->''"Phrases like 'shiver me timbers' and traditional pirate songs like 'Fifteen Men on the Dead Man's Chest' were made up by Creator/RobertLouisStevenson for his novel Literature/TreasureIsland, published in 1883 -- over 150 years after the end of the Golden Age of Piracy. We might as well tell you right now that 90 percent of all pirate tropes come from the same book: One-legged pirates, squawking parrots, drunken mutinies... all that stuff can be traced back to Treasure Island."''
-->-- ''Website/{{Cracked}}'', [[http://www.cracked.com/article_19482_6-absurd-pirate-myths-everyone-believes-thanks-to-movies.html "6 Absurd Pirate Myths Everyone Believes (Thanks to Movies)"]]

A Trope Maker is the first unambiguous example of a particular trope. Though there may have been [[UrExample similar things in the past]], these are the works that defined their respective tropes.

See also TropeCodifier, which is the example of a trope that defines all other uses. If a TropeCodifier is very different in outlook than the Trope Maker, then the Trope Maker worked on an UnbuiltTrope.

And, of course, don't confuse with UrExample --the earliest example that has the essence of the trope, but may not have the actual connotations and may be missing details. However, it's the Trope Maker which starts the consistent enough pattern to be called a trope.

To provide a concrete example of all three, the DetectiveStory's Trope Maker is Creator/EdgarAllanPoe's Literature/CAugusteDupin stories, and Franchise/SherlockHolmes is the TropeCodifier; but the UrExample may well be [[http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_Tale_of_the_Three_Apples "The Tale Of the Three Apples"]] in ''[[Literature/OneThousandAndOneNights 1001 Nights (The Arabian Nights)]]''.
Related: [[TropeNamers Trope Namer]].

''If you make an entry here, expect some [[OlderThanTheyThink heavy challenges]].''

----
!!Examples
[[foldercontrol]]

[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
* ''Anime/AstroBoy'' -- The first modern anime to make its way to the United States, it also included the first AnimeThemeSong. It was a creation of Creator/OsamuTezuka, who also defined the style of manga and anime for decades with it and other works.
* ''Manga/AzumangaDaioh'' -- Set up the basis for entire SchoolgirlSeries. While many of the tropes had already been established in ''Manga/DokiDokiSchoolHours'', which some may argue relegates ''Azumanga'' to the ranks of mere TropeCodifier, it had nowhere near as large an impact on the collective consciousness.
* ''Anime/CuteyHoney'' -- [[InTheNameOfTheMoon Pre-battle speeches]], naked {{Transformation Sequence}}s, [[MonogenderMonsters female]] [[MonsterOfTheWeek monsters of the week]], and several other MagicalGirlWarrior tropes owe their existence to her.
* ''Manga/FistOfTheNorthStar'' -- Made and several battle shonen tropes (that were later codified in ''Manga/DragonBall'') and codified the concept of [[ManlyTears extremely manly characters showcasing a lot of emotions]].
* ''Igaguri-kun'' -- Arguably the first massively popular [[GamingAndSportsAnimeAndManga sports]] and [[FightingSeries martial arts]] ''manga'', who starred a strong ''[[UsefulNotes/{{Judo}} judoka]]'' IdealHero. It was the first manga to depict martial arts after a post-war media ban, paving the way half a decade later for the ''spokon'' ''manga'' boom in the sixties (mostly lead by Creator/IkkiKajiwara) before the two genres split during the eighties. Sadly, the author died in 1954 (only two years after ''Igaguri-kun'''s creation), allegedly after death by overwork.
* ''Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventure'':
** ''[[Manga/JojosBizarreAdventureStardustCrusaders Stardust Crusaders]]'' -- Stands are the first deliberate use of {{Guardian Entit|y}}ies as {{Fighting Spirit}}s, with the first one introduced being [[RapidFireFisticuffs Star Platinum]], and the first one created being [[TimeStandsStill The World]]. Stands were even cited to be the inspiration behind the TropeCodifier for Guardian Entities and Fighting Spirits, ''Franchise/{{Persona}}''.
** ''[[Manga/JojosBizarreAdventureDiamondIsUnbreakable Diamond is Unbreakable]]'' -- The first standardized Japanese example of a {{yandere}} in Yukako Yamagishi, a schoolgirl whose unrequited crush on Koichi Hirose leads to [[StalkerWithACrush stalking]], [[AbductionIsLove kidnapping]], and eventually [[IfICantHaveYou attempted murder]]. She was actually meant to be a {{subver|ted trope}}sion of a YamatoNadeshiko, and went on to influence many similar characters in anime, manga, video games, and other multimedia forms.
* ''Anime/MagicalPrincessMinkyMomo'' -- Introduced the StockFootage TransformationSequence where TransformationIsAFreeAction, which would became a staple of the magical girl genre. Before this, magical girl transformations were quick and in real time.
* ''Anime/MazingerZ'' -- The first HumongousMecha to be piloted by a human, which is why they made a point to show Koji coming out of the robot in the intro. The first SuperRobot to [[RocketPunch launch its fists]] at enemies. Koji himself can also be considered the trope maker of the StockShonenHero (as he predates ''Dragon Ball'''s Son Goku, who's often credited as the TropeCodifier).
* ''Anime/MobileSuitGundam'' -- Often considered the first RealRobot show, as it was the first to portray the robots as common military equipment. Later series took this idea further, however (see below). It was also an early anime adopter of AnyoneCanDie.
* ''Manga/PrincessKnight'' -- One of the first {{Shoujo}} series.
* ''Manga/RanmaOneHalf'' -- Created the entire genre of an UnwantedHarem attached to a CelibateHero.
* ''Manga/CodenameSailorV'' and ''Manga/SailorMoon'' -- Was the first to combine the classic MagicalGirl genre with sentai and superhero themes (both by the same author and in-continuity with each other, ''Sailor V'' came first, but was developed in parallel with ''Sailor Moon'', the later becoming better known).
* ''Anime/CreamyMamiTheMagicAngel'' -- the very first MagicIdolSinger anime.
* ''Anime/ScienceNinjaTeamGatchaman'' -- The origin of the formal FiveManBand concept, which predates even ''Franchise/SuperSentai''.
* ''Mazinger Z'', ''Gatchaman'', and ''Manga/GetterRobo'' are the three candidates for first CombiningMecha. Mazinger is the weakest of these because while it is two entities coming together to form a whole, there's only one pilot and robot. In addition, while the vehicles in ''Gatchaman'' do combine, it isn't into the humanoid HumongousMecha that we commonly associate with the trope. So, while ''Manga/GetterRobo'' was the final chronologically of the three, it was the one that most resembled the trope we know today.
* ''Anime/{{Raideen}}'' -- First TransformingMecha.
* ''Anime/SuperDimensionFortressMacross'' -- It popularized the TransformingMecha genre; also sometimes considered to be the first "true" RealRobot show, as every mecha was mass-produced, and not a hint of "prototypes" being the focus. Also, MacrossMissileMassacre.
* ''Manga/SallyTheWitch'' -- first MagicalGirl, with ''Series/{{Bewitched}}'' serving as the UrExample.
* ''My Motto is Living Honestly and Humbly'' -- first RebornAsVillainessStory, but less known than the TropeCodifier ''Literature/MyNextLifeAsAVillainessAllRoutesLeadToDoom''
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Arts]]
* ''{{Art/David}}'': Many scholars attribute to this {{sculpture|s}} the popular misconception of stone statues being pristine and white all along. While Creator/MichelangeloBuonarroti's ''David'' is like this, the ones that survived the Greco-Roman period were originally painted in bright colors and their actual state is a consequence of time fading them away.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Comic Books]]
* Although you can trace the idea of a masked hero with a secret identity all the way through pulp fiction back to Victorian literature, George Brenner's The Clock, first seen in Funny Pages #6 and Funny Picture Stories #1 (both published in 1936), was the first masked crimefighter in comics and introduced tropes like the secret identity and socially respectable alter ego, the crimefighting sidekick, and the use of gadgets by the heroes to the medium. To date the character only appears in references, and has fallen into the public domain.
