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11[[caption-width-right:350:[[Franchise/{{Pokemon}} Gotta catch 'em all]] by their wallets.]]
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16
17->'''Pete:''' It's a cash cow! We milk it to make money!\
18'''Earl:''' Daggum, that's amazing! Whatcha gonna call her?\
19'''Pete:''' I'm deciding between [[VideoGame/TonyHawksProSkater Tony Hawk]], [[VideoGame/MaddenNFL Madden]] and [[Franchise/SuperMarioBros Mario]].
20-->-- ''Webcomic/{{Fanboys}}'', [[https://web.archive.org/web/20190623051224/http://www.fanboys-online.com/index.php?id=42 "It's a Metaphor"]]
21
22A kind of franchise that's been [[{{Fandom}} so popular]] [[OlderThanTheyThink for so long]] that they seem to be {{grandfather|Clause}}ed into the industry.
23
24You know the ones we're talking about: You've seen the TV advertisements, watched the shows, and played the video games. Your ''parents'' knew about them when they were young unknowns, and they're still turning a profit today. And not just any everyday profit, either -- they're raking in a ''windfall''!
25
26A Cash Cow Franchise may enjoy great success and popularity, but it also draws detractors and [[ItsPopularNowItSucks complaints]] about everything from TheMerch to the marketing. Massive profitability may also be a double-edged sword, as it gives the owner of the franchise more incentive to milk it dry, or the cost of producing so much new material may ''necessitate'' big sales just to break even. It's not uncommon for budgets to climb sky-high because if one product sells well, it will have an increased market value and succeeding products will be more costly (i.e. minimum pay for an actor can go up if said actor appeared in a successful movie).
27
28Beginning in the early 2010s, Hollywood turned China into a goldmine cash cow since Chinese audiences have developed a taste for high-budget American blockbuster movies saturated with special effects, [=CGI=] creatures ranging from dinosaurs, to aliens, to robots. ''Film/TransformersAgeOfExtinction'' combined [[BreadEggsBreadedEggs all three of those into one movie]]. Because of the newfound gateway to riches in the lucrative Chinese box office, Hollywood has been spending far more money per movie to afford state-of-the-art special effects to run for 2 to 3 hours.
29
30Compare LongRunners (franchises that last a long time) and {{Franchise Zombie}}s (which continue well past what the creator intended), and see also MerchandiseDriven. Often a cause of MisaimedMerchandising.
31
32Based on Website/{{Wikipedia}}'s [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_highest-grossing_media_franchises list of highest-grossing media franchises]] (after ''several'' recalculations from Wikipedia users), the most successful media franchise of all time is the ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'' franchise, owned by The Pokémon Company, a Japanese holding company co-owned by Creator/{{Nintendo}} (no stranger to Cash Cow Franchises itself), Creatures, and Creator/GameFreak. ''Pokémon'' has raked in an estimated US$88 billion in revenue. The company with the greatest number of [=CCFs=] overall is, [[MegaCorp as one would most likely expect]], [[Creator/{{Disney}} The Walt Disney Company]]. Notably, they own the only other franchise known to have surpassed US$50 billion in revenue, with ''[[Franchise/MickeyMouse Mickey Mouse & Friends]]'', and the rest of the top five highest-grossing franchises, ''Franchise/WinnieThePooh'', ''Franchise/StarWars'' (through their buyout of Creator/{{Lucasfilm}}), and ''Franchise/DisneyPrincess''.
33----
34!!Example subpages:
35
36[[AC:By medium]]
37
38[[index]]
39* CashCowFranchise/AnimeAndManga
40* CashCowFranchise/{{Literature}}
41* CashCowFranchise/LiveActionTV
42* CashCowFranchise/{{Music}}
43* CashCowFranchise/VideoGames
44* CashCowFranchise/WesternAnimation
45[[/index]]
46
47[[AC:By creator]]
48
49[[index]]
50* CashCowFranchise/{{Disney}}
51* CashCowFranchise/{{Nintendo}}
52[[/index]]
53
54!!Other examples:
55
56[[foldercontrol]]
57
58[[folder:Asian Animation]]
59* ''Animation/PleasantGoatAndBigBigWolf'': It's one of the most popular animated television series in China, thus causing it to make quite a bit of money off of its merchandise.
60* ''Manhwa/DoolyTheLittleDinosaur'' who debuted in the 1980s is considered the most successful cartoon character in South Korea, and his popularity was milked by selling merchandise featuring pictures of him or his friends, and Dooley was also used to teach math, reading and writing to children in Korea.
61* ''Animation/PororoTheLittlePenguin'', also from South Korea, has helped sell lots of merchandise especially as stuffed toys.
62* ''Animation/BalalaTheFairies'' has spawned many spin-offs and merchandise in China.
63* ''Animation/BoonieBears'' is Fantawild Animation's most profitable property, spawning numerous episodes, a film series, a SpinOffBabies show, and of course, plenty of merchandise.
64* ''Animation/GGBond'' is one for Winsing Animation, having several films and plenty of toys to go along with it.
65[[/folder]]
66
67[[folder:Comic Books]]
68* Iconic superheroes such as ComicBook/{{Batman}}, ComicBook/{{Superman}}, ComicBook/SpiderMan, the ComicBook/XMen, ComicBook/IronMan, [[ComicBook/TheIncredibleHulk the Hulk]] enjoy insurmountable global commercial success spanning generations from various toys, video games, clothing, films, TV series... all this despite the fact that a vast majority of their consumers have never opened a comic book.
69* Creator/{{Marvel|Comics}} and Creator/{{DC|Comics}} seem to have based their entire business models on this trope, especially in the case of Batman. Two separate movie franchises with a total of 7 movies in the span of 20 years, plus numerous animated series and animated movies, and all the corresponding merchandise and toys. Most of them were met with success. If you don't count the Justice League movies 18 out of 23 of the DC animated films have either Superman or Batman in the title. Not that that actually means the movies are about [[WolverinePublicity Superman or Batman]]. In many comic book shops, about half the DC Comics section will often be nothing but Batman comics.
70* ''Franchise/{{Tintin}}'' is still the most successful European comic in the world, many years after Hergé's death brought an end to the series. It wasn't originally a well-known property in the United States until the [[WesternAnimation/TheAdventuresOfTintin2011 film adaptation]] brought it to people's attentions.
71* ''ComicBook/{{Asterix}}'': Also an internationally popular European comic, but mostly in Europe, Latin America and the francophone world. It has been adapted into numerous animated movies, live-action movies, and [[http://hardcoregaming101.net/asterix/asterix.htm video games]], and even has [[Ride/ParcAsterix its own theme park!]]
