An orphan boy Finn and his adoptive brother Jake—a transmorphically magical dog, no less—nabbed top spot from SpongeBob in 2013 as the most beloved cartoon characters among kids aged six to 13, the results of the latest Roy Morgan Young Australian Survey show.
Rocketing up from number nine in 2012, the two stars of the Cartoon Network’s Adventure Time overtook established favourites including SpongeBob SquarePants, Bugs Bunny, Ben 10 and both Bart and Homer Simpson in 2013 to become 11% of kids’ favourite cartoon characters, up from just 2% in a single year. A whole lotta love among girls aged six to seven also sees Peppa Pig crack the Top 10.
Top 10 Favourite Cartoon Characters
Finn and Jake are number one among boys 8-9, 10-11 and 12-13, but make the top five for both boys and girls across all age groups, with Bugs Bunny the only other character to do so. But SpongeBob SquarePants still has the edge on Finn and Jake among girls of all ages.
Finn and Jake’s adventures in the post-apocalyptic Land of Ooo a millennium after the Great Mushroom War also saw Adventure Time jump 19 spots to become the number one favourite TV show overall, with popularity at a peak among boys aged eight to 11.
John La Rosa, General Manager – Agencies, Roy Morgan Research, says:
“The speed with which Finn and Jake have become beloved cartoon characters among Aussie kids is a reminder to all youth marketers the importance of keeping close tabs on what kids like, what they do and watch, what they think is cool and what they want to buy (or receive as a present). These things are constantly changing.
“Roy Morgan’s Young Australian Survey database looks at all these areas in detail and provides media agencies and marketers with unprecedented access to information on kids 6-13 years old, as well as their households.
“A Roy Morgan Understanding Young Australians report is also available, which give marketers an insight into the latest trends, with sample sizes that permit a wide range of targeted demographic filtering by gender, age and location.”
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