%%%
%%
%% This page has been alphabetized. Please add new examples in the correct order. Thanks!
%%
%%%

->''"At that time, no one knew that this small work called [[Anime/MobileSuitGundam Gundam]] was to become a legendary anime, shaking the very foundation of Japan."''
-->-- ''Manga/GundamSousei''

A sleeper hit is a work that becomes an unexpected success upon its release, usually through word of mouth. Either the work slipped under the fandom and critics' radar during production, it was dismissed as outright crap based just on previews, or the company/publisher didn't have much faith in it and [[ScrewedByTheNetwork neglected its promotion]], ''yet'' it managed to get sizable box offices or sales. It might make an impact on the fandom collective and become a CultClassic, or be a matter of QualityByPopularVote and be forgotten quickly: the point being, it exceeded expectations.

It may start a CashCowFranchise, spawn cases of FollowTheLeader, or even [[TropeMaker start a whole new genre]].

A SuperTrope to AndYouThoughtItWouldFail, where the work is actively derided before release and still ends up being a hit. Compare to ColbertBump, where a work/creator/event becomes popular upon being featured or referenced elsewhere, and EnsembleDarkHorse, when a character in a show/film/etc. becomes unexpectedly popular. If it takes longer than just its initial release to become popular, then it has been VindicatedByHistory instead. Contrast AcclaimedFlop, where a work flops in terms of box office or ratings but does well with critics and audiences, and CriticProof, in which a popular blockbuster/franchise gets a lot of bad publicity, despite being a box office hit.

----
!!Example subpages:
[[index]]
* SleeperHit/AnimeAndManga
* [[SleeperHit/AnimatedFilms Films — Animation]]
* [[SleeperHit/LiveActionFilms Films — Live-Action]]
* SleeperHit/{{Music}}
* SleeperHit/VideoGames
[[/index]]

!!Other examples:

[[foldercontrol]]

[[folder:Card Games]]
* ''TabletopGame/MagicTheGathering'' was shopped around for a while until a little company called Wizards of the Coast, whose only call to fame was being the holder of the ''TabletopGame/ArsMagica'' RPG franchise, decided to give it a go. Amusingly, ''Magic'' itself is known to have Sleeper Hit cards.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Comic Books]]
* Creator/MattFraction and David Aja's ''ComicBook/Hawkeye2012'' was not a series with exceptional hype around it before release, only mild intrigue for its premise -- taking a well-known, but not quite spotlight-stealing Avenger, focusing on his everyday life when he's ''not'' being a superhero, taking cues from quirky indie movies and featuring a minimalist, stylized art-style far removed from the more realistic "house style" seen throughout Marvel. Then it was released to massive acclaim, and rapid word-of-mouth quickly turned the 22-issue series into a smash success, arguably surpassing ''Film/TheAvengers2012'' as leaving [[AudienceColoringAdaptation the biggest impact on Clint Barton's character]] (greatly inspiring much of [[Series/Hawkeye2021 the eventual live-action TV series in 2021]]), and becoming one of ''the'' definitive works of Marvel's [[TheNewTens New Tens]].
* During the ''ComicBook/MarvelNow2016'' era, one of the titles released was ''ComicBook/TheUnstoppableWasp''. However, the title was caught up in Marvel's AudienceAlienatingEra and was cancelled after seven issues. However, the title had strong and consistent sales in the trade paperback that the title was revived as part of 2018's ''ComicBook/MarvelAFreshStart'' imitative.
* ''ComicBook/{{Silk}}'' launched right before Marvel were planning the above-mentioned ''All New'' revamp, starring a controversial Spider-Man character who was considered TheScrappy and a CreatorsPet ''at best''. Despite a lukewarm amount of hype before release, the series ended up being surprisingly really good, succeeding in allowing Silk to be RescuedFromTheScrappyHeap and connecting to audiences thanks to the titular character's battle with anxiety. It became a modest seller (by no means one of their highest-selling books, but enough that it got to stay on as part of the All-New revamp, and maintained decent sales all throughout its run), and by the time it ended, was considered one of Marvel's best Spider-Man-related books being released at the time.
* Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird decided to make a one-shot based on a dumb idea that made them laugh during a night brainstorming, drinking beer and watching bad TV. As SelfDeprecation, the self-published comic was hailed as being from "Mirage Studios", given there was no actual company. And yet ''ComicBook/{{Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles|Mirage}}'' sold out its 3,275 copies, and the successful reprints led the duo to make an ongoing. A few years later, a toy line ([[ItWillNeverCatchOn rejected by big companies]]) and [[Westernanimation/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles1987 a cartoon adaptation]] broke the Turtles into the mainstream, [[Franchise/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles and the rest is history]].
* ''ComicBook/TheSuperiorFoesOfSpiderMan'' was originally only planned for a 12-issue miniseries, but the book proved so unexpectedly popular and well-received that Marvel extended it. Several solicitations for the series lampshaded this, one of which even used the term Sleeper Hit.
* ''X-Men '92'' was a 5-issue mini-series designed for ''ComicBook/{{Secret Wars|2015}}''. However, unlike ''ComicBook/OldManLogan'', which was already popular and planning to become a full-fledged series in the ''ComicBook/AllNewAllDifferentMarvel'' lineup, this one took everyone by surprise, leading to them approving of an ongoing in 2016.
* Marvel's ''ComicBook/{{Micronauts}}'' series (1979-1986) was originally just one of several toy based properties that Marvel just happened to have cheaply purchased the rights to. The toys initially had no backstory but thanks to Bill Mantlo's extensive worldbuilding, the popularity of the comic outlived the toyline by almost seven years,even in the later years when the toy based aspects of the comic were mimimized[[note]]By 1982, most of the toy based vehicles were excised leaving artist Jackson Guice more freedom to draw completely original designs. And Issue 50 killed off a lot of toy based characters.[[/note]]. Aspects of the Microverse as well as the non toy based main and supporting characters (some simply [[SerialNumbersFiledOff renamed for licensing purposes]]), are still part of the Marvel universe to this day.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Comic Strips]]
* ''ComicStrip/CalvinAndHobbes'' debuted without much fanfare in 1985 in 35 newspapers, OK for a new strip in that era but not a phenomenal number. Its rather quirky premise probably made it a tough sell at first. But word of mouth was strong, and by its one-year anniversary the number of subscribing newspapers had grown to over 250, and in the spring of 1987 the first book collection became a runaway best-seller.
* ''ComicStrip/PearlsBeforeSwine'' was this, according to Stephan Pastis. The sales staff at United Features Syndicate didn't think the strip was going to sell, so it was placed online-only on the syndicate's website for about a year (while common today, this was unheard of back when the strip began). What got it launched in newspapers was that Scott Adams, the creator of ''ComicStrip/{{Dilbert}}'', was a fan of the strip and endorsed it in his newsletter. The readership increased as a result, and with Adams' support, the sales staff now had enough clout to get it sold to newspapers. It has since appeared in over 750 newspapers, has over a dozen book collections, and was even turned into an animated web series.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Literature]]
* ''Literature/AlicesAdventuresInWonderland''. Creator/LewisCarroll was an unknown at the time, and most readers bought it [[JustHereForGodzilla because illustrator John Tenniel]] was a big draw; his SugarWiki/AwesomeArt was already well known. But it because a smash hit with kids.