* The ComicBook/JusticeSocietyOfAmerica was the very first SuperTeam to ever exist.
* ''ComicBook/{{Hellblazer}}'' -- Created and introduced many UrbanFantasy tropes such as PostModernMagik and BlueCollarWarlock. Also started characters being {{Exiled From Continuity}}, with the protagonist John Constantine as {{Ur Example}}.
* The CrisisCrossover as we know it was invented by Creator/MarvelComics' ''ComicBook/SecretWars1984'' where most of Marvel's A-list heroes and villains fought each other on a cosmic PatchworkWorld with high-stakes for everyone involved.
* ComicBook/{{Galactus}} is often credited as the first straight example of the PlanetEater trope, he's the image that many defer to when this trope comes up even today.
* [[ComicBook/SubMariner Prince Namor the Sub-Mariner]] qualifies as a {{Trope Maker|s}} of the CaptainFishman trope, having been originally written as a superhero before being made out as more of an AntiHero. He's the [[HalfHumanHybrid half-human, half-Atlantean]] ''and'' mutant son of the Queen of Atlantis, having been raised to be its ruler. This usually pits him against humanity, whom he sees as an existential threat to his underwater kingdom, though he isn't above working alongside heroes like the ComicBook/FantasticFour.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Film -- Live-Action]]
* '' Sallie Gardner at a Gallop'' -- Depending on how exactly we choose to define "film", this might be the very first, produced in 1878. ''Film/RoundhayGardenScene'' from 1888 would then be the oldest '''surviving''' film.
* ''The Sneeze'' -- The first thing ever to be caught on actual film (as opposed to paper, like earlier experiments were).
* ''Film/TheKiss'' (1896) -- The first movie kiss and therefore the first EroticFilm in a way. Also the first example of an ExploitationFilm as it was specifically made to feature a kiss and delivers this promise within the 18 seconds of its length. Also the first movie to [[MoralGuardians cause a scandal and attempts to get it banned]].
* ''Film/StarTheatre'' (1901) -- TimeLapse
* ''Film/TheCabinetOfDrCaligari'' -- CircusOfFear, LooksLikeCesare, CuckoosNest, TwistEnding.
* ''Film/{{Equilibrium}}'' -- GunKata.
* ''Film/{{The Maltese Falcon|1941}}'' -- Generally considered the first FilmNoir.
* ''Film/ItsAWonderfulLife'' -- First example of ItsAWonderfulPlot, for which it also is the [[TropeNamers Trope Namer]].
* ''Film/{{Jaws}}'' was the first wide-release film, opening in hundreds of theaters at once instead of a gradual release with the movie travelling from town to town. As a result, it was the first SummerBlockbuster.
* ''Film/SevenSamurai'' -- Contained a lot of film firsts, such as recruiting a group of quirky heroes to achieve a goal and introducing the main protagonist in a way unrelated to the plot. Sometimes is considered to be the first modern action movie or first modern epic movie.
* ''Film/{{Gaslight}}'' is both the trope maker and the TropeNamer for {{Gaslighting}}. Incidentally, the phrase is also a legitimate psychiatric term.
* ''Film/SinceYouWentAway'' -- First use of the TrainStationGoodbye.
* ''WesternAnimation/ToyStory1'' (and by extension, Creator/{{Pixar}} themselves) -- Bringing the AllCGICartoon to the big screen.
* ''Film/{{Scanners}}'' -- Created the PsychicNosebleed and YourHeadASplode as part of its BodyHorror take on PsychicPowers.
* ''Film/CatPeople'' -- CatScare. But despite the name, they used a bus.
* ''Film/{{Intolerance}}'' -- Generally considered to be the first EpicMovie.
* ''Film/{{The Birth of a Nation|1915}}'' created the modern Hollywood movie as it stands today.
* ''[[Film/{{Gojira}} Godzilla]] (1954)'' -- TheTokyoFireball was created by, and is a staple of, everybody's favorite [[Franchise/{{Godzilla}} giant radioactive lizard]]. He also invented {{kaiju}} and {{tokusatsu}}!
** Before that, however, ''Film/TheBeastFromTwentyThousandFathoms'' invented the NuclearMutant trope, with the first ever giant monster to be linked to atomic radiation. It was also the first giant monster movie of TheFifties, and the first since ''Film/KingKong'' back in 1933.
* ''Film/{{Bullitt}}'' -- CowboyCop. [[UnbuiltTrope Unbuilt]] as his behavior royally screws up the case.
* ''Film/SupermanTheMovie'' -- Not the first {{Superhero}} movie by any means, but it was the first true SummerBlockbuster to feature a comic-book hero as its lead.
* ''Film/BladeRunner'' -- Invented cyberpunk in film, along with Creator/WilliamGibson's seminal novel ''Literature/{{Neuromancer}}''.
* ''Film/TheGreatTrainRobbery1903'' -- The first Western.
* GardenHoseSquirtSurprise is the oldest joke in the history of motion pictures, dating back to ''The Sprinkler Sprinkled'' (1895), one of the pioneering short films made by [[Film/LumiereFilms the Lumiere brothers]].
* ''Film/CannibalHolocaust'' was the first {{found footage film|s}} in 1980.
* Akira Kurosawa made everything we know about {{chanbara}}.
* ''Franchise/StarWars'' -- One of first movies to utilize the UsedFuture in film and popularized the SpaceWestern. Along with ''Film/{{Jaws}}'', it also effectively created the concept of the SummerBlockbuster.
* ''Film/TwelveAngryMen'' -- RogueJuror
* ''[[Film/TheKid1921 The Kid]]'' -- First film {{Dramedy}}.
* ''WesternAnimation/SnowWhiteAndTheSevenDwarfs'' was the first English-language full-length animated film.
** ''El Apóstol'', from 1917, was the first feature-length animated film.
* ''Film/BringingUpBaby'' -- DinosaurDoggieBone.
* ''Film/DrStrangelove''-- RidingTheBomb
* ''Film/ThisIsSpinalTap'' invented the {{Mockumentary}} genre.
* The ''Film/CarryOn'' film series -- first Franchise/JamesBond parody movie (''Film/CarryOnSpying''); probably paved the way for the AffectionateParody and WholePlotReference genre films[[note]]Faced being sued by Hollywood a couple of times, accused of "copying" their movies, but the court ruled in ''Carry On''[='=]s favor, noting that ''Carry On'' was parodying them, and not taking credit for other movie studios' work[[/note]]; and began the AwfulBritishSexComedy trope/genre, possibly due to one of the most famous scenes in ''Film/CarryOnCamping'' (which was later {{trope codif|ier}}ed by the ''Film/ConfessionsOfA'' series).
* ''Film/NeverWeaken'' -- Established the [[ConstructionZoneCalamity construction zone]] as a setting for comedy based on the protagonist being in mortal danger.
* ''Film/SafetyLast'' -- StockClockHandHang. Harold Lloyd's character clutches the hands of a large clock as he dangles from the outside of a skyscraper.
* ''Film/TheHandsOfOrlac'' -- EvilHand. Many later examples are remakes of this movie.
* ''Film/WingsOfDesire'' -- Started and popularized the image of AngelsInOvercoats, with its two angel protagonists wearing overcoats instead of something more heavenly-looking like "pearly white robes".
* ''Film/UpInSmoke'' -- The StonerFlick.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Folklore]]
* Various legends and folktales from the Eighteenth and Nineteenth centuries about Countess Elizabeth Bathory provide the origins the BloodBath myth for rejuvenating beauty and youth.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Literature]]
* ''Literature/TheEpicOfGilgamesh'' -- [[OlderThanDirt One of the earliest known written stories.]] If there's a written story that was written before it, we don't know about it. Essentially, as far as modern civilization is concerned, ''The Epic of Gilgamesh'' was the Trope Maker for every single trope it contained.
