The Cartoon Network Show Adventure Time is one that many people hold dearly. It was a very popular show, with fun characters and silly plot lines. Like many shows, people have characters who they favor and dislike. However, one character in Adventure Time seems to get the most hate: Princess Bubblegum. Personally, I find that many of the reasons people hate Princess Bubblegum are either untrue or have invalid reasons behind them. I am not the type to play devil’s advocate, but people’s hatred of the princess highly irritates me, so this article will be debunking the reasons people hate Princess Bubblegum.
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MYTH #1: She “Led On” Finn
One of the biggest reasons people hate Princess Bubblegum is that she “leads on” the main character, Finn the Human, and was “jealous” of him and Flame Princess. For context, at the beginning of the show, Finn was 13 years old and PB was supposedly 18. It is later revealed that PB is actually hundreds of years old and immortal. If one actually pays attention to the show, it's not difficult to tell that she never actually reciprocated any interest in Finn, except when she was turned 13 years old for approximately 24 hours. Princess Bubblegum appreciated Finn for his skill sets as a hero and as a friend, but their “romantic relationship” was very one sided. Finn was very naive, and he was infatuated with PB, even keeping a lock of her hair, and he truly believed that their age gap was the only reason they couldn’t be together. |
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Does this trope sound familiar? It’s just a little boy having an obsession over an unobtainable older girl. I think the hatred around this is perpetuated by misogyny. How often do you hear girls being told to give a guy a chance regardless of their feelings toward the guy? Often. If you’ve watched the show, it’s evident that Finn doesn’t even know anything about PB; actually no one does until about season 4, which is why he didn’t know her real age. Finn was no more than a knight and friend to PB.
MYTH #2: She Was “Jealous” of Finn and Flame Princess
Now about Flame Princess. When Finn was 14, he fell in love with Flame Princess as a rebound from his PB obsession. He truly loved Flame Princess and this was his first real relationship in the show. But Flame Princess, as the name hints, is literally made out of fire. Princess Bubblegum, being a scientist, tried to warn Finn that if he and FP kissed, she would overheat and melt through the crust of the earth. Finn and Jake, as well as most of the fandom, interpreted this as PB being jealous of Finn’s new relationship. Finn goes on a rant about how PB was never interested in him when he wanted her, and he went and kissed FP anyway. Guess what happened? THEY MELTED THROUGH THE CRUST OF THE EARTH. They only survived because PB and Jake followed them there, and they reduced airflow to the hole they created, so the Flame Princess would cool down. At the end of the episode, PB sighs “oh Finn” in reference to his naivety, yet somehow people are still convinced she was jealous of them.
Now about Flame Princess. When Finn was 14, he fell in love with Flame Princess as a rebound from his PB obsession. He truly loved Flame Princess and this was his first real relationship in the show. But Flame Princess, as the name hints, is literally made out of fire. Princess Bubblegum, being a scientist, tried to warn Finn that if he and FP kissed, she would overheat and melt through the crust of the earth. Finn and Jake, as well as most of the fandom, interpreted this as PB being jealous of Finn’s new relationship. Finn goes on a rant about how PB was never interested in him when he wanted her, and he went and kissed FP anyway. Guess what happened? THEY MELTED THROUGH THE CRUST OF THE EARTH. They only survived because PB and Jake followed them there, and they reduced airflow to the hole they created, so the Flame Princess would cool down. At the end of the episode, PB sighs “oh Finn” in reference to his naivety, yet somehow people are still convinced she was jealous of them.
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MYTH #3: She Mistreated the Candy People
Another claim for people’s hatred of her is that she spies and does experiments on the candy people. The reason she spies on the candy people is because they are almost completely incompetent, and the candy kingdom would go to chaos if they were left alone. This is especially evident in the episode “The Pajama War”. The princess left the residents of the candy kingdom alone for approximately 30 minutes, during which they appointed a new ruler and waged war against each other. She has to keep track of them to make sure they're safe. As for why she does experiments on them: the candy people are her experiments. |
Additionally, one of the only experiments PB does directly on the candy people is in the episode "Slumber Party Panic", where she creates a potion to reanimate dead Candy People, which is not inherently bad. However, the potion didn't exactly work as planned, creating zombified candy people. PB made all the candy people with science, and she does experiments to better the candy people.