72* And completing a holy trinity of FrancoBelgianComics (which Asterix co-creator Creator/ReneGoscinny even worked on), there's ''Franchise/LuckyLuke'', which laughs in the face of the general feeling that TheWestern can't enjoy success anymore. The [[ComicBook/LuckyLuke comic book series]] is still ongoing (over 120 albums as of 2023), [[WesternAnimation/LuckyLukeDaisyTown several]] [[WesternAnimation/LuckyLukeBalladOfTheDaltons successful]] [[WesternAnimation/GoWestALuckyLukeAdventure animated films]], two successful [[WesternAnimation/LuckyLuke1983 animated]] [[WesternAnimation/TheNewAdventuresOfLuckyLuke series]], a SpinoffBabies [[WesternAnimation/KidLucky series]], video games etc... you name it.
73* ComicBook/SuskeEnWiske is still the most popular comic books series in Belgium and the Netherlands. It has spawned an entire merchandising empire that's very popular in Dutch-speaking regions.
74* Brazilian comic ''ComicBook/MonicasGang'' even earned his creator comparisons to Creator/WaltDisney, for being a prolific creator of popular characters who are marketed to death (70% of his company's earnings come from merchandising). One of the characters, a [[AmazingTechnicolorWildlife green elephant]], [[http://almanaque.blog.br/wp-content/uploads/2002/07/Elefante.jpg was created for a paper's classified ads campaign, but ended up adopted by tomato sauce "Elefante".]]
75* ComicBook/TheSmurfs: Even before the famous Creator/HannaBarbera [[WesternAnimation/TheSmurfs1981 cartoon series]] the Smurfs were already very popular in Western Europe. There was even a successful Franco-Belgian [[WesternAnimation/TheSmurfsAndTheMagicFlute animated film adaptation in 1976]]. When Hanna-Barbera turned it into a weekly TV series Franchise/TheSmurfs' popularity skyrocketed to the entire planet. The franchise gained [[Film/TheSmurfs two]] [[Film/TheSmurfs2 live-actions movies]], [[WesternAnimation/SmurfsTheLostVillage a second feature film]], and a [[WesternAnimation/TheSmurfs2021 third TV series in 2021.]] As of Feburary 2022, Nickelodeon (licensors to the global rights of the series) and Paramount Animation are currently working on multiple Smurfs animated films.
76* ''ComicBook/RedEars'', a succesful Franco-Belgian erotic comic book series, has sold many copies since its creation in 1989 and inspired a magazine, a calendar, animated cartoons, ...
77* ''ComicStrip/TheAddamsFamily'' started as a one-shot cartoon for ''The New Yorker'', it now spreads to practically all media and in all is somewhat successful including; [[Series/TheAddamsFamily an incredibly popular TV show]] in TheSixties, [[Film/TheAddamsFamily two critically and commercially successful movies]] in TheNineties, a very successful Broadway musical, two popular animated series ([[WesternAnimation/TheAddamsFamily1973 1973]] and [[WesternAnimation/TheAddamsFamily1992 1992]]) and a modest success with the series remake ''Series/TheNewAddamsFamily''. Its only bomb was a MadeForTVMovie hated by fans and critics alike.
78* ''ComicBook/DisneyDucksComicUniverse'' and Donald Duck comics in general are lucrative Disney comics with them having more spinoffs, animated and video game adaptations than even Mickey Mouse (the company's {{mascot}}). Mickey Mouse is more iconic but owing to his status as company mascot, his characterization flagged over the years, while Donald Duck having never lost his edge and being the BreakoutCharacter actually brings in money for Disney among their classic characters.
79* Creator/ArchieComics: The company's cash cow is that the comic the company is named after: ''ComicBook/ArchieComics''.
80* Creator/DarkHorseComics: In TheNineties and the TurnOfTheMillennium, naming this company was the same that saying ''ComicBook/{{Hellboy}}'' due to its success.
81* Creator/ImageComics in the '90s had ''ComicBook/{{Spawn}},'' who was the biggest and baddest superhero of the era despite never being part of the Big Two. In the '00s, it shifted to ''ComicBook/TheWalkingDead'', which was the turning point in Image's diversification. In the '10s, it became ''ComicBook/{{Saga}}'', as one of the most universally acclaimed and celebrated comics of the generation, and Image has since made it the mascot of the company.
82[[/folder]]
83
84[[folder:Comic Strips]]
85* ''ComicStrip/{{Garfield}}'' is probably the king of this trope in its medium. He is one of the most well-known and advertised fictional characters worldwide to the point that his merchandising can often be more recognized than his comic strip. Garfield is found in numerous amusement parks, had cat food products with his face stamped on them, found himself slapped on campaigns directed towards children about Internet safety and the benefits of sleeping, has his own website comprised of online games and a store, and his car window plush toys with suction cups were a bestseller in 1987. Garfield's creator Jim Davis himself claims in "20 Years and Still Kicking!" that nowadays he spends more time managing ''Garfield'' merchandise than writing new ideas for the comic strip.
86* ''ComicStrip/{{Peanuts}}'', which after its creator's death still has a big place in pop culture -- newspapers still rerun the original strips, the best-known animated specials still play on network [=TV=] yearly while others get [=DVD=] releases and re-releases, and miscellaneous merchandise abounds.
87* ''ComicBook/SuskeEnWiske'' is a huge cash cow in Belgium, Netherlands and the Dutch Antilles. The comic strip has been translated into many other languages: French, German, Swedish, Japanese,... but is mainly popular in the Benelux. Apart from the still running comic strip itself there is a huge merchandising behind it, including numerous reissues, special albums, spinoffs, toys,... that are mostly bought by collectors. The entire output of author Willy Vandersteen and his studio, even after his death, still brings in the big bucks.
88* ComicStrip/TheYellowKid, the character of the comic strip ''Hogan's Alley'' from late 19th century, is an UrExample of this. It was popular enough to have a merchandising line of "billboards, buttons, cigarette packs, cigars, cracker tins, ladies' fans, matchbooks, postcards, chewing gum cards, toys, whiskey and many other products". Ironically, the strip was parodying commercialism.
89[[/folder]]
90
91[[folder:Eastern European Animation]]
92* ''Animation/KikoRiki'' ran for over 200 episodes, had several spin-offs, [[Animation/KikoRikiAnimatedFilms 3 animated films]] and was UnCancelled in 2020. And that's without mentioning book adaptations, magazine, video games and various merchandise, most of which was only released in Russia.
93* ''Animation/NuPogodi'' is a giant hit, and was once THE Soviet/Russian animated series.
94* ''Animation/MashaAndTheBear'' has always been famous in the former USSR, but was once obscure elsewhere. When Creator/{{Netflix}} aired it on August 2015, though, that's when the show's popularity skyrocketed everywhere, with Cartoonito, Creator/{{Boomerang}} in Latin America and most European countries that don't have Cartoonito, and even Creator/{{Cartoon Network}} in Latin America airing it, and soon it dethroned ''Nu Pogodi!'' as the most successful animated series in the former USSR and has merchandise by the boatload in the whole world.