* ''Literature/BookOfImaginaryBeings'' (1957) -- OurPerytonsAreDifferent. Borges invented the creatures entirely from whole cloth, but, as he included them in a book filled with descriptions of genuine mythical and folkloric entities (albeit editorialized to various degrees), later writers assumed that they were also from pre-modern myths and included them in fantasy settings alongside other fabulous monsters.
* ''Literature/TheElricSaga'' -- Formally introduced fantasy to the OrderVersusChaos dichotomy, which TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons codified into the Alignment System that we all know and love (or loathe) today.
* Creator/JRRTolkien: ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings'' and ''Literature/TheHobbit'' -- Created the HighFantasy genre. He's the reason OurDwarvesAreAllTheSame, and kicked off (well, codified) the whole ElvesVsDwarves thing. He also largely invented [[OurOrcsAreDifferent Orcs]], the modern fantasy version of {{Treants}}, and the most common Western incarnation of the EvilOverlord -- various flavors of evil tyrants existed well before him, but the ominous fantasy ruler covered in spiked armor and brooding in a looming fortress traces primarily back to Sauron.
* ''Franchise/ConanTheBarbarian'' -- Created the HeroicFantasy genre, especially its DarkerAndEdgier [[LowFantasy variants]]. Arguably has a basis in [[SuperStrength Samson]] from Literature/TheBible.
* Creator/EdgarAllanPoe -- Normally known as a {{horror}} writer, he also invented the modern [[MysteryFiction detective story]] and modern science fiction.
* Pulp Magazines -- Created WeirdScience.
* Creator/HGWells -- One of the earliest science fiction writers, many science fiction tropes originated in his novels and short stories.
** His short story "The Chronic Argonauts" (1888) and novel ''Literature/TheTimeMachine'' (1895) are the source of the term "time machine", and thus a Trope Maker for TimeTravel -- but not the UrExample, because a few authors had time machines before Wells.
** ''Literature/TheWarOfTheWorlds'' (1898) is the first large-scale alien invasion in literature, and the Tripods are prototype HumongousMecha.
* Creator/JulesVerne made submarines cool with ''Literature/TwentyThousandLeaguesUnderTheSea'', as well as the ideas of ship graveyards and Atlantis.
* ''Literature/{{Dune}}'' took UsedFuture to the logical extreme and has been copied countless times.
* Creator/HPLovecraft -- Created [[CosmicHorrorStory Lovecraftian horror]], although there are a few {{Ur Example}}s.
* ''Literature/AClockworkOrange'' -- The familiar strapped-into-a-chair-with-your-eyelids-taped-open method of [[{{Brainwashed}} Brainwashing]].
* ''Literature/ChildhoodsEnd'' made the OminousFloatingSpaceship trope.
* ''Franchise/SherlockHolmes'' -- Arguably created the first Supervillain BigBad, Professor Moriarty, and the SherlockScan.
* Literature/NickCarter created the boy sidekick, and the RoguesGallery.
* ''Literature/TheLeatherstockingTales'' -- James Fenimore Cooper's Hawkeye was the trope maker for TheGunslinger and the romantic concept of the [[WildWest American Frontier]]. Trope codifier, not the trope maker, for the concept of the NobleSavage / MagicalNativeAmerican.
* ''Literature/DonQuixote'' -- Made many Spanish tropes. The first {{Deconstruction}}, many critics consider it the first modern novel too, because it wasn't about ponies and princesses and was written by a commoner, not a nobleman.
* ''Literature/{{Lensman}}'' -- Created the SpaceOpera genre. Arthur C. Clarke stated at one point that "Smith holds all the original Star Wars patents".
** Also responsible for PoweredArmor. ''Literature/StarshipTroopers'' became the TropeCodifier.
* ''Literature/TheMoonIsAHarshMistress'' -- Created the [[OrbitalBombardment orbital bombardment]] and [[ColonyDrop colony drop]] tropes: the Moon delivers a massive [[{{CurbStompBattle}} beatdown]] on the Earth using the masses of a mass rocks.
* ''Vernor Vinge'' -- Invented computer-networking-as-virtual-reality (later [[TropeCodifier codified]] by Creator/WilliamGibson.)
* ''Literature/TheVampyre''. The first vampire literature in the English language. Lord Ruthven was a DaywalkingVampire who [[VampiricDraining drank blood]], [[VampiresAreSexGods was incredibly seductive]], and of [[VampiresAreRich aristocratic stock]]. When slain he would simply [[{{Immortality}} rise from death]] upon the next moon.
* Creator/IsaacAsimov --
** The "[[ThreeLawsCompliant Three Laws of Robotics]]" were made famous by Dr Asimov because he believed that robots were machines that would be built with [[MoralityChip restrictions on their behaviour]]. However, those restrictions would rarely make robots 100% safe, and most stories showed how the "Laws" would fail to account for one corner-case or another. Many later works refer to these laws by "Asimov's Laws".
*** Asimov himself credits John W. Campbell with having created them when he was Asimov's editor.
** The [[CityPlanet city-wide planet]] idea was first proposed for Trantor, seen when he published "Literaure/DeadHand" in ''Magazine/AstoundingScienceFiction'' (April 1945 issue). Trantor would inspire the TropeCodifier, Coruscant from ''Franchise/StarWars''.
* Creator/MarkTwain -- Can be argued that he was the first ''true'' American novelist in style, though not the first American-born writer (i.e. Henry James, Washington Irving, Creator/EdgarAllanPoe), but his style was much less dependent on the European style of writing. He can be counted as both a Trope Maker and TropeCodifier of American literature
** ''Literature/TheAdventuresOfHuckleberryFinn'' -- Made multi-ethnic protagonist teams okay, particularly the source of TokenBlackFriend. Remember, this was written not too long after the Civil War, with racism still heavy in the United States.
* Creator/EdgarRiceBurroughs's ''Literature/JohnCarterOfMars'', along with his Venus books, defined PlanetaryRomance.
* ''Literature/TheDevilAndDanielWebster'' -- Created the JuryOfTheDamned.
* Creator/LFrankBaum's ''Literature/TheWonderfulWizardOfOz'' -- This book and the following series kicked off the whole WorldBuilding thing; mind you, this only happened because Baum got stuck writing the series to pay the bills and had to expand Oz out of necessity.
** ''Literature/OzmaOfOz'' introduces Tik-Tok, the first ClockworkCreature, who is also the likely earliest example of RoboSpeak.
* The works of Creator/WilliamGibson: Acknowledged as the father of {{Cyberpunk}} and many related tropes.
* Creator/FriedrichNietzsche's ''Also Sprach Zarathustra'' arguably created the MonsterClown with the evil-and-murderous-yet-holier-than-thou jester-man, No-Name-the-Clown.
* ''Literature/TheCanterburyTales'' by Chaucer is recognized as one of the first uses of satire and sarcasm in English.
* ''Literature/ASojournInTheCityOfAmalgamationInTheYearOfOurLord19--'' is this for the {{Dystopia}}.
* Hiroshi Aramata's ''Literature/TeitoMonogatari'' is widely credited as the first modern Japanese fantasy novel to heavily feature UsefulNotes/{{onmyodo}} mysticism, which became a major trope in Japanese pop culture.
* Creator/JosephSheridanLeFanu's ''Literature/InAGlassDarkly'' (1872) had the first OccultDetective with Dr. Martin Hesselius, and also created the LesbianVampire with its fifth segment, ''Literature/{{Carmilla}}''.
* ''Communion'' by Whitley Strieber, the allegedly true story of the author's experience of a UFO abduction, includes the first noted reference to an extra-terrestrial AnalProbing in public media and has inspired just about every joke about rectal probes, much to Strieber's
* ''Literature/{{Somnium}}'' -- Considered by a few to be the very first Science-fiction novel ever made. The book in question was one of the very last books that the astronome Kepler ever wrote and used many scientific theories he proved during his lifetime as explanations in the book (such as explaining the movement of planets to note how the main character in the book would look from the moon to the earth).