* Creator/TerryPratchett's first few ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'' books were small, fantasy parodies. Now, the ''Discworld'' series is one of the biggest and most popular pieces of modern fantasy literature.
* The ''Literature/EarthCentAmbassador'' ebooks started out as a standalone story, ''Date Night on Union Station''. Author E.M. Foner originally wrote it while taking a break from a more conventional sci-fi series, but its unexpected popularity on Kindle led to him getting bombarded with requests for sequels.
* ''Literature/EverydaySaints'' is a book written by a Christian bishop about his conversion, the monasteries he lived in and the ascetics who influenced his religious life. Nobody at all expected it to be a success among anyone but devoted churchgoers. Instead, it became wildly popular, topped the 2011 bestseller list in Russia, had to be reprinted six times within a year from the first publication, and was translated into over a dozen languages.
* ''Literature/HarryPotter'' is among the most familiar examples. Creator/JKRowling has said that, prior to the publication of the first book, her greatest hope for her career was that she would be able to make it as a part-time writer, fully expecting that she would never be able to support herself on writing alone. The first book was rejected by several publishers, being considered too long for a kids' book. Finally, Rowling's agent gave it to his eight-year-old daughter, only to find she devoured it and couldn't wait to read more. It was only then anyone began thinking it ever had a chance. Once finally published, it got significant attention, which exploded exponentially after the release of the third book.
* ''Literature/HouseOfLeaves'' is a [[MindScrew chaotic ball of footnotes, faux-academic writing, unusual formatting,]] and [[ParanoiaFuel a whole lot]] [[NightmareFuel of nightmare-stuff.]] The writer, Mark Z. Danielewski, spent ten years writing the haunted [[GeniusLoci house]] story the wake of his father's death. Pieces of the book were published online, and a proper book was released in 2000. Over time, word of mouth (quite a lot of it stemming from This Very Wiki) turned the novel into a juggernaut of horror and a fine example of experimental fiction, pleasing genre writers like Stephen King and literary writers like Brett Easton Ellis alike.
* Creator/TomClancy really struggled to get ''Literature/TheHuntForRedOctober'' published, getting no interest from traditional publishers. He finally tried the Naval Institute Press, for whom he had previously written a number of nonfiction articles, and they agreed to print it as their first-ever foray into fiction. The novel became a surprise bestseller after President UsefulNotes/RonaldReagan read it and loved it.
* Creator/PeterBenchley didn't expect anything out of ''Literature/{{Jaws}}'', saying "It was a first novel, and nobody reads first novels. It was a first novel about [[ThreateningShark a fish]], so who cares?" Yet the publisher's efforts made it a million seller by the time [[Film/{{Jaws}} an even more successful movie adaptation]] came out.
* ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings'' was expected to lose money, but was approved for publication anyway. The final decision came by telegram: "If you believe it is a work of genius then you may lose a thousand pounds."
* OlderThanRadio: The ''Penny Dreadful'' novels were cheap serials written in the 19th century by amateur authors on second-rate paper, intended for children and the working class, who couldn't afford the more expensive books by more popular authors.[[note]]They were considered by readers like then much like comic books were in modern times.[[/note]] While most ''Penny Dreadfuls'' were indeed, not very good, some have become cultural icons, like ''Literature/VarneyTheVampire'' and ''Literature/TheStringOfPearls'', the first known version of the ''DerivativeWorks/SweeneyTodd'' story.
* ''Literature/PercyJacksonAndTheOlympians'' started out as this because of ''Literature/HarryPotter'', which itself was a sleeper hit in its first years of publication. While the ''Percy Jackson'' books are wildly popular now, ''The Lightning Thief'' came out the same year as the sixth ''Literature/HarryPotter'' book, which vastly over shadowed almost all other young adult fiction releases that same year. Because of the release and success of ''Harry Potter'', and the somewhat similar premises of the two series (young boy finds out he has cool powers and goes to a place where others are like him), ''The Lightning Thief'' was cast aside as another young adult fiction trying to play off of ''Harry Potter'''s success. Word of mouth quickly spread about the ''Percy Jackson'' series after the second book came out, because readers started to realize that the two series had less in common than people initially assumed, and ''Percy Jackson'' is now one of the top-selling series in the country.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
* ''{{Series/Banshee}}'' could qualify; it began to almost no fanfare whatsoever, but with each passing season the ratings snowballed, ultimately becoming the most-watched original show on Creator/{{Cinemax}} (surpassing the much more advertised, more "prestigious" ''Series/TheKnick'').
* ''Series/BarneyAndFriends'' was originally a DirectToVideo series called "Barney & The Backyard Gang." Initial sales of the first three "Backyard Gang" videos were middling at best and wouldn't have taken off if it weren't for creator Sheryl Leach's grass-roots marketing efforts which included giving free Barney videos to preschools, to the point of listing stores where the videos were sold. By 1991, the initial video series was selling 500,000 copies. That said, it would have stayed a direct to video series if not for a father who rented one of the Barney videos for his young daughter -- he happened to work at Connecticut Public Television, the state's PBS affiliate. They happened upon the video and decided to make a TV series out of it. PBS itself had little faith in a hokey little direct-to-video series made in Texas and produced by a bunch of mothers succeeding on TV, and wanted to cancel it after one season, but the surprising popularity among toddlers led to it running on TV for ''nearly 20 years'' (not to mention providing Music/SelenaGomez and Music/DemiLovato, among others, with some early child work).
* ''Series/{{The Bear|2022}}'' premiered on Creator/{{Hulu}} in the summer of 2022 with little fanfare and could've easily become lost in the shuffle of shows coming out around that time, but positive word-of-mouth made it become an unexpected smash hit and one of the most popular and acclaimed new shows of the year, eventually going on to receive much awards attention and a quickly-greenlit second season that premiered the next summer to even more acclaim.
* ''Series/TheBigBangTheory'' started off with okay ratings consistent enough to keep it on and it survived the 2007 writers strike virtually unscathed in writing quality (largely due to its episodic nature), unlike a lot of other shows which made ''[=TBBT=]'''s modest success stand out more. Ratings continued to grow as the fanbase increased and by its fifth season, due to a record breaking syndication deal that exposed it to wider audiences, it is ''the'' highest rated scripted show on television and huge internationally as well.
* Hard to believe now, but ''Series/BreakingBad'' started off like this. Word of mouth, Netflix, and Twitter helped the ratings increase ''tremendously'' by the last season, breaking its own ratings record five times and ending with one of the most watched finales in the history of cable television.
* ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'' had so little expected of it, with a very young showrunner whose experience mostly lay in being a staff-writer and script doctor for moderately successful shows, and a cast whose most senior member was mainly known for his work in British theatre and occasional TV show episodes, that it was only commissioned for thirteen episodes. It promptly kicked on and became a pop culture phenomenon, running for seven seasons and spawning a successful spinoff in ''{{Series/Angel}}'', a series of comic continuations, and an enduring influence on genre television, including that other television SleeperHit of the 21st century, ''Series/DoctorWho''.