95[[/folder]]
96
97[[folder:Films -- Animation]]
98* Every mildly successful Creator/DreamWorksAnimation franchise becomes one of these.
99** There were three ''Franchise/{{Shrek}}'' sequels (not counting the ''WesternAnimation/{{Puss in Boots|2011}}'' films), and, according [[http://www.cinemablend.com/new/Are-You-Willing-To-See-Six-Kung-Fu-Panda-Movies-22020.html to this article]], plans on making a fourth ''Franchise/{{Madagascar}}'' movie, FOUR more ''Franchise/KungFuPanda'', and two more ''Franchise/HowToTrainYourDragon'' (possibly building up to a grand total of EIGHT MOVIES). Plus the video games, TV series, merchandise... of course those plans were downsized once a few underperforming titles and {{Stillborn Franchise}}s [[http://deadline.com/2015/01/dreamworks-animation-restructuring-to-cut-500-jobs-with-290m-charge-1201355918/ hit the company]], but DWA still tries to take as much from their properties as possible, such as all the animated spinoffs on Netflix.
100** By far, ''Franchise/{{Trolls}}'' has been their most successful new franchise in the 2010s. Merchandise sales were so big in its' first eight months that it [[https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/licensed-merchandise-sales-hit-2629b-2016-boosted-by-star-wars-1005108 became 2016's second-biggest selling licensed property]] after ''Franchise/StarWars'' and outgrossed established cash cows like ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'' and ''WesternAnimation/PAWPatrol''. By the time ''WesternAnimation/TrollsWorldTour'' was released DirectToVideo, [[https://deadline.com/2020/04/trolls-world-tour-vod-box-office-movie-profits-universal-coronavirus-1202903913/ the franchise had made 750 million dollars off video and merchandise sales alone]]. The success of ''Trolls'' lead to spin-offs including [[WesternAnimation/TrollsHoliday a TV special]] that got nearly 7 million viewers in its first showing in the United States (and doomed any chance of ratings success for ''WesternAnimation/HeyArnoldTheJungleMovie''), [[WesternAnimation/TrollsTheBeatGoesOn an animated show on]] Creator/{{Netflix}} that ran for eight seasons, [[WesternAnimation/TrollsTrollsTopia another show]] that released on Creator/{{Hulu}} & Creator/{{Peacock}}, a museum experience in New York City and a theme park ride at Ride/UniversalStudios Singapore, which all happened in the span of a year and a half. In 2019, a live show based on the franchise was announced, further expanding upon its profitability.
101*** Some staff have also discussed the production and release of 5 more movies, which is even more than any of the aforementioned [=DreamWorks=] franchises with their planned movies counted.
102** ''WesternAnimation/GabbysDollhouse'' is the first original Dreamworks television show to become a cash cow. [[https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-features/powerful-people-kids-entertainment-1235507904/ According to The Hollywood Reporter,]] the show is the third most-watched children's television show on streaming after ''WebAnimation/{{Cocomelon}}'' and ''WesternAnimation/{{Bluey}}'', it currently has 58 episodes across eight seasons as of January 2024, and there's tons of merchandise based on the series.
103* ''Franchise/DespicableMe''. After the [[WesternAnimation/DespicableMe1 first film]] became a SleeperHit, Creator/IlluminationEntertainment wasted no time in coming up with a [[WesternAnimation/DespicableMe2 sequel]] and a spinoff featuring the series' {{Breakout Character}}s, the WesternAnimation/{{Minions}}... which became a billion-dollar film by itself! Add the plethora of Minion merchandise, and the yellow creatures generated much green to Illumination's parent company Universal.
104[[/folder]]
105
106[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
107* At some point before the end of the UsefulNotes/ColdWar, ''Franchise/JamesBond'' became officially unkillable. His Creator Creator/IanFleming wrote [[Literature/JamesBond twelve novels and two short story collections]]. Since then there have been [[Film/JamesBond 24 "official" movies (and 2 unofficial ones)]], 27 more books by different authors, numerous comic strips, two comic books, two {{pinball}} machines, many video games, one tabletop RPG, hundreds of toys, an ongoing series of "Literature/YoungBond" books, an animated series about "WesternAnimation/JamesBondJr."...
108* ''Franchise/ThePinkPanther'' series yielded nine films over 30 years in its original run and the 2006 Creator/SteveMartin-led reboot yielded one sequel. Adding in the theatrical animated shorts based off the original films' title sequences (two different series: one for the Panther, one for Inspector Clouseau), the three made-for-TV series and four specials the Panther had after that, the Panther's ongoing appearances as a corporate mascot (Owens-Corning and Sweet 'N Low), and miscellaneous merchandise, that's a lot of green for something pink.
109* ''Franchise/KingKong'' is one of the oldest examples, dating back to 1933. Toho Studios in Japan resurrected him for 1938's "King Kong Appears in Edo", then in 1962 he fights Godzilla and in 1967's "King Kong Escapes" he fights Mechani-Kong. The United States has also released more ''Kong'' movies in 1976, 1986, 2005 and 2017. Creator/PeterJackson's [[Film/KingKong2005 2005 remake]] especially got the most merchandising despite underperforming at the box office.
110* ''Franchise/{{Godzilla}}''. [[LongRunners The longest running film franchise in history]], as of 2016, there's 29 of the original Japanese films, [[Film/{{Godzilla 1998}} two]] [[Film/{{Godzilla 2014}} American installments]] (the latter of whom is getting a sequel), ''two'' different [[WesternAnimation/TheGodzillaPowerHour cartoon]] [[WesternAnimation/GodzillaTheSeries series]], a [[Series/GodzillaIsland live-action TV series]], several comic book adaptations, novels, over 40 video games, countless action figures, and even a line of plushies.
111* Universal Pictures comes the closest to making dinosaurs a cash cow franchise in the United States (Japan already achieved this with ''Godzilla'') with ''Film/JurassicPark1993'' which was the highest-grossing film worldwide at the time. The animatronics, special effects and Creator/StanWinston's work are often credited as factors for the film's success, which also had an onslaught of merchandise. Universal factory-issued [[Film/TheLostWorldJurassicPark two more]] [[Film/JurassicParkIII sequels]], but since the sequels gradually made less and less money the ''Jurassic Park'' film series was put on hold (while new video games and comic books kept coming) in 2001 before Universal {{reviv|al}}ed it in 2015 as ''Film/JurassicWorld'' which ultimately outgrossed the first film and spawned [[Film/JurassicWorldFallenKingdom two]] [[Film/JurassicWorldDominion sequels]] that grossed over $1 billion each.