* ''Literature/TreasureIsland'' - As mentioned in the page quote, this is the source of many PirateTropes, and contributed greatly to almost every depiction of pirates to come afterward.
* ''Literature/GulliversTravels'' invented the concept of aerial bombardment.
* Literature/DragonridersOfPern invented the DragonRider trope as we know it today, and is also the TropeCodifier (possibly alongside Literature/TheInheritanceCycle and Franchise/HowToTrainYourDragon, depending on who you ask).
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
* ''Series/TheAdventuresOfPeteAndPete'' -- among the first of many American sitcoms to feature all of the following things: on location production, lack of a laugh track and the single camera setup. The fact that it was a children's show on a [[Creator/{{Nickelodeon}} cable network]] meant that most were unaware of this new style of sitcom until ''Series/MalcolmInTheMiddle'' (the TropeCodifier) helped popularize it in the late 1990's.
** ''Pete & Pete'' is more or less tied as the Trope Maker with ''Series/TheLarrySandersShow'', which started around the same time. However, since ''Larry'' was not only broadcast on a cable channel but [[{{Creator/HBO}} one you had to pay extra for]], that meant that ''fewer'' people outside of its small cult audience were likely aware of the shared innovations of ''Sanders''.
** You're probably asking yourself "but what about ''Series/{{MASH}}''?", well, [[UrExample that's a different trope]] altogether (and it also drastically predates all other shows with this style by ''decades'', it being very ahead of its time in that respect).
* ''[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/An_American_Family An American Family]]'' -- The first contemporary RealityTV program.
* ''Series/DarkShadows'' laid the groundwork for similar fantasy, MonsterOfTheWeek shows such as ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'', ''Series/{{Charmed|1998}}'' and ''Series/{{Supernatural}}''.
* ''Series/DegrassiJuniorHigh''. Before it there were afterschool specials populated with one-shot characters, there were ensemble dramas with teenage characters and there were teen {{Sitcom}}s, but it was the first TeenDrama. However, despite being an international success, it suffered from a [[PopCultureIsolation lack of Stateside visibility]], which has largely omitted it from a lot of academic discourse and general written histories of teen television, many of which whom instead position TropeCodifier ''Series/BeverlyHills90210'' as the Trope Maker.
* ''Franchise/{{Dragnet}}'' is the trope maker for the PoliceProcedural.
* ''Series/FawltyTowers'' is the maker and [[TropeCodifier codifier]] of the FawltyTowersPlot. Even though [[BritishBrevity it only ran for twelve episodes]], it's still considered one of the most influential sitcoms of all time.
* ''[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_French_Chef The French Chef]]'' with [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julia_Child Julia Child]] was the first nationwide CookingShow and Child was the world's first actual "celebrity chef", predating Britain's Graham Kerr by a decade.
* ''Series/GoodTimes'' -- Wilona Woods was ''the'' SassyBlackWoman.
* ''Series/GuidingLight'' -- The world's first SoapOpera, originating in 1937 on CBS Radio and making the move to TV in 1952. It finally ceased production in 2009.
* ''Series/ILoveLucy'' -- The first syndicated {{Sitcom}}. Almost every single "wacky" sitcom situation that you can think of was either born on this show or at least popularized by it.
* ''Series/JAKQDengekitai'' -- This Franchise/SuperSentai team originally consisted of four members until the introduction of Sokichi Banba, AKA "Big One", was added to the roster, making him the first example of the SixthRanger before they became a series tradition in ''Series/KyoryuSentaiZyuranger'' / ''Series/MightyMorphinPowerRangers''.
* ''Series/LizzieMcGuire'' -- paved the roads of every Creator/DisneyChannel sitcom post-2000s with its format.
* ''Series/MisterRogersNeighborhood'' -- The definitive work in [[EdutainmentShow educational television programming]].
* ''Series/MontyPythonsFlyingCircus'' -- Created the word "Pythonesque"; made "surrealism", "sex jokes" and "British comedy" go hand in hand from then on. ''The'' quintessential British comedy around the world.
* ''Series/QuincyME'' -- A Seventies ForensicDrama that would presage shows like ''Series/{{CSI}}'' and established most of the tropes common to the genre, particularly the angle of a [[NoBadgeNoProblem non-cop forensic scientist who solves crimes alongside the actual cops]].
* ''Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries'' -- Believe it or not, technically it was the first SpaceWestern, as that's how Gene Roddenberry pitched it (though in execution it codified SpaceOpera instead). Popularized SpaceOpera and created [[RubberForeheadAliens quite]] [[SpockSpeak a few]] [[RedShirt tropes]] [[BeamMeUpScotty of its own.]]
* ComicBook/SpiderMan -- First use of the piloted giant robots so common in ''Franchise/SuperSentai'' series. Yea, ComicBook/SpiderMan (the Toei version). It's not formally considered a ''Franchise/SuperSentai'' series, because he battles alone without a team... and because Toei leased the distribution rights from Marvel, and couldn't use him in later iterations.
* ''Tales Of Tomorrow'' -- This nearly forgotten series was TV's first GenreAnthology.
* ''[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk_Soup Talk Soup]]'' -- Started the snarky pop culture daily (at the time)/weekly clip show. First aired in 1991, ended in 2002. Revived in 2004 as ''Series/TheSoup'', spun off ''The Dish'', ''Sports Soup'' and ''Web Soup''. It has imitators in ''Infomania'' and ''Tosh.0''
* ''Series/WideWorldOfSports'' -- Invented the Sports Anthology genre. The sports nets like ESPN wouldn't exist without it.
* ''Series/{{Password}}'' — First game show to have a definitive BonusRound.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Music]]
* Bill Monroe created bluegrass.
* Ougenweide created Medieval Rock/Metal music by combining medieval texts and melodies with modern Rock and Hard Rock.
* Music/TheBeatles, with almost every subgenre of rock music after them. Musicologically speaking, in this day and age, to say a certain rock band is "Beatles-like" is redundant.
** Including Brass Rock. You don't believe it? Then listen to "Good Morning, Good Morning" from Music/SgtPeppersLonelyHeartsClubBand......
** With Richard Lester, they made the first music videos with the films ''Film/AHardDaysNight'' and ''Film/{{Help}}'' and with their promos for ''Rain'' and ''Paperback Writer''. Creator/{{MTV}} credited Dick Lester as the father of music videos. His response was [[DeadpanSnarker asking for a blood test]].
* Music/TheWho directly created PunkRock, and also innovated in hard rock. Along with Music/LedZeppelin, made heavier rock and metal as we know it.
** Despite there being one before it (by the same group, no less), ''Music/{{Tommy}}'' by Music/TheWho is the first RockOpera. (Well, okay, Music/TheWho had done two other things before which you might call rock operas - "A Quick One, While He's Away", "Rael" - but the former was a track long and the latter two tracks so neither counts.)
** Additionally, Music/TheWho[[JustForFun/XMeetsY +]]Music/TheBeatles and/or Music/TheByrds=PowerPop. Pete Townshend was even the person who originally coined the term "power pop", and first used it to describe what their single "Pictures of Lily" sounded like to a journalist for the ''NME''.
* Music/TheYardbirds are practically a who's-who of blues-rock guitarists (at different times, Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton and Jimmy Page numbered amongst their members). They popularized riff-driven songs and pioneered the use of fuzz, distortion, feedback and innovative recording techniques. And evolved into...
* Music/LedZeppelin, who created heavy metal, along with HeavyMithril, and Viking Metal.
** Before the first major Yardbirds hit and long before Zeppelin, Jimmy Page contributed guitar to a song by Music/FrancoiseHardy called "Je N'attends Plus Personne" which featured an extremely fuzzy tone and a blistering solo.
