The Land of Ooo

One of the strangest and most interesting things about Adventure Time is its setting. The show takes place in the Land of Ooo. Upon first glance, it’s just another off and magical world with nonhuman residents. There are different lands, with different types of characters inhabiting each one. With things like the Candy Kingdom and the Hot Dog Kingdom, it feels like a typical and childish fantasy setting.

But the world is so much more than that. Throughout the show there are references to a great disaster, known as the Mushroom War. It was through this war that the land of Ooo came to exist.

The implication is that the Mushroom War was some type of nuclear war, and the resulting radiation created all the different types of beings in the world. The creator, Pendleton Ward, has said that the show does take place in a post-apocalyptic world. Hell, it’s even flat out stated that the Ice King and Marcaline lived before the war and survived through whatever happened, though not without some difficulties.

I'll get more into the Mushroom war when I get closer to the episodes that deal more with it and its implications.

There are other hints of a former civilization such as old cars and technology, even bombshells that appear in the background throughout various episodes. These give a very real sense to the dark undertones of the show and make those who watch it curious about the events that led up to our heroes existence.

Adventure is on the Horizon!

So I just recently watching the Cartoon Network show Adventure Time. For those of you who don't know, Adventure Time is a cartoon following the exploits of heroes Finn the Human and Jake the Dog in the magical land of Ooo.

If I have to explain who is who, I recommend you stop reading 
this and promptly go think about your reasoning skills.

This gem is often overlooked for its silly tone and slightly nonsensical plots. But under the mostly crazy situations is a rich and strange back story on the land and how it came to be. From the heavily implied nuclear holocaust  to tales of love and friendship, Adventure Time isn't just the average children's cartoon. 

Its a well written tale that is misunderstood by a lot of people who just hear about it in passing. Before I got roped into watching one of the episodes by a friend, I just thought it was a silly cash in on the trend of random humor. But its so much more than that. 

It has characters that all have unique ways of how they came to be and motivations beyond the typical archetypes seen in most children's cartoons over the past few years. There are some things in this show that are genuinely dark and touching, without pandering or being heavy handed. There are some sly jokes that you won't catch at first, but make for a good chuckle once you catch on to them. It treats its background and origins seriously, and builds on the world that been created.

So for this reason, I decided to start this blog. Not only to get my ideas and feelings about the episodes out, but also to get people to understand this show and why I love it.