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1->''"Edgy and angry, so zesty and tangy!\
2There's new demographics\
3When nobody asked for it!"''
4-->-- ''WebAnimation/HomestarRunner'', [[https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=3K9R1rYrHbU Xeriouxly Forxe]]
5
6Retooling a show or theme for a different audience is an especially tricky process. Very successful shows are often structured around a specific appeal to demographics into a winning combo, with minor (un)intentional concessions to {{Periphery Demographic}}s, creating happy side revenue. This is evident in anime fandom's terms like {{sho|ujoDemographic}}jo and {{shonen|Demographic}} being treated as quasi-genres. But actively retooling a show to a new specific audience tends to result in stuff not seen as good as the original, perhaps because it automatically invites comparisons. This can create bad situations like JustForFun/RecycledInSpace, and eventually lead to PanderingToTheBase, although there are occasional gems. In less cynical situations, this may happen just because writers tend to be out of their element in different kinds of stories.
7
8Sometimes, this is a result of a long-since-discontinued series being revived years after the fact. Technically, it's aimed at the same demographic as before--they're just older and can handle more adult things now. Of course, remember that Administrivia/TropesAreTools; it can be hard for less experienced writers to work more mature material into the aforementioned series without coming off as pandering, and even if the transition is handled relatively well, it can still be disconcerting to see characters the audience has treasured since childhood suddenly start cursing and making sex jokes.
9
10Due to ValuesDissonance, many anime and manga are aimed at older audiences in dubs and translations. This causes fans [[WhatDoYouMeanItsForKids to mistake them]] for being aimed at more mature viewers/readers than they really are.
11
12Note that the Audience Shift is different from a GenreShift, as the latter's changes usually keep the same kind of viewers.
13
14Compare UnisexSeriesGenderedMerchandise. Contrast FleetingDemographic.
15----
16!!Examples:
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18[[foldercontrol]]
19
20[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
21* ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'':
22** ''Anime/PokemonOrigins'', while still family-friendly, is the first ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'' work to definitely be aimed at the franchise's [[PeripheryDemographic adult fans]][[note]]specifically, the ones who grew up with ''VideoGame/PokemonRedAndBlue''[[/note]] ''more'' than its traditional demographic of children. Other incarnations are mostly "all-ages" (like the main RPG games) or for kids. ''WebAnimation/PokemonGenerations'', its SpiritualSuccessor, continues this trend.
23** Similarly, the Mega Evolution specials are a spinoff of ''Anime/PokemonTheSeriesXY''. Unlike the rest of the series, they are clearly meant to appeal to teenagers and young adults just as much as kids due to their older cast and focus on the "badass" mons, as well as their similarity to the popular ''VideoGame/PokemonBlack2AndWhite2'' animated trailer. Eventually, the storyline would [[FullyAbsorbedFinale fully merge with the main series itself]], turning the final arc of the ''XY'' series, ''XYZ'', into an action-packed, darker and more dramatic adventure for Ash and his friends than in the past.
24* ''Manga/{{Saiyuki}}'' was originally {{shonen|Demographic}} manga but shifted to a {{josei}} publication.
25* While the idea of Sasami from ''Anime/TenchiMuyo'' as a MagicalGirl had been done both in parody and as a 'serious' story within the franchise, ''Anime/SasamiMagicalGirlsClub'', a straight adaptation for young girls, is [[FanonDiscontinuity mostly ignored by the fandom]].
26* Despite being an ostensibly {{shonen|Demographic}} production, ''Anime/TheVisionOfEscaflowne'' tended to fall in the middle ground of fandom. Interestingly, its two print adaptations are more obviously marketed to a male audience and a female audience but are usually seen as inferior.
27* The {{O|riginalVideoAnimation}}AVs of ''Manga/MagicKnightRayearth'' are likewise made with a knowledge of the show's male fandom, to detrimental results.
28* ''Anime/MagicalGirlLyricalNanoha'' is an odd case, being a [[{{Seinen}} fanboy]] DatingSim spin-off. It mutated into a MagicalGirl show, of which (wholesome) versions are ''usually'' targeted to young girls. However, its philosophy and treatment of the main character was very different than shoujo usually plays, which ended up ''attracting'' the usual fans who wanted something different. This group is big enough that some countries that licensed it cut out the {{Fanservice}} and ended up marketing directly to this younger age group.
29* There are a few {{Sho|nenDemographic}}unen titles which have had {{Seinen}} releases in their later installments (generally in manga). Some of these instances are ''Manga/FistOfTheNorthStar'', ''Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventure'', and ''Manga/{{Trigun}}''.
30* The infamous anime version of ''Manga/RosarioPlusVampire'' was aimed at a male audience, moreso than the manga was. Its emphasis on sexual fanservice at the expense of the original plot of the manga was a cause of outrage among fans, many of whom to this day are still demanding a more manga-faithful reboot.
31* ''Anime/GaoGaiGar'' was ostensibly a kid's show when it originally aired in 1997. The sequel OVA series, ''Anime/GaoGaiGar FINAL'', tried banking on the PeripheryDemographic with some DarkerAndEdgier content.
32* The ''[[Manga/TentaiSenshiSunred Astro Fighter Sunred]]'' anime was based on a {{seinen}} manga, yet with the removal of some sex jokes and a downplay of the violence [[AmusingInjuries to the cartoonish]] the result was a perfectly kid-friendly sentai parody, without losing any of the underlying satire and adult-aimed situational comedy of the original.
33* ''Shugo Chara Party!'', the third anime season of ''Manga/ShugoChara'' was aimed at the preschool/early elementary crowd, while the previous seasons were aimed at older children. It unsurprisingly bombed, and [[FranchiseKiller pretty much killed off the franchise in Japan]].
34* The ''Franchise/SailorMoon'' franchise is usually for young girls, but ''Anime/SailorMoonCrystal'' is targeted at the adult women who grew up with the [[Anime/SailorMoon 90's anime]] and [[Manga/SailorMoon manga]], complete with merchandise like adult-sized shoes and makeup.
