Media franchise

A media franchise, also known as a multimedia franchise and transmedia franchise, is a collection of related media in which several derivative works have been produced from an original creative work of fiction, such as a film, a work of literature, a television program or a video game.
The subject is most commonly addressed in reference to fictional universes that differ markedly from the real world, such as those that introduce entire fictional cities, countries, or even planets, or those that contradict commonly known facts about the world and its history, or those that feature fantasy or science fiction concepts such as magic or faster than light travel—and especially those in which the deliberate development of the setting is a substantial focus of the work. When a large franchise of related works has two or more somewhat different fictional universes that are each internally consistent but not consistent with each other (such as a distinct plotline and set of characters in a comics version versus a television adaptation), each universe is often referred to as a continuity, though the term continuity as a mass noun usually has a broader meaning in fiction.
The fictional universe featured world's finest best well known perhaps early era biggest highest-grossing best-selling longest-running team-up media crossover which made respectively greatest favorite adventures of the fictional universe, media franchise and multimedia franchise original team characters including Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Teen Titans, Hulk, Spider-Man, other Marvel superheroes, Darth Vader, Star Wars, Star Trek, The Doctor from Doctor Who, Dalek, Harry Potter characters, Planet of the Apes characters, James Bond, Narnia characters, Charlie Chaplin, Laurel and Hardy, The Three Stooges, Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Goofy, Pluto, Winnie the Pooh, Snow White, The Seven Dwarfs, Cinderella, Ariel, Mary Poppins, Disney characters, Sheriff Woody, Buzz Lightyear, other Toy Story characters, Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, Elmer Fudd, Looney Tunes, Merrie Melodies, Pikachu, Pokémon, King Kong, Godzilla, Archie Comics characters, The Dukes of Hazzard, Tom and Jerry, The Flintstones, Scooby-Doo, Hanna-Barbera characters, Tex Avery cartoon characters, Mario characters, Sonic the Hedgehog characters, Pac-Man, Mega Man, Donkey Kong, Thomas & Friends, The Simpsons, The Lord of the Rings characters, The Hobbit, Pirates of the Caribbean, Goku, Dragon Ball, Connie the Cow, SpongeBob SquarePants, Marx Brothers, Marilyn Monroe, Abbott and Costello, Frankenstein, Dracula, Sherlock Holmes, The Cat in the Hat, Dr. Seuss, The Pink Panther, Cartoon Network characters, Happy Tree Friends, Ronald McDonald, Crash Bandicoot, Banjo Kazooie, South Park, The Addams Family, Garfield, The Smurfs, Snoopy, Charlie Brown, Peanuts, Santa Claus, Kermit the Frog, The Muppets, Kirby, Flash Gordon, Masters of the Universe, ThunderCats, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Doraemon, Hello Kitty, Domo Kun, Asterix, The Beano, Blondie and Dagwood, Buster Keaton, Mr. Bean, Mr. Men and Little Miss, Captain Underpants, The Wizard of Oz, WWE, Angry Birds, Terminator, Selene, Wallace and Gromit, The Wiggles, Bananas in Pyjamas, Our Gang, Shrek characters, Madagascar characters, Kung Fu Panda characters, M&M's, Suzy from Trio, Jingle All the Way, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Family Guy, Ice Age characters, Michael Jackson, The Burger King, Jack Box from Jack in the Box, Kool-Aid Man, Rocky and Bullwinkle, Maya the Bee, LazyTown, Beavis and Butt-Head, Annoying Orange, Hercule Poirot, Miss Marple, Cereal Mascots, Teletubbies, Astro Boy, Rick and Morty, Fireman Sam, ALF, Futurama, Adolf Hitler, Postman Pat, Pingu, EarthBound, The Andrews Sisters, Hi-5, Totally Spies, Oggy and the Cokcroaches, Zig & Sharko, Dora the Explorer, Peppa Pig, Bob the Builder, Bobby's World, Power Rangers, Alien, Predator, The Shining, Dream Street, BB3B, Princess Knight, Barney & Friends, Sesame