Parents' Guide to

Adventure Time

TV Cartoon Network Kids' Animation 2010
Adventure Time Poster Image

Common Sense Media Review

Emily Ashby By Emily Ashby , based on child development research. How do we rate?

age 10+

Original, if nonsensical, hilarity; expect minor weapons.

Parents Need to Know

Why Age 10+?

Any Positive Content?

  • Adventure Time TV Show: Scene #1
  • Adventure Time TV Show: Scene #2
  • Adventure Time TV Show: Scene #3
  • Adventure Time TV Show: Scene #4

Parent and Kid Reviews

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age 9+

Based on 170 parent reviews

Wish.on.a.dandalion
Wish.on.a.dandalion Parent of 2-year-old
October 26, 2012
age 7+

Unfair Reviews

I felt that this review was a little unfair to the show. There are definitely positive messages in the show. Finn and Jake are always helping princesses and are against doing anything they consider immoral. The show also promotes science, math and music to kids. Princess Bubblegum is always using science and math to create cool things and save the day, and Marcelline the Vampire Queen is always writing songs and jamming with Finn and Jake. Jake also plays the viola. This show makes these things seem cool to kids. I can understand if you don't view Jake and Finn as positive role models just because they are younger, but I would have to say that Princess Bubblegum is definitely a positive role model in this show. Once again parents who've seen two minutes of the show or know very little about it have made an entire generalization on it based on little knowledge. But that's America for you. I let my child watch this show, I have no problem with it. I hope the show expands her imagination and encourages her to enjoy science, math and music.
ScarletteSimon
ScarletteSimon Adult
August 13, 2021
age 7+

Surprisingly deep show for all ages

The start of this show grabs kids in with its colour and comedy, but as it progresses it starts to get very deep. By the end of it I was starting to question my existence. However, kids seem to not be bothered by these themes, and that's what matters. I think these deeper themes are what kids nowadays need, as making children think, whilst not getting too dark, is what is important in modern day society. Some parents apparently have issues with words like 'suck', 'frick' and 'lump' which I do not understand at all. While yes, they are put in the place of profanity, unless your kids are home-schooled they've learnt worse at 6 years old. These words are also never said in anger, which makes me personally see them as totally fine for children. There is mild violence, however violence is always portrayed as a negative when on living creatures. This is far better than shows like Loony Tunes and Tom and Jerry. In my opinion, more children's media should be like Adventure Time. I would reccommend watching the show with your child, partly in case they don't undersrand something, and partly for your own enjoyment in the later seasons.
See all 170 parent reviews

What's the Story?

ADVENTURE TIME chronicles the off-the-wall, colorful, and often absurd and hilarious escapades of a boy named Finn (Jeremy Shada) and his talking canine friend, Jake (John DiMaggio), who team up for fun in the mystical Land of Ooo. Wherever there's trouble, Finn and Jake are ready for action in the name of justice and adventure often coming to the aid of their friends Princess Bubblegum (Hynden Walch), Marceline the Vampire Queen (Olivia Olson), and the colorful assortment of Ooo residents.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (170 ):
Kids say (657 ):

If you put an 8-year-old boy's imagination to paper, the result would be pretty close to the place Finn and Jake call home. Few rules of the real world apply in Ooo, where there's really no telling what adventures each day will bring. Older kids capable of getting the show's tongue-in-cheek, ironic, and referential humor will revel in the nonsensical fun, and are likely to be hooked by the sumptuous and surprisingly deep Adventure Time universe. Younger kids might be a bit baffled, but the show is so inventive and gorgeously rendered that even young kids may find it dazzling.

The show does feature a fair amount of marginal language ("sucks" and "friggin'," for example), so if your tweens are apt to repeat everything they hear on TV, you may want to opt out of this one. Another concern is Finn and Jake's reliance on weapons (swords, sticks, fire, etc.) to resolve disputes, though their victims (zombies, in one case) are mostly inhuman in nature.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can discuss how the Adventure Time compares to the real world. What aspects of Finn and Jake's world are rooted in fantasy? Is any of it relevant to the real world? What place does fantasy have in entertainment? Does entertainment always have to have a strong message, or can it just be fun?

  • Kids: How is your impression of the world shaped by what you see on TV or in movies? Have you ever changed the way you view something because of something you saw on TV? If so, when? How can we use this power of the media to influence positive change?

  • Kids: How does Adventure Time show us that Finn and Jake are friends? What have you learned about friendship by watching the show? Do any of the characters remind you of your friends, family, or people you know?

  • Why does Finn sometimes use weapons or violence to solve problems? What would happen in real life if a kid used the same kinds of weapons? Do you think it's funny to watch mild violence like this? Can you separate Finn's use of weapons with what's appropriate in real life?

  • How do the characters in Adventure Time demonstrate courage and curiosity? Why are these important character strengths?

TV Details

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