* ''{{Series/Charmed|1998}}'' was not expected to be a great hit. Producers didn't warm to the witchcraft concept until Constance M. Burge made the leads sisters -- feeling that the family values would at least get a few people watching. The show was [[GirlShowGhetto female-led]] and didn't have any major stars in it. Shannen Doherty's last project of note was ''Series/BeverlyHills90210'' four years previously, and she had been doing made-for-TV movies since. Creator/AlyssaMilano meanwhile was a FormerChildStar who had only just regained traction through ''Series/MelrosePlace'', while Creator/HollyMarieCombs was virtually unknown. The first episode drew 7 million viewers and the first season kept a 10 million viewer average, with the pilot actually setting a record for the WB's highest ratings at that point. The network only had the budget to give one of their shows the big splashy advertising campaign, and they opted to do so with TeenDrama ''{{Series/Felicity}}'', making ''Charmed'''s unexpected popularity even more poignant. Despite Doherty leaving at the end of the third season, it lasted for eight seasons in total. In fact, the WB constantly moved the timeslot around, but the final seasons were still drawing five million viewers on average.
* When ''Series/DoctorWho'' was commissioned in 1963, it was intended to be basically low-budgeted filler content for kids. Confidence in the series was so low the BBC actually cancelled it months before the first episode aired, instructing the series to end after its 13th episode (after originally agreeing to literally dozens more). The show was {{Uncancelled}} after a few weeks and production was slated to continue past episode 13, which was a good thing given that, after a modest start, episode 5 introduced the Daleks and the show's popularity took off like a rocket, becoming a globally renowned pop-culture juggernaut that has, 16 year hiatus aside (a hiatus that was still filled by a TV Movie and innumerable ExpandedUniverse materials), run near constantly for over half century.
** The ''Series/DoctorWho'' [[{{Uncancelled}} revival]] in 2005 was also an example of this. By the turn of the millennium, ''Doctor Who'' as a franchise was considered as good as dead; it had been cancelled in 1989 after several years of rapidly-declining ratings, the only new material (outside of the expanded universe) since then was an American telemovie in 1996 that bombed in the states, and its fandom had been reduced to a devoted cult following at best. When the revival was announced, the general public never expected it to last more than a few years and there were jokes from mainstream press about it winding up as filler for PBS telethons. However, once the show's first televised episode in 16 years finally hit British airwaves, it was a ratings success, gluing nearly 11 million people to their TV screens, motivating the BBC to greenlight a second season after just four days, and establishing to the world that ''Doctor Who'' was back in business.
* Despite ''Series/DonkeyHodie'' being a NetworkRedheadedStepchild (a puppet show in the midst of cartoons), it managed to be a huge hit. The show [[https://www.fredrogers.org/2021/11/09/frp-signs-jada-toys-as-master-toy-licensee-for-donkey-hodie/ generated]] 32.6 million streams, the most for any PBS Kids series launch since ''WesternAnimation/ReadyJetGo''. On-air, the series posted the highest Kids 2-8 ratings and reach of any PBS Kids series during its premiere week, reaching 2.7 million TV viewers. It even managed to snag a toy license within six months. In fact, the show's uniqueness might have been why the show got high viewership.
* ''Series/TheEternalLove'' was a low-budget web series starring unknown actors, so no one had high expectations for it and everyone was amazed when it became a hit. It proved to be popular enough to get two sequels.
* ''Series/{{Firefly}}'' turned out to be TooGoodToLast, cancelled even before its lone season ended. And then [[VindicatedByCable the DVD set sold so well]] that Universal was convinced to [[Film/{{Serenity}} make a movie]] out of it.
* ''The Five'' on UsefulNotes/NewsNetworks Fox News Channel]] was originally intended to be a temporary program meant to fill in the mid-afternoon gap left by Glenn Beck's departure from the network. Viewers ended up really liking the interaction among the panelists, however, so the show was kept. It ended up exceeding the popularity of Beck's show and got the second-best ratings of any Fox News show after ''Series/TheOReillyFactor''.
* ''Series/GoPrincessGo'' was made in only seventy days on a shoestring budget (20 million yuan, equivalent to 3 million US dollars), without time or money to make proper props or costumes, and starring amateur actors. To everyone's amazement it became very successful, making over 41 million yuan and gaining 2.6 billion views.
* ''Series/TheGreatBritishBakeOff'' started in 2010 as a low-key summer filler show with no significant publicity, on the BBC's secondary channel. Word of mouth made it a hit; it nearly doubled its ratings over the course of its first short run, and by 2013 it was the highest-rating show on BBC Two for over twenty years and beating other channels' ratings bankers like ''Series/EastEnders'' and ''Series/TheXFactor''. Anyone would be forgiven for thinking the show had reached its ceiling at that point, but then it transferred to the flagship channel, BBC One, and got even ''bigger''. In 2015 it was the highest rating show on British television outside of the Christmas period. And of course it's been exported around the world too.
* ''NCIS'' parent series ''Series/{{JAG}}'' was also, albeit to a lesser extent, a sleeper hit which hardly received any press coverage until the fourth season when it entered the top 15.
* ''Series/TheLateLateShow'' had been a cult hit under its previous host Craig Ferguson (aided by his unique humor and charm), but James Corden's incarnation all but surpassed it in mainstream popularity thanks to the viral popularity of his "Carpool Karaoke" segments.
* In general, this tends to happen to minority-led network shows that become hits, perhaps because people usually expect them to fall into the MinorityShowGhetto. For example, ''Series/{{Empire}}'', ''Series/HowToGetAwayWithMurder'', and ''Series/{{Scandal}}'' are huge hits that star African-American leads, while ''Series/BlackIsh'' and ''Series/FreshOffTheBoat'' proved to be surprise comedy hits as well. However, read any review for these shows, especially ''Empire'', and critics will be shocked at how high the ratings were.
* ''Series/{{NCIS}}'' was largely ignored as simply [[FollowTheLeader another CBS crime procedural]] early in its run and had fairly middling ratings. It entered the top 10 in 2008 and has its own spinoffs ''Series/NCISLosAngeles'' and ''Series/NCISNewOrleans''. For the 2012-2013 season, it was the number one scripted drama on network television. Also a very rare example of a show getting more popular with age; it has broken its record for single-episode viewership in each of its 9 seasons, with "Shiva" as the most watched.
* Tends to happen to any Creator/{{Netflix}} original series. Each new show is given modest promotion before word-of-mouth does the rest. ''Series/StrangerThings'' deserves special mention, as it became wildly popular enough to get its own Super Bowl commercial, a rarity for any Netflix original.
