton Ward) was launched onto Cartoon Network. The show centers on Finn, the human boy, and Jake, the magic dog, as they seek to become heroes in the dreamlike, post-apocalyptic land of Ooo. The show was originally targeted for the six to eleven year-old demographic (Bustillos, 2014), but due to a bit dark imagery and “questionable” elements, some parents are averse about allowing their child to watch the show. Nevertheless, the cartoon not only has interesting story lines and charmingly quirky music, but also includes life lessons for all to learn.  Adventure Time features good morals that impact the viewers in a positive way.
Adventure Time presents to the viewer the dynamism of real friendship. Throughout each season, we watch the lives of adoptive brothers and best friends, Finn and Jake (Adventure Time Wiki, “Finn’s relationships”). We can see the flaws and the strong points of their relationship: Finn tends to get upset with Jake’s languor (“The Witch’s Garden”); meanwhile, insouciant Jake tries to calm Finn’s vehement nature. However, both characters are genuinely devoted to one another and have rescued each other’s lives multitudinous times; this reveals their absolute brotherly love for one another. Overall, Adventure Time gives us an example of what real friendship is through its two main protagonists.

Adventure Time displays an optimistic sense of hope when in tough situations. Adventure Time takes place almost one thousand years after the “Mushroom War” (Adventure Time Wiki, 2014), which suggests that the world has gone through huge nuclear warfare; this does explain the bizarre creatures that roam Ooo and the gargantuan missing chunk in the side of the planet. Even after the disheartening happenings and effects of the war, the radiation transformed the world into a pulchritudinous environment. We also see an instance of hope through the Vampire Queen, Marceline, and the Ice King (formerly Simon Petrikov), who are both survivors of the Mushroom War due to supernatural means (Adventure Time Wiki, 2014). The two were companions during the aftermath of the conflict, in which radioactive mutations lurked at night and Simon would become psychoneurotic whenever he put on the enchanted crown that he exhumed earlier in the series. Yet, Marcy and Simon maintain a sanguine hopefulness throughout the chaos.

I have heard parents say that the characters in Adventure Time are “irresponsible” and “absurd”. While this may be true at times, every character is one-of-a-kind and distinctive, and the show encourages being different. Adventure Time tells us that being you is stupendous. What’s amazing about Adventure Time is the diversity of personalities within the show. We see the jovial, intrepid Finn; the lax, jocose Jake; the astute, true to the end Princess Bubblegum; the contumacious, symphonious Marceline; and more. Each character is metamorphosed by everyday strife and comprehend intimate realizations about who they are, which allow Adventure Time viewers to connect with them so well. In Adventure Time, individuality (literally) makes Ooo a vivid place.
“I know who I am and I’ll know what I want if and when it comes along.”
Fionna the Human (Adventure Time Wiki, 2014)

In closing, Adventure Time features good morals that impact the viewers in a positive way. This awe-inspiring show teaches us that friends matter, that there’s always hope, and that you are special. So what time is it? Inspiration Time!

Bibliography

Adventure Time Wiki, (2014). Simon & Marcy. [online] Available at: http://adventuretime.wikia.com/wiki/Simon_%26_Marcy [Accessed 16 Sep. 2014].

Adventure Time Wiki, (2014). BMO/Quotes. [online] Available at: http://adventuretime.wikia.com/wiki/BMO/Quotes [Accessed 18 Sep. 2014].

Adventure Time Wiki, (2014). Finn's relationships. [online] Available at: http://adventuretime.wikia.com/wiki/Finn%27s_relationships [Accessed 16 Sep. 2014].

Adventure Time Wiki, (2014). Fionna/Quotes. [online] Available at: http://adventuretime.wikia.com/wiki/Fionna/Quotes [Accessed 16 Sep. 2014].

Adventure Time Wiki, (2014). Mushroom War. [online] Available at: http://adventuretime.wikia.com/wiki/Mushroom_War [Accessed 16 Sep. 2014].

Adventuretime.wikia.com, (2014). Adventure Time Wiki. [online] Available at: http://adventuretime.wikia.com/wiki/Adventure_Time_with_Finn_and_Jake_Wiki [Accessed 16 Sep. 2014].

Bustillos, M. (2014). It's Adventure Time. [online] Theholenearthecenteroftheworld.com. Available at: http://theholenearthecenteroftheworld.com/ [Accessed 16 Sep. 2014].