Bubblegum is typically very kind and compassionate, having a strong sense of justice, though she shows a dark side when provoked. She is highly intelligent, being responsible for the creation of the Candy People as well as various devices including a miniature time machine. She is fluent in German and Korean, using the latter language to communicate with her friend Lady Rainicorn. Bubblegum is skeptical of magic, refusing to acknowledge it as anything except science. Bubblegum is highly protective of the Candy People and cares deeply for their safety, but is secretly strained by the pressures of ruling and expresses a desire for freedom. Following a near-death experience at the end of the second season, she starts to isolate herself and becomes overprotective of the Candy People, even exhibiting authoritarian tendencies temporarily in the fifth season. At the end of the sixth season, Bubblegum is deposed as ruler following an election, where she realizes she has made the Candy People too unintelligent. Following the miniseries Stakes, Bubblegum is reinstated as ruler and becomes less overprotective.
Characteristics
Bubblegum has light pink skin and long magenta "hair", which is actually bubblegum. Her usual outfit is a puffy-sleeved pink gown with purple trim. Among many other outfits, she often wears a lab coat during science experiments. Being made of candy, Bubblegum is able to deform and reform her own biomass, through which she can regain lost body parts and fluctuate her biological age. Princess Bubblegum's birthday is on October 16. She usually appears bodily to be eighteen years old, though her actual age is given as 827; she was born hundreds of years prior to the events of the series from a gum-like ooze, the "Mother Gum". Bubblegum temporarily becomes thirteen years old in the third season due to losing too much biomass after being attacked by the Lich. In the seventh season, Bubblegum discovers that she is an incarnation of the "Candy Elemental", the living embodiment of candy as one of the Adventure Time universe's four classical elements. As the Elemental, she can materialize various quantities of candy through her hands and communicate with past incarnations of the Elemental. When Bubblegum's elemental powers consume her in the miniseries Elements, she becomes psychically connected to all candy in the universe, and can transform others into candy, upon which they lose memory of their life prior to their transformation.
Relationships
Besides Lady Rainicorn, Bubblegum is very good friends with Finn and Jake. In early episodes and the pilot, Finn has a crush on Bubblegum, often saving her from Ice King, though he eventually realizes she is too old for him. Finn still has feelings for Bubblegum afterward, as he becomes angry when she tries to intervene in his relationship with Flame Princess, believing her to be jealous when she actually fears for his safety as Flame Princess is highly unstable. Ice King has a strange fascination with Bubblegum due to her being a princess; it is revealed that she reminds him of his fiancée Betty, whom he often referred to as his "princess". Bubblegum has a strong bond with Marceline, whom she refers to as her "best friend" in Stakes. Though they are initially shown as hostile toward each other, they are implied to have a past romantic relationship in the third season. In the final episode, they share a kiss together after Marceline saves Bubblegum from GOLB, and are shown in a relationship in the epilogue. Bubblegum has a younger brother named Neddy, who is a "candy dragon" that was born alongside her in the Mother Gum. Neddy lives underneath the Candy Kingdom where Bubblegum keeps him isolated, as he is very easily frightened. Bubblegum is highly protective of Neddy as she is with the other Candy People, claiming that Neddy is merely "built different... we just need to respect it". Bubblegum's first creation was her "Uncle" Gumbald, whom she created after feeling lonely and desiring a companion. Gumbald originated the idea of a Candy Kingdom but became tyrannical, forcing Bubblegum to turn him into an average, unintelligent Candy Person using "dum-dum juice". Bubblegum also created an "Aunt" Lolly and a "Cousin" Chicle, who were also turned into Candy People for assisting Gumbald. Near the end of the series, Gumbald, Lolly, and Chicle are returned to their prior forms and seek revenge on Bubblegum, though Gumbald and Chicle are turned back into Candy People. Lolly repents and reconciles with Bubblegum, helping her look after Neddy as seen in the epilogue. Bubblegum's other creations include the Earl of Lemongrab and two "candy sphinxes" named Goliad and Stormo. A male counterpart of Bubblegum, Prince Gumball, exists in Ice King's "Fionna and Cake" stories. Where Princess Bubblegum enjoys science and talks to Lady Rainicorn in Korean, Prince Gumball is fond of baking and has a friend named Lord Monochromicorn with whom he communicates using Morse code. Prince Gumball is voiced by Neil Patrick Harris.
Reception
Bubblegum's relationship with Marceline has generated some controversy. Olivia Olson, who provides the voice of Marceline, once Tweeted that Ward told her the two "dated", though she later Tweeted that "I like to make things up at panels. Ya'll take my stories way too seriously". A video produced by Frederator Studios to offer a "recap" of Adventure Time further implied that Bubblegum and Marceline were in a relationship; the video was removed from YouTube, inciting further controversy. Bitch magazine saw Frederator's action as detrimental toward the acceptance of homosexuality in children's television. Executive producer Fred Seibert later admitted that "we got wrapped up by both fan conjecture and spicy fanart and went a little too far" in making the video, which was meant to provide an outlet for input from fans. Ward admitted he did not "really want to comment on it it was a big hullaballoo."
