List of multimedia franchises originating in print
Following is a list of multimedia franchises originating in print publications, including literary works, comic books, and comic strips.
In the following tables, the initial media through which the franchise characters or settings became known is shown in boldface. Only works of fiction are only considered part of the series; a book or a documentary film about the franchise is not itself an installment in the franchise.
Franchises originating in literary works[]
These franchises began as novels, short stories, and other forms of purely literary works.
| Franchise (Creator) |
Literature | Comics | Animated films | Live action films | Animated TV series | Live action TV series | Video games | Other media |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A Song of Ice and Fire (George R. R. Martin) |
A Game of Thrones (1996) several sequels |
A Game of Thrones (comics) | no | no | no | Game of Thrones (2011-2019) | several, beginning in 2007 | board games, role-playing games |
| Arthur (Marc Brown) |
Arthur's Nose (1976) several more books |
no | Arthur's Missing Pal (2006) | no | Arthur (1996-) Postcards From Buster (2004-2012) |
no | yes | children's album |
| American Psycho (Bret Easton Ellis) |
American Psycho (1991) Budapesti skizo (1997) |
no | no | American Psycho (2000) American Psycho 2 (2002) |
no | no | no | musical |
| Babar (Jean de Brunhoff) |
The Story of Babar (1931) various |
no | Babar and Father Christmas (1986) Babar: The Movie (1989) Babar: King of the Elephants (1999) |
no | Babar (1989-1991; 2000) Babar and the Adventures of Badou (2010-2014) 2 TV specials |
Les Aventures de Babar (1968) | various | various |
| Berenstain Bears (Stan and Jan Berenstain) |
The Big Honey Hunt (1962) several more |
no | TV specials | no | The Berenstain Bears Show (1985-1987) The Berenstain Bear (2003-2004) |
no | various | - |
| Blade Runner (Philip K. Dick) |
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? (1968) three sequels by another writer |
several | no | Blade Runner (1982) Blade Runner 2049 (2017) |
no | no | Blade Runner (1985) Blade Runner (1997) |
- |
| Buck Rogers (Philip Francis Nowlan) |
Armageddon 2419 A.D. (1928) several others |
yes | no | Buck Rogers in the 25th Century (1979) | ABC television series (1950–1951) Buck Rogers in the 25th Century (1979–1981) |
no | Buck Rogers XXVC (1988) several others |
|
| Captain Underpants (Dav Pilkey) |
The Adventures of Captain Underpants (1997) several sequels and activity books |
in-universe graphic novel series, including Dog Man | Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie (2017) | no | The Epic Tales of Captain Underpants (2018-2020) | no | no | ? |
| The Cat in the Hat (Dr. Seuss) |
The Cat in the Hat (1957) The Cat in the Hat (1958) several subsequent appearances |
? | 1971 TV special of the same name The Grinch Grinches the Cat in the Hat (1982) |
The Cat in the Hat (2003) | The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About That! (2010-) | The Wubbulous World of Dr. Seuss | yes | theme park attractions musical |
| The Chronicles of Narnia[1] (C. S. Lewis) |
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (1950) several sequels |
no | The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (1979) | The Chronicles of Narnia film series (2005–present) | no | The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (1967) The Chronicles of Narnia (1988– 1990) |
various | radio dramatisation, audiobooks |
| Conan the Barbarian (Robert E. Howard) |
Original Robert E. Howard Conan stories (published from 1932–1936); various later publications | Conan the Barbarian (comics) | no | Conan the Barbarian (1982), and several others | Conan the Adventurer (1992–1993) Conan and the Young Warriors (1994) |
Conan The Adventurer (1997–1998) | several, beginning with Conan: Hall of Volta (1984) | - |
