Lumpy Space Princess makes 21 major appearances in Adventure Time, stealing the Cartoon Network show with her theatrics and tagline, “Oh my Glob!”. Of course, the reason she is a fan favorite is that she’s equally apathetic, chaotic, and heroic. She vacillates between houselessness, romantic failures, and self-actualization. If not for her, many in the Land of Ooo would be lost. Lumpy Space Princess is a reminder to love yourself and forget the haters. Essentially, she is to Cartoon Network’s Adventure Time what Lizzo is to the real world. Though she may come off as selfish, Lumpy Space Princess has one of the greatest heroic arcs of the series.
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She’s Doing Her Best
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Voiced by Pendleton Ward, Lumpy Space Princess is the most theatrical character in Adventure Time. In her debut, she accidentally bites Jake, giving him the Lumps, and unwillingly takes Finn and Jake into Lumpy Space for the cure. Upon their frustration with her, she tells the duo through tears, “I know I mess things up sometimes, but I’m really trying!” Her plea is a battle cry to anyone who is aware of their behavior and is simultaneously trying to be better. Healthy Psych discusses the benefits of trying, claiming it’s good for your health, “If you keep trying things, in the form of taking that next step, then you’ll eventually finish your project. A tremendous amount of satisfaction and sense of accomplishment comes with finishing something that you started, regardless of how it turns out.” The beauty of Lumpy Space Princess is that she is actively trying, whether it be a new job, love interest, or helping others in Ooo.
Self-Love Over Self-Hate
Often, when a person loves themselves, it can be praised or criticized depending on who is at the pulpit. In the last decade, the concept of self-love has resurfaced thanks to social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok. Sometimes, it seems like everyone from celebrities, influencers, and even religious leaders are preaching the benefits of self-love. Different media remind readers that on their journey of self-love, they are not alone. Throughout Adventure Time, Lumpy Space Princess echoes the need for community on one’s self-love journey. While she often lives on her own in Ooo, she develops a strong friendship with Turtle Princess, the librarian of Ooo, who, at one point, encourages Lumpy Space Princess to write a trashy romance novel. Lumpy Space Princess wears a garbage bag and tries to get Finn to fall in love with her, only for her to fall for Finn. Ultimately, she is exemplary in positive self-talk, even if it’s off-putting to others. She continually tells Finn that she loves her lumps or that she loves her hot bod. Even at the slightest up, Lumpy Space Princess talks about herself in the most positive light.
The Road to Empathy
Lumpy Space Princess may seem self-centered in Adventure Time, but she has a couple of moments where she shows real empathy and compassion for others. In season 4, Finn and Jake are hired by Lumpy Space King and Queen, who want them to deliver sandwiches to her. The brothers stumble upon a village that was rampaged by a monster, who turns out to be Lumpy Space Princess. Before she destroyed the village, she was living with a pack of wolves. She thought one of the wolves was cheating on their boyfriend, and even though they weren’t talking wolves, they chased her out of their cave. Although it wasn’t her business, she showed compassion to her fellow wolves by trying to keep the pack together. Later, she gives the sandwiches to the villagers as an apology for eating all their crops.
The Anti-Elemental of Ooo
When Patience St. Pim activates the elementals, Finn, Jake, Ice King, and Betty are the only hope for the Land of Ooo to be saved. Except Jake gets absorbed into Slime Princess, where Finn leaves with Lumpy Space Princess, Ice King, and Betty. Lumpy Space Princess and Finn enter the Fire Kingdom, where he is overtaken by the fire elemental, becoming Fire Finn, focused on annihilating the nerds of the Fire Kingdom. Nonchalantly, Lumpy Space Princess mentioned to him that she went through all the areas of Ooo without changing or being absorbed. Of course, when Finn is transformed, it’s Lumpy Space Princess who reminds him of his hero heart, which seemingly transforms him back to his human form. But after Betty and Ice King ditch Finn and Lumpy Space Princess, the duo are left to save Ooo themselves. While Finn speculates that Lumpy Space Princess’ ability to move through each area unchanged, she is verbally bored, which causes him to realize that she is the key to saving Ooo. Wearing Ice King’s crown, she literally plants herself into Ooo and changes everyone back to normal. She literally saves all of Ooo by always trying her best, her inspiring self-love, and ability to show compassion even when she’s wrong.