35* ''Sailor Moon''[='s=] contemporary ''Franchise/DragonBall'' also fell into this, but [[ValuesDissonance mostly in]] [[AmericanKirbyIsHardcore North America]]. Starting when ''Anime/DragonBallZKai'' ended its run on children's networks and was later [[ChannelHop relocated to]] Creator/AdultSwim's Creator/{{Toonami}}, the franchise has been primarily marketed to teenagers and adults in America despite the fact that it was conceived as a {{shonen}} series for young boys (and was marketed as such for most of its life worldwide). ''Anime/DragonBallSuper'', despite having toned-down violence from previous series, exclusively airs on Toonami with a faithful, uncensored dub aimed towards teenagers and adults.
36* The ''Franchise/{{Digimon}}'' franchise was initially conceived as and is most known for being a children's franchise, but dwindling sales of franchise media among children have caused Bandai Namco and Toei Animation to shift their focus towards older teenagers and adults, especially those who grew up with the original series. This is reflected in the video games having ''much'' darker plots than before and the ''Anime/DigimonAdventureTri'' anime featuring the original cast during high school and all the angst and GrowingUpSucks that comes with it. On ther other end of the spectrum, while the original ''Anime/DigimonAdventure'' was aimed more at tweens, the [[Anime/DigimonAdventure2020 2020 reboot]] was aimed at younger kids, having a more episodic structure that younger kids could more easily follow [[ContinuityLockOut even if they missed a few episodes]].
37* Joining the ranks of ''Digimon'' and ''Sailor Moon'', ''Anime/MagicalDoremi'' is a show targeted towards young girls. After nearly 7 years after the original series' end, a light novel series titled ''Ojamajo Doremi 16'' was released, taking place when the characters are in high school. Since the 15th anniversary of the series' first release, products for adult women, such as makeup and jewelry accessories, were being released for the audience that grew up with the show.
38* ''Franchise/{{Naruto}}'':
39** ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'' is aimed at elementary schoolers in Japan, even with all the blood and violence. For the English dub, when it began airing in the 2000s, Creator/CartoonNetwork would air a "family friendly" version that censored some of that stuff, while the "uncut" version was aimed at teenagers and adults. Since the show was ScrewedByTheNetwork and mainly regulated to home releases until the Toonami relaunch, the series has mostly done away with the "family friendly" version and focuses on the "uncut" one.
40** In Japan, ''Manga/{{Boruto}}'' is aimed at a ''younger'' audience than its predecessor ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'' and was even moved to a kid's block alongside ''Anime/PokemonTheSeries''. In America, it's TV-PG and airs on Creator/{{Toonami}} (one of the episodes was rated TV-MA-S, a first for not just the series, but the whole franchise). It's not even one of the Toonami anime advertised at kids, like ''My Hero Academia'' and ''Dragon Ball Super''.
41* ''Manga/OsomatsuKun'' was family friendly. ''Anime/OsomatsuSan'' takes place ten years afterwards and portrays the characters as much more flawed, and adult, than before. The troublesome sextuplets grew up to be {{NEET}}s, and much of the humor stems from watching them either try to make something out of their lives or avoid the responsibility for as long as possible. Then oddly, there's the spinoff ''Matsuinu'', which features the ''San'' versions of the characters as dogs, but the anime version at least premiered in a timeslot meant for preschoolers.
42* ''Anime/KingOfPrism'' is a whole different beast from the [[Anime/PrettyRhythmRainbowLive anime]] it spun off from, let alone the rest of the [[ShoujoDemographic young girl-focused]] ''VideoGame/PrettySeries'' franchise. With its primarily pretty boy cast, oodles of fanservice, and bigger emphasis on relationships between the boys, it's much more geared at the older girls who watched ''Pretty Rhythm'' than their younger peers.
43* ''Manga/WanderingSon'' is aimed at [[{{Seinen}} men]] in Japan. Its English translation is aimed at teenagers in general.
44* ''Franchise/LupinIII'' swaps between {{Shonen}} and {{Seinen}} at what is basically random - none of it is strictly kids stuff, but it ranges from ''Film/JamesBond''-esq "risque, but basically family-friendly" (''Anime/TheCastleOfCagliostro'' and ''[[Anime/LupinIIIPartII Red Jacket]]'') to containing extremely violent situations and dark, gritty themes. (''[[Anime/LupinIIITheWomanCalledFujikoMine The Woman Called Fujiko Mine]]'', some parts of ''[[Anime/LupinIIIPart5 Part 5]]'', and the [[Anime/GravestoneOfDaisukeJigen Jigen]] and [[Anime/GoemonIshikawasSprayOfBlood Goemon]] short films) The [[Manga/LupinIII original manga itself]] is kind of a middle ground - it arguably has the darkest, most adult situations of the entire franchise, but also at the same time has an off-the-wall, NoFourthWall style of humor.
45* ''Manga/{{Gon}}'' is a {{seinen}} manga but the [[AllCGICartoon CGI]] anime adaptation was aimed at young children.
46* ''Franchise/YokaiWatch'' is predominantly aimed at kids but it does have a {{seinen}} manga named ''Komasan ~A Time for Fireworks and Miracles~''.
47* ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion'' is, according to the creator, intended to be [[WhatDoYouMeanItsForKids for children]]. However, it's treated as a {{seinen}} series by most marketing and is targeted at adults (or at least, older teens). The movie ''End of Evangelion'' is also very much an R rated affair.
48* ZigZagged with ''Manga/CrayonShinChan''. In Japan, the manga was published in a seinen magazine but the anime version is more aimed at kids and families with its marketing and timeslot ([[ValuesDissonance Yes, really]]). Then Creator/{{Funimation}} made a more vulgar English GagDub, making it for adults again.
49* Similar to ''Shin-Chan'', ''Anime/GhostStories'' is a kids show, but licensor Creator/ADVFilms figured it would sell better if they gave it a crass GagDub and aimed it at adults. It worked, as the gag dub is pretty much the only reason the show is even remembered in the United States.