| Curious George (Hans Augusto Rey and Margret Rey) |
Curious George (1941); numerous sequels | no | Curious George (2006); various | no | Curious George TV series (2006); various | no | Curious George video game (2006) | - |
| Die Hard (Roderick Thorp) |
The Detective (1966) Nothing Lasts Forever (1979) |
yes | no | Die Hard (1988) Die Hard 2 (1992) Die Hard with a Vengeance (1995) Live Free or Die Hard (2007) A Good Day to Die Hard (2013) |
no | no | several | |
| Discworld (Terry Pratchett) |
The Colour of Magic (1983); several sequels and spin-offs | yes | no | Hogfather (2006) The Colour of Magic (2008) Going Postal (2010) |
Soul Music (1997) Wyrd Sisters (1998) |
The Watch (upcoming) | several | stage and radio plays board games |
| Dune (Frank Herbert) |
Dune (1965); numerous prequel and sequel novels | Dune: The Official Comic Book | no | Dune (1984) Dune (2021) |
no | Frank Herbert's Dune (2000) Frank Herbert's Children of Dune (2003) |
Dune (1992); several others | Dune board game (1979); other games, soundtracks |
| Ender's Game (Orson Scott Card) |
Ender's Game (1985) several prequels, sequels, and spinoffs |
several | no | Ender's Game (2013) | no | no | no | audioplay |
| Gidget (Frederick Kohner) |
Gidget, the Little Girl with Big Ideas (1957) seven sequels |
yes, two issues published in 1966 | Gidget Makes the Wrong Connection (1972; made for TV) | Gidget (1965) Gidget Goes Hawaiian (1961) Gidget Goes to Rome (1963) |
no | Gidget (1965) The New Gidget (1986–1988) |
no | Stage productions in 2000 and 2007 |
| The Godfather (Mario Puzo) |
The Godfather (1969) several sequels |
no | no | The Godfather (1972) The Godfather Part II (1974) The Godfather Part III (1990) |
no | The Godfather Saga (1977) | The Godfather (1991) The Godfather (2006) The Godfather II (2010) |
- |
| Hannibal Lecter (Thomas Harris) |
Red Dragon (1981) several sequels |
no | no | Manhunter (1986) The Silence of the Lambs (1991) Hannibal (2001) Red Dragon (2002) Hannibal Rising (2007) |
no | Hannibal (2013-2015) Clarice (2021-) |
no | - |
| Harry Potter[1][2] (J.K. Rowling) |
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (1997) several sequels |
no | no | Harry Potter (film series) (eight films released between 2001 and 2011) | no | no | yes | The Wizarding World of Harry Potter theme parks Warner Bros. Studio Tour London - The Making of Harry Potter |
| Hercule Poirot (Agatha Christie) |
The Mysterious Affair at Styles (1920) several other novels and short stories |
Great Detectives Poirot and Marple (2004–2005) graphic novel adaptations |
no | yes | Great Detectives Poirot and Marple (2004–2005) | Poirot (1989–2013) | Murder on the Orient Express (2006) 3 sequels |
stage and radio plays |
| How to Train Your Dragon (Cressida Cowell) |
How to Train Your Dragon (2003) several sequels |
no | How to Train Your Dragon (2010) How to Train Your Dragon 2 (2014) How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World (2019) 5 short films |
no | DreamWorks Dragons (2012–2018) DreamWorks Dragons: Rescue Riders (2019-) |
no | yes | live stage show |
| James Bond[3] (Ian Fleming) |
Casino Royale (1953) 13 additional novels over 30 other novels and published stories by other authors |
various | no | James Bond in film over 20 films |
James Bond Jr. (1991–1992) | no | James Bond in video games | - |
| Bourne (Robert Ludlum) |
The Bourne Identity (1980) several sequels |
no | no | The Bourne Identity (1988 TV movie), The Bourne Identity (2002), and several sequels | no | no | Robert Ludlum's The Bourne Conspiracy (2008) | - |
| Jumanji (Chris Van Allsburg) |
Jumanji (1981) Zathura (2002) |
no | no | Jumanji (1995) Zathura: A Space Adventure (2005) Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (2017) Jumanji: The Next Level (2019) |
Jumanji (TV series) (1996-1999) | no | various | |
| Jurassic Park (Michael Crichton) |
