Leah Mousseri - Week 6 - Sweets With a Sweet Tooth

     Most people know the action-packed, light-hearted cartoon Adventure Time whether you watched it as a kid or are watching it now. On the surface, it may seem like a cute animation with some sweet messages in a few episodes, but what if this kid's show is sweeter than you'd think? Too sweet. In the land of Ooo, all the citizens, except Finn, are made of candy with even their buildings constructed of entirely candy. So this had me curious as to whether or not the Candy People ate candy or not. The answer is yes, Princess Bubblegum, the ruler of the Candy People, has been seen eating candy and ice cream despite being made of entirely bubblegum. In my opinion, this is quite morbid to think about and raises the question: are the Candy People cannibals for eating candy?

*This will contain spoilers for Adventure Time season 7 and above (with one small part of the first episode in the series)

    First off, what is classified as cannibalism? There are multiple definitions, but the general census is the eating or consumption of an animal of the same species/kind. So, in order for the Candy People to be considered cannibals, the candy they eat would have to be the same species as them. I don't know of or if there is an example of a candy person eating a regular, non-living piece of candy, but if this were to happen would it be cannibalism? Well, the piece of candy would have to be considered the same species as the candy person who is eating it, but it's not as simple as if Peppermint Butler were to eat a peppermint; the candy would have to come from another living organism of the same species as Peppermint Butler. Therefore, the Candy people eating a piece of candy that isn't sentient doesn't make them cannibals.

    So that's it? The Candy People are just simple-minded citizens who aren't cannibals? Not exactly. There has been an instance of this in which it's very obviously cannibalism. The very first episode of Adventure Time, "Slumber Party Panic", shows Finn blindfolding Candy People and telling them to hit the "piñatas" which were really undead candy zombies that, when killed, spilled out candy guts filled with jelly beans, sprinkles, and other candy which the Candy People ate. Some may argue that all the Candy People are different species, but they all originated from the same mother, The Mother Gum. The Mother Gum is a giant clump of mutated bubblegum that basically gave birth to Princess Bubblegum and her brother, Neddy. Bubblegum then made clones of herself who then made a potion to make her more carefree so she wouldn't interfere with their plans regarding the kingdom. This resulted in the potion being used on the clones which turned them into the Candy People we know today. Furthermore, it's safe to assume the Candy People are able to reproduce since there are child candies and orphan candies seen in the show and I wouldn't think the princess would make orphans just for the sake of having orphans. So in this scene, the Candy People, who are all of the same species, are seen eating the guts, organs, blood, or whatever you want to call it of other Candy People.

    Don't be too shocked, there have been even clearer examples of cannibalism in Adventure Time. Lemongrab seems to eat his brother alive in the episode "Another Five More Short Graybles," but he is later seen with half his head missing in the episode "Too Old" until he is eaten by his brother again who leaves no crumbs behind this time. Not to mention the entire Lemongrab family is seen eating lemons in the same episode which by my previous standard isn't cannibalism but still unnerving to think about.

Do you think it's unethical/cruel for the Candy People to eat candy? Do you think biting your lip or chewing your fingernails is, in a sense, cannibalism?


Comments

  1. EvaOctober 24, 2023 at 9:05 PM

    I had no idea that Adventure Time could be so dark! This show clearly is deeper than I originally thought it was. I think that, as long as the candies being eaten are different from the candy eating, then it isn't too unethical (like a shark eating a goldfish since they are technically both fish but no one considers that cannibalism, except with candies). I also think that chewing your lip or biting your nails is not inherently cannibalism but swallowing skin or nails that were bitten off would be auto/self-cannibalism.

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousNovember 2, 2023 at 7:43 AM

    No, candy tastes good, no matter the consequences. Also no i dont think biting your lips. chewing your fingernail is cannibalism.

    ReplyDelete

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