50* ''Manga/CellsAtWorkCodeBlack'' is a {{seinen}} {{spinoff}} of ''Manga/CellsAtWork'', although the similarity ends at the usage of AnthropomorphizedAnatomy and basic character designs. The content shifts from body functions to ''diseases'' in ''CODE BLACK'', and is DarkerAndEdgier, HotterAndSexier, and BloodierAndGorier than the original or any of its other spinoffs, to the point that its creators are {{ecchi}} artists. It had surprisingly good reception to get UnCancelled, and Kodansha Comics considers it appropriate to license it in the US, despite having a 18+ rating.
51* ''Series/DenkouChoujinGridman'' and its US counterpart ''Series/SuperhumanSamuraiSyberSquad'' were primarily aimed at kids. ''Anime/SSSSGridman'', on the other hand, is more geared the teens and young adults that grew up with the former two, and as a result tends to have more lower-deck scenes and DarkerAndEdgier plots. The merch is similarly shifted to a general non-tokusatsu audience, with most of it focusing on Rikka and Akane over Gridman and the kaijuu.
52* The original manga for the romance series ''Manga/BoysOverFlowers'' was a {{Shoujo|Demographic}} series. Its sequel, ''Boys Over Flowers Season 2'', while still a romance series, shifted gears to {{Shonen}}.
53* ''Anime/PrettyCure'' is mainly aimed at elementary school girls, but one season, ''Anime/KiraKiraPrecureALaMode'', was mainly geared towards preschool and kindergarten aged girls and therefore lacked the usual hands-on combat of the franchise. This was because several parents complained about intense scenes in ''Anime/GoPrincessPrettyCure'' frightening very young children.
54** ''Anime/SmilePrecure'' also shifted its' focus to the younger demographics for the ''Pretty Cure'' franchise by making the show LighterAndSofter and more episodic and SliceOfLife-based than previous installments. But unlike ''Kira Kira'', the hands-on combat was kept. However, this was averted by the ''Glitter Force'' dub, which aimed the show at the original demographic of elementary schoolers.
55** The stage show ''Dancing Star Pretty Cure'' and the ''Otona Pretty Cure'' series are both aimed at adult women rather than children. In fact, preschool kids were banned from attending showings of ''Dancing Star Pretty Cure''.
56* Up until ''Manga/TheLegendOfZeldaTwilightPrincess2016'', all the [[Manga/TheLegendOfZeldaAkiraHimekawa Akira Himekawa]] manga adaptations were targeted at 11-12 year olds, but [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTwilightPrincess the game]]'s unexpected T rating prevented them from publishing in the magazine (a 'school-year' magazine for 6th graders) they had planned for. They only got the chance to try again, this time with Ura Sunday, when the game's HD re-release came out ten years later. Since the fans most anticipating it were now in their late teens to early twenties, and ''Twilight Princess'' already had a reputation as the "darkest Zelda game," Himekawa opted to write it as a SwordAndSorcery series instead of a more kid-friendly HeroicFantasy.
57* ''Manga/ChisSweetHome'' was originally a {{seinen}} manga that basically served as a [[BreatherEpisode "breather" series]] in the magazine it was published in. Because of it's family-friendly nature, both anime adaptations and nearly all merchandise has been aimed at preschoolers, with the aforementioned anime adaptations airing in morning timeslots alongside {{kodomomuke}} series.
58[[/folder]]
59
60[[folder:Asian Animation]]
61* ''Animation/PleasantGoatAndBigBigWolf'', a children's series, has had at least two seasons/spinoffs with changes in the target audience:
62** ''Animation/PleasantGoatFunClass'' is aimed at a younger audience than the original. It features cuter designs, less drama, and more education.
63** ''Mr.Wolffy, Mr.Right!'' is aimed at a slightly older audience. This is apparent due to it being about Wolffy's relationships at the workplace.
64[[/folder]]
65
66[[folder:Comic Books]]
67* Creator/{{Marvel|Comics}} and Creator/{{DC|Comics}} superhero comics have a long history of this. Originally, they were meant for anyone, but then UsefulNotes/TheComicsCode happened, so they changed to make them more kid-friendly. Eventually, both sides got tired of obeying the comics code and began aiming the comics toward older and older audiences. Now the comics are mostly targeted at teens and adults.
68* The ''WesternAnimation/{{Gargoyles}}'' continuation comic and its spin-off, ''ComicBook/GargoylesBadGuys'', have a much more adult bent to them, with things like stabbing (with blood!), suicides, and even more complex characterization than the TV series had.
69* ''ComicBook/TwoThousandAD'' was initially aimed at 8-12 year old boys, but like what happened with American comics, gradually started appealing to older tastes as its readers aged. In the late 90s, Tharg attempted to launch a new comic called ''Earthside 8'' to bring in ''2000 AD's'' original demographic, but the plan was scrapped.
70* ''ComicBook/ArchieComics'':
71** ''ComicBook/ArchieComics'' occasionally feature a story in which the characters are involved in dangerous or hostage situation, usually featuring a villain with some sort of firearm. At some point, Archie Comics decided it needed to be more "kid friendly" and edited out said guns when stories are reprinted. The results were usually odd; Archie and friends would be extremely intimidated by people who were simply pointing at them, and unarmed people are depicted walking or running as if they were holding an invisible rifle. In addition, there were a few rare comics that seemingly have stopped being reprinted, presumably due to subject matter. One involved Betty and Veronica discussing Archie (and explicitly calling him "sexy"). An early comic of Cheryl Blossom featured her attempting to go topless at a beach, while her brother disguised a beer can as a soda can. The second comic can be found in a "Best of Archie Comics" release, but otherwise neither of them has been reprinted in over a decade (despite the company's tendency to frequently reprint comics from well over 20 years ago).
72** In the 2010s, Archie began expanding their horizon with more DarkerAndEdgier spinoffs such as ''ComicBook/AfterlifeWithArchie'' or ''ComicBook/ArchieVsPredator''. This in turn caused the ContinuityReboot ''ComicBook/ArchieComics2015'' to be aimed at slightly older audiences than their original demographic, though they're still pretty family friendly.