Jurassic Park (1990) The Lost World (1995) |
various | no | Jurassic Park (1993) The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997) Jurassic Park III (2001) Jurassic World (2015) Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018) |
Jurassic World Camp Cretaceous (2020-present) | no | Jurassic Park video games | List of Jurassic Park water rides |
| Left Behind (Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins) |
Left Behind (1995); 15 prequel and sequel novels Left Behind: The Kids series |
no | no | Left Behind: The Movie (2000) Left Behind II: Tribulation Force (2002) Left Behind: World at War (2004) Left Behind (2014) Vanished – Left Behind: Next Generation (2016) |
no | no | Left Behind: Eternal Forces | no |
| Legend of the Galactic Heroes
(Yoshiki Tanaka) |
Legend of the Galactic Heroes (1982–1987) | Legend of the Galactic Heroes (1986–2000) | spinoffs to OVA series (1988–1993)
The Legend of the Galactic Heroes: Die Neue These Seiran trilogy (2019) |
no | The Legend of the Galactic Heroes: Die Neue These Kaikō (2018) | no | several | Legend of the Galactic Heroes OVA series (1988–1997)
Legend of the Galactic Heroes Gaiden OVA series (1988–1997) |
| Mary Poppins (P. L. Travers) |
Mary Poppins (eight books; 1934-1988) | no | no | Mary Poppins (1964) Mary Poppins Returns (2018) |
no | no | no | Mary Poppins (musical) |
| Megami Tensei () |
Digital Devil Story (1986) two sequels and video game adaptations |
List of Megami Tensei manga | Persona 3 The Movie: Chapter 1, Spring of Birth (2013) | no | List of Megami Tensei anime | no | List of Megami Tensei video games | various media |
| Monogatari (Nisio Isin) |
Monogatari (novel series with over 26 volumes; 2005–2021) | Bakemonogatari (manga) | Kizumonogatari | no | no | Monogatari Series | no | Bakemonogatari Portable |
| Moomin (Tove Jansson) |
The Moomins and the Great Flood (1945) several sequels and other books |
Moomin comic strips comic book |
Comet in Moominland (1993) Moomins on the Riviera (2014) two compilation movies |
no | several | several | several | Moomin World theme park Moomin Museum other merchandise |
| One Hundred and One Dalmatians (Dodie Smith) |
The Hundred and One Dalmatians (1956) The Starlight Barking (1967) |
- | One Hundred and One Dalmatians (1961) 101 Dalmatians II: Patch's London Adventure (2003) |
101 Dalmatians (1996) 102 Dalmatians (2000) Cruella (2021) |
101 Dalmatians: The Series (1997–1998) 101 Dalmatian Street (debuting 2019) |
no | 101 Dalmatians: Escape from DeVil Manor (1997) | The 101 Dalmatians Musical (2009) |
| Parasite Eve
(Hideaki Sena) |
Parasite Eve
(1995) |
yes | no | Parasite Eve
(1997) |
no | no | Parasite Eve (1998)
Parasite Eve II (1999) The 3rd Birthday (2010) |
Soundtracks, guidebooks, figure action and various merchandise |
| Perry Mason (Erle Stanley Gardner) |
The Case of the Velvet Claws (1933); 81 other novels | no | no | no | no | Perry Mason (1957–1966) The New Perry Mason (1973–1974) Perry Mason TV movies (1985–1995) |
no | Perry Mason radio show |
| Planet of the Apes (Pierre Boulle) |
La Planète des singes (1963) several sequels |
Planet of the Apes (comics) | no | Planet of the Apes (1968); numerous sequels, and a reboot series. | Return to the Planet of the Apes (1975) | Planet of the Apes (1974) | yes | various |
| Psycho (Robert Bloch) |
Psycho (1959) | graphic novels (1992) | no | American Psycho (1960) Various sequels and remakes |
no | Bates Motel (2013–2017) | video game (1988) | various |
| Rambo (David Morrell) |
First Blood (1972) various others |
several | no | First Blood (1982) Rambo: First Blood Part II (1985) Rambo III (1988) Rambo (2008) Rambo: Last Blood (2019) |
Rambo: The Force of Freedom (1986) | no | various | |
| Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (Robert L. May) |
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (1939) several sequels |