* ''Series/TheNoddyShop'' was not expected to make a significant impact in North America, as some elements of the ''WesternAnimation/NoddysToylandAdventures'' stories it framed were controversial (such as the relationship between Noddy and Big Ears[[note]]the latter almost lead to the show not being produced in the first place[[/note]]), and some people in its native United Kingdom [[https://www.theguardian.com/theguardian/1999/feb/25/features11.g24 felt that the framing device itself was useless]]. However, children loved both the stories in both the shop and Toyland, and it got ratings on par with ''Sesame Street'' in its first few weeks alone, leading to a long run on both Creator/PBSKids and [=TVOntario=].
* No one could have expected the out of nowhere success of ''Series/OurFlagMeansDeath''. Receiving very little marketing from Creator/HBOMax and a very unusual release schedule, it seemed the network didn't have much faith in the series. Suffice to say it was a surprise when through 99% word of mouth, the quirky gay pirate romantic comedy became not only the most demanded show on HBO Max, it became the biggest new hit of the entire year.
* ''Franchise/PowerRangers'' fit this. [[Creator/SabanEntertainment Haim Saban]] spent the better part of a ''decade'' looking for a network, be it broadcast or cable, to accept his concept of an TransatlanticEquivalent of ''Franchise/SuperSentai''. No one would accept until Margaret Loesch, then head of the Fox Kids Network (and familiar with the source, having been with Marvel when [[Series/SpiderManJapan the Sentai people took a shot at their characters]]) gave him the go-ahead. A last minute change in management at Fox left Loesch with a new boss who was less than thrilled with the idea and wanted the show cancelled before airing even one episode. Luckily, Loesch's faith paid off and she was able to convince her boss to give it a chance saying she had a backup if it flopped. It ended up being a smash hit the likes of which had not been seen since ''Franchise/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles''. Loesch herself, along with Creator/StanLee, was trying to do essentially the same thing with Super Sentai when she was at Marvel. So she jumped at the chance to bring it to the air.
* The first ''Series/PuppyBowl'' was a quick NoHoperRepeat show Creator/AnimalPlanet threw together to air during the Super Bowl. To everyone's surprise it gave Animal Planet some of its highest ratings ever and has steadily grown in popularity, even spawning its own imitator, Hallmark Channel's Kitty Bowl. Now, as of 2019, they've done their ''fifteenth'' Puppy Bowl, have a number of pregame specials regarding current and past Puppy Bowls (including an actual pregame show, natch), and even created another bowl, the Dog Bowl, which is the Puppy Bowl with older dogs.
* ''Series/TheQueensGambit'' could be just another Netflix miniseries, about the not exactly crowd-pleasing game of chess. It became one of the platform's biggest hits of the year, topping the streaming charts for more than a month.
* ''Series/SabrinaTheTeenageWitch'' was a show that ABC had very little faith in, favouring ''{{Series/Clueless}}'' as their flagship one. While Creator/MelissaJoanHart had achieved TeenIdol status with [[Series/ClarissaExplainsItAll her previous sitcom]], the fact that it was female-led and had fantasy themes meant they weren't sure who would watch it beyond young children or adults nostalgic for the likes of ''Series/{{Bewitched}}'' and ''Series/IDreamOfJeannie''. It ended up becoming a hit, lasting for seven seasons, and still enjoys a strong fan base several years later.
* ''Series/SchittsCreek'' was popular enough in its native Canada, but in the USA critics dismissed it as an ''Series/ArrestedDevelopment'' knockoff and it attracted few viewers on the new and somewhat obscure Pop Channel. However, strong word of mouth and the show becoming available on Netflix led it to become a hit in the fourth season.
* ''Series/SesameStreet'' was originally made as part of a philanthropic initiative to prep the kids of low-income families for school, and since it aired on NET (National Educational Television), a loosely-organized ad-hoc collection of non-commercial TV stations, there wasn't much expectation for the show to gain any viewers outside its intended audience. However, word of mouth spread about how beneficial the show was not only to poor families, but to all children regardless of their wealth, and the show's [[ParentalBonus Parental Bonuses]] attracted a strong PeripheryDemographic (including adults without children), so the ratings quickly skyrocketed. It beat ''Series/CaptainKangaroo'' (where several members of ''Sesame Street'''s initial creative team had been hired from) as the most popular show for preschoolers on TV, and became a certified LongRunner CashCowFranchise. Its popularity even led to NET getting retooled into the more organized, bigger budgeted Creator/{{PBS}} after its first season.
* ''Series/SquidGame'' was a South Korean DeadlyGame show hardly promoted by Netflix outside of Asia at first. One month later, it was the platform's most watched debut ever, with over 111 million viewers worldwide.
* When Creator/AppleTVPlus was approaching its launch, most of the hype for its original programming went towards ''Series/TheMorningShow'' with it getting the bulk of advertising and media attention, as well as having a massive price tag ($15 million an episode) and several big-name lead actors (Creator/JenniferAniston, Creator/SteveCarell, and Creator/ReeseWitherspoon). After the show premiered, the general sentiment towards it was SoOkayItsAverage. Instead, most of the expected acclaim would go towards fellow Apple TV Plus original ''Series/TedLasso'', thanks to WordOfMouth praising it for expertly turning what was a series of joke commercials into a well written dramedy with lead actor Creator/JasonSudeikis churning out what has widely been hailed as the best acting performance of his career. The show and Sudeikis proceeded to win several high profile awards and, as a result, the service pivoted towards marketing the latter show as its flagship program.
* ''Series/{{Teletubbies}}'' was just expected to be another British children's series that would only be remembered by those who lived there and not get worldwide exposure. There were also parents who were furious that it replaced the long-running BBC show ''Playdays'', as well as concerns about the show targeting a very young demographic. However, the colorful characters, fun stories and intriguing concepts of the show lured in not just the target demographic, but a PeripheryDemographic of teenagers and adults. The instant success lead to Teletubbies being the hottest toys that Christmas and the theme song selling over a million copies. It also kickstarted the trend of creating television shows meant for babies.
* ''Series/TheThickOfIt'' was given a limited budget and aired on the niche BBC Four channel, but it became a cult hit that turned Creator/PeterCapaldi into a star. Season 4 ended up getting a ChannelHop to BBC Two as a result. It also [[Series/{{Veep}} inspired a similarly successful American version.]]
* Creator/{{CBS}} threw ''Series/TheWaltons'' on the air solely to answer those who were criticizing the network's "rural purge" in the early '70s, its focus on more urban-focused, boundary-pushing programming at the expense of shows set in FlyoverCountry. It was expected to die a quick death against the Creator/{{ABC}} hit ''Series/TheModSquad'', but instead ran for nine seasons and is now remembered as the "sole survivor" of the rural purge.
* The American version of ''Series/WhoseLineIsItAnyway'' was specifically intended by ABC as a temporary filler show -- the show went up against ''Series/{{Friends}}'' and ''Series/{{Survivor}}'', both of which were (at the time) ratings juggernauts which ABC couldn't hope to successfully go against (and several attempts, such as ''Series/VengeanceUnlimited'', proved that point). But ''Whose Line'' ended up getting way more viewers than expected (mostly from people disillusioned with "popular" TV), and, given the show's low production costs, ABC was still able to make a profit on it and thus didn't have any reason to take it off the air. ''Whose Line'' ultimately became a CultClassic that lasted for five seasons on ABC proper--not bad for a show the network never intended to renew.