73* The ''WesternAnimation/{{Jem}}'' cartoon was aimed at girls twelve and under. The IDW ''ComicBook/JemAndTheHologramsIDW'' comic reboot is aimed at an older audience, though not much is actually above PG rating aside from mild swearing and slight sexuality.
74* The ''ComicBook/TheTransformersIDW'' comics are likewise aimed at the older PeripheryDemographic of the franchise instead of young boys, although, again, besides a couple of "damns" and alcohol references (though both have some basis in canon), it's fairly tame.
75[[/folder]]
76
77[[folder:Films -- Animation]]
78* ''Franchise/ToyStory'', where Andy's age roughly mirrored the viewers'. ''WesternAnimation/ToyStory3'', released fifteen years after [[WesternAnimation/ToyStory1 the first film]], is pretty much about the loss of childhood innocence and entering the adult world, and is very much written with the college audience as the first priority.
79* This has somewhat occurred with hand-drawn animation in general. Other than TV, the medium has rarely had a shot in theaters since the mid-2000s and any attempts otherwise (like with ''WesternAnimation/ThePrincessAndTheFrog'' or ''WesternAnimation/WinnieThePooh2011'') have largely failed. With the rise of internet streaming and the GKIDS release of ''WesternAnimation/TheSecretOfKells'' however, hand-drawn features have seen a revival in the [[LeFilmArtistique indie and underground markets]] which[[note]]of course[[/note]] [[PeripheryDemographic are made up of adults and animation enthusiasts alike regardless of the film's intended audience]].
80* Franchise/DisneyAnimatedCanon works are aimed at general audiences. This means they're not ''kid'''s films, they're ''family'' films that can be enjoyed by all audiences. However, most merchandise is aimed at young children. They do have stuff aimed at the slightly older preteen audience such as the ''Franchise/{{Frozen}}'' book ''Literature/AFrozenHeart'' (which has a recommended age range of 10-13), and some for adults, often their collectable merchandise, but most Disney merchandise is aimed at their youngest demographics.
81[[/folder]]
82
83[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
84* The film of ''Literature/TheLovelyBones'' had an initially unintentional Audience Shift. It was made tame enough to be rated PG-13 [[SoMyKidsCanWatch so the scriptwriters' children could watch it]], and in marketing tests it did much, much better with teenage girls than with adults. Paramount advertised it heavily on fan blogs for ''Literature/TheTwilightSaga''.
85* ''Franchise/StarWars'': ''Film/RevengeOfTheSith'' shifted towards a teen/adult focus. This film took the DarkerAndEdgier route as far as it could possibly go, becoming the first PG-13 ''Star Wars'' film.
86* ''Film/ClashOfTheTitans1981'' was a film for families and young children; ''Film/ClashOfTheTitans2010'' was a movie for teenage boys and college students (as a way to emulate the success of violent action films such as ''Film/ThreeHundred'').
87* Gross-Out Comedies like ''Film/AnimalHouse'' and ''Film/{{Porkys}}'' were originally made with an adult audience in mind (specifically, they were meant to be nostalgic throwbacks for adults who were in high school or college when those movies took place). However, once teenagers turned out to be the main audience for those movies (with adults actually being ''offended'' by them), the demographic for such films shifted to teenagers (with the nostalgic settings dropped).
88* The Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse has always been a MultipleDemographicAppeal, its start with ''Film/IronMan1'' certainly skewed towards young viewers, as the mature content and violence were mild. However by Phase Three, the films are more suitable for older teens and young adults, with darker themes and many a GutPunch that will traumatize children. It's even worse in the streaming shows, as the Netflix shows led by ''Series/{{Daredevil|2015}}'' are certainly adult-skewed, and not only for intense violence, and the two shows with teenage characters, ''Series/Runaways2017'' and ''Series/CloakAndDagger2018'', are not only dark but have the protagonists going through painful things such an drug usage and being pursued by the law.
89* ''Film/TheFlyII'' experienced this due to a new studio head at 20th Century Fox. He hadn't seen [[Film/TheFly1986 its predecessor]] according to producer Stuart Cornfeld, and co-writer Mick Garris says "The studio wanted a teenage monster movie". Instead of the BTeamSequel further exploring such concepts as "insect politics" in an adults-only manner, the film -- while still ''extremely'' gory -- is a thematically LighterAndSofter story of the first film's SpinOffspring with clear-cut heroes and villains and a MookHorrorShow RoaringRampageOfRevenge climax that encourages the audience to root for the monster.
90* ''Series/TheBananaSplits'' is a 1960s kids' show. The 2019 film ''Film/TheBananaSplitsMovie'' is a horror film where the animatronics on the show start murdering.
91[[/folder]]
92
93[[folder:Literature]]
94* ''Literature/HarryPotter'' started out as a kids' series, but slowly mutated into more of a young-adult series as the primary fanbase grew older. Creator/JKRowling supposedly wrote the later books to acknowledge this, introducing themes when she thought the audience would be ready - thus dating (the Yule Ball) and the death of a schoolmate in Book 4, etcetera.
95* The ''Literature/NancyDrew'' and ''Literature/TheHardyBoys'' franchises got a little SpinOff-happy in the 1980s, and ever since, they've created several spin-off series designed to audience shift in both directions.
96** Each series has had ''two'' SpinOffBabies series shifting even younger than the original preteen markets. Nancy had the ''Nancy Drew Notebooks'' and ''Nancy Drew and the Clue Crew,'' while the Hardys has ''The Clues Brothers'' and ''The Secret Files.''
97** They also each had a DarkerAndEdgier spinoff geared toward teen and young adult audiences. ''The Nancy Drew Files'' and ''The Hardy Boys Casefiles,'' and their crossover ''Supermysteries'' all dialed up the romance, upped the body count, and dealt with much more mature content (in the very first ''Casefile,'' Joe's girlfriend is '''blown up by a terrorist's car bomb.''')