yes | Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer: The Movie (1998) Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and the Island of Misfit Toys (2001) |
no | various TV specials | no | no | Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (song, 1959) |
| Sex and the City (Candace Bushnell) |
Sex and the City (1997) The Carrie Diaries (2010) Summer and the City (2011) |
no | no | Sex and the City Sex and the City 2 |
no | Sex and the City The Carrie Diaries |
no | no |
| Shrek (William Steig) |
Shrek! (1990) | yes | Shrek (2001) Shrek 2 (2004) Shrek the Third (2007) Shrek Forever After (2010) |
no | various TV specials | no | yes | musical
theme park attraction |
| Starship Troopers (Robert A. Heinlein) |
Starship Troopers (1959) | no | Starship Troopers: Invasion (2012) | Starship Troopers (1997) 2 direct-to-DVD sequels |
Roughnecks: Starship Troopers Chronicles (1999–2000) | no | yes | several table-top games original video animation |
| Sword Art Online (Reki Kawahara) |
List of Sword Art Online light novels | List of Sword Art Online manga volumes | Sword Art Online The Movie: Ordinal Scale (2017) | no | Sword Art Online (2012) Sword Art Online II (2014) Sword Art Online: Alicization (2018 - ongoing) |
no | yes | Figures |
| Middle-earth[1] (J. R. R. Tolkien) |
The Hobbit (1937) The Fellowship of the Ring (1954) The Two Towers (1954) The Return of the King (1954) other literature |
various | The Hobbit (1977) The Lord of the Rings (1978) The Return of the King (1980) |
The Lord of the Rings film series (2001−2003) The Hobbit film series (2012−2014) |
no | no | Middle-earth in video games | various media |
| Thomas & Friends (Rev W. Awdry) |
The Railway Series | no | yes | Thomas and the Magic Railroad | Thomas & Friends | Shining Time Station | yes | Scale models |
| Winnie-the-Pooh (A. A. Milne) |
When We Were Very Young (1924) Winnie the Pooh and The House at Pooh Corner Featured in two others |
no | various | Christopher Robin (2018) Outside of that film, not primarily. A bit of live-action was used in some of the animated films. |
various | yes | various | Consisted of audio stories, specials, songs and theme rides, etc. See also the Disney franchise. |
| The Witcher (Andrzej Sapkowski) |
The Witcher Stories The Saga novels |
various | no | The Hexer (2001) | no | The Hexer (2002) The Witcher (TV series) (2019-present) |
The Witcher (2007) The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings (2011) The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (2014) |
board and card games |
Franchises originating in comics and printed cartoons[]
| Franchise (Creator) |
Literature | Comics | Animated films | Live action films | Animated TV series | Live action TV series | Video games | Other media |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 300 (Frank Miller) |
no | 300 (1998) Xerxes (2018) |
300 (2007) 300: Rise of an Empire (2014) |
no | no | no | 300: March to Glory (2007) | - |
| The Addams Family (Charles Addams) |
several | cartoons in The New Yorker (1938–1988) |
The Addams Family (2019) | The Addams Family (1991) Addams Family Values (1993) |
The Addams Family (1973–1975) The Addams Family: The Animated Series (1992–1993) |
The Addams Family (1964–1966) The New Addams Family (1998–1999) |
The Addams Family (video game series) | The Addams Family, a Broadway musical |
| Alien vs. Predator[4] (see Aliens and Predator sections below) |
Aliens vs. Predator novel series | Aliens vs. Predator comics (beginning 1989) | no | Alien vs. Predator (2004) Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem (2007) |
no | no | various | - |
| Archie Comics (John L. Goldwater) |
no | Archie Comics, various series, beginning in 1941 | The Archies in Jugman (TV Movie) | Archie: To Riverdale and Back Again (TV movie) | The Archie Show (1968–1969) Archie's Weird Mysteries (1999–2000) and many others |