112* {{Dracula}}: Even though several directors have exploited this character, he still managed to become the fictional character who has the most films made around him.
113* ''Franchise/{{Saw}}'':
114** After the massive success of the [[Film/SawI first]] [[Film/SawII three]] [[Film/SawIII films]], the ''Saw'' franchise proved to be a cash cow for Creator/{{Lionsgate}}, standing as its flagship franchise for a while until the ''Film/TheHungerGames'' and ''Franchise/JohnWick'' series began. Throughout the next four films (including the original GrandFinale), several entries in other media like video games and a theme park ride were released, though they weren't as profitable as the films themselves.
115** In the present, the franchise seems to be on its way to return to this status, since the current two films released after the former finale proved to be just as (if not more) successful, with a ''VideoGame/DeadByDaylight'' DLC released and a promotional podcast aired between them, and Lionsgate announced plans to produce five more films and the franchise's first TV series afterwards.
116* Most slasher franchises fall into this. In the original series of each, there's ten ''Franchise/FridayThe13th''s, seven ''Franchise/ANightmareOnElmStreet''s (there's a good reason why Creator/NewLineCinema was nicknamed "The House that Freddy Built"), [[Film/FreddyVsJason a crossover]] for them, eight ''Franchise/{{Halloween}}''s, four ''Film/TheTexasChainsawMassacre''s, and reboots of all four of them, producing further installments. You want series that are tough to kill? Jason has literally been [[Film/JasonGoesToHellTheFinalFriday to Hell and back]], and they '''still''' make money off of him.
117** While in horror, ''Franchise/{{Hellraiser}}'', with 9 novels, action figures, and a comic. And creator Clive Barker is interested in a reboot!
118* The ''Film/ParanormalActivity'' series counts as this for several unique reasons. Its found footage style and ingenious use of NothingIsScarier means that it doesn't cost much money to make (specifically because of the lack of big-budget special effects), and it doesn't take very long to film. The film also makes ProductPlacement seem very natural, as the victims depicted are ordinary, often moderately wealthy families. And let's not forget that the original film began as an indie horror shot for approximately $15,000, and eventually grossed $193 million. This is the ''first'' film. Combined, the total gross for the series is $890.5 million from a $28 million budget, making it one of the highest-grossing horror franchises of all time.
119* The ''Franchise/{{Transformers}}'' franchise has a long history of successful cartoons, toys, comics, and assorted merchandise, but the [[Film/TransformersFilmSeries live action film series]] created by Creator/MichaelBay and produced by Creator/StevenSpielberg is a juggernaut in and of itself, grossing $4.3 billion worldwide with just five films, despite [[CriticalBacklash consistently atrocious reviews]]. From 2007 to 2017, ''Transformers'' has enjoyed almost a decade of commercial success that allowed it to spawn an animated series for [[WesternAnimation/TransformersAnimated Cartoon Network]] and [[WesternAnimation/TransformersPrime the Hub]] each, earn a fast-selling [[Ride/TransformersTheRide 4D motion stimulator ride at Universal theme parks]], and of course sell more toys and video games including a [=LEGO=]-inspired line of build-it-yourself brick-based Transformers called KRE-O. ''Film/{{Bumblebee}}'' did manage critical acclaim (there hasn't been any ''Transformers'' film with good reviews before then!) though only made enough money to secure itself a sequel as while Lorenzo di Bonaventura asked fans to forget about a sequel that can resolve the {{cliffhanger}} to 2017's box office calamity ''Film/TransformersTheLastKnight'' and it was reported that Paramount is rebooting the series instead of continuing it, with the first of these, ''Film/TransformersRiseOfTheBeasts'', due for release in 2023.
120* Film/TheConjuringUniverse for Creator/NewLineCinema and owner Creator/WarnerBros. Beginning with 2013's ''Film/TheConjuring'', which grossed over $310 million, the series has continued to churn out financially successful films. While it might seem modest in comparison to others in this list, remember that this is {{horror}}, a genre seen as not very marketable to the mainstream audience. As of 2018, the series' total worldwide gross exceeded $1.5 billion. That is ''extremely'' impressive for a film series that has [[AvoidTheDreadedGRating all of its entries rated R]].
121* ''Film/{{Dogma}}'' presents a fictional example:
122-->'''Bartleby''': [[SeriesMascot Mooby the Golden Calf.]] Created by Nancy Goidruff, a former kindergarten teacher, in 1989 to fill gap in the Saturday morning schedule on local network K-REL. Bought by the Complex Corporation in 1991, and broadcast nationally as the ''The Mooby Fun-Time Hour'', it picked up a large following of children, ages three to eight, and [[LongList spawns sixteen records, two theatrical films, eight prime-time specials, a library of priced-to-own video cassettes, and bicoastal theme parks dubbed 'MoobyWorld'.]] Did I miss anything?\
123'''Mr. Whitland:''' You forgot ''Mooby Magazine''.
124* ''Film/{{Parasite|2019}}'' in South Korea is wildly popular especially for being the first ever South Korean film to win any UsefulNotes/AcademyAward, let alone Best Picture, that tourists flocked to the locations where the film took place, demand skyrocketed for the food products within the film (Sky Pizza, Chapaghetti and Neogurri), and Creator/AdamMcKay has an Americanized television spin-off in the works. Unfortunately, the tourism did not last long because of the COVID-19 pandemic leading to South Korea putting up stringent regulations to follow protocol after the 2015 MERS outbreak.
125* ''Franchise/TheFastAndTheFurious'' became the biggest and highest-grossing film franchise for Creator/{{Universal}} following the release of two blockbuster films grossing over $1 billion each (''Film/Furious7'', ''Film/TheFateOfTheFurious''). The franchise has even earned a [[Ride/FastAndFuriousSupercharged ride]] at Universal Studios theme parks. Universal has since decided to release one ''Fast and Furious'' every year throughout the 2020s decade, seeing that $5 billion was made from only the first eight installments.
126* Although creator Creator/JamesCameron only made the [[Film/TheTerminator first]] [[Film/Terminator2JudgmentDay two]] movies, the ''Franchise/{{Terminator}}'' film series has become a franchise that has grossed about $3 billion in revenue not just from movies but also action figures, video games, [[Series/TerminatorTheSarahConnorChronicles a TV show]] and a [[Ride/Terminator23DBattleAcrossTime show at Universal Studios theme parks]]. Though with several underperformances and reboots after ''Film/Terminator3RiseOfTheMachines'', especially that of ''Film/TerminatorDarkFate'', its future is unclear.
