How Adventure Time fans understand the 'true' producer: A close analysis of two encyclopedic fan texts

Authors

  • Paul Thomas University of Kansas

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.3983/twc.2022.2241

Keywords:

Animation, Authority, Encyclopedia, Epistemology, Information behavior, Wikipedia

Abstract

Adventure Time fan encyclopedists cataloged the show's final eighty-three episodes on Wikipedia and the Adventure Time Wiki in different ways: the former favored a division handed down by Cartoon Network, whereas the latter favored a division in line with what the show's production crew had intended. Conflicts like this occur when editors disagree about who is the official producer of a text, a perception that is usually grounded in the epistemology of the fan archive. In considering this divide, the essay aims to build upon Ludi Price's 2017 model of fan information behavior by showing that the category of producer is more complex than many might initially assume.

Author Biography

Paul Thomas, University of Kansas

MA student in the social sciences.

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Published

2022-03-14