* Of the Day One original productions of Creator/DisneyPlus, the lighthearted {{Edutainment}} series ''Series/TheWorldAccordingToJeffGoldblum'' was the most-hyped of the unscripted/nonfiction productions because of the presence of the eccentric actor, who became the "face" of the National Geographic brand on the service and did plenty of morning/talk show appearances to promote it. Still, it saw far less advertising (especially offline) than KillerApp ''Series/TheMandalorian'' and the service's extensive back catalog of Disney, Pixar, Marvel, and ''Star Wars'' movies and shows, all of which had more obvious appeal to kids/families. While reviews were [[https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/the_world_according_to_jeff_goldblum/s01 mostly favorable]], even positive notices warned that it wouldn't appeal to viewers who weren't Goldblum fans... but by the time the first season ended it quietly became the service's third original production to be renewed for a second season (after ''The Mandalorian'' and ''Series/HighSchoolMusicalTheMusicalTheSeries'').
* ''Series/TheXFiles'' was a classic example. When Creator/ChrisCarter pitched the idea to Fox, it was initially rejected. When he fleshed it out and pitched it again a few weeks later, they reluctantly took it on. They were unsure about the idea of having a show centered around the paranormal and were not happy with the casting; they wanted someone more established and traditionally attractive to play Scully. Creator/GillianAnderson was a theater actress but mentioned later that ''The X-Files'' pilot was only her second time in front of the camera. Right away it was given the FridayNightDeathSlot with the network hoping it would get residual audience from ''Series/TheAdventuresOfBriscoCountyJr''... only to consistently draw more viewers than that and be renewed for a second season. And a third. And a fourth, where it finally got a better date on Sundays, even serving as a Usefulnotes/SuperBowl lead-out. Also helping was the Internet's increasingly popularity, with ''The New York Times'' reported the show was likely one of the first shows to see audience growth influenced by the Internet, having its own forums, discussion groups, fan pages and {{fanfiction}} far before it became commonplace to do so with a show. By Season 6, ''The X-Files'' was Fox's highest-rated show. Its popularity led to ExecutiveMeddling coupled with TheChrisCarterEffect and spelled the show's downfall, with the series' ninth and final season (until a short revival in TheNewTens) being the lowest-rated overall. However, the show went on to inspire and influence other shows of the time and subsequent shows (many cult classics in their own right), including ''Series/{{Lost}}'', ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'', ''Series/{{Torchwood}}'', ''Eleventh Hour'', ''Series/{{Alias}}'', ''Series/{{Bones}}'', and most notably ''Series/{{Fringe}}'', which has a similar blend of MonsterOfTheWeek and MythArc episodes.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Podcasts]]
* Podcasts are usually written off as niche topics and rarely break-out as cultural phenomena. But in 2013, ''Podcast/WelcomeToNightVale'' managed to break the mold thanks to vocal support from Website/{{Tumblr}} and various other sources. Eventually, it reached #1 on iTunes and the live crossover with ''Thrilling Adventure Hour'' ranked higher than Music/{{Beyonce}} for about a day.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Theatre]]
* ''Theatre/{{Rent}}'' also became a surprisingly huge success, largely due to the sudden death of its composer/author just before it opened on Broadway.
* ''Shuffle Along'', like many lesser Broadway musicals of the early 1920s, was a vaudeville sketch expanded into an evening-length show. The production featured an all-black cast of unknowns in borrowed costumes, and barely managed to open in New York at a small, out-of-the-way theater in May 1921, late in the theatrical season. It unexpectedly won critical praise and became the eleventh longest running musical of the decade.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Theme Parks]]
* Ride/DisneyThemeParks sometimes get these -- attractions that weren't the focus of giant marketing campaigns, but then the word-of-mouth kicked in.
** ''Voyage of WesternAnimation/{{the Little Mermaid|1989}}'', a multimedia live show, officially opened in a minuscule theater at Disney's Hollywood Studios in January 1992 -- right after the Christmas rush.
** How popular is ''WesternAnimation/BeautyAndTheBeast -- Live on Stage'' at the Studios? It opened the same day the movie opened in wide release in 1991, and given the previous tendency of new release tie-in shows to last until the next big release came along, it should have lasted about a year. And has been credited for inspiring the company to adapt the show into a full-fledged Broadway musical in 1994!
** The 3-D movie ''[[Film/HoneyIShrunkTheKids Honey, I Shrunk the Audience]]'' was, according to ''The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World'', "launched with very little fanfare" at Epcot in 1994; it came along mainly because ''Film/CaptainEO'' had run its course and something fresh was in order. Well, that guide mentioned the "little fanfare" part by way of explaining that it swiftly became the hottest attraction in a park devoted mainly to {{Edutainment}}, and managed to run until 2010. It's also the only 3D movie besides ''Captain EO'' to play in more than three Disney parks, since it was exported to Disneyland, Disneyland Paris, and Tokyo Disneyland -- and even though Tokyo didn't get it until 1998, they were rewarded for their wait with a unique preshow. Even ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' made a joke about its tactile special effects in "Special Edna" -- Homer and Bart get CoveredInGunge by ''Honey, I Sprayed Goo on the Audience'' -- and Gigabyte, the python that menaces the shrunken crowd, was incorporated into Ridley Pearson's third ''Literature/TheKingdomKeepers'' novel.
** ''Turtle Talk with Crush'', an interactive ''WesternAnimation/FindingNemo''-based show, became this as part of Disney's California Adventure's animation exhibit. It was subsequently ported over to Epcot as a standalone show and repeated its success, and the technology used for it has since become the basis for other attractions, such as WesternAnimation/MonstersInc Laugh Floor.
* [[Ride/UniversalStudios Universal Parks & Resorts]]:
** ''Ride/TheSecretLifeOfPetsOffTheLeash'' largely flew under the radar while it was being built, as an attraction based on ''WesternAnimation/TheSecretLifeOfPets'' didn't appeal to the hardcore theme park fans who are largely indifferent at best to the works of Creator/IlluminationEntertainment making their way into the Universal Studios parks. When ''Off the Leash'' opened however, it became a surprise hit within that crowd for its charming old-school dark ride design philosophy, and it very quickly became one of Universal Studios Hollywood's most acclaimed and popular attractions. It is now common to see calls for this ride to be exported to other parks as well.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Toys]]
* Many people bashed ''WesternAnimation/{{Mixels}}'' before they were released, saying their designs were silly and the shorts were unneeded. However, it turned out that the sets were cheap for their piece-to-price ratio, contained the new balljoint mechanism, ''and'' contained rare pieces in hard-to-find colors. Sales soon shot up, and many people that bought them for their parts have admitted to caving in and making the Mixels instead and finding them appealing.
* While ''Toys/MonsterHigh'' had fans since it began, many thought the appearance of the dolls and the premise were too bizarre for a toy line aimed at young girls. It became one of Creator/{{Mattel}}'s best selling toy franchises ''ever'' [[note]]Until a poorly received ReTool caused the toyline to go into a semi-hiatus.[[/note]].