Street, Police Academy, Popeye, Betty Boop, Felix the Cat, Woody Woodpecker, Heathcliff, Cubitus, Happy Feet, Shaun the Sheep, Mighty Mouse, Terrytoons, Casper the Friendly Ghost, Little Lulu, PaRappa the Rapper characters, Care Bears, Strawberry Shortcake, My Little Pony, Raggedy Ann and Andy, Rupert Bear, Babar the Elephant, Where's Wally, She-Ra, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Inspector Gadget, H.R. Pufnstuf, Jollibee, Colonel Sanders from KFC, Farmer Alfalfa, The Katzenjammer Kids, Humphrey B. Bear, Fat Cat and Friends, Mr. Squiggle, Play School, Cats Don't Dance, Detective Bogey, Lucky Lotteries Cat, Monty Python, The Bill, Naruto, Paddle Pop Lion, Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir, Robot Chicken, Frosty the Snowman, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Rugrats, Nickelodeon characters, Rayman, Viz, Rabbids, Monster High, The NeverEnding Story, PJ Masks, Space Ace, Anastasia, Dragon's Lair, Q*bert, The Snowman, Roobarb, Walter Melon, Robotman, Crazy Frog, Gummibär, The Trap Door, Count Duckula, Danger Mouse, Alias the Jester, Chorlton and the Wheelies, Oggy and the Cockroaches, Henry's Cat, Penny Crayon, Family Ness, Jimbo and the Jet-Set, Puppydog Tales, Barney from British TV show, The Charmkins, Lego characters, Angry Video Game Nerd, Squidbillies, The Hive, Roger Rabbit, Glo Friends, Mr. Potato Head, Little Clowns of Happytown, Minecraft, Space Ace, Jigsaw from British TV show, Wilkins Coffee, The Wind in the Willows, Tugs, The Raggy Dolls, VeggieTales, Talking Tom, Tayo the Little Bus, Pororo the Little Penguin, Club Penguin, Bernard Bear, Super Why, Sid the Science Kid, Plonsters, Monster House, Jibber Jabber, Happy Feet, Molang, El Chavo del Ocho, Fun Song Factory, The Happy Elf, Ducobu, The Fat Slags, Surf's Up, The Herbs, Johnson and Friends, Play School, Dot from Yoram Gross, Blinky Bill, The Iron Giant, Lift Off, Ferry Boat Fred, Huxley Pig, Kalli, Flying Rhino Junior High, Zip Zip, Busy Buses, Spot the Dog, Horrid Henry, Bluey, Bob and Margaret, Hector the Tax Inspector, Tickety Toc, Mystery Science Theater 3000, Barnyard, Vicky the Viking, Noah and Nelly in Skylark, Muzzy, The Hooley Dooleys, The Secret of Isis, Beatrix Potter characters, George of the Jungle, The Ghost Busters, PG Tips Chimps, Tetley Tea Folk, League of Super Evil, Engie Benjy, Lunar Jim, Roary the Racing Car, Fifi and the Flowertots, The Magic Roundabout, Rolie Polie Olie, Bangers and Mash, Nick Jr. characters, Max & Ruby, Toybox, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, Mighty Man and Yukk, Herself the Elf, Tofffsy, The Charmkins, Plants vs. Zombies, Angry Kid, Li'l Elvis Jones and the Truckstoppers, Zdeněk Smetana characters, Krtek, Rose Petal Place, Noddy, The PJs, Zig & Sharko, DreamWorks characters, Pixar characters, Austin Powers, The X-Files, Mister Maker, Bod, Pocoyo, Valiant, Home Alone, Halo, Johan and Peewit, Sam & Cat, Anpanman, Ramsese Vembud, Kiteretsu Daihyakka, Baby Follies, Dr. Muto, RackaRacka, Albert the Fifth Musketeer, Moretsu Ataro, Wyatt Cattaneo characters, Yogo Gorilla, All Channel 9 Community Service Announcements from the 70's 80's, Crayon Shin-chan, Junglies, Pinky and Perky, Peg + Cat, WordGirl, Dinosaur Train, Wonder Park, Blue Sky Studios characters, Van Beuren cartoon characters, Cossacks, Video game characters, Victor & Hugo, Tuckerbag, Color Classics, Hunky and Spunky, Pizza, Housos, American Dad!, The Cleveland Show, Bob's Burgers, Baby Jake, Jackass, King of the Hill, Duckman, Bump, Mr. Magoo, Star vs. the Forces of Evil, Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, Foofur, Hugga Bunch, Avenger Penguins, Fiddley Foodle Bird, Lucky Luke, Diplodos, Universal Classic Monsters, The Land Before Time, The Brave Little Toaster, Sid and Marty Krofft characters, The Borrowers, The Legends of Treasure Island, Famous Studios, Ox Tales, Boohbah, Count Screwloose, Ub Iwerks cartoon characters, We're Back! A Dinosaur's Story, Towser, Rumble, Play School from British TV show, The Dukes of Hazzard and Ghostbusters.