Riverdale (2017), Katy Keene (2020) | no | Radio show |
| Ashita no Joe
(Asao Takamori and Tetsuya Chiba) |
no | Ashita no Joe (1968–1973) | Ashita no Joe (1980)
Ashita no Joe 2 (1981) |
Ashita no Joe (1970)
Ashita no Joe (2011) |
Ashita no Joe (1970–1971)
Ashita no Joe 2 (1980–1981) Megalo Box (2018) Megalo Box 2: Nomad (2021–) |
no | yes | Joe vs. Joe (2003) |
| Asterix (René Goscinny) |
no | Asterix the Gaul (serialized in Pilote 1959-1960, collected volume published in 1961) 37 more volumes |
List of Asterix films | Asterix films (live action) | no | no | yes | Parc Astérix theme park board games and gamebooks |
| Attack on Titan (Hajime Isayama) |
yes | Attack on Titan (2009 - ongoing) | yes | yes | Attack on Titan (2013 - ongoing) | no | yes | Theme park Action Figures and Toys |
| Bleach (Tite Kubo) |
2 light novels | List of Bleach volumes | Bleach: Memories of Nobody (2006) Bleach: The DiamondDust Rebellion (2007) Bleach: Fade to Black (2008) Bleach: Hell Verse (2010) |
Bleach | Bleach (2004–2012) | no | several | musicals Bleach Trading Card Game |
| DC Universe[5] (DC Comics) (includes Superman,[6] Batman, and many others) |
yes | DC Comics | yes | Superman and the Mole Men (1951) and numerous others | yes | yes | yes | Vertigo. (Sandman, Hellblazer, etc.) Imprint of DC. Has connections to the universe sometimes. |
| Death Note (Tsugumi Ohba) |
several light novels | Death Note (2003-2006) | no | Death Note (2006); several others | yes | yes | several | - |
| Detective Conan (Gosho Aoyama) |
no | volumes | 18 films | no | seasons 1-15 seasons 16-present |
yes | yes | Trade cards |
| Diary of a Wimpy Kid (Jeff Kinney) |
Diary of a Wimpy Kid (2007) several sequels spin-off series |
Diary of a Wimpy Kid webcomic (2004-2005) | yes | Diary of a Wimpy Kid (2010) Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules (2011) Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days (2012) Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul (2017) |
no | no | Poptropica tie-ins | Toys Action figures |
| Doraemon (Fujiko Fujio) |
no | List of Doraemon chapters The Doraemons Dorabase |
several | no | Doraemon (1973) Doraemon (1979−2005) Doremon (2005−ongoing) |
no | various | musical |
| Dragon Ball (Akira Toriyama) |
yes | List of Dragon Ball manga volumes | yes | Dragonball Evolution (2009); several others | Dragon Ball (1986−1989) Dragon Ball Z (1989−1996) Dragon Ball GT (1996−1997) Dragon Ball Super (2015−2018) Dragon Ball Heroes (2018 - ongoing) |
no | List of Dragon Ball video games | Toys Action figures Collectible Card Game |
| Dyesebel (Mars Ravelo) |
no | Serialized in Pilipino Komiks (1952–53) | no | several (1953, 1964, 1973, 1978, 1990, and 1996) | no | Dyesebel (2008) Dyesebel (2014) |
no | |
| Full Metal Alchemist (Hiromu Arakawa) |
yes | List of Fullmetal Alchemist chapters | Fullmetal Alchemist the Movie: Conqueror of Shamballa (2012) Fullmetal Alchemist: The Sacred Star of Milos (2017) |
Fullmetal Alchemist (film) | Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood Fullmetal Alchemist (TV series) (2003−2004) | no | yes | - |
| Garfield (Jim Davis) |
no | Garfield (comic strip) (syndicated in 1978) | yes | Garfield: The Movie (2004) Garfield: A Tail of Two Kitties (2006) |
Garfield and Friends (1988–1994) The Garfield Show (2009–2016) | no | yes | - |
| Ghost in the Shell (Masamune Shirow) |
no | Ghost in the Shell (1989–1990) | Ghost in the Shell (1995) Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence (2004) |
Ghost in the Shell (2017) | Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex (2002–2003) | no | Ghost in the Shell (1997) Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex (PS2) (2004) |
original video animation |
| Hellboy (Mike Mignola) |
various | List of Hellboy comics (1993−present) | Hellboy: Sword of Storms (2006) Hellboy: Blood and Iron (2007) |