127* [[Franchise/UniversalHorror Classic horror properties]] remain central to Creator/{{Universal}}'s identity and history. The runaway success of these properties in TheThirties and TheForties made them a ton of money leading to an early example of SharedUniverse, with {{crossover}}s, spin-offs and endless sequels and reboots. These properties do tend to be revived from time to time such as ''Film/TheMummyTrilogy''. In response to the MCU, Universal attempted to revive the franchise again, but their first two attempts at it - ''Film/DraculaUntold'' and ''Film/{{The Mummy|2017}}'' - both failed. The third time ended up being the charm with ''Film/{{The Invisible Man|2020}}'', which was very successful and might mean we will probably get more in the future.
128* Creator/DCComics adaptations are usually cash cows for Creator/WarnerBros (or Creator/WarnerBrosDiscovery more broadly), or at least anything Franchise/{{Batman}} (the Franchise/DCExtendedUniverse hasn't been profitable after ''Film/{{Aquaman|2018}}'' and a new cinematic universe will reboot it all). It's telling that the poster of ''Film/{{Joker|2019}}'' was proudly displayed alongside other successful WB films at the presentation of Creator/HBOMax, and the platform proudly displays the film any chance it gets in advertisement.
129* ''Film/{{Insidious}}'' was released in 2011, but is regarded a suitably scary horror film. As such, the follow up movies have experienced a consistent level of commercial success.
130* ''Film/ThePurge'' gained attention for its interesting premise, which has served it well enough for it to get four sequels and a 2 season TV Series.
131* French company Pathé Films has comedies revolving around {{Lower Class Lout}}s, ''Camping'' and ''Les Tuche''. The third ''Tuche'' film grossed more than ''Film/AvengersInfinityWar'' in 2018 there to summarize, and a fourth film was ordered, of course.
132[[/folder]]
133
134[[folder:Food and Drink]]
135* Ever since the 19th century, Coca-Cola has become easily the largest soft drink company on the planet. Finding a restaurant, convenience store, theme park or grocery store that doesn't serve Coca-Cola products will be harder than finding a [=UFO=] in the sky (unless they have an exclusive contract with [=PepsiCo=].
136* Panda Express which began in 1983 is an American fast food chain that is popular for blending American and Chinese cuisine together in the sense that the meats are covered in sweetened sauces and the fact that you can easily get your food to-go in large boxes for between $7 to $10 now has over 2000 locations worldwide, generates $3 billion in annual revenue and its founder Andrew Cherng has a net worth of over $3 billion. Despite this tremendous success, Cherng has consistently refused to let the company become public on the stock market.
137* UsefulNotes/McDonalds has been active for over 70 years at this point and they continue to be the world's largest restaurant chain by revenue, netting an average of ''$25.413 billion'' as of 2015. They've also landed themselves countless toy deals from companies such as Nintendo and Disney.
138* Yum! Brands is the company that brought us Pizza Hut, Wing Street, Taco Bell and [=KFC=]. These chains are all huge individually, but put together they dwarf Mcdonalds in the number of locations department.
139* Submarine sandwich chain Subway has approximately ''45,000'' locations in more than 100 countries. To put that into perspective, Mcdonalds has 36,920 locations, while all of Yum! Brands' chains add up to 42,732.
140* The world's largest coffee chain is Starbucks, which has an estimated revenue of over 5 billion dollars as of 2015. Some of their products can also be found in various stores.
141* Advertising/MAndMs are such a successful candy brand of coated chocolate candies that they spawned dozens of CGI commercials featuring spokescandies differing by color and personality as Red, Yellow, Green, Blue, Crispy/Orange and Ms. Brown. They also manage to land a commercial for every Super Bowl since 2015.
142[[/folder]]
143
144[[folder:Software]]
145* Platform/MicrosoftWindows dwarfs all other desktop operating systems put together. It all comes back to 1981, when IBM got a non-exclusive license of MS-DOS for their own 5150 Personal Computer. So every company who wanted to create a clone of IBM's machine -- and that was [[FollowTheLeader basically everyone]] -- could easily get the same operating system.[[note]]That didn't make them fully compatible, as the 5150's firmware was proprietary. Some companies just copied it, and soon had to have a little talk with IBM's lawyers. Columbia Data Products was the first to produce a fully compatible and legal BIOS clone, and soon Compaq did the same, but both kept their work for themselves. Finally in 1984, Phoenix Technologies produced a BIOS clone that was widely licensed.[[/note]] Its ubiquity then helped MS-DOS' successor Windows get its foothold and made Bill Gates the world's richest man. That's not to say it has no competition, however: Platform/{{Linux}} rules supreme in "serious" fields like web servers and scientific supercomputers, and the Platform/{{Macintosh}} retains its own very profitable niche.
146** Microsoft Office has been the dominating office suite since [=WordPerfect=] and Lotus 1-2-3 were slow to make the jump to Windows. Its web-based subscription equivalent, Microsoft 365, faces strong competition from Google Workspace and Zoho Workplace, but is still the market leader by a wide margin.
147* Apple's business model seems to be built around trying new things and hoping enough things stick to keep them in business. While the company's history is littered with disasters (Lisa, Apple III, Pippin, etc.) they've kept going thanks to some big hits: The Apple II lasted an amazing thirteen years, the iPod returned the company to prominence in the early 2000s, the iPhone has kept the company relevant as the personal media player market has waned, and the iPad caused the tablets to finally popularize. Their [=MacBooks=] have also risen in popularity since the mid-2000s.
148* Adobe, to the point [[BrandNameTakeover "Photoshop" became a verb]] and the software in their Creative Suite are the industry standard in areas aside from 3D and computer-aided design (both headed by Autodesk).
149[[/folder]]
150
151[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
152* ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' provided [[FollowTheLeader inspiration]] for the majority of [[RolePlayingGame RPGs]] and a surprising amount of [[UsefulNotes/RolePlayingGameTerms other fantasy works]], and has several separate universes that continue to grow.
153* ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer}}'' and ''TabletopGame/Warhammer40000''. Aside from becoming the kings of tabletop wargaming and sustaining a major corporation, these franchises have [[VideoGame/Warhammer40000SpaceMarine produced]] [[VideoGame/DawnOfWar multiple]] [[VideoGame/WarhammerMarkOfChaos video]] [[VideoGame/WarhammerOnline games]], and enough novels to justify the creation of an entire publishing company (Black Library). Bonus points? The miniatures games have [[InvisibleAdvertising no advertising]] - they gain new customers solely through word of mouth. This has however had a knock on effect - GW paid little to no attention to its other games as a result of this trope, to the point where the Specialist Games range, designed at the older GW players, were taken down. Surprisingly, they haven't ventured into {{live action adaptation}}s in nearly 35 years of existence, but this is set to change with an upcoming Creator/{{Amazon}}-produced ''Warhammer 40,000'' series starring superfan Creator/HenryCavill.