98* ''Literature/AlicesAdventuresInWonderland'' was designed as a kid's book but it's usually marketed in modern times for teens and adults. In American schools, it's also compulsory reading for high schoolers.
99[[/folder]]
100
101[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
102* ''Series/TheDukesOfHazzard'' began as a more serious, adult-oriented television series. After the first few episodes were filmed and audience testing began, the studio decided it was playing better to younger audiences and the series was toned down and made more family friendly.
103* Conversely, the {{game show}} ''Series/FamilyFeud'' has become more adult-oriented over time. It can be argued that this started when Ray Combs became host, although a notable shift was in 2010: not only was Steve Harvey introduced to Website/YouTube before he made his television debut, but adult-themed questions [[OnceAnEpisode became the norm.]]
104* Following the successes of ''Film/HighSchoolMusical'' and ''Series/HannahMontana'', ongoing Creator/DisneyChannel shows from around 2006 such as ''Series/TheSuiteLifeOfZackAndCody'' and ''Series/ThatsSoRaven'' were changed from HighConcept SliceOfLife comedies aimed at kids of both genders, to shows about fame and romance aimed at teenage girls. It shifted back to kids in 2017.
105* During its original 2007-2012 run, ''Series/{{iCarly}}'' was aimed at preteen girls (despite numerous {{Parental Bonus}}es and a TestosteroneBrigade). The [[Series/ICarly2021 2021 revival]] on Creator/ParamountPlus is aimed at older audiences, as viewers of the original show have since grown up.
106[[/folder]]
107
108[[folder:Music]]
109* Happens regularly to teen oriented pop bands (Music/DuranDuran, the Music/BackstreetBoys, Music/BonJovi, and Music/TheJonasBrothers being some obvious examples) who choose to grow up with their original fans, moving on to a softer, more mature sound, rather than trying to win over a new generation of teens.
110* Music/LinkinPark grew up with their fans, shifting lyrical content from personal issues to political content, decreasing the amount of screaming, and not having as many guitars.
111[[/folder]]
112
113[[folder:Pro Wrestling]]
114* Wrestling/AllJapanWomensProWrestling initially catered to a general audiences when WWWA came through Japan and women's wrestling became something of a fad, though didn't find mainstream stars until the 1970s with The Beauty Pair. In the 1980s, it started catering very heavily to little girls, who especially loved The Crush Gals Wrestling/LionessAsuka and Chigusa Nagayo. AJW became one of the most successful promotions in the world largely because of those two but it was still behind many other Japanese promotions, at least as far as gates go, so in the 1990s it made a heavy effort to bring male fans to the shows. This would be its last hurrah, as the little girls no longer catered to as heavily largely stopped showing up and the men, well, they may have liked Wrestling/ManamiToyota, Akira Hokuto and the like but they weren't going to become the next generation of women's wrestlers as the women they were watching, many of whom attended shows as little girls, had. About five years into the 2000s AJW and its largest rival GAEA collapsed and women's wrestling hasn't been as popular with any audience since.
115** The ThreeMonthRule aside, the Wrestling/{{WWE}} has undergone two major {{retool}}s to shift their audience appeal. Throughout the 80s, they had been geared heavily toward a family friendly product, headlined by Wrestling/HulkHogan and other colorful characters. Around 1993, with his top stars having been on top of the card for the better part of a decade, Wrestling/VinceMcMahon shifted into the "New Generation" era, putting a bit more athleticism into the ring and gradually moving away from cards filled with one-sided {{squash match}}es. The idea was that the New Generation would attract a [[ShapedLikeItself new generation]] of fans to the sport, headlined by Wrestling/BretHart, [[Wrestling/KevinNash Diesel]], Wrestling/ShawnMichaels, [[Wrestling/ScottHall Razor Ramon]], and Wrestling/TheUndertaker.
116* In the 1990s, Wrestling/AllJapanProWrestling was the place to watch if what you wanted to see was serious, straightforward pro wrestling focused on work rate over gimmicks. In the 2000s, most of All Japan's roster packed up for Wrestling/MitsuharuMisawa's Wrestling/ProWrestlingNOAH, which continued to give them the same style for the most part with an added bonus of a Junior Heavyweight TagTeam division, a concept popularized by Wrestling/GenichiroTenryu's WAR. This meant that even with WAR's roster coming in to replace the lost All Japan wrestlers, NOAH was still doing everything they were already known for doing, leading to the much lighter, softer and stranger Puroresu Love period, designed to attract new fans(and more importantly, new sponsors) to pro wrestling. When Nobuo Shiraishi took over these 'new' fans would turn to Wrestle-1, where most of the All Japan wrestlers he ran off ran to, leading to All Japan switching its focus back to fans of traditional, straight forward pro wrestling again in 2014.
117* Ladies Legend Pro Wrestling started as a shooting style pro wrestling fed akin to the Wrestling/UniversalWrestlingFederation, in fact was considered part of the "U System", and was started in opposition to the theatrics of JWP. After the rising tide of mixed martial started to sink shoot style pro wrestling and especially after MMA's own boom died down with the death of Pride Fighting Championships LLPW only survived by restructuring into LLPW-X, which more actively works with pro wrestling promotions of other styles more than it promotes its own title belts, promotions that include JWP and its SpiritualSuccessor Pure J.
118* IWA Japan was initially a {{garbage|wrestler}} promotion spun off from and competing directly with the most garbage of the garbage feds [[Wrestling/{{FMW}} Frontier Martial-Arts Wrestling]]. But when company founder Victor Quinones left IWA Japan only survived thanks to the funding of a restaurant owner who couldn't give them the budget and wouldn't have the know how even if he did, to compete with FMW. So IWA Japan transitioned into being a comedy based fed that rarely bothered trying to run it's old venues, with the fans who wanted big production garbage going back to FMW or being out of luck unless they could tolerate Big Japan.