* Many believed that ''WebAnimation/DCSuperHeroGirls'' would bomb among the target audience since making a franchise out of the female heroines from a company with works mainly aimed at a male audience didn't sound profitable. However, thanks to various shows about superheroes becoming popular at the time, and the franchise being praised for having good girl role models compared to similar doll lines, ''DC [=SuperHero=] Girls'' became one of the top 5 best-selling girls' brands in the United States, and caused other companies to [[FollowTheLeader try to create similar girl franchises based off properties aimed at boys]], most notably ''[[Franchise/StarWars Star Wars: Forces of Destiny]]''.
* When ''LOL Surprise'' dolls came out, most just dissmissed them as another cash grab. They became one of the biggest selling doll lines in years, entire stores sold out of them in mere ''hours'', and they helped MGA Entertainment out of a slump.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Visual Novels]]
* As shocking as it may sound, ''VisualNovel/HigurashiWhenTheyCry'' was actually not that well known when it first came out. WordOfGod says that it wasn't until ''Meakashi-hen'' that the series started to garner wide spread attention. The series would eventually become known as one of the flag ships of Japanese Horror and of the visual novel medium.
* ''VisualNovel/MysticMessenger'' became far more popular than its developer Creator/{{Cheritz}} expected; while their [[VideoGame/{{Dandelion}} previous]] [[VisualNovel/{{Nameless}} two]] English releases were relatively well-received by the otome gaming community, ''Mystic Messenger'' ended up vastly outstripping the two of them in popularity combined and even getting publicity outside of the niche otome community as it became a number of players' [[GatewaySeries introduction to the otome genre]].
* ''VisualNovel/NineHoursNinePersonsNineDoors'', a VisualNovel for the Platform/NintendoDS, was released in North America to little fanfare -- there was basically no advertising and retailers had to specifically request copies of the game to stock. It then received several near-perfect scores from major reviewers, and good word-of-mouth led to so many sales that the distributors had to ''re-print the game.'' The sequel, ''VisualNovel/VirtuesLastReward'', was released on the Platform/Nintendo3DS and Platform/PlayStationVita to similar critical acclaim.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Web Animation]]
* ''WebAnimation/{{Cocomelon}}'' started as a channel called ''[=ThatsMEOnTV=]'' that uploaded educational videos. After two rebrands, it began producing original animated videos featuring a set cast of characters. As the channel's last two incarnations were rather obscure, it was not expected to do well. ''Cocomelon'' is now the third most-subscribed to [=YouTube=] channel in the world, and the song "Bath Song" is the fourth most-watched [=YouTube=] video of all time. Additionally, since ''Cocomelon'' first became available on Netflix, it has almost '''''never left the network's daily posted list of top 10 shows/movies watched in the United States'''''. Though it has never once topped the list, it has almost always been at least ''somewhere'' on it, and has risen at least as high as fourth. This changed once Netflix made changes to how the top 10 are ranked, though the series still surfaces in the top 10 from time to time.
* WebAnimation/{{Hololive}} spent most of 2017 to 2019 in the relative obscurity of a small Japanese fanbase. When the UsefulNotes/COVID19Pandemic happened in early 2020, the combination of clipped stream highlights skyrocketing through the [=YouTube=] algorithm and the lockdowns meaning billions of people were now staying inside, saw Hololive's streamers surge in popularity in 2020. The company used the success of the 4th & 5th generation of Japanese speaking talent as a springboard for the start of its English speaking branch in late 2020, with one, Gawr Gura rapidly reaching 3.5 ''million'' subscribers, making her the highest subbed [=VTuber=] ever.
* The creators of ''WebAnimation/TheMostPopularGirlsInSchool'' didn't think that anybody would even ''watch'' their videos. And then, Episode 1 got over a hundred-thousand views in a ''week''.
* Creator/{{Pinkfong}} was a little-known Korean education company that produced videos, including one of the popular camp song ''Baby Shark''. Nobody expected said video to become the most watched [=YouTube=] video of all time and for said song to become a CashCowFranchise, spawning toys, t-shirts and [[Animation/BabySharksBigShow a Nickelodeon show.]]
* Similar to Baby Shark, ''Potty Monkey'' originally started as a little-known toy by a company who made [[EmbarrassingDampSheets bedwetting alarms]] and wasn't very successful at first, having very few purchasers in its first decade of sales. It wasn't until a web cartoon based on the toy was published in 2018 that the toy really took off and became popular with kids, with said video reaching two million views in the span of a year.
* ''WebAnimation/RedVsBlue'' was meant to be just a short series Burnie Burns and his friends did for fun. Yet the videos gathered thousands and thousands of views bordering on DemandOverload, so everyone quit their day jobs, founded Creator/RoosterTeeth, which lasted until 2024, and ''Red vs. Blue'' has been running continuously since 2003.
* Despite the lack of connections to their flagship ''[[WebAnimation/Supermarioglitchy4sSuperMario64Bloopers SMG4]]'' series that ''WebAnimation/MetaRunner'' and ''WebAnimation/SunsetParadise'' had on their side, the pilot for ''WebAnimation/MurderDrones'' became the most viewed original animation by Creator/GlitchProductions ever, surpassing the view count of the premiere episode of ''Meta Runner'' with breakneck speed (with the latter racking up 3.1 million views in just over 2 years, and the former racking up 4 million in ''only 2 weeks'').
* The most famous YouTubePoop by pooper Creator/{{cs188}} is "No one needs foundation repair", which he created merely as a one-off filler. It became famous after he was asked to take it off Website/YouTube due to a privacy complaint from workers at the foundation company whose commercials he used in it. Now, countless Poopers have re-uploaded and mirrored it, and have given it countless {{Shout Out}}s in their own Poops.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Web Original]]
* Franchise/{{The Slender Man|Mythos}} was not-at-all expected to leave Website/SomethingAwful, or, at least, not get ''nearly'' as popular as it did. It started as a couple pictures for a contest... and, after ''WebVideo/MarbleHornets'' began, promptly exploded. Now there's ''movies and video games'' being made about Tall, Thin and Faceless, and as a dark twist to this, has caused people to attempt murder in the Slender Man's name.
* After Website/{{YouTube}} implemented the controversial COPPA compliance changes, alternative video sharing sites like Vlare.tv[[note]]Now defunct[[/note]], Platform/{{Newgrounds}} and Odysee (which are smaller but more focused on QualityOverQuantity) became this for a small subset of content creators who felt that their content would be unfairly flagged by [=YouTube=], especially animators and/or people whose content could otherwise get mistaken for being family friendly.
* ''Songs for Littles'', which stars Miss Rachel, wasn't expected to be a big hit at first. But word of mouth about the show being educational due to its' emphasis on learning new words, along with parents who watched the show filming videos showing off how the show taught their younger kids to speak, caused the channel to become one of [=YouTube=]'s biggest kids channels.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Western Animation]]
* ''WesternAnimation/AdventureTime'' started out as a short produced for Nickelodeon's ''Random! Cartoons'' show, which was pre-screened and then leaked onto the Internet, where it gained a massive amount of popularity in 2007. People who liked the short were already begging for it to be made into a series then. It didn't matter if critics didn't like it, the show had a fanbase ''three years before it even aired''.