** Music/BlueCheer really need to get the credit for creating heavy metal the way the early bands played it. Their influence was heavily evident in the most popular of the early metal bands, Music/BlackSabbath, Music/GrandFunkRailroad, and Music/{{Iron Butterfly|Band}}. That influence extended through Music/{{Motorhead}} and Music/{{Venom}}.
* Credit Prog Rock to Music/KingCrimson, Music/{{Yes}}, Music/{{Genesis|Band}}, Music/ProcolHarum and Music/TheMoodyBlues.
** Music/TheMoodyBlues also invented symphonic rock.
** Procol Harum may also have created EpicRocking. Some might also name Music/FrankZappa or Music/TheBeatles for creating prog.
* Music/{{Kraftwerk}}, the first band to really experiment with electronic music. You might even say they were the first "new-wave" music group.
** Prior to this, electronic instruments were used in neo-classical compositions. The first all-electronic composition was [[OlderThanTheyThink recorded in the late 1930s]].
* Music/NewOrder practically invented AlternativeDance with singles like "Temptation" and most famously "Blue Monday".
* Music/BlackSabbath, the first band to use detuned guitar in a metal context, although they are more of the trope codifiers, because they took disparate elements (dark lyrical themes, riff and guitar-driven music, heavy distortion, drug abuse, and tough attitude) and put them together to create what's known today as "heavy metal".
* Music/IronMaiden and Music/JudasPriest first blended hard rock with heavy metal.
* Music/PinkFloyd established progressive rock as psychedelic.
* Creator/IchiroMizuki is widely credited as the maker and[=/=]or codifier of the animusic genre. There's a reason he was known as The Emperor of Anime Songs and referred to as "Aniki"/"Big Brother" by not just his fans, but just about everyone in the entire Japanese entertainment industry.
* Music/XJapan is arguably the creator of VisualKei (or at least, the first band to collect all of its elements into one band concept and name it a name similar to "VisualKei")
** By extension, Music/YoshikiHayashi, by being the first person to name it as such, is the Trope Maker and [[TropeNamers Trope Namer]] of VisualKei.
* The trope makers for DeathMetal are Music/{{Possessed}}'s ''Seven Churches'' and Music/{{Death}}'s ''Scream Bloody Gore''. While other bands like Music/CelticFrost and Bulldozer had similar sounds, the former two were the first bands to really solidify the genre as a distict form of music sepaparte from ThrashMetal and BlackMetal.
* For First-Wave BlackMetal, the trope maker is generally considered to either be Music/{{Venom}} or, if Venom considered to be ThrashMetal rather than black metal, Hellhammer. For the Second Wave, The trope makers are generally cited as being Music/{{Mayhem}} and Sarcofago.
* Music/NapalmDeath is the trope maker for Main/{{Grindcore}}, combining elements of HardcorePunk bands like Siege and Discharge, DeathMetal[=/=]BlackMetal[=/=]ThrashMetal bands like Music/CelticFrost and Repulsion, and NoiseRock[=/=]PostPunk bands like Music/{{Swans}} and Music/KillingJoke into one ugly, misshapen whole.
* Music/LudwigVanBeethoven was the world's first Romantic composer. And Debussy defines the Modern movement that followed the Romantic.
* While the biggest influences on StonerMetal had been around for a while before the genre itself formed, Music/{{Kyuss}} and Sleep were the first bands to actually make music in that style.
* Even though there were some innovative music videos before they came along, Russell Mulcahy and the directing team of Godley and Creme (former bandmates in 10cc) were the Trope Makers as far as creative, groundbreaking music videos go. Back when even Michael Jackson was just doing in-studio "performance" videos, Mulcahy was shooting filmic videos on location and Godley and Creme were using innovative visual effects and creating whole stories for their videos that put the focus away from straightforward performance videos.
* Music/TheStooges are the Trope Makers when it comes to punk rock. While there may have been other artists before who laid the groundwork for punk, they were among the first to put all the pieces together and perform what could reliably be considered punk rock.
* Music/{{REM}} essentially created the AlternativeRock genre with their debut single, the original "Radio Free Europe." As noted in one biography, the single "...marked the point in time where post-punk turned into alternative rock."
* On a more limited level The Music/VelvetUnderground more or less invented the ObligatoryBondageSong with "Venus in Furs" (on their debut album ''The Velvet Underground & Nico'').
** Before anyone gets their knickers in a twist, Music/TomLehrer's "TheMasochismTango" is an UnbuiltTrope version.
* Music/YellowMagicOrchestra was the first SynthPop band. While Music/{{Kraftwerk}} was the first to do live performances of electronic music, YMO was the first to do it without playing up the instruments' novelty.
* Lïkë [[HeavyMetalUmlaut Ümläüts]]? Thänk Music/BlueOysterCult.
* Music/{{Queensryche}}, Fates Warning and Music/DreamTheater are generally considered to be the first three ProgressiveMetal bands.
** Music/{{Rush|Band}} was the pioneer in blending HardRock and ProgressiveRock, and no wonder many progressive metal bands cite Rush as an influence.
* The entire oeuvre of ShoeGazing was essentially a bunch of bands trying to sound like Music/MyBloodyValentine's first album. A significant fraction of modern indie rock is bands trying to sound like their ''second''.
* Music/TheJesusAndMaryChain created and codified NoisePop with their debut album ''Music/{{Psychocandy}}''.
* Music/{{Blur}} are regularly cited as the creators of {{Britpop}}.
* Skream popularized dubstep with what is believed to be the first proper dubstep song called midnight request [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D6pTSGvp7T8 line ]]
* Music/{{Metallica}}'s "Kill 'em All" (specifically "Hit the Lights" the first recorded song from the album, released for the compilation album "Metal Massacre" in 1982) is usually cited as Thrash Metal's Trope Maker, but some give that honor to Venom's "Welcome to Hell," and dub Metallica the TropeCodifier.
* The Age of Love's self-titled ([[OneBookAuthor and only]]) single is widely considered the first true {{trance}} song.
* Creator/SteveRoden is the almighty pioneer of the lowercase genre in which he took {{Ambient}} and {{Minimalism}} and pumped them up, {{Iron|y}}ically. His album ''Forms of Paper'' was 50 sheers minutes of silence and ambient noises that he amplified using digital equipment.
* Music/{{Ministry}} was the trope maker of IndustrialMetal.
* Music/{{Cher}}'s "Believe" was the first mainstream song to utilize AutoTune for the "plastic" distortion effect.
* Music/GangOfFour were the first DancePunk band, combining PunkRock with Funk and Dub rhythms.
* Music/FloridaGeorgiaLine, particularly their debut smash "Cruise", are both makers and codifiers of "bro-country", the wave of rock-influenced, party-themed CountryMusic in TheNewTens. In fact, the term "bro-country" was coined in an article about the duo.
* PostRock was invented more or less [[Music/LaughingStock simultan]][[Music/{{Spiderland}} eously]] in 1991 by both Music/TalkTalk and Music/{{Slint}}.
* ''Music/PetSounds'' by Music/TheBeachBoys is the trope maker for BaroquePop.
* HardcorePunk is considered to have begun with Music/{{Wire}}'s [[Music/PinkFlag "12 X U"]].
* Music/BabyMetal created the "kawaii metal" subgenre in Japan by blending HeavyMetal with JPop.
* The Music/{{Bauhaus}} song "Bela Lugosi's Dead" is usually credited for launching the GothRock genre.
* Music/GrandmasterFlashAndTheFuriousFive were the trope makers for {{PoliticalRap}} with tracks like "The Message" and "White Lines."
* Back when the majority of Christian music was stodgy old hymns and religious folks saw rock music as downright evil (or at least wouldn't admit in public to liking it), along came Music/{{Petra}} with [[ChristianRock a rock sound and Christian lyrics]].