154* ''TabletopGame/IronKingdoms'' for Creator/PrivateerPress subverts this trope. In addition to being a ''D&D'' setting and having at least two or three games (the aforementioned Warmachine, Hordes and now Grind), Privateer have not neglected their other games, such as ''TabletopGame/{{Monsterpocalypse}}''.
155* Creator/SteveJacksonGames has their D&D parody card game {{TabletopGame/Munchkin}}. With ''twenty-four'' core editions, booster packs, a board game, and ancillary merchandising, it's been SJG's biggest seller for almost two decades now, even reaching beyond the usual Friendly Local Game Store to more conventional retailers like Target.
156* In the heady days of TheNineties, the ''TabletopGame/OldWorldOfDarkness'' was this, with endless supplement sales driven by a nova-hot LARP scene, and being one of the major factors in bringing lots of women (formerly seen as a PeripheryDemographic) into the roleplaying hobby, and the fact that ''D&D'' was a collapsing FranchiseZombie at that point helped bring Creator/WhiteWolf to the top of the industry. However, as TheNineties ended, the UrbanFantasy market became [[FollowTheLeader oversaturated with their descendants]], and the ''[[TabletopGame/ChroniclesOfDarkness New World of Darkness]]'' came out to [[ContestedSequel mixed response]], the old cash cow started getting a little long in the tooth. It's still big business but not nearly what it once was, and [[ExecutiveMeddling chaos caused by corporate restructuring]] and the generally negative pre-response to their plans for a new version of the World of Darkness has shaken the brand further.
157* ''TabletopGame/{{Monopoly}}'', sold in 101 countries, featuring many variants (including [[JustForFun/RecycledInSpace licensed versions]]), electronic versions, and even UsefulNotes/McDonalds promotions.
158* ''TabletopGame/MagicTheGathering''. Just one of a bazillion games whose tropes draw (or at least originally drew) on ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'', but deserves mention as a major fixture in the gaming world in its own right. Owned by Creator/WizardsOfTheCoast, and successful enough to eventually let the company ''buy'' ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons''. It became so lucrative that Hasbro snatched up the company, and ''Magic'' has consistently been the company's top-selling game since Hasbro bought them out.
159[[/folder]]
160
161[[folder:Theatre]]
162* As of 2016 there are 18 different Creator/CirqueDuSoleil troupes performing somewhere in the world, changing acts and performers over time. Several have run for over a decade, and one (''Mystere'') for over ''two''.
163* Creator/AndrewLloydWebber's ''Theatre/ThePhantomOfTheOpera'' has been running in London since 1986 and on Broadway since 1988. Foreign sit-down productions run rampant, as does merchandising. The sequel ''Theatre/LoveNeverDies'' intended to do the same, but instead serves as an extension of the original franchise.
164* Creator/WilliamShakespeare's work has been going strong for ''four hundred years'' now. It's all long since become part of the public domain, but because of that it's a cash cow for both theatres and publishers who don't need to pay royalties to perform it.
165* Creator/AgathaChristie's ''The Mousetrap'' has been running in the West End since ''1952'', logging tens of thousands of performances.
166* Musicals in the Netherlands can advertise with "<SHOW> WILL CLOSE SOON! GET YOUR TICKETS NOW!" and keep running for years on end.
167* ''Theatre/TheNutcracker'' is the Cash Cow Franchise of ballet companies everywhere every Christmas. For theaters specializing in straight plays or musicals, adaptations of ''Literature/AChristmasCarol'' serve a similar purpose.
168* ''Franchise/CaptainSabertooth'' is probably Norway's biggest cash cow franchise; it started out in 1990 as a theatrical play for the outdoors stage in Kristiansand Zoo and Amusement Park, but was such a wild success that it spawned a huge amount of spin-off products, sequels, [=CD=]s, books, TV series and movies. Ever since 1990, there has been at least one ''Captain Sabertooth'' production running or being made at any given time.
169* Creator/TakarazukaRevue has two: ''Manga/TheRoseOfVersailles'' and ''Theatre/{{Elisabeth}}''. As of 2020, the former has been staged 20 times (as two musicals, one following Marie Antoinette and Fersen, the other following Oscar and André), and the latter 10 times. A look at the [=TakaWiki=] page of any actress active from 1974 onwards inevitably reveals that she has been in either [=BeruBara=][[note]]the FanNickname for the series, from its Japanese name ''Berusaiyu no Bara''[[/note]] or ''Elisabeth'', or sometimes both.
170[[/folder]]
171
172[[folder:Toys]]
173* Franchise/HelloKitty pulls in over $1 billion ''a year''.
174* Pillow Pets... there are dozens and dozens of them, they come in different sizes, and now you can find licensed pillow-pet characters (such as Yoshi). They even made ones that can shine glow-in-the-dark stars on your ceiling. You can even find them in ''grocery stores''. At the height of their popularity, it was hard to run into someone (especially a kid) who did NOT know the commercials' jingle.
175* ''Toys/{{Jewelpet}}'' is tailored for this, what with having over 40 little creatures that are the basis for plushies and other collectible toys, plus all the anime and other derivative works. That said, this one's success is locked to Japan, as America won't buy it due to its similarities to ''VideoGame/{{Webkinz}}'' and while Europe got it, it failed to catch on.
176* ''Toys/{{Shopkins}}'' were the fourth biggest-selling licensed property of 2015, and there's Shopkins versions of everything imaginable for young girls to buy.
177* ''Baby Alive'' dolls were always pretty successful, but then came the 2006 re-launch of the franchise, which made it very popular among young girls, thanks in part to the target demographic's parents growing up with it and, in later years, online video reviews of the dolls becoming popular. This particular version has been going on for twelve years as of this writing, and also had a short-lived spin-off game online, ''Crib Life''.
178* ''Franchise/{{Barbie}}'' is probably the queen of this trope as far as toys go. The brand has been also licensed to non-doll products as well, and has been going on for almost sixty years.
179* ''Franchise/MyLittlePony'' began as large ''My Pretty Pony'' toys but that didn't sell so well, so in 1983 the line was reintroduced as the much smaller ''My Little Pony''. Thus, one of the biggest cash-cow toy lines was born. New toys have been in production almost nonstop since 1983, numerous animated adaptations have been produced (including two theatrical films), several comics have been released, and even stage shows have existed. That's not even including the truckloads of merchandise. The toyline is an international hit and the only major exception to its success was the [[AudienceAlienatingEra late 1990s "G2" toys]] (which bombed everywhere besides a few European countries, had no animated adaptation, and was quickly discontinued in most regions).
180* Even after all these years, Franchise/{{LEGO}} remains one of the biggest names in toys. They've been bought by billions of families, there are countless video games and movies based on the brand and hobbyists have proven time and time again that just about anything can be BuiltWithLego, ''including robots''.