Hellboy (2004) Hellboy II: The Golden Army (2008) Hellboy (2019) |
no | no | various | - |
| Initial D
(Shuichi Shigeno) |
no | List of Initial D chapters (1995−2013) | Initial D Third Stage (2001)
New Initial D the Movie |
Initial D (2005) | List of Initial D episodes | no | Several including Initial D Arcade Stage series | toys
model kits |
| Judge Dredd (John Wagner) |
29 Novels | List of Judge Dredd Comic Stories (1977−present) | no | Judge Dredd (film) (1995) Dredd (2012) |
no | no | various | - |
| Lucky Luke (Morris) |
no | Lucky Luke comics (1946 – ongoing) Rantanplan (1987 - 2011) Kid Lucky (1995 - 1997, 2011 - ongoing) |
Daisy Town (1971) La Ballade des Dalton (1978) Les Dalton en cavale (1983) Go West! A Lucky Luke Adventure (2017) |
Lucky Luke (1991) Les Dalton (2004) Lucky Luke (2009) |
Lucky Luke (1983) Lucky Luke (1991) The New Adventures of Lucky Luke (2001 - 2003) Rintindumb (2006) |
Lucky Luke (1992) The Daltons (2010) |
several | |
| Lupin the Third (Monkey Punch) |
No | List of Lupin III Manga (1977−present) | Lupin III, The Castle of Cagliostro, Legend of the Gold of Babylon, Lupin the 3rd vs. Detective Conan: The Movie, Lupin III: The First: (see Lupin III Cinema Films) | Lupin III: Strange Psychokinetic Strategy (2004) Lupin III (film) (2008) Dredd (2019) |
Lupin III Anime Series | Lupin (Philippine TV series) | List of Lupin III video games | Two stage Musicals, Music Soundtrack. Board game |
| Marsupilami (André Franquin) |
several Bibliothèque Rose books | Marsupilami comic albums (1987 - ongoing) Comics in Disney Adventures magazine (1993 - 1994) |
no | HOUBA! On the Trail of the Marsupilami (2012) | Raw Toonage shorts (1992) Marsupilami (1993) Marsupilami (2000-) |
no | Marsupilami (1995) | |
| Marvel Universe[7] (Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko, et al.) (includes Spider-Man,[1] The Hulk,[1] Iron Man, X-Men, Fantastic Four, and many others) |
yes | Marvel Comics | yes | Captain America (1944); X-Men (2000); Spider-Man (2002); various See also Marvel Cinematic Universe |
The Marvel Super Heroes (1966), numerous others | The Amazing Spider-Man (1977–1979); The Incredible Hulk (1977–1982) several others |
Spider-Man (1982) and numerous others | Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark (Broadway musical) |
| Men in Black (Lowell Cunningham) |
no | The Men in Black (comics) | no | Men in Black (film series) | Men in Black: The Series | no | several | Men In Black: The Roleplaying Game |
| My Hero Academia (Kohei Horikoshi) |
yes | List of My Hero Academia manga volumes | My Hero Academia: Two Heroes (2018) | no | My Hero Academia (2016 – ongoing) | no | yes | original video animations Toys Action figures |
| Naruto/Boruto (Masashi Kishimoto, Mikio Ikemoto, Ukyō Kodachi) |
several | List of Naruto manga volumes | yes | no | Naruto (2002–2007) Naruto Shippuuden (2007 – 2017) Rock Lee & His Ninja Pals (2012–2013) Boruto: Naruto Next Generations (2017 – ongoing) |
no | several | Original video animations Trading card game |
| One Piece (Eiichiro Oda) |
several | List of One Piece manga volumes (1997 - ongoing) | 12 films | no | One Piece (1999 - ongoing) | no | several | Original video animations music Trading card game |
| Peanuts (Charles M. Schulz) |
several | Peanuts (1950–2000); numerous compilation books; comic books by Gold Key and KaBoom!; graphic novels by KaBoom! | A Boy Named Charlie Brown (1969) Snoopy Come Home (1972) Race for Your Life, Charlie Brown (1977) Bon Voyage, Charlie Brown (and Don't Come Back!!) (1980) The Peanuts Movie (2015) |
no | several TV spiecials from 1965 to 2011, starting with A Charlie Brown Christmas The Charlie Brown and Snoopy Show (1983–1986) This Is America, Charlie Brown (1988–1989) Peanuts (2014) Snoopy in Space (2019–present) The Snoopy Show (2021-present) |
no | several | A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965 album) and several other albums musicals |