119* Spurred on by the more athletic product being delivered by Wrestling/{{WCW}} at the time, the New Generation Era morphed into the Wrestling/AttitudeEra around 1998. It went DarkerAndEdgier from its child friendly days, instead aiming for a young adult demographic, with a heavy emphasis on in-ring violence, sex appeal, and more adult storylines. After WCW collapsed and Wrestling/{{WWE}} was left standing on top of the heap, the need for the Attitude Era had passed, and they decided they needed to attract young viewers again. Starting in late 2002, the second major retool began with the rise of stars like Wrestling/JohnCena and Wrestling/RandyOrton, discouraging swearing and violence on the weekly shows and toning down the amount of female {{Fanservice}}.
120* In the 2000s, Wrestling/NewJapanProWrestling switched from the strong style it had pioneered to a mixture of worked pro wrestling matches and mix martial arts fights. Mixed style matches had technically been a thing since the 1970s but out and out MMA feds were not a thing until Shooto, Pancrase, Pride Fighting Championships and the like, New Japan clearly playing FollowTheLeader, to [[AccidentalPun mixed]] results. While "[[Wrestling/AntonioInoki Inokism]]" as this then new approach to booking was called wasn't a total failure, producing a few financial successes, New Japan's fan base and revenues gradually declined as the neither the pro wrestling nor the mixed martial arts were seen as high quality and the MMA in fact hurt the pro wrestling booking as wrestlers who had no business doing it were put in fights to keep New Japan's promises to fans and MMA promotions and then buried for losing. Several popular wrestlers who weren't destroyed simply left or refused play along if they stayed, resulting in some successful mixed martial artists winning pro wrestling title belts even though they were far from the best pro wrestlers NJPW had(Wrestling/BobSapp), a famous case of NJPW hiring [[Wrestling/NaoyaOgawa an Olympic silver medalist Judoka]] to beat [[Wrestling/ShinyaHashimoto one of its top stars]] into retirement for refusing to put pro wrestlers perceived as sub par over and another case of a [[Wrestling/BrockLesnar supposed foreign prospect]] essentially holding the company hostage by choosing to sit out his contract and then leaving with the IWGP Heavyweight Title belt rather than job to [[Wrestling/ShinsukeNakamura another wrestler]] who proved successful in mixed marital arts fights. Eventually NJPW decided it was doing better with strong style, even traditional "puroresu", even the super junior athletics and abandoned "Inokism", though it continued to be displayed in IGF.
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123[[folder:Puppet Shows]]
124* The range of the target audience to whom ''Series/SesameStreet'' is aimed towards—formerly 3 to 7—was bumped down with Elmo's rise in popularity after the Tickle Me Elmo craze in 1996, with two-year-old children now being included. Since then, there have been multiple attempts at making the show more accessible to toddlers, like ''Series/ElmosWorld'' and ''Series/PlayWithMeSesame''.
125[[/folder]]
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127[[folder:Toys]]
128* The [=BeForever=] revamp of the Literature/AmericanGirlsCollection flagship historical line and the Truly Me revamp of the [[SpotlightStealingSquad modern line]] are intended to try and prevent this. These dolls are, like the books they're paired with, intended for the 8-12 demographic with a clear stated aim of letting these kids be kids instead of be pressured to age out of age-appropriate things and try to grow up fast. However, parents who didn't get the memo are actually contributing to the problem by buying the dolls for younger kids, sometimes even ''toddlers'', to the point where kids declare that they've grown out of their "babyish" dolls ''before'' they actually hit the appropriate age for them! The other problem with this is that these parents are risking their kids' health with choking and injury hazards (though the newer accessories go for plastic instead of glass and metal and bunch things like food items together instead of making them separate and more easily lost). Thus, with the aforementioned revamps, the company put a focus on the books and compiled them into larger editions with no illustrations, so they're more obviously middle-grade books; they also put heavy emphasis on the fact that these characters are 9-10-year-old girls and meant to be viewed as equal playmates, and ads show girls in the 8-12 age range.
129* In the 2010s the Easy Bake Oven changed its marketing strategy to be aimed at girls ''and'' boys instead of only girls. In 2012 Hasbro decided to redesign the oven to be gender neutral, in response to people whose sons wanted to bake but didn't enjoy the pink and purple colors of the toy.
130* After multiple failed attempts to reboot the children's ''Franchise/MastersOfTheUniverse'' franchise, Creator/{{Mattel}} gave up and aimed the latest incartion of the toyline, ''MOTUS Classics'', strictly towards adult collectors.
131* ''Franchise/{{Transformers}}'', traditionally aimed at the 8-12 crowd, had the short-lived "First Transformers" line in 1986, a collaboration with Playskool that was intended for very young children in the 1-3 range. It used greatly simplified transformations, rounded edges, and colorful designs to give it better appeal to toddlers. (This is only partially an Audience Shift, as the original series was still ongoing at the time.)
132* UsefulNotes/McDonalds [[KidsMealToy Happy Meal]] toys are primarily aimed towards young kids. However, in October 2022, the company introduced [[https://www.npr.org/2022/09/29/1125809528/mcdonalds-adult-happy-meals-october the first Happy Meal set aimed towards adults]], themed around the Cactus Flea Market fashion brand, which contained figures of three of the Advertising/McDonaldland characters (Grimace, Birdie and the Hamburglar) and a figure of the Cactus Flea Market mascot (Cactus Buddy). This is only a partial shift though, as this was treated as separate from the normal Happy Meal brand (not using the Happy Meal branding or name), which remains aimed at kids.
133* Spanish toy company Famosa has a line of dolls called ''Pinypon''. When they were originally introduced in the 80's, they were gender-neutral. Come the [=2010s=], and the toyline and dolls were redesigned to appeal to girls exclusively, though some boy dolls were made. In recent years, however, they've tried to make the dolls appeal to more than just girls, introducing the boy-centric ''Pinypon Action'' and the gender-neutral ''My First Pinypon'' line aimed at toddlers.
