Jake the Dog is a character and one of the two protagonists in the American animated television series Adventure Time and resulting franchise created by Pendleton Ward.

Jake can stretch, shrink, or mold any part of his body to any shape and almost any size, ranging from becoming gigantic to becoming incredibly small.

Series creator Pendleton Ward has stated that he wrote Finn and Jake, including Adventure Time as a whole, as though he were playing a session of Dungeons & Dragons, a tabletop role-playing game.

Ward commented that Finn and Jake's motivations are noble, with a desire to "slay monsters, explore dungeons, find loot."

[6] He first appeared in the short film "Adventure Time", which centers around rescuing Princess Bubblegum (Hynden Walch) from the evil Ice King (John Kassir).

"[10] Adventure Time composer Tim Kiefer said that the show had gradually become an exploration of the "Hero's journey" through the characters.

Jake the Dog is one of the main characters of Adventure Time and often appears alongside his best friend and adopted brother Finn the Human.

[17] Realizing that violence is not the answer to the conflict, they ally with Gumbald to defeat the evil deity GOLB, who is intent on destroying Ooo.

[20] Finn and Jake are shown relaxing on a beach witnessing the humans return to Ooo for the first time in centuries.

[21] The Adventure Time: Distant Lands special "Together Again" takes place sometime after the end of the series, after Jake has died.

[23][24] Since Adventure Time's inception, Jake has appeared in various comic book series, video games, and other merchandise.

[25] Jake's first console game appearance was as a playable character in Adventure Time: Hey Ice King!

[39] The concept for Fionna and Cake came from drawings made by Adventure Time storyboard artist Natasha Allegri.

Club claimed that "Jake is the ultimate sidekick," stating further that "Not only can he grow, shrink, and transform into any shape that might help his buddy Finn during battle, but he can also dance, sing, and make a mean plate of bacon pancakes.

"[44] Richard Whittaker of The Austin Chronicle noted that he felt that the "strong but emotionally vulnerable" Cake was written in a way that successfully provided a female analog for Jake as a gender-swapped version.

[46] Writing for Vox, Emily VanDerWerff called the series "this era's finest coming-of-age story", mentioning how Jake "has moved from happy wanderer to something like adulthood.