| Popeye the Sailor (Elzie Crisler Segar) |
no | Thimble Theatre comic strips; various |
yes | Popeye (1980) | numerous | no | yes | - |
| Ranma ½ (Rumiko Takahashi) |
no | Ranma ½ (1987–1996) | Three films | TV special (2011) | yes | no | List of Ranma ½ video games | original video animations |
| Sailor Moon (Naoko Takeuchi) |
no | List of Sailor Moon chapters (1993–1997) | Sailor Moon R: The Movie (1993) Sailor Moon S: The Movie (1994) Sailor Moon Super S: The Movie (1995) |
no | Sailor Moon (1992–1996) Sailor Moon Crystal (2014–2016) |
Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon (2003–2004) | several | musicals |
| Saint Seiya (Masami Kurumada) |
yes | List of Saint Seiya chapters (series) several others |
Five films | no | Saint Seiya (1986−1989) Saint Seiya Omega (2012−2014) |
no | several | Original video animations musicals discography merchandise |
| Sgt. Frog (Mine Yoshizaki) |
several guide books | List of Sgt. Frog chapters (1999–present) various tie-ins and spinoffs |
Keroro Gunsō the Super Movie (2006); four other films | no | Sgt. Frog/Sergeant Keroro (2004-2011) Keroro (2014) |
no | several | music CDs Keroro Land magazine Kerokero Ace magazine |
| The Smurfs (Peyo) |
yes | Johan and Peewit The Smurfs (comics) |
Les Aventures des Schtroumpfs (1965) The Smurfs and the Magic Flute (1976) Smurfs: The Lost Village (2017) |
The Smurfs (2011) The Smurfs 2 (2013) |
The Smurfs (1981–89) | no | yes | yes |
| Spawn (Todd McFarlane) |
no | Spawn (1992–present) Shadows of Spawn (1998–1999) various spin-offs, one-shots, crossovers, mini series, and ongoing series |
no | Spawn (1997) | Todd McFarlane's Spawn (1997–1999) | no | several | The Dark Saga (1996) |
| Spirou/Spirou & Fantasio (Rob-Vel) |
yes | Comics in Spirou magazine (1938–ongoing) Spirou & Fantasio albums (1948–ongoing) Le Petit Spirou (1990–ongoing) (spin-off) |
no | Les aventures de Spirou et Fantasio (2018) Le Petit Spirou (2017) (spin-off adaption) |
Spirou (1993–1994) Two of a Kind: Spirou and Fantasio (2006–2009) Spirou and co (series of animated shorts) Le Petit Spirou (2012–ongoing) (spin-off adaption) |
no | Spirou (1995) Spirou: The Robot Invasion (2000) |
Parc Spirou theme park audio plays |
| Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird) |
no | Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1984–2009) various |
yes | yes | yes | Ninja Turtles: The Next Mutation (1997–1998) | yes | - |
| Tintin (Hergé) |
no | cartoons in Le Vingtième Siècle (1929–1939) The Adventures of Tintin series |
five animated films | Tintin and the Mystery of the Golden Fleece (1961) Tintin and the Blue Oranges (1964) |
Hergé's Adventures of Tintin The Adventures of Tintin |
no | yes | radio shows musical stage play |
| Turok (Rex Maxon) |
4 novels | Turok: Son of Stone (1956–1982; 2010–2011) Turok: Dinosaur Hunter (1993–1996; 2014-) Turok (1998) |
yes | no | no | no | Turok (series) | - |
| The Walking Dead (Robert Kirkman and Tony Moore) |
3 novels | The Walking Dead (2003 – present) | yes | no | no | The Walking Dead TV series (2010 – present) | The Walking Dead (2012) The Walking Dead: Survival Instinct (2013) |
- |
| Wangan Midnight
(Michiharu Kusunoki) |
no | Wangan Midnight (1990 – 2008)
Wangan Midnight: C1 Runner (2009 – 2012) Ginkai no Speed Star (2014 – 2015) Shutoko SPL - Ginkai no Speedster (2016 – present) |
no | 12 direct-to-video movies (1991 – 2001)
Wangan Midnight The Movie (2009) |
Wangan Midnight (2007 – 2008) | no | Wangan Midnight (2001)
Wangan Midnight R (2001) Wangan Midnight (2007) Wangan Midnight Maximum Tune series (2004 – present) |
toys
model kits |
| Yu-Gi-Oh! (Kazuki Takahashi) |
yes | Yu-Gi-Oh! (1996–2004) Yu-Gi-Oh! R (2004–2008) several |
Yu-Gi-Oh! (1999) Yu-Gi-Oh! The Movie: Pyramid of Light (2004) Yu-Gi-Oh!: Bonds Beyond Time (2010) Yu-Gi-Oh!: The Dark Side of Dimensions (2016) |