181* Creator/MGAEntertainment:
182** ''Toys/{{Bratz}}'' enabled [=MGA=] to switch gears from making [=LCD=] games to becoming a powerhouse in the girls' toys market. At the height of its popularity, global sales of the entire franchise grossed $2 billion, and the brand had about 40 percent of the fashion doll market, and had an [[WesternAnimation/{{Bratz}} animated series]] and a [[Film/{{Bratz}} major motion picture adaptation]]. For a time, you could find Cloe, Sasha, Jade and Yasmin slapped onto anything a girl would want.
183** ''Toys/LOLSurprise'' has become the biggest-selling doll line ever since it came out. Outside of the line of dolls, it has merchandise that expands on the surprise concept by bundling a mystery item with the item in question. For example, a coloring book based on the dolls comes with a mystery eraser.
184* The ''Toys/HotWheels'' toy franchise began in 1968 and has been massively popular since. It's gotten a ''lot'' of toys made for it since its inception and has also spawned several {{Animated Adaptation}}s; it's right up there with ''Franchise/{{Barbie}}'' as one of the biggest franchises of Creator/{{Mattel}}.
185* The ''Toys/{{Tamagotchi}}'' series of virtual pet toys became a huge fad overnight upon their introduction in 1996. In America, the fad's died down, but in Japan, the ''Tamagotchi'' toy series has spawned [[Franchise/{{Tamagotchi}} an entire franchise]], with plenty of merchandise made for it such as {{Licensed Game}}s, plush toys of the characters, and even its own dedicated department store. When ''Tamagotchi'' got an [[Anime/{{Tamagotchi}} anime TV show]] in 2009, it became so popular that it ran for 271 episodes.
186* ''Anime/KamisamaMinaraiHimitsuNoCocotama'', Tamagotchi's SpiritualSuccessor, is also this, with it selling more merchandise than fellow Bandai property ''Anime/GoPrincessPrettyCure'' in its first year of toy sales.
187* ''Cocotama'' is not even the biggest Tamagotchi off-shoot, an honour which goes to ''Franchise/{{Digimon}}'' which as both a power-house late 90s/early 00s children's anime and the last super-massive franchise born from the Tamagotchi / Game & Watch school of portable gaming has once had a level of rivalry with its genre-cousin and the first super-massive franchise of modern handheld consoles, ''Pokémon''!
188* ''Toys/GoGosCrazyBones'' is one of the most popular toy property created by Magic Box International, and has become their most well-known series as a result.
189[[/folder]]
190
191
192[[folder:Visual Novels]]
193* The ''[[VisualNovel/FateStayNight Fate]]'' series has become this for Type-Moon and to an extent everything in the Franchise/{{Nasuverse}}. Originally a PC {{Eroge}}, it's been adapted into an anime and a manga, was ported to the Platform/{{PS2}} and then to the [[Platform/PlayStationPortable PSP]], received [[VisualNovel/FateHollowAtaraxia a sequel VN]], [[Literature/FateZero a prequel light novel]], [[VideoGame/FateExtra an RPG spinoff]], [[VideoGame/FateExtellaTheUmbralStar a hack and slash sequel to said RPG spinoff]], [[Manga/FateKaleidLinerPrismaIllya a magical girl manga/anime spinoff]], [[VideoGame/FateUnlimitedCodes a fighting game spinoff]], [[Literature/FateApocrypha a scrapped MMORPG spinoff that still survived as a light novel]], [[Literature/FateStrangeFake and an April Fool's Day gag that became a genuine light novel]], [[Anime/FatePrototype and even the rough drafts of the original]] have been released as an extra with the [=DVDs=] of Season 3 of Type-Moon's [[Anime/CarnivalPhantasm comedic crossover series]] featuring the characters of ''[[VisualNovel/{{Tsukihime}} both]]'' of their most successful franchises. With nearly half a dozen anime adaptations of it, and its sequels, prequels, and spin-offs all opening up to box office breaking numbers (or at least the video game version of the box office), combined with the fact that fans are continuing to scream for Creator/{{ufotable}} to readapt the [[FanPreferredCouple Fate]] [[CreatorsFavorite route]] after Creator/StudioDEEN's lackluster version, and the success enjoyed by ''VideoGame/FateGrandOrder'' (which just so happens to be the previously-mentioned MMORPG spinoff reimagined as a mobile game), it's obvious that this a franchise that's not going anywhere anytime soon.
194* ''VisualNovel/TokimekiMemorial'' was one of Konami's cash cow back in the late 90s, especially the first game. It had so much merchandise, ''it even had books detailing said merchandise''. [[http://pudding-days.com/yuina/top.html Here]] is a page for a MadScientist in the game called Yuina Himoo. And she's not even the main girl, nor the top 3 popular. Yet just her alone spawned so much merchandise, including utensils, [=CDs=] and pillows. It's in Japanese, though.
195[[/folder]]
196
197[[folder:Webcomics]]
198* A rare webcomic example: ''Webcomic/{{Homestuck}}''.
199** Sales figures are unknown due to not being published, but music albums and merch sell ''very'' quickly, and members of the Music Team and Art Team have had successful solo stints launched from the name recognition pulled in. The amount of money is unknown, but it does pull in enough to support a half dozen or more people who're needed to run What Pumpkin (the store) and Andrew Hussie himself. Adspace too has reached very high levels; one memorable banner ad cost over 400 dollars on an off day, though on average it ranges from $30-$70.
200** The ''Homestuck'' music albums are ''probably'' the best selling albums on Bandcamp, period, though it's hard to determine this because Bandcamp does not release statistics to conclusively prove this. However, as of this writing, two ''Homestuck'' albums remain in the top 20 top sellers of late... '''five months''' after release.
201** The ridiculous cash-generating potential of this series was revealed when they ran [[http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/14293468/homestuck-adventure-game a Kickstarter campaign]] for a ''Homestuck'' video game. They raised ''two and a half million dollars'', over three times the goal, ''in one month''.
202* ''Webcomic/PennyArcade'' supports Gabe and Tycho's families and themselves, in addition to a handful of other people. It has also spawned a few card games, book collections of the strips, [[VideoGame/PennyArcadeAdventures an episodic RPG]], T-shirts, and lots more merchandise that can be found on the official store. One comic states that they are not allowed to do anything overly risky because if one of them dies or lose the ability to write/draw, 14 people would lose their job.
203* ''Webcomic/MegaTokyo'' still generates enough money to support the creator and his family despite rampant ScheduleSlip and a dramatic shrinking of its fanbase ([[https://megatokyo.com/faq except]] in 2018-2020 where Piro actually needed to work a part-time job). One can only imagine how much cash it was printing at the height of its popularity.
204* Immelmann makes a nice living on ''Webcomic/{{Concession}}'' merchandise and commissions in which the webcomic’s characters interact with customers' [[UsefulNotes/FurryFandom Fursonas]], appear in porn, or both.