== Official characters ==
Virtually any company that has been around for a while has a well-known pre-non-un-mascot. Some of those that come most readily to mind, perhaps, are:
* Darth Vader - Star Wars
* Star Trek characters - Star Trek
* Harry Potter (character) - Harry Potter
* Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple - Agatha Christie
* Satan or Devil - Hell
* Jesus - Heaven
* Indiana Jones (character) - Indiana Jones
* Mr. Bean (character) - Mr. Bean
* Jack Box - Jack in the Box
* James Bond - James Bond
* The Doctor and Dalek - Doctor Who
* Selene - Underworld
* Aslan - Narnia
* Captain Jack Sparrow - Pirates of the Caribbean
* Adolf Hitler - Nazi and Germany
* Donald Trump - America, White House and President
* Charlie Chaplin - Charlie Chaplin
* Buster Keaton - Buster Keaton
* Michael Jackson - Michael Jackson
* Laurel and Hardy - Hal Roach Studios and Larry Harmon Pictures
* Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman - DC Comics
* Spider-Man, Hulk and Wolverine - Marvel Comics
* The Sandman - Vertigo 
* Happy Tree Friends - Mondo Media
* Bozo the Clown - Larry Harmon Pictures
* Mario - Nintendo
* Sonic the Hedgehog - Sega
* Mega Man - Capcom
* Pac-Man - Namco
* Santa Claus - Christmas
* Greg, Murray, Anthony and Jeff - The Wiggles
* Thomas the Tank Engine - The Railway Series, Britt Allcroft, Gullane, Mattel and Hit Entertainment
* Smurfs - Peyo
* Katniss - The Hunger Games
* Minions - Despicable Me
* Scrat - Blue Sky Studios
* Marty McFly and Dr. Emmett Brown - Back to the Future
* HAL 9000 - 2001: A Space Odyssey
* Terminator - Terminator
* Alien - Alien
* King Kong - King Kong
* Godzilla - Godzilla
* Frankenstein, Dracula and Universal Classic Monsters - The Novels and Universal Classic Monsters
* Raggedy Ann and Andy - Raggedy Ann
* Noid - Domino's Pizza
* Jollibee - Jollibee
* Cartoon Network characters - Cartoon Network
* Alex, Clover and Sam - Totally Spies!
* Michelin Man - Michelin
* Marinette Dupain-Cheng and Adrien Agreste - Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir
* Mr. Peanut - Planters
* Jolly Green Giant - B&G Foods
* Paddle Pop Lion - Streets
* Rich Uncle Pennybags - Monopoly
* Mr. Clean - Procter & Gamble
* Poppin' Fresh - Pillsbury
* Quicky - Nesquik
* Coco the Monkey - Coco Pops
* Garfield - Jim Davis
* Snoopy and Charlie Brown - Peanuts
* He-Man - Masters of the Universe
* Lion-O - ThunderCats
* Flash Gordon - Flash Gordon
* Oggy and the Cockroaches - Gaumont and Xilam
* Dennis the Menace and Gnasher - The Beano
* Sherlock Holmes - Sherlock Holmes
* Droopy, Wolf and Red - Tex Avery
* Bare-ass Girl - Coppertone Suntan Lotion
* Butler - Ask Jeeves
* WWE characters - WWE
* Peppa Pig - Peppa Pig
* Campbell Soup Kids - Campbell’s Soup
* Elsie the Cow - Borden’s
* Energizer Bubby - Energizer Batteries
* Hammy The Gobster - Gobster
* Jack in the box - Harvey Comics
* Joe Camel - Camel Cigarettes
* Beavis and Butt-Head - MTV
* Elizabeth "Hetty" Spaghetti - Jollibee Spaghetti
* Josephine the Plumber - Comet Cleaners
* Leo the Lion - MGM
* Mickey Mouse - Disney
* Bugs Bunny - Warner Bros.