* Music/KanyeWest is responsible for quite a few of these. He invented Chipmunk Soul in the late 90s by speeding up and digitally altering vocal samples, and his 2008 album ''808s and Heartbreak'' invented the genre of Alternative R&B.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Newspaper Comics]]
* ''ComicStrip/DickTracy'' -- Has been called the first PoliceProcedural, originator of the DeathTrap and the RoguesGallery.
* ''Yellow Kid'' -- The first modern newspaper comic, introducing modern speech balloons.
* ''ComicStrip/LittleNemo in Slumberland'' -- Probably the earliest comic ever to use FrameBreak, and it provides a very early example of many PostModernism tropes.
* ''ComicStrip/{{Peanuts}}'' -- The character of Franklin is the earliest example of TokenBlackFriend.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Pinball]]
* ''Pinball/BaffleBall'' is the first commercially successful "pin game", and launched the entire {{pinball}} genre.
* ''Pinball/BlackKnight2000'' is the first {{Pinball}} game to feature a WizardMode, "The King's Ransom".
* ''Terminator 2: Judgement Day'' is the first {{Pinball}} game with a VideoMode.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Professional Wrestling]]
* Wrestling/GeorgeHackenschmidt is the Trope Maker for World Heavyweight Champion in pro wrestling. Josie Wahlford is the UrExample, as far as we know but Hackenschmidt's tour of several countries, beating the best of their champions he could find, is the model that was followed by Lou Thesz in the Wrestling/{{N|ationalWrestlingAlliance}}WA later. The trope namer for women would be Cora Livingston, who followed the Hackenschmitd model and was a much better and more famous wrestler than Wahlford. Wahlford wasn't actually accepted around the world as a champion of wrestling and was more successful internationally in weightlifting competitions.
* The industry itself regarding {{tag team}}s. Jack Pferer is commonly credited if individuals are needed. This is significant because Pferer is otherwise a name usually brought up by people who want to talk about how much they despised him for his outlaw mudshows, among other things.
* [[Wrestling/{{CMLL}} EMLL]] founder Salvador Lutteroth is called "The Father Of Lucha Libre". While pro wrestling had existed in Mexico before, it was something done by foreigners coming in on tour akin to a circus. He and his luchadors also established several tropes that became synonymous the Mexican scene. He got the idea for masks and {{secret identit|y}}ies from the [[LegacyCharacter Masked Marvel]] but Wrestling/ElSanto is where the masked luchador culture, and to a lesser extent, the high risk moves associated with it, come from.
* Wrestling/LouThesz played a large part in creating pro wrestling as its known in the United States, especially when it comes to "wrestling moves", the German suplex, Power bomb, STF and Thesz press being among his innovations.
* Wrestling/{{Rikidozan}} is called the father of Puroresu. Outside of a handful of dedicated clubs, "pro wrestling" was a side show act in Japan for things like concerts at best. The JWA was the nation's first true promotion.
* [[Wrestling/GeorgeWagner Gorgeous George]] was not the first pro wrestler to use AmbiguouslyGay for a [[TheGimmick gimmick]] but was so outrageous for his time that [[GorgeousGeorge his name is lent to a recurring gimmick]].
* The Hawaiian Territory TagTeam of Professor Tanaka and Wrestling/MrFuji inspired two different lines of "Asian" heels. Tanaka for his overwhelming power, ruthlessness and tendency to throw "salt" into the eyes of his opponents [[SoreLoser when these were not enough to win]], Fuji for his sneakiness, creepiness and use of 'boring' tactics like nerve pinches. Even non Asians like Wrestling/TheMidnightExpress and Savio Vega would take up the tactics of Tanaka and Fuji, respectively.
* EMLL is also the trope maker in regards to mini estrellas. "Midget wrestling" had been around for decades and teenagers(and preteens) getting in the ring before growths spurts was as old as pro wrestling itself but it wasn't until the 1990s when Antonio Peña came up with the idea to make divisions for people below certain heights[[note]]usually 1.52 meters but sometimes as high as 1.72 when they want to keep a growing wrestler in the division longer, want a "[[TheGiant giant]]" or simply don't have enough people[[/note]] regardless of the reason they were short. EMLL also popularized having multiple versions of the same [[TheGimmick gimmick]] on wrestlers of different sizes. Mostly because of Mascarita Sagrada, whose popularity ''at least'' equals movie star Mascara Sagrada's.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Radio]]
* Creator/OrsonWelles chose to present his famous radio adaptation of ''Radio/TheWarOfTheWorlds'' as a series of news bulletins and live news coverage of a fictional Martian invasion. He wound up inventing several tropes having to do with use of fictional "news" stories to advance plot, including DeadlineNews, PhonyNewscast, ThisJustIn, WeAreExperiencingTechnicalDifficulties, and WeInterruptThisProgram.
* ''Radio/FibberMcGeeAndMolly'' -- Nearly every supporting character was DropInCharacter.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
* ''{{Kriegspiel}}'' was the first war game, created by a German nobleman to train his generals in military strategy. The name means "wargame."
* ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' -- The first pen-and-paper role-playing game put into publication and would countinue to define and set standards for the entire industry. As technology marched on it would influence digital firsts such as ''Ultima'' and ''Rogue'', thus responsible for the entire computer and console RPG genre.
** ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' was also responsible for ''Roleplay/RecordOfLodossWar''. Everything that series has contributed (such as long anime elf ears) might not have been imagined without it. The creator of ''Roleplay/RecordOfLodossWar'' (Ryo Mizuno), did for Japan what Gary Gygax did for the West and published ''Sword World'': the most popular Japanese TabletopGame ever. The implications are massive, since ''Sword World'' is said to be the inspiration for later anime, manga, light novels, video games... in addition to the continued success of the current Japanese TabletopGame market.
* ''TabletopGame/CallOfCthulhu'' was the first major horror RPG, and is the acknowledged Trope Maker of the SanityMeter, a variation of which can be found in almost all horror [=RPGs=] that followed it (e.g. Humanity in ''TabletopGame/VampireTheMasquerade'', the Madness Meters of ''TabletopGame/UnknownArmies'', etc, etc). As with ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'', this aspect is often copied in video games as well as tabletops.
* Although comedic elements often appeared in earlier games, ''TabletopGame/{{Paranoia}}'' was the first RPG that was all comedy.
* The first pen-and-paper role-playing game where players created characters by allocating a fixed budget of points, rather than rolling dice, was Superhero 2044. It provided few rules for how points were to be spent, but a fan supplement directly inspired ''TabletopGame/Champions'' and through it a lot of other games.
* It's a rare [[CardGames collectible card game]] that owes nothing at all to ''TabletopGame/MagicTheGathering''. It could be argued that there's no such thing, since Richard Garfield essentially invented (and patented!) the ''idea'' of a game with collectible pieces.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Theater]]
* ''Theatre/TheCollegeWidow1904'': CollegeWidow, circa the XIXth century, doesn't necessarily refer to a widowed woman so much as an unmarried female living in or near the campus of a male-only institution who would date the students. This expression is what inspired the play's plot. TheProtagonist is the daughter of one of the professors and is very sought-after by the male population, though she only romances one of them under the orders of her father.
* Jacopo Peri's ''Theatre/{{Dafne}}'' (now lost) and ''Theatre/{{Euridice}}'' sought to revive Greek theater, in which music played an equally important role in the drama. Although they failed in this regard, they created the notion of a "drama set within music"; inventing opera and all other musical theater. Seven years later, the TropeCodifier appeared: Claudio Monteverdi's ''Orfeo'', based on the same myth as Peri's ''Euridice.''
* Creator/WilliamShakespeare -- See JustForFun/TheZerothLawOfTropeExamples, ShoutOutToShakespeare.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Video Games]]
* ''VideoGame/{{Adventure}}'' -- Created the console ActionAdventure genre, and the first WideOpenSandbox game.