205[[/folder]]
206
207[[folder:Web Original]]
208* Website/{{Facebook}} has turned social networking into '''big''' business. Before Facebook, it was all about Website/MySpace.
209* Website/{{Google}}. They have not only the world's most popular search engine and [[Website/YouTube video sharing website]], but also an email service, a social media service (which has shut down since due to unpopularity), a data storage service, and a mobile operating system that rivals iOS in popularity.
210* WebVideo/TheAngryVideoGameNerd. His videos tend to get thousands, if not ''millions'' of views and there is more [=AVGN=] merchandise than you can launch an AtomicFBomb at.
211* WebVideo/TheNostalgiaCritic. And he knows it. And his honest preview (where he self-deprecated most things about himself) made fun of Channel Awesome for flogging him harder as a cash cow than Disney do with ''WesternAnimation/{{Frozen|2013}}'' and ''WesternAnimation/{{The Lion King|1994}}''.
212-->'''Critic:''' [broken and in ThirdPersonPerson mode] HE'S THE NOSTALGIA CRITIC! HE REMEMBERS IT SO YOU DON'T FUCKING HAVE TO! EVEN THOUGH, EVERY FUCKING DAY HE EXISTS, HE WISHES HE DIDN'T HAVE TO! '''HE WISHES HE DIDN'T HAVE TO DO THIS BULLSHIT, TO MAKE YOU WATCH AND GET YOU RATINGS''', AND WHY DOES IT HAPPEN?! WHY DO YOU KEEP COMING BACK, BECAUSE YOU'RE FUCKING SICK, AND I'M FUCKING STUPID! THAT'S THE WAY IT IS! IT'S THE WAY IT'S ALWAYS GONNA BE! THERE IS NO CHANGE, THERE IS NO FUTURE! THERE IS NO PAST! THE PRESENT IS A JOKE, EVERYTHING IS HELL! MY LIFE IS HELL! THIS IS THE WORST THING A HUMAN BEING COULD EVER GO THROUGH!
213* Creator/RoosterTeeth eventually quit their jobs to get supported by ''WebAnimation/RedVsBlue'', selling T-shirts, posters and [=DVDs=], along with allowing viewers to help by becoming Sponsors (now known as Rooster Teeth FIRST). And after they had branched out with things such as Creator/AchievementHunter, came RT's biggest cash cow, ''Webanimation/{{RWBY}}''. Being an {{Animesque}} MagicalGirl show, it appealed to previously untapped demographics and markets - it was the first anime localized for Japan, instead of the other way around - and with the advantage of being fully owned by RT (''Red vs. Blue'' is done with ''Franchise/{{Halo}}'' assets), they made all sorts of merchandise, including [[Videogame/RWBYGrimmEclipse a videogame]] and a board game that gathered nearly $800,000 on Kickstarter.
214* WebVideo/RyanToysReview. What started out as a simple humble home-video Website/YouTube channel became one of the top channels in the world, racking up billions of views and making millions each year. Not only that, thanks to Creator/PocketWatch, he and his SpinOff chanels boast a loaded-out franchise already, complete with a [[ShapedLikeItself toy line]], two video games, and even a ''Creator/NickJr show''. No wonder Ryan's seen as the eye of envy in many young children.
215* ''WebVideo/CriticalRole'' started out on ''Creator/GeekAndSundry'' as "a group of nerdy-ass voice actors [sitting] around and [playing] ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons''". The cast had little hope that it would be enthusiastically received; Creator/MatthewMercer gave it six episodes before they would go back to playing at his house. It took off like a rocket. Even in the early days, when they first announced a run of T-shirts, the shirts sold out even before they finished announcing it on stream. As of 2021, the show has moved out into its own production company, successfully raised $11 million for an animated series (with Creator/PrimeVideo being the final backer, raising the stakes from "a single animated special" to "two seasons of ''The Legend of Vox Machina''"), published multiple graphic novels and a prequel novel, and formed a charitable foundation. The world of Exandria also became an official setting for ''Dungeons and Dragons'', and [[spoiler:CanonImmigrant Arkhan's acquisition of the Hand of Vecna was acknowledged in D&D official material.]] In addition to original cast members having their turn in the DM chair, the story of Exandria is also expanded in a limited series, ''Exandria Unlimited'', with Aabria Iyengar at the helm, and featuring a wider cross-section of cast members from under-represented groups (compared to the all-white original cast).
216* ''WebAnimation/{{Cocomelon}}'' started off as a simple children's Website/YouTube channel with nursery rhymes and colorful animations. But slowly overtime it's become an absolute sensation with many a child. It's become the second most subscribed channel on the site, ranking in billions of views a day and creating a million dollar enterprise. Upon being acquired by the company [=Moonbug=], it's spawned countless pieces of merchandise, multiple soundtrack albums, and even airplay on [[Creator/{{Cartoonito}} two different children's]] [[Creator/UniversalKids cable networks]].
217* Another Moonbug franchise that became a cash cow is ''Blippi'', which got many merchandise tie-ins ranging from toys to books to toothbrushes as well as a live show.
218[[/folder]]
219
220[[folder:Other]]
221* Boeing and Airbus practically run a Duopoly of Large Airliners, since airlines would often rather take 2nd or 3rd-hand Boeing or Airbus planes rather than a brand new Comac or indigenous design, simply because those planes are ''still better'' despite the wear and tear. Bombardier and Embraer[[note]]Canadian and Brazilian, respectively[[/note]] run much the same thing for small regional jet airliners.
222* 5% of Harley-Davidson's net revenue is ''licensing'' their brand name to other products. Just for selling their name.
223* In a similar vain, Playboy Enterprises has lost money almost every quarter on the magazine and internet divisions since the 1990s. However, the thousands of licensed products have kept the business profitable since the early 2000s.
224* The vast unpopularity of UsefulNotes/DonaldTrump and his presidential campaign and following presidency that debuted to the ''worst'' approval ratings for a US president ever recorded in history led to many comedians finding a goldmine in lampooning his policies and behavior as seen in post-2015 seasons of ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'' where Mr. Garrison is revised as a stand-in for Trump, NBC's ''Series/SaturdayNightLive'', ''Series/ThePresidentShow'' (a sketch comedy entirely dedicated to mocking Trump) and ''WesternAnimation/OurCartoonPresident''. Creator/JimmyKimmel also dedicated a lot of his screen time on his [[Series/JimmyKimmelLive ABC talk show]] lampooning Trump (at least when he was still president).
225* Snuggies became an instant cultural icon of the late-2000s, with millions sold worldwide, even extending to Snuggies for pets.
226[[/folder]]
227----
228->''"[[Memes/{{Persona}} Who wouldn't keep wringing the same cow if it continues to produce such tasty milk?]]"''

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