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135
136[[folder:Video Games]]
137* ''VideoGame/CutTheRope'': While the first games where for general audiences, the success of ''WebAnimation/OmNomStories'' with young kids has made that the franchise in general became marketed more towards toddlers.
138* ''VideoGame/DigimonStoryCyberSleuth'' and its follow up ''VideoGame/DigimonStoryCyberSleuthHackersMemory'' targets the older fans of the ''Franchise/{{Digimon}}'' franchise, featuring a darker story, MsFanservice characters and a plot with implications and exploration that has received comparisons to the ''Franchise/ShinMegamiTensei'' series, especially the newer ''Franchise/{{Persona}}'' games, ''VideoGame/SoulHackers'' and ''VideoGame/DevilSurvivor2'', with the game outright using ''Devil Survivor's'' lead designer and artstyle with one of its characters being a ShoutOut to the hero of ''VideoGame/DevilSurvivor2''. Appropriately enough, the two games are rated T for Teen under the ERSB.
139* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXVI'' is the first game in the ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'' series to be made with Western adult audiences in mind, given that it is the first mainline M-rated title in the series, the ''Series/GameOfThrones'' influence in the plot and world design, and that while the voice script was written in Japanese first, it was recorded in English first, with the localization changes made to the English script translated back into Japanese, then recorded in Japanese.
140* ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'':
141** ''VideoGame/PokemonSunAndMoon'' is meant to appeal to the older teens and fans as the 20th anniversary, and [[DarkerAndEdgier it shows]]. [[WhatDoYouMeanItsForKids Many fans were surprised it didn't get the E10+ rating]]. It includes adult themes such as heavy parental abuse (worse than in ''VideoGame/PokemonBlackAndWhite''), an AlienInvasion and the world turning [[CrapsaccharineWorld Crapsaccharine]] as well as lots of NightmareFuel. And it's much harder than previous games, too.
142** When introduced in the 1990s, ''Pokémon'' was strictly marketed at children. After "Poké Mania" died down, and especially when the original ''VideoGame/PokemonRedAndBlue'' fans begin growing into teens and adults, the marketing switched. While the games are still geared at general audiences and all media (ranging from the various manga and anime to the games themselves) are family-friendly, there's plenty of merch for adults as well as kids.
143** The mobile game ''VideoGame/PokemonMasters'' is aimed at older fans. It has a focus on trainers from throughout the game's history and it has a Loot Box mechanic that uses real money.
144* The mean age of the ''VideoGame/RuneScape'' players has gotten older. Jagex has acknowledged that and many things can be seen as a result such as more sophisticated storylines and eventually, making the profanity filter optional.
145* ''VideoGame/MetroidOtherM'', to counter a history of low sales in its native land, was designed to appeal to Japanese audiences with a stronger emphasis on story and a more linear style of gameplay. This backfired badly, as the changes to Samus' character to make her more appealing to a Japanese audience alienated the series' western fan base and wasn't exactly a popular move back home, either.
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148[[folder:Web Original]]
149* ''Website/{{Neopets}}'' was originally designed for college students, but over time its primary demographic has shifted younger and younger until it became mainly aimed at little kids. This can lead to WhatDoYouMeanItsForKids when younger users stumble upon some of the remnants of the site's early days. However, a ''second'' audience shift that balanced its focus to both kids and adults started around 2012 when older players (many of whom joined as kids) came back, culminating in the site being acquired from Viacom/Nickelodeon by VideoGame/JumpStart ''specifically'' because it skewed older.
150* ''Website/{{Facebook}}'' was originally just for college students, but then it opened up to high school students as well, and eventually to everyone. This is part of the reason for its many layout changes over the years (for example, the decision to make it less oriented around school and work networks came not long after opening the site to everyone).
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152
153[[folder:Western Animation]]
154* The [[WesternAnimation/FelixTheCatOttoMessmer original]] silent ''WesternAnimation/FelixTheCat'' cartoons were made for general audiences (leaning towards adult in some of their subject matter) while the made-for-TV Joe Oriolo cartoons from the 1950's were aimed exclusively at kids instead.
155* ''Franchise/GIJoe'' is a franchise that was traditionally aimed as MerchandiseDriven for children. While the comics and movie always tended to attract a more adult audience, ''WesternAnimation/GIJoeResolute'' is so far the sole animated exception. Granted Hasbro had [[DarkerAndEdgier flirted]] with the idea since ''WesternAnimation/TheTransformersTheMovie'' and ''WesternAnimation/GIJoeRenegades'' is fairly dark for a kids show, but ''GI Joe Resolute'' was the first ''GI Joe'' production to be aimed at older viewers only.
156* ''WesternAnimation/RenAndStimpyAdultPartyCartoon'', due to ExecutiveMeddling, went all-out with all the grossness, violence and homoeroticism that could only be hinted at in the original ''WesternAnimation/TheRenAndStimpyShow''. Many claim that this was the show's downfall, as it took too far what was already pushing it in the first place.
157* ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants'':
158** The show changed noticeably when [[WhatDoYouMeanItsForKids teens and grown-ups started watching it]] and the kids who were around during its inception grew up.
159** After TheMovie, ''[=SpongeBob=]'' began aiming itself more at a younger audience. ArtEvolution lead to cuter, more expressive and brightly coloured characters while {{flanderization}} made [=SpongeBob=] and Patrick into even bigger {{man child}}ren. Nick pushed the show earlier into their timeslots until it became one of the most popular cartoons amongst preschoolers.
160* ''WesternAnimation/MickeyMouseClubhouse'' is this, shifting the demographics from all-ages to seven-and-under. Other than the aforementioned kids, the only people who seemed to like it are parents glad that their toddlers can sit still for thirty minutes, for once.
161** Even ''Mickey Mouse'' merchandise has fallen under this trope. Many modern pieces of merchandise for the character have the Disney Junior logo on them.
162* ''Franchise/MyLittlePony'':
163** The toyline for ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' is aimed at a toddler to mid-elementary demographic. The spinoff ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyEquestriaGirls'' is aimed at a more late elementary to middle school aged demographic, somewhere between 9 and 13.