* ''VideoGame/{{Angelique|KoeiTecmo}}'' was the first romance game explicitly aimed at a female audience with multiple male love interests, essentially creating the OtomeGame genre.
* ''VideoGame/BoilingPointRoadToHell'' -- [[WideOpenSandbox Open-world]] [[FirstPersonShooter first-person shooters.]]
* ''VideoGame/{{Cabal}}'' -- A shooting game that spawned a lot of clones such as ''Blood Bros'' and ''VideoGame/WildGuns''.
* ''VideoGame/ColossalCave'' -- Created the InteractiveFiction[=/=]AdventureGame genre (it's even the [[TropeNamers Trope Namer]] on the latter).
* ''VideoGame/{{Columns}}'' -- MatchThreeGame
* ''VideoGame/{{dnd}}'' -- The game is notable for having the very first {{boss battle}} in a video game ever.
* ''VideoGame/DragonQuestI'' -- The first true EasternRPG.
* ''VideoGame/{{Doom}}'' -- Created many tropes of the SpaceMarine genre. It was also the first proper example of ExplosiveBarrels.
* ''VideoGame/{{Wizardry}}'' -- The first RPG with a menu based battle system.
* ''Dragon Buster'' -- First instance of the DoubleJump.
* ''VideoGame/DragonSlayer'' -- Often considered the first ActionRPG and it influenced ActionAdventure games as well. Published in 1984 by Creator/{{Falcom}} for Platform/{{PC88}}, it introduced the core gameplay that series such as ''VideoGame/{{Hydlide}}'' and ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda'' would expand upon: underground labyrinths, an overworld, item inventory, and puzzle dungeons.
* ''VideoGame/{{Duke Nukem 3D}}'s'' Mighty Boot is the earliest known example of QuickMelee in a shooter.
* ''VideoGame/{{Elite}}'' -- Credited as being the first truly open-ended video game, as well as being the first truly 3D game for home computers.
* ''VideoGame/{{Stonkers}}''[[note]]Added point & click interface, as well as the real-time action[[/note]], ''VideoGame/NetherEarth''[[note]]Added unit production, ability to capture or destroy buildings and resource management[[/note]] and ''VideoGame/TheAncientArtOfWar''[[note]]From sci-fi to the historical setting, as well as deeper abilities to manipulate the resources[[/note]] -- Co-makers of the RealTimeStrategy genre, despite how little-known they were compared to the latter ''VideoGame/DuneII'' (which was mistakenly considered as a Trope Maker of the genre, rather than being TropeCodifier / GenrePopularizer).
* ''VideoGame/{{Factorio}}'' -- Gave rise to the FactoryBuildingGame. In fact, the developers, before starting on Factorio, checked whether such a game already existed, finding to their astonishment that there wasn't one.
* ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'' -- Introduced the trend of [[CoolAirship airships]] in [[EasternRPG JRPGS]], and explicitly delineated [[BlackMagic types]] [[WhiteMagic of magic]].
* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII'' -- Introduced the modern trend of heavy {{CGI}} in most {{JRPG}}s.
* ''VideoGame/GoldenEye1997'' -- More or less defined the standard of the FPS genre on game consoles, establishes or popularizes many tropes seen in later FPS games.
* ''VideoGame/{{Gradius}}'' -- Responsible for bringing new life to the HorizontalScrollingShooter genre of {{Shoot Em Up}}s, also the first video game to use AttackDrones (that follow the character like a tail) and [[LuckilyMyShieldWillProtectMe portable shields]] for the PlayerCharacter, along with a currency-based PowerUp system that later evolves into an in-game shop for future shooter games. The game also inspired the use of {{Shielded Core Boss}}es.
* ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAuto'' -- Popularized and defined the standard of the WideOpenSandbox game.
* ''VideoGame/HalfLife1'' -- Established many of the tropes of later FPS games.
* ''Hunter'' -- The first 3D ''[[VideoGame/GrandTheftAuto GTA]]''-like. It also introduced the concept of free roam in a 3D-world as early as 1991.
* ''VideoGame/{{Hydlide}}'' -- {{Regenerating health}} and [[RegeneratingMana magic]].
* ''VideoGame/IRobot'' -- First game to use polygon-based graphics, camera control and a sandbox option. All of this in [[OlderThanTheyThink 1983]]!
* ''VideoGame/JetSetRadio'' -- Pioneered the usage of CelShading in video games.
* ''VisualNovel/KanaLittleSister'' -- Defined the {{utsuge}}-tropes in Japanese {{visual novel}}s for the English audience.
* ''VideoGame/KarateChamp'' -- First FightingGame.
* ''Manbiki Shounen (Shoplifting Boy)'' -- The first commercially available StealthBasedGame.
* ''VideoGame/{{Marathon}}'' -- The first true example of Mouselook.
* ''VideoGame/MegamiTensei'' -- Introduced [[MonsterAllies recruitable monsters]] to [=RPG=]s. Its source material, ''Literature/DigitalDevilStory'', is a {{deconstruction}} of the idea, making it {{unbuilt|Trope}}.
** ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiI'' was also revolutionary in its handling of apocalyptic disasters, angels, gods, demons, balance of power and morality in the face of TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt.
* ''VideoGame/MetalGear'' -- Implemented primitive third-person [[TakeCover cover shooter]] gameplay, which was later codified with ''VideoGame/RainbowSix'' and ''VideoGame/GearsOfWar''.
* ''VideoGame/Meridian59'' -- The first visual MMORPG.
* ''VideoGame/Metroid1'' -- Invented the {{Metroidvania}} genre.
* ''VideoGame/{{Minecraft}}'' -- Created both the sandbox building game, and codified the SurvivalSandbox genre.
* ''Modem Wars'' was the first networked multiplayer game.
* ''VideoGame/{{Myst}}'' -- Launched the BeautifulVoid subgenre, and popularized SceneryPorn in PC games.
* ''Mystery House'' is the very first graphical adventure.
* ''Oshare Majo Love & Berry'' was the first card-based VirtualPaperDoll rhythm arcade game, later popularized by ''VideoGame/{{Aikatsu}}'' and ''VideoGame/PrettyRhythm''.
* ''VideoGame/TheOutfoxies'', an obscure [[Creator/BandaiNamcoEntertainment Namco]] game, created the PlatformFighter genre that would later be popularized by ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros''
* ''VideoGame/PacMan'' -- The first MazeGame.
** ''VideoGame/PacLand'' -- The first side-scrolling platformer.
* ''VideoGame/PaRappaTheRapper'' -- The first RhythmGame.
* ''VideoGame/PokemonRedAndBlue'' -- Introduced the {{Mon}} Genre as we know it today, moving MonsterAllies from auxiliary support options to the bread and butter of gameplay.
** ''VideoGame/PokemonGoldAndSilver'' was the first game to feature daily activities affected by a real time clock, essentially creating the PlayEveryDay trope.
* ''VideoGame/PinballConstructionSet'' -- the first GameMaker.
* ''VideoGame/{{Pong}}'' -- The first successful UsefulNotes/ArcadeGame, and the first home {{Video Game System|s}}, laying out many of the basics.
* ''VideoGame/PrincessMaker'' -- The first modern presentation of a galge with romantic elements aimed directly towards the player. Released in 1991 for the PC-9800. One year later saw the release of [[http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E5%8D%92%E6%A5%AD_%E3%80%9CGraduation%E3%80%9C Graduation]], introducing the now common school setting and female classmates. ''VisualNovel/TokimekiMemorial'' came about in 1994: it was the revolutionizing dating sim that presented winnable girls with complex personalities and challenging standards to win their love.
* ''VideoGame/Quarantine1994'' -- Brought the WideOpenSandbox genre into the third dimension[[note]]or, technically, "2D raycasting genre"[[/note]].
* ''Videogame/RailroadTycoon'' -- Created the business simulation Tycoon genre.
* ''VideoGame/{{Rogue}}'' -- Y'see, there's this type of game called a {{Roguelike}}... Also called "dungeon-crawlers".