* While many found the concept and previews interesting, ''nobody'' expected ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'' to become such a phenomenal success, not even its creators. In fact, many anime fans considered the show's "animesque" look an affront. But by the time ''A:TLA'' was at its 8th episode, it had gathered a sizable fanbase that kept on growing. The show's enduring popularity earned it a [[WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra sequel series]] in 2012 and it's regularly ranked as one of the best animated shows of all-time.
* ''WesternAnimation/BigMouth'' was hated by many when it first came out due to people thinking that the show's art style looked weird and because the show itself used too much ToiletHumor. But after a good advertising campaign hyping up the second season and word of mouth abut how the show was funny and relatable to most people's lives, it grew in popularity.
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Bluey}}'' wasn't expected to be as popular as other children's shows were, but because it depicted a honest portrayal of the way parents interact with kids compared to many other shows of a similar nature, it gained a large following of kids and even adults.
* No one thought ''WesternAnimation/DocMcStuffins'', which also came out in 2012, would be so hugely popular. Once again, people were proven wrong, and it has the honor of being the first Disney show to get a 5th season.
* When the Nicktoons brand started in 1991, Creator/{{Nickelodeon}} hoped ''WesternAnimation/{{Doug}}'' would be the smash hit Nicktoon at the time. In actuality, that honor went to ''WesternAnimation/TheRenAndStimpyShow''. That show was itself dethroned by ''WesternAnimation/{{Rugrats}}'' as Nick's biggest hit, until ''[=SpongeBob SquarePants=]'' came along.
* Unlike most of the biggest animated series from PBS, ''WesternAnimation/DragonTales'' was an entirely new property; not based off of anything except for creator Ron Rodecker's paintings at a festival, and as such it was considered a risky project. Almost immediately after the show premiered, it became massively popular with the 2-5 demographic, at times even beating ''WesternAnimation/{{Arthur}}'' in the ratings. By 2004, the show had reached as many as '''[[https://web.archive.org/web/20040720030335/http://www.ohpark.com:80/PressReleases/PRESS%20RELEASE%20DRAGON%20TALES%20LIVE!.pdf 11 million households a week]]''' and would become one of the most iconic preschool shows of the 2000s.
* In a situation not to dissimilar from ''Regular Show'' and ''Adventure Time'', ''WesternAnimation/GravityFalls'' came out when Creator/DisneyChannel had [[NetworkDecay alienated many of their over-14 viewers with their endless crop of kidcoms]], and ''WesternAnimation/PhineasAndFerb'' and ''WesternAnimation/FishHooks'' were the only animated series still running on the channel. Enter ''Gravity Falls'', which came out of the blue with quick gags and random ([[{{Parental Bonus}} and slightly dark/adult]]) jokes reminiscent of shows you'd expect from Cartoon Network, all tied together with an imaginative and intriguing darkly supernatural story. Suddenly, every episode had over a million views, MTV listed it as #2 on their top cartoons of 2012 list, and it now has a massive fanbase on social media sites.
* ''WesternAnimation/GreenEggsAndHam'' was expected to do decently at best like most animated adaptations of Creator/DrSeuss. However, good word of mouth about the show's quality made it successful enough to be renewed for a second season and become a hit with not only families, but the animation community.
* ''ComicBook/{{Hilda}}'' is a fairly obscure though critically acclaimed children's graphic novel series. The Creator/{{Netflix}} [[WesternAnimation/{{Hilda}} animated adaptation]] was made and released with little fanfare, but it quickly became a critical and commercial success thanks to excellent word of mouth. It also gathered quite the large following from ''WesternAnimation/GravityFalls'' and ''WesternAnimation/OverTheGardenWall'' fans due to its similar setting about a magical woodland.
* ''WesternAnimation/InvaderZim'' was originally pitched as an idea to Nickelodeon, who reluctantly green-lit the project and then [[ScrewedByTheNetwork screwed it over]]. Despite inconsistent timeslots and gaps between episodes, the show actually got great ratings (though apparently not great enough to justify the show's huge expenses) and a ''massive'' cult following. Eventually, Creator/OniPress would publish a [[ComicBook/InvaderZimOni comic book continuation]] and Nickelodeon released a [[WesternAnimation/InvaderZimEnterTheFlorpus finale film]] on Netflix.
* When the cast of ''WebVideo/CriticalRole'' pitched an animated adaptation called ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfVoxMachina'', they knew it would be an extremely ambitious project that was unlikely to succeed. They started a month-long Kickstarter campaign for $750.000 to hopefully be able to produce one or two episodes, covering the events from before they started livestreaming their game. Their Kickstarter goal was reached within ''40 minutes'', broke a million in under an hour, and a planned livestream discussing the project opened with StunnedSilence from the hosts as they had raised over 3 million by this point. By the time the Kickstarter closed, they had raised 11 million dollars, and were able to produce a full season to adapt not only the pre-stream Brimscythe storyline, but also the Briarwood arc. When the show finally did air, it was successful enough that Amazon decided to greenlight not only a second and third season, but also an animated adaptation of Critical Role's second campaign: ''WesternAnimation/MightyNein''.
* ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' is one of the best examples out there. The original show from the '80s had the nostalgia factor going for it, but the most recent installment at that point, ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyG3'' did not have the best reception from fans and had SweetnessAversion going against it. Combined with the series as a whole often being seen by non-fans as a shamelessly MerchandiseDriven hack-job toy commercial, it was hard to see anyone besides hardcore MLP fans giving it a chance. Indeed, industry watchers thoroughly trashed the show before a single episode had aired. Then, after reading the articles and finding out Creator/LaurenFaust, who previously worked on ''WesternAnimation/FostersHomeForImaginaryFriends'' and ''WesternAnimation/ThePowerpuffGirls'', was the showrunner, [[IDoNotLikeGreenEggsAndHam people started to watch it]], and it now has a PeripheryDemographic rivaling that of ''Series/DoctorWho'' and ''Franchise/StarTrek''. It even made it into a [[SuperBowlSpecial Super Bowl commercial!]]
* ''WesternAnimation/LittleEinsteins'' was only expected to do decently at first, as despite Playhouse Disney's good ratings, it only had [[Series/BearInTheBigBlueHouse one breakthrough hit]], and other attempts to turn their franchises into {{Cash Cow Franchise}}s flopped (most notably ''WesternAnimation/JojosCircus''). Then, the show actually got great ratings and became Playhouse Disney's second major cash cow, leading to the block becoming more popular among kids and beating rival channels such as Noggin and Cartoon Network in the ratings.