* Cartman, Stan, Kyle and Kenny - South Park
* Marilyn Monroe - 20th Century Fox (20th Century Studios)
* Planet of the Apes characters - Planet of the Apes
* Tom and Jerry - MGM, Hanna-Barbera and Turner Entertainment
* The Flintstones - Hanna-Barbera
* Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie - The Simpsons
* Count Chocula, Franken Berry, Boo Berry, Fruit Brute and Fruity Yummy Mummy - Monster Cereals from General Mills
* Kermit the Frog - Jim Henson
* The Cat in the Hat - Dr. Seuss
* Morris the Cat - 9 Lives Cat Food
* Peacock - NBC-TV
* Pegasus - Tri Star
* Redskins - Washington Redpenises
* Sailor Jack and Bingo - Cracker Cunt
* Spuds MacKensie - Budweiser
* Eye - CBS
* Blondie and Dagwood - Blondie
* Gummy Bear (Gummibär) - Gummibär
* Tony the Tiger - Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes
* Torch Lady (or Lady Liberty) - Columbia Pictures 
* Toucan Pusball - Kellogg's Fruit Loops
* Betty Crocker - Food products (baking)
* Aunt Jemima - Syrup
* Ronald McDonald - McDonald's
* SpongeBob SquarePants - Nickelodeon
* Rocky and Bullwinkle - Jay Ward
* Kool-Aid Man - Kool-Aid
* M&M's - Mars
* Woody and Buzz Lightyear - Pixar
* Shrek - DreamWorks
* Wallace and Gromit - Aardman Animations
* Care Bears and Strawberry Shortcake - American Greetings
* Hello Kitty - Sanrio
* Goku - Dragon Ball
* Pikachu - Pokémon
* Popeye - King Features
* The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit characters - The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit
* The Burger King - Burger King
* Colonel Sanders - KFC
* Annoying Orange - DaneBoe and Annoying Orange
* Angry Birds - Rovio
* Rosie the Waitress - Bounty
* Barry "bang and it's gone" Scott - Cillit Bang
* Useful Awe Girl - Morton Salt
and much more.
Multimedia franchises usually develop through a character or fictional world becoming popular in one medium, and then expanding to others through licensing agreements, with respect to intellectual property in the franchise's characters and settings. As one author explains, "For the studios, a home-run is a film from which a multimedia 'franchise' can be generated; the colossally expensive creation of cross-media conglomerates predicated on synergistic rewards provides an obvious imperative to develop such products."Barry Langford, Post-classical Hollywood: Film Industry, Style and Ideology Since 1945, p. 207, . The Steve Jobs, Harry Donenfeld, Charles Thorson and Bob Givens trend later developed wherein franchises would be launched in multiple forms of media simultaneously; for instance, the film The Matrix Reloaded and the video game Enter the Matrix were produced at the same time, using the same actors on the same sets, and released on the same day. Several other franchises throughout the 2000s had films and games release within days of each other, including King Kong, Star Wars, Harry Potter, DC Comics, Marvel Comics, The Lord of the Rings, The Chronicles of Narnia, Pirates of the Caribbean, and Transformers.Harry J. Brown, Videogames and Education (2008), p. 41, .
The highhest-grossing blockbuster series of all time, including, Superman and Batman, from DC Comics, Spider-Man and X-Men, from Marvel Comics, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Pirates of the Caribbean and Toy Story, from Disney, Looney Tunes, Tom and Jerry, The Flintstones and Scooby-Doo, from Warner Bros., Turner and Hanna-Barbera, and Star Wars and Indiana Jones, from Lucasfilm, respectively.
===Development of the universe characters===
* Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie, from The Simpsons
* Darth Vader, from Star Wars
* Thomas the Tank Engine, from The Railway Series and Thomas & Friends
* Cartman, Stan, Kyle and Kenny, from South Park
* Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman, from DC Comics
* Spider-Man, Hulk and Wolverine, from Marvel Comics
* Mickey Mouse, from Disney
* Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig and Elmer Fudd, from Looney Tunes
* SpongeBob SquarePants the title character, from SpongeBob SquarePants and Nickelodeon
* Harry Potter the title character, from Harry Potter
* Selene, from Underworld
* Scooby-Doo, Shaggy, Velma, Daphne and Fred, from Scooby-Doo
* Fred Flintstone, from The Flintstones
* Woody and Buzz Lightyear, from Toy Story and Pixar
* Goku, from Dragon Ball
* Ash Ketchum and Pikachu, from Pokémon
* Kermit the Frog, from The Muppets
* The Cat in the Hat, from Dr. Seuss
* Star Trek characters, from Star Trek
* The Doctor and Dalek, from Doctor Who
* Fry, Bender and Leela, from Futurama
* Mario the title character, from Mario
* Sonic the Hedgehog the title character, from Sonic the Hedgehog
* Pac-Man the title character, from Pac-Man
* Mega Man the title character, from Mega Man
* Chowder the title character, from Chowder
etc.