* ''[[VideoGame/KunioKun Nekketsu Kouha Kunio Kun/Renegade]]'' - established the foundations of the BeatEmUp genre as we know it, or the "belt-scrolling" beat-em-ups at the very least, which was built upon by ''VideoGame/DoubleDragon'' and [[VideoGame/RiverCityRansom its own sequel]].
* ''VideoGame/RType'' -- Introduced the idea of a formal system of powerups each of which did a specific thing (as opposed to the ''VideoGame/{{Gradius}}'' system of using powerups as currency). Introduced the idea of a controllable AttackDrone[[note]][[OlderThanTheyThink To be fair]] ''VideoGame/{{Gradius}}'' deserves credit for introducing AttackDrones for VideoGames in the first place, but the only control the player can do is simply make them follow the PlayerCharacter like a snake's tail and position them.[[/note]], and the ReflectingLaser, ChargedAttack and BattleshipRaid tropes. People also note that it was the first 2D-shooter with an organic feel to it (meaning that it felt like you were inside the body of a monster).
* ''VideoGame/ScorchedEarth'' -- Turn-based Artillery.
* ''VideoGame/SimCity'' -- Created the {{Sandbox}}/SimulationGame genre (or at least popularized it).
* ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog1'' -- Pioneered the MascotWithAttitude.
* ''VideoGame/SpaceInvaders'' -- Created the ShootEmUp genre. In addition, it was the first video game with a difficulty curve - by accident! The more sprites on the screen, the slower the game ran. As players eliminated enemy ships, those remaining moved faster, becoming harder to hit.
* ''VideoGame/{{Spacewar}}'' -- The first real VideoGame! Also the first ShootEmUp.
* ''VideoGame/{{Spasim}}'' -- The first game with UsefulNotes/PolygonalGraphics.
* ''VideoGame/StarRaiders'' -- The first first-person space simulator.
* ''VideoGame/StoryOfSeasons'' -- Formerly known as ''Harvest Moon'', 1996's ''VideoGame/HarvestMoon1'' was the first FarmLifeSim.
* ''VideoGame/StreetFighterII'' -- Created the idea of a gallery of fighters from which you could pick and fight against. Also, stages.
* ''VideoGame/SupermanAtari2600'' is the very first [[LicensedGame licensed video game]].
* ''VideoGame/SuperMarioBros1'' -- More or less ''[[TropeCodifier defined]]'' the {{Platformer}} genre.
** And did platforming first in any case in ''VideoGame/DonkeyKong''.
* ''VideoGame/SuperMario64'' -- Did what ''Super Mario Bros.'' did... [[InSpace In 3D]], thereby creating the CollectAThonPlatformer.
* ''Super Maruo'' is the very first unlicensed video game.
* ''VideoGame/SweetHome1989'' is the first Survival Horror game, predating even ''[[VideoGame/AloneInTheDark Alone in the Dark (1992)]]'' by three years.
* ''VideoGame/{{Tetris}}'' -- Truly popularised the PuzzleGame, in particular the FallingBlocks genre. A good majority of puzzle games are Tetris-like.
* ''Franchise/TombRaider'' -- Created many of the tropes of 3D ActionAdventure games.
* ''VideoGame/VirtuaFighter'' -- The first successful 3D FightingGame, and one of the first to use more realistic fighting styles as opposed to KiManipulation and projectiles.
* ''VideoGame/WizardsCrown'' -- Defined the Strategy RPG genre.
* ''VideoGame/Wolfenstein3D'' -- The first popular FirstPersonShooter, which invented most of the genre's conventions.
* ''VideoGame/{{Xevious}}'' -- The first game to have {{Cores And Turrets Boss}}es as {{Boss Battle}}s and set up the standards for VerticalScrollingShooter games.
* ''VideoGame/YieArKungFu'' -- The first FightingGame to feature [[LifeMeter health bars]], [[ActionGirl female fighters]], more than one VictoryPose for any fighter, {{groin attack}}s, a MirrorMatch (the final opponent has the same moveset as the protagonist), and fighters of different fighting styles (though each is an extension of kung-fu).
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Webcomics]]
* ''Webcomic/PennyArcade'' -- If not the first TwoGamersOnACouch gaming {{webcomic}}, then one of the mainstays. Almost all other gaming webcomics can claim to have been inspired by ''Penny Arcade'' and its format in some way.
** ''Webcomic/BobAndGeorge'' -- Made the tropes for the majority of [[SpriteComic sprite comics]].
* ''Webcomic/DMOfTheRings'' -- The first CampaignComic, i.e. a webcomic that describes (and parodies) a movie as if it were a tabletop roleplaying game.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Web Original]]
* [[http://wiki.c2.com/?FrontPage WikiWikiWeb]] is the first wiki (technically user-editable website), debuting on the World Wide Web in March 1995 as an easy way for programmers to exchange ideas. Though digital hypertext databases existed prior (think Apple's Hypercard), [=WikiWikiWeb=] was that cemented the idea of a wiki first and led to similar websites, including the TropeCodifier Website/{{Wikipedia}}.
* ''WebVideo/YuGiOhTheAbridgedSeries'' -- the [[UrExample Ur-]]AbridgedSeries.
* WebAnimation/RedVsBlue, the first modern Machinima.
* THE WORK, WHICH BECOMES A NEW GENRE ITSELF, WILL BE CALLED......... ''[[WebVideo/AMVHell AMV HELL]]''
* {{WebVideo/Chrontendo}} is the very first work in the chronogaming genre.
* ''WebAnimation/TheGoddamnGeorgeLiquorProgram'' (By Creator/JohnKricfalusi) was the first Web-based Cartoon specifically made for the Internet, predating ''WebAnimation/HomestarRunner'' by 3 years. Also the first Web Cartoon to be completely made in UsefulNotes/AdobeFlash.
* ''WebVideo/Local58'', whose style was imitated so frequently that it spawned the AnalogHorror genre.
* ''WebAnimation/BattleForDreamIsland'' is the first ever [[ObjectShows Object Show]], kickstarting many others of its kind.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Western Animation]]
* ''WesternAnimation/TheBeatles'' -- The first BandToon.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheFlintstones'' -- The first AnimatedSitcom.
* ''WesternAnimation/PacMan'' -- The first AnimeOfTheGame (well, ''cartoon'' of the game).
* ''WesternAnimation/WinkyDink and You'' -- The first MerchandiseDriven cartoon.
* ''WesternAnimation/SteamboatWillie'' -- First true sound cartoon, first real use of MickeyMousing.
* Short theatrical animation such as WesternAnimation/ClassicDisneyShorts, ''WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes'' and Creator/FleischerStudios shorts created countless animation tropes, so many that this entire page could be filled with nothing but examples of this.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheRenAndStimpyShow'' -- The first GrossoutShow. Also the first to make extensive use of GrossUpCloseUp.
* ''WesternAnimation/GertieTheDinosaur'' -- First use of the RogerRabbitEffect
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Popeye}}'' -- PowerUpFood. He also may be an UrExample of the modern SuperHero, in a way.
* ''WesternAnimation/DaffyDuck'' -- The first real [[ThePrankster prankster]] cartoon character.
* ''WesternAnimation/FelixTheCat'' -- First example of a ScoobyDooHoax in animation, in the episode "Felix the Ghost Breaker"(1923).
* ''ComicStrip/LittleNemo (1911 short)'' -- First AnimatedAdaptation.
* ''WesternAnimation/KaBlam'' -- First use of UsefulNotes/AdobeFlash on a Television Cartoon (For the ''Henry and June'' segments; starting in the 2nd Season).
* ''WesternAnimation/VeggieTales'' -- The first AllCGICartoon, predating both ''WesternAnimation/ToyStory1'' and ''WesternAnimation/ReBoot''.
[[/folder]]
----
[[index]]
[[/index]]