Some people ask, “If she made all the candy people, why did she make them so dumb?” This is answered in the episode “Bonnibel Bubblegum.” In this episode, it shows some of PB’s first candy experiments: Great Uncle Gumbald, Aunt Lolly, and Cousin Chicle, who were all created to mend PB’s loneliness, and they had equal intelligence to her. However, they turned against her, and they tried to turn her docile like other candy creations, but PB ended up turning them instead, and she instilled herself as their princess, so she could keep the candy people safe. If it isn’t evident with Lemongrab, her creations can get a little out of hand, so she just wants to keep them safe.
Some people ask, “If she made all the candy people, why did she make them so dumb?” This is answered in the episode “Bonnibel Bubblegum.” In this episode, it shows some of PB’s first candy experiments: Great Uncle Gumbald, Aunt Lolly, and Cousin Chicle, who were all created to mend PB’s loneliness, and they had equal intelligence to her. However, they turned against her, and they tried to turn her docile like other candy creations, but PB ended up turning them instead, and she instilled herself as their princess, so she could keep the candy people safe. If it isn’t evident with Lemongrab, her creations can get a little out of hand, so she just wants to keep them safe.
MYTH #4: She’s Heartless and Controlling
People claim that she doesn’t care about other people and their feelings. PB is about 600 years old and immortal. She’s seen a lot of people come and go, and practically everyone who she has let close to her has turned on her: Her own creations/family, Shoko, even Marceline has betrayed her. Her sole purpose is to keep people safe, and she has been shown that trusting people doesn’t help her achieve that. Her experience in protecting people did make her a little heartless, though. One of her worst moments was in the episode “Princess Cookie” where it was revealed she told Cookie that he couldn’t be a princess. Though it is rude to crush someone’s dreams, she wasn't coming from a place of evil but rather a place of prestige and seriousness. She can be controlling, but that’s because she’s used to being in control to help those who need her. That’s why she isn’t very favorable to self proclaimed leaders like Princess Cookie or the “King of Ooo,” who she notably despises, because they don’t have the same experience she does. She has a very ‘I know more than you’ attitude, but she does know more than most people. Also, being so old and having experienced so many things, she doesn’t have the mental capacity to get emotionally attached to people. That’s why Marceline is a good match for her: they’ve both been through hundreds of years of trauma, and they’re both immortal, so they won’t have to worry about losing each other.
People claim that she doesn’t care about other people and their feelings. PB is about 600 years old and immortal. She’s seen a lot of people come and go, and practically everyone who she has let close to her has turned on her: Her own creations/family, Shoko, even Marceline has betrayed her. Her sole purpose is to keep people safe, and she has been shown that trusting people doesn’t help her achieve that. Her experience in protecting people did make her a little heartless, though. One of her worst moments was in the episode “Princess Cookie” where it was revealed she told Cookie that he couldn’t be a princess. Though it is rude to crush someone’s dreams, she wasn't coming from a place of evil but rather a place of prestige and seriousness. She can be controlling, but that’s because she’s used to being in control to help those who need her. That’s why she isn’t very favorable to self proclaimed leaders like Princess Cookie or the “King of Ooo,” who she notably despises, because they don’t have the same experience she does. She has a very ‘I know more than you’ attitude, but she does know more than most people. Also, being so old and having experienced so many things, she doesn’t have the mental capacity to get emotionally attached to people. That’s why Marceline is a good match for her: they’ve both been through hundreds of years of trauma, and they’re both immortal, so they won’t have to worry about losing each other.
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MYTH #5: She Should've Ended Up With Finn
Moreover, people were mad that Princess Bubblegum and Marceline, the vampire queen, got together. This was either because they shipped PB and Finn, or they’re just homophobic. PB and Marceline’s relationship had been hinted at since the episode “What Was Missing” in the third season, where it was revealed that PB still slept in a shirt that Marceline gave her. As the seasons progressed, it was evident that PB and Marceline had a soft spot for each other, even though both of the characters aren't always considered the friendliest. |
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Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but at least let it be backed by facts. Good night. |
ANgel Cal
