Exploring Female Character Costumes and Representation in Cartoon Network's Adventure Time

Abstract

Costumes in animated TV series play a crucial role in visual storytelling, reflecting the characters' personalities and the narrative's setting. scholar emphasizes that costume design is a delicate balance between narrative and visual elements, using color, texture, and silhouette to enhance authenticity. In Adventure Time, the varied costumes of Princess Bubblegum and Marceline showcase their evolving personalities while challenging traditional female character stereotypes. This research explores how these designs communicate distinct identities and narratives, with the goal of advancing costume design practices and character recognition in animation. Adventure Time stands out because its secondary female leads possess an extensive wardrobe of costume designs, a rarity in animated television. This study employs a qualitative approach to investigate the diverse costume designs in Adventure Time as visual communicators. By focusing on Princess Bubblegum and Marceline, it analyzes their different outfits to uncover the connection between costume design and narrative. The research includes episode analysis, such as Go with Me and What Was Missing, and the review of online stills and information from books, internet sources, and videos. A comparative analysis of these characters' costumes against stereotypical designs and gender representations will illuminate the influence of gender roles on costume design. This method will reveal how colors, shapes, and details contribute to storytelling. In animation, costume design conveys character personality, credibility, and the story's context. While traditional, consistent costumes help with character recognition, Adventure Time demonstrates that varied costumes can make characters memorable. This research examines the impact of these diverse costumes on storytelling, focusing on design elements and gender representation for characters like Princess Bubblegum and Marceline.