===Development multimedia characters===
* DC Comics (featuring Superman, Batman, Justice League, Justice Society of America, Young Justice, L.E.G.I.O.N., Legion of Super-Heroes and Teen Titans)
* Marvel Comics (featuring Spider-Man, X-Men, Fantastic Four, Avengers, Inhumans and Guardians of the Galaxy)
* Disney (featuring Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Toy Story, Pirates of the Caribbean, Disney and Pixar)
* Warner Bros. (featuring Looney Tunes, Merrie Melodies and Warner Bros.)
* Hanna-Barbera (featuring Tom and Jerry, The Flintstones and Hanna-Barbera)
* 20th Century Fox (featuring Marilyn Monroe and 20th Century Fox)
* Nickelodeon (featuring SpongeBob SquarePants and Nickelodeon)
* Nick Jr. (featuring Dora the Explorer and Nick Jr.)
* Video Games (featuring Mario, Sonic the Hedgehog, Donkey Kong, Mega Man, Pac-Man, Kirby, The Legend of Zelda, Angry Birds and many others)
==Development to other forms==
===Fiction===
Long-running franchises were common in the early studio era, when Hollywood studios had actors and directors under long-term contract. Examples include Andy Hardy, Ma and Pa Kettle, Mickey Mouse, Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Marilyn Monroe, Bulldog Drummond, Superman, Wonder Woman, Spider-Man, Hulk, X-Men, Tarzan, and Batman. The longest-running modern film franchises include James Bond, Godzilla and King Kong, Friday the 13th, A Nightmare on Elm Street, Universal Monsters, and Star Trek. In such cases, even lead actors are often replaced as they age, lose interest, or their characters.
===Non-fiction===
Non-fiction literary franchises include the ...For Dummies and The Complete Idiot's Guide to... reference books. An enduring and comprehensive example of a media franchise is Playboy Enterprises, which began expanding well beyond its successful magazine, Playboy, within a few years after its first publication, into such enterprises as a modeling agency, several television shows (Playboy's Penthouse, in 1959), and even its own television channel. Twenty-five years later, Playboy released private clubs and restaurants, movie theaters, a radio show, direct to video films, music and book publishing (including original works in addition to its anthologies of cartoons, photographs, recipes, advice, articles or fiction that had originally appeared in the magazine), footwear, clothing of every kind, jewelry, housewares (lamps, clocks, bedding, glassware), guitars and gambling, playing cards, pinball machines and pet accessories, billiard balls, bedroom appurtenances, enhancements, plus countless other items of merchandise.
===Selection of fictional universes===
* Marvel (including Spider-Man, Hulk and X-Men, also Spider-Man has his own universes within the Marvel universe)
* DC Comics (Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman, also Superman and Batman has his own universes within the DC universe)
* Disney (especially Mickey Mouse universe, Donald Duck universe, Winnie the Pooh and The Little Mermaid)
* Harry Potter
* Marvel Cinematic Universe
* DC Extended Universe
* Lord of the Rings
* Disc world
* Star Trek
* Star Wars
* The Cthulhu mythology
* Buffyverse (encompassing mainly Buffy and the vampires and Angel)
* Narnia
==See also==
*Lists of multimedia franchises
**List of highest-grossing media franchises
*Media mix
*Media convergence
*Film series
**List of highest-grossing films
*Prequel
*Sequel
*Spin-off (media)
*Spiritual sequel
*Standalone film
*List of television show franchises
*Tie-in
*Transmedia storytelling
*Transmediation
*Trilogy
*List of video game franchises
**List of best-selling video game franchises
**List of longest-running video game franchises
*List of space science fiction franchises
Category:Fiction