no | Yu-Gi-Oh! (1998) Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters (2000–2004) Yu-Gi-Oh! GX (2004–2008) several |
no | several | Yu-Gi-Oh! Trading Card Game |
| Yu Yu Hakusho (Yoshihiro Togashi) |
no | List of Yu Yu Hakusho chapters (1990–1994) | Yu Yu Hakusho (1993) Yu Yu Hakusho - Chapter of Underworld's Carnage - Bonds of Fire (1994) |
no | Yu Yu Hakusho (1992–1995) | no | several | CDs Yu Yu Hakusho Trading Card Game various merchandise |
See also[]
- List of fictional shared universes in film and television – many multimedia franchises are based in fictional universes
- List of public domain works with multimedia adaptations
- List of highest-grossing media franchises
- Media mix
References[]
- ^ a b c d e Harry J. Brown, Videogames and Education (2008), p. 41, ISBN 0765629496:
In one of the most celebrated ventures in media convergence, Larry and Andy Wachowski, creators of The Matrix trilogy, produced the game Enter the Matrix (2003) simultaneously with the last two films of the trilogy, shooting scenes for the game on the movie's sets with the movie s actors, and releasing the game on the same day as The Matrix: Reloaded. Likewise, on September 21, 2004, Lucasfilm jointly released a new DVD box set of the original Star Wars trilogy with Star Wars: Battlefront, a combat game in which players can reenact battles from all six Star Wars films. In 2005, Peter Jackson likewise produced his blockbuster film King Kong (2005) in tandem with a successful King Kong game designed by Michael Ancel and published by Ubisoft. In the last several years, numerous licensed videogame adaptations of major summer and holiday blockbusters were released a few days before or a few days after their respective films, including: all three Star Wars films (1999–2005); all five Harry Potter films (2001–2008); all three Spider-Man films (2002–2007); Hulk (2002); The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002); The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003); The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (2005); Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006); Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (2007); and Transformers (2007). These multimedia franchises have made it more difficult to distinguish the production of films and videogames as separate enterprises.
- ^ Nick Hunter, Popular Culture: 2000 and Beyond (2012), page 11, ISBN 1410946266: "The Harry Potter series was another huge multimedia franchise that triumphed at the box office".
- ^ John Sutherland, Lives of the Novelists: A History of Fiction in 294 Lives (2012), p. 195, ISBN 0300182430: "It was the films, beginning with Dr No in 1962, which made Bond into a multimedia franchise which continues to turn over more money per annum than any other literary creation of the twentieth century, with the possible exception of the Harry Potter films".
- ^ Note: Alien vs. Predator is a crossover franchise established from the existing Alien and Predator franchises
- ^ "Media crossovers have us asking, 'who's ripping off who?'", Edmonton Journal (July 14, 2000), p. E3: "Marvel Comics is already reaping an "X-cellent" multimedia bounty on the backs of the special effects-laden feature..."
- ^ Ian Gordon, Mark Jancovich, Matthew P. McAllister, Film and Comic Books (2007), p. 161, ISBN 160473809X: "[W]hen considering Superman as a multimedia franchise, and critical interpretations of him, it would seem that development and variety have been central to his longevity".
- ^ Gilbert A. Blouchard, "Mining comic books for movie gold is old hat", Edmonton Journal (July 14, 2000), p. E3: "Marvel Comics is already reaping an "X-cellent" multimedia bounty on the backs of the special effects-laden feature..."
| Media series |
|
|---|---|
| Media lists |
|
| Highest-grossing |
|
| Best-selling |
|
| |
Categories:
- Mass media franchises
- Cultural lists