164** The toys were originally meant to be aimed at unisex audiences but Creator/{{Hasbro}} enforced a GirlinessUpgrade early on and made it exclusively aimed at girls. ''Friendship Is Magic'' is aimed at unisex audiences according to WordOfGod, and is supposed to be something that both little girls and their family members can find enjoyable. A secondary shift occurred during that series, when [[PeripheryDemographic adult fans]] eventually outnumbered the main intended audience of kids, and the writers of the show started including various nods to the new older fanbase - which paradoxically contributed to many of these older fans eventually leaving, due to awkward shifts in the show's tone and premise which resulted partially from said nods. There have also been a ''second'' periphery demographic of older fans who collected the toys pretty much since the beginning, and Hasbro have been throwing the odd bit of merch their way since G3. So, in short, there are three different audiences - kids, bronies, and old-school collectors - who rarely meet and are ''all'' catered to one way or another.
165* A mild example with newer episodes of ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' which add more pop-culture references and sight gags (as well as more edgy humour) in order to try and appeal to young viewers.
166* ''WesternAnimation/ThePowerpuffGirls1998'' was not aimed at only girls. It was aimed at a unisex audience, though merchandise was mainly female aimed. The [[WesternAnimation/ThePowerpuffGirls2016 reboot]] is aimed [[GirlShowGhetto much more at girls than the original]], focusing less on the superhero spectacle and more on the story and interactions between characters.
167* The 2003 ''WesternAnimation/{{Teen Titans|2003}}'' cartoon was aimed toward older kids (which was [[AnimationAgeGhetto already a downgrade of the original comics’ demographics for older teens]], hence the name), yet still had ''some'' mature themes. The new incarnation, called ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitansGo'', is clearly aimed toward very young kids. Despite this, [[{{Irony}} the original is TV-Y7 while the reboot is TV-PG]].
168* ''Franchise/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles'' began life as an indie comic for adults. [[WesternAnimation/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles1987 All]] [[WesternAnimation/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles2003 four]] [[WesternAnimation/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles2012 animated]] [[WesternAnimation/RiseOfTheTeenageMutantNinjaTurtles series]] have been aimed at children.
169* Originally ''WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes'' was aimed at general audiences and many shorts were even aimed specifically at adults. Over time, the AnimationAgeGhetto became a thing and ''Looney Tunes'' became associated with being a children's cartoon, causing a lot of ValuesDissonance and [[WhatDoYouMeanItsNotForKids awkwardness]] with certain shorts. Almost any modern take on the characters, such as ''Film/SpaceJam'' or ''WesternAnimation/TheLooneyTunesShow'', will be aimed at younger audiences.
170* ''WesternAnimation/SamuraiJack'' was a Creator/CartoonNetwork series which aired on 2001 to 2004. When the show was revived for a fifth and final season, it aired on sister channel Creator/AdultSwim's {{Creator/Toonami}} programming block. As the name of the channel implies, this season is aimed towards adult fans who grew up with the series and is by equal turns DarkerAndEdgier, BloodierAndGorier, and HotterAndSexier than the original series.
171* The classic ''WesternAnimation/TomAndJerry'' shorts were aimed at adults and were at most general audience. Somewhere between the 1960s and 1980s, ''Tom and Jerry'' became a children's franchise.
172* The early seasons of ''WesternAnimation/HeyArnold'' were more childish in tone than the later ones (though the series was always rated TV-Y7). Once the {{Uncancelled}} GrandFinale known as ''WesternAnimation/HeyArnoldTheJungleMovie'' came out in 2017, which was 13 years after the series' original run ended, it got a TV-PG rating. It was far more action-packed than even ''WesternAnimation/HeyArnoldTheMovie'' and had multiple onscreen deaths occur to appease its now adult fanbase. If it weren't for the fact that there was no blood, it may have even gotten a TV-14 rating.
173* ''Franchise/WinnieThePooh'' is historically aimed at children in general. Over time, however, there has been a push for it being for young children six and under. More recently, Disney has also begun marketing the franchise towards the older PeripheryDemographic. ''Film/ChristopherRobin'' being one such case.
174* The original ''WesternAnimation/TotalDrama'' series was generally designed for older kids/teens to enjoy, with its occasional [[ParentalBonus hidden adult humor]], darker moments and serialized season-long storylines. ''WesternAnimation/TotalDramaRama'' on the other hand is much LighterAndSofter and revolves around the [[SpinoffBabies cast being in kindergarten]] with no complex storylines due to being aimed at younger children overall.
175* The first two seasons of ''WesternAnimation/YoungJustice2010'' were primarily aimed at a pre-teen and teenager crowd. After getting {{Uncancelled}} and moving to the streaming service Creator/DCUniverse, the series shifted to a DarkerAndEdgier HotterAndSexier tone now targeted toward older teens and adults.
176* The Franchise/DCAnimatedUniverse was always aimed at children despite carrying a mature enough tone that teens and adults could enjoy it as well. Once the Universe was revived in the late 2010s with ''WesternAnimation/BatmanAndHarleyQuinn'' and ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeagueVsTheFatalFive'', it became strictly adult oriented, with characters openly swearing and references to sex being explicit rather than implied.
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180[[folder:Real Life]]
181* Creator/{{Toonami}} originally aired during the daytime on Creator/CartoonNetwork with programs aimed at a pre-teen and teen audience. When it was UnCanceled, it received a new placement after the {{watershed}} on Creator/AdultSwim, a change signified with the early slogan "[=Toonami=] is Back [[ThisIsForEmphasisBitch Bitches]]". In a odd twist, though, at least half of what the midnight block airs is still content that would be suitable for a young audience on Cartoon Network (albeit with slight editing to remove or tone down blood, lewd situations, and cursing), if not for the fact that action/adventure animation has largely been phased out in favor of comedy series on children's television networks during TheNewTens (with the exception, ironically, of Disney, which still airs Marvel and Star Wars cartoons).
182[[/folder]]

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