* A few people thought that the ''WesternAnimation/TheLoudHouse'' would be a mild hit at best and do about as well as Creator/{{Nickelodeon}}'s other shows that weren't ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants'' before eventually getting [[ScrewedByTheNetwork screwed over]]. However, the show proved to be an instant hit with kids and [[PeripheryDemographic older Nick fans]] alike and had already garnered a large following ''before the show even premiered'', as well as a sizable TestosteroneBrigade thanks to the Loud sisters. In fact, the show was so successful in ratings it actually ''beat out [=SpongeBob=]'' as the network's highest rated show. It received [[WesternAnimation/TheCasagrandes a spinoff series]] in 2019.
* ''WesternAnimation/PAWPatrol'' began as an obscure Canadian import from [=TVOntario=] during its run on Nick Jr. and wasn't expected to be a big hit among kids since it was a [[NetworkRedHeadedStepchild preschool show teaching social morals]] on a block dedicated to shows that taught educational morals. However, older viewers found that they could enjoy the show as much as the target audience, which lead to the Nick Jr. block returning on weekends to show re-runs. Because of this, the fact that most kids like superheroes and dogs, and Nick Jr. finding a successor to Disney Junior's crop of series with pro-social aesops, ''PAW Patrol'' dethroned ''WesternAnimation/DoraTheExplorer'' as Nickelodeon's flagship preschool property.
* Speaking of ''WesternAnimation/PhineasAndFerb'', nobody expected it to make as much of an impact as it did. While most of the animated shows on Disney Channel would be [[ScrewedByTheNetwork pushed to the sidelines]] as [[Series/HannahMontana live-]][[Series/TheSuiteLifeOfZackAndCody action]] [[Series/ThatsSoRaven kidcoms]] got all the attention from both the network ''and'' its viewers. However, ''Phineas and Ferb'' had the benefit of airing its pilot episode directly after the premiere of the massively anticipated ''Film/HighSchoolMusical2''. On top of that, the promos Disney put out at the time heavily emphasized that the characters would be voiced by actors known for their work on other shows and [=DCOMs=]. Combine those two together, and it was bound to be a decent hit out of the gate. However, the WordOfMouth about its formulaic yet memorable writing style, with tons of [[SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic memorable musical numbers]] and ParentalBonus worthy laughs would soon spread like wildfire. Within a few years it became one of Disney Channel's most popular shows ever, with a highly dedicated PeripheryDemographic online, a hefty focus inside of the Ride/DisneyThemeParks, tons of merchandise for all sorts of demographics, and even ratings that were on par with [[Creator/{{Nickelodeon}} their rival's]] [[WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants biggest series]].
* Nobody expected ''WesternAnimation/{{Pibby}}'', herself, to show up in time for Halloween as a new member of the ''Creator/AdultSwim'' family. But upon the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Btu0O47u3rY trailer]] being released on [=YouTube=] on Adult Swim's behalf, it was an instant success, loved by both cartoon fans young and old and horror fans, making "Pibby" the second most popular cartoon pilot next to ''WesternAnimation/InfinityTrain'', although ''Pibby'' broke the record with a grand total of 6 million views on November 21, 2021. However, the trailer went on restricted mode for a short period of time, but after many fans proved that the series had a lot of potential, it was enough for the trailer to be released publicly again to great fanfare. Just seeing people show their full support for this series is enough for Pibby to cry tears of joy.
** The same reaction happens again following [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZEk5_TYDNYw Pibby's April Fool's Takeover]] on ''Creator/AdultSwim'', for a special event. Like the trailer, nobody expected Pibby to be the main event for the broadcast on April Fool's Day, but upon the broadcast airing from beginning to end, it was instantly loved by both old and new ''Pibby'' fans, as well as other people.
* ''WesternAnimation/PJMasks'' wasn't expected to amount to much for Disney Junior, given their track record with acquired foreign series (where they would either only air them once a day or late at night, or take the show on and off the schedule at random), but ended up becoming their first acquired series to be successful, to the point where merchandise sales and TV ratings for the show beat those of their in-house programming.
* ''WesternAnimation/ReadyJetGo'': The series was an unexpected hit when it premiered. [[TaintedByThePreview Despite the early promos for the show making it look bad]], it outperformed channel average by 32% during its' premiere and gained over 100 million streams online. It had the most online streams at launch for any PBS Kids show, until ''Donkey Hodie'' five years later.
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Recess}}'' was originally just going to be another Disney animated series. But due to excellent word of mouth, critical acclaim, and a huge PeripheryDemographic, it ended up outliving most of the other shows on the Creator/OneSaturdayMorning block, had a very successful [[WesternAnimation/RecessSchoolsOut movie]], and was rerun to death on every Disney station.
* ''WesternAnimation/RegularShow'' was one of only two shows to survive one of Creator/CartoonNetwork's failed projects, right during the channel's AudienceAlienatingEra. Sure enough, it and ''WesternAnimation/AdventureTime'' helped Cartoon Network out of its slump, and it was easily the second-most popular show on the channel for most of its run.
* Many people expected ''WesternAnimation/SofiaTheFirst'' to be a modest hit at best, what with the reputation of preschool shows on the Internet. And yet it turned out to be a very well written show that was able to appeal to multiple levels. As of this writing (October 2017), it's been on the air for 5 years and 4 seasons. In fact, Craig Gerber's next Disney Junior series, the spinoff ''WesternAnimation/ElenaOfAvalor'', managed to gain even more success partially due to Sofia's fanbase.
* Back in 1999, no one knew ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants'' was going to be as wicked popular as it became... outside Nickelodeon Animation Studio, at least. Internally, it was a case of AndYouThoughtItWouldFail, as artists at the studio were completely convinced Stephen Hillenburg and his crew had a hit on their hands, while execs mostly shunned the show in favor of ''WesternAnimation/RocketPower'' and other Creator/KlaskyCsupo series due to the success of ''WesternAnimation/{{Rugrats}}'' as well as ''WesternAnimation/CatDog''.
* Britt Allcroft, creator of ''WesternAnimation/ThomasAndFriends'', did not believe her series would do as well as it became, as previous attempts to adapt source material ''Literature/TheRailwaySeries'' flopped (most notably [[http://ttte.wikia.com/wiki/The_Sad_Story_of_Henry_(1953)#Production "The Sad Story of Henry"]]). Today, Thomas is one of the most popular franchises among preschool boys, and has something of a PeripheryDemographic on the Internet (leading it to become one of the most popular YouTubePoop sources ever), all thanks to her!
* Many people thought that ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitansGo'', like most other shows aired during WesternAnimation/DCNation at the time, would be [[ScrewedByTheNetwork screwed over and quickly canned by the network]]. But since it was LighterAndSofter than the other DC Nation shows, it gained a huge following of kids and dethroned fellow sleeper ''WesternAnimation/AdventureTime'' as Cartoon Network's flagship show, getting ratings that were on par not only with other family-oriented channels, but with prime time shows on broadcast networks. ''Teen Titans Go'''s massive success also helped Cartoon Network become the highest-rated kids' channel in 2015 and 2016, causing the ratings of [[Creator/DisneyChannel its]] [[Creator/{{Nickelodeon}} rival]] [[Creator/DiscoveryFamily channels]] to drop significantly.
[[/folder]]

----