Adventure Time’s Lesbian Subtext Brings Light to Homosexual Representation in Cartoons

How many people can say that they’ve grown up watching a cartoon that portrayed a homosexual relationship as though it were the same as a heterosexual relationship in animated television? None. In fact the animated shows that have depicted gay characters, such as South Park, often utilize gay stereotypes in order to depict these characters. This, though as unfortunately true as it may be, is the reality of the conventional notions of today’s society and the notions that have preceded it. Cartoons are generally all geared to appeal to a range of age groups that vary from children who attend grade school to college students in their late twenties. The latter of which still find amusement in a few of the more witty cartoons that in some cases have “multi leveled jokes that … kids won't pick up on, teenagers might, and adults definitely will” (Nichols). One cartoon that has acquired attention and critical acclaim from a wide range of age groups due to its multi level humor and unique art style is Adventure Time. Adventure Time, a cartoon that premiered in 2010 on the popular Cartoon Network channel follows the daily adventures of a boy named Finn and his dog “brother” Jake as they fight evil through the “Land of Ooo”. If that already doesn’t sound bizarre enough, they are also very close friends with the Princess of Ooo, Princess Bubblegum, and a Vampire Queen named Marceline. An episode titled “What Was Missing?” that aired in September of 2011, included what many of the fans referred to as subtext of a possible past romantic relationship between the two female characters Princess Bubblegum and Marceline. Though many of the fans were angered by the immediate removal of this episode from Cartoon Network’s website due to the enormous amount of “shipping” (interest in a potential romantic couple by a fan base) that occurred, this episode signified much more than the desires of a fan base. This animated television series could potentially be the first time in history where a homosexual couple could be portrayed in a cartoon as any heterosexual couple and exemplify a positive portrayal of an LGBTQ relationship in an animated series geared towards adolescents, which could have a large impact on what society considers “normal”.

            After “What Was Missing?” aired, the studio that produces the cartoon asked the fans through a webisode what they thought about the two female characters getting together in a relationship, which essentially made the subtext canon (Nichols). The response from the fan base was overwhelmingly positive, which may have shocked Cartoon Network into removing the episode from their website. The network clearly did not know how to appropriately respond to the overwhelming positive response to a relationship between two female characters, and instead chose to ignore them entirely. This directly ties to “Homophobia: Why Bring it Up?”, an article written by scholar Barbara Smith that examines the numerous reasons for “people’s reluctance to confront homophobia in themselves and others” (Smith, 113). This is an issue that has been reinforced in the media countless times. This is why there aren’t any examples of a homosexual couple to be portrayed normally in a cartoon. Due to “deeply entrenched attitudes and behaviors” people feel “threatened about issues of sexuality” and prefer not to bring up the topic at all (Smith 113). The network ignored the issue and pretended as if nothing had caused them to remove the episode, which is likely reflective of their stance on the possibility of producing a show that normalizes what society deems abnormal. The problem with that though, is that we also live in a society where this affects several people. According to “Harassment and Violence among Students” by Nan Stein, “one third of teens report that students are harassed due to perceived or actual sexual orientation” (Stein 32). This ultimately gives many students only the option of “compulsory heterosexuality”, where heterosexuality is the default orientation that must be embraced according to societal norms (Stein 32). Perhaps this wouldn’t happen if children were actually given a source of media that for once says, “there is nothing wrong with being who you are, and there is nothing inappropriate about it and that is why it is being televised”.

            The idea that this show could affect so many adolescents growing up and the future of queer representation in animated television is groundbreaking. The episode is currently back online, and though fans will have to wait for new episodes to see how the relationship between Princess Bubblegum and Marceline unfolds, the possibility of this becoming much more important than just another “ship” is a large step for the LGBTQ portrayal in the media which has an even more significant affect on society.

Works Cited

Nichols, Brittani. ""Adventure Time"'s Animated Lesbian Subtext Is Too Hot for TV." Autostraddle News. Autostraddle, 30 Sept. 2011. Web. 7 Feb. 2012.

Smith, Barbara. “Homophobia: Why Bring it Up?” from The Lesbian and Gay Studies Reader. Ed Henry Ablelove et al New York & London: Routledge, 1993.

Stein, Nan. Bullying, “Harassment and Violence among Students” in Radical Teacher, No. 80 “Teaching Beyond Tolerance” Winter 2007 30-35.