childrens tv

Mushroom War

Evidence or clues of former civilization

In many episodes of Adventure Time, there are many hints or clues regarding the world and the civilization that existed prior to the Mushroom War, including as follows:

The first shot of the opening sequence

Adventure Time Theme Song: An opening shot showing various weapons and technological debris, including grayed land and undetonated nuclear missiles lying around, and an arm reaching upward from a tree trunk. There also appears to be the remains of a tank’s tread in the center of the shot and a pink necklace and headphones. The bashed up television is another remnant.

In the “Animated Short“, Pen’s (Finn) mind is transported back in time to Mars. The world is shown full unlike the world shown above.

“Tree Trunks“: Traffic signs, which have since somehow mutated into Sign Zombies. It is unknown how this has happened. The painting in Tree Trunks’ house looks like it could be Egypt due to the triangular structures it shows that may be pyramids.

“The Enchiridion“: When Finn and Jake first walk through the forest of Mount Cragdor, pieces of metal and some dryers/washers can be seen as they look for the sacred book. Some of the pieces at the top, right corner of the path may be sinks.

“Business Time“: Ancient artifacts frozen in icebergs, including computers, a bike, baby shoes and the Businessmen. When the Businessmen try to remember where they came from, they seem to be in pain. Finn also uses a flamethrower built from two fuel tanks connected to a rifle by a tube. When the Businessmen, along with Finn and Jake, are shot up into the sky, they fall back down revealing the entire Land of Ooo. Ooo seems to be a large island, with open ocean surrounding it.

“My Two Favorite People“: When Finn and Lady Raincorn confront Jake and Tiffany, the bottoms of upturned cars can be seen in the ground. Jake also uses a military issue phone and headset, and some mutated and regular skulls can be seen near the fire pit where Jake, Lady Rainicorn, and Finn are sitting.

“The Witch’s Garden“: The remains of a highway system and a plane’s wing can be seen near Gary’s nest; the River of Junk is essentially a river of mundane pre-war artifacts. Near the River of Junk, a car door can also be spotted close by.

“Ocean of Fear“: Underwater city ruins and vehicles appear, and a brief scene shows a damaged aircraft carrier and a stranded tank- an even briefer scene depicts two dead bodies on a couch in the remains of a pre-war living room. Finn and Jake also take to the depths in a submarine. You can also see the remaining tops of cars while they are floating over what might have been an ancient road. All this would seem to imply that sea levels have risen significantly since the war, which would also explain the world’s altered Geography and the island-like nature of Ooo. There is also ruins of old pre-war buildings that can be seen when Jake tries to teach Finn to swim…”

Text: Adventure Time Wiki “Mushroom War”.

Image: Hieronymus Bosch. The Garden of Earthly Delights [detail]. Oil on panel triptych, 220×389 cm. Collection: Museo del Prado, Madrid.

Advertisement

“Over the hills and far away…”

“The [Teletubbies] series was shot at a large outdoor set near in Stratford-upon-Avon. The set consists of a sculpted landscape of hillocks populated with flowers and large rabbits, with the Teletubbies’ home, the Tubbytronic Superdome, at its centre. The Teletubbies are four pot-bellied creatures with short limbs, large heads and coloured furry skin, who are played by actors in body-suits. Tinky Winky is purple, Dipsy is green, Laa-Laa is yellow, and Po is red. Each Telerubby has a distinctive appearance, marked not only by colour but also by the individuating aerial-like structures on the tops of their heads and by their personal possessions, like Tinky Winky’s handbag or Dipsy’s hat…

“On the edge of Teletubbyland stands a tall metal windmill, which periodically begins to turn and broadcasts short sequences of actuality film showing children playing together, running on the beach, splashing in puddles or baking cakes, and so on. These sequences are beamed onto the stomach of one of the Teletubbies, who each has a silvery patch there in the shape of a television screen. The Teletubbies look forward to these broadcasts and react to them with pleasure, demanding once they finish that they be played ‘again, again’, as they usually are, in a slightly truncated form. Aside from this, the Teletubbies gambol in their pastoral surroundings, play with objects, dance, sing, and take their meals of TubbyToast and TubbyCustard inside the technological space of the Tubbytronic Superdome, where Noo-Noo, their robotic cleaning machine, sweeps up after them. At intervals, props appear in Teletubbyland for them to encounter, animated clouds, rain or creatures appear, and lengthy animated sequences bring, for example, three ocean liners sailing into Teletubbyland on a miraculous flood, or animals walking two-by-two across the landscape.

“Each episode begins with a voiceover narration announcing ‘Over the hills and far away, Teletubbies come to play’, referencing the discourse of nursery rhymes. The Teletubbies are aware that they are being watched by their viewers, greeting their audience at the beginning of each programme and waving goodbye at the end. Each episode hollows out a space for its audience to interact, for example by joining in dances and songs, for which the camera is positioned to view the Teletubbies in long shot performing in a tableau. Similar long takes, usually in long shot, are used to present the animated figures and objects that suddenly appear in Teletubbyland. For example, after a sudden downpour from animated clouds, a large silvery lake appears and three ocean liners move across it to music based on the Christmas carol ‘I Saw Three Ships Come Sailing In’. The large liners move slowly and majestically across the lake while the camera remains static, producing an otherworldly and mesmerizing effect that is also present in similar long animated sequences in other episodes…”

Jonathan Bignell, “Familiar Aliens: Teletubbies and Post Modern Childhood”, Screen 46:3 Autumn 2005, 373-4.

Image: Paul Virilio, Bunker Archaeology.