Top 10 Franchises that Resonated with an Unintended Target Audience

1. My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

   

   My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic is an animated children's television series based on the fourth incarnation of Hasbro's My Little Pony franchise. The show follows a studious unicorn, later transformed into an alicorn, named Twilight Sparkle (voiced by Tara Strong) and her friends Applejack (Ashleigh... read more

   It helped break gender barriers. Boys liking girl stuff is a GREAT change.

   Before, barely any boy would like girl stuff, but this show actually changed everything about how boys think about girl stuff. Congratulations!

   Isn't that a good thing though? It was intended for little girls, but it's so good that grown men can like it.

   This show was made for little girls. Grown men like it more than little girls.

2. Paw Patrol

   

   PAW Patrol is a Canadian animated television series created by Keith Chapman. It is produced by Spin Master Entertainment, with animation provided by Guru Studio. In Canada, the show is primarily broadcast on TVOKids, which aired preview episodes in August 2013 before its official launch.... read more

   Adult and teenage furries watch this show, but the target audience is still mainly toddlers.

   Almost half the people in my high school love this show! (Emphasis on high school)

   I'm 13 and I can't stand it. Why does everyone older adore it?

3. Pokemon

   

   Pokémon, abbreviated from the Japanese title Pocket Monsters and currently marketed in English as Pokémon: The Series, is a Japanese anime television series adapted for international audiences. It was first broadcast in Japan on April 1, 1997, and in the United States on September 8, 1998.... read more

   Pokemon is supposed to be for little kids, yet pretty much any age range can be a fan of it. I personally knew a 67-year-old woman who loved to watch the movies and TV series alongside Beyblade and other shows. Not to mention that I have seen more fellow adults when playing the games online.

   Although many watched this show when they were kids, the fanbase is now made up of adults and otaku teens.

4. Adventure Time

   

   Adventure Time is an American animated television series created by Pendleton Ward for Cartoon Network. The series follows the adventures of a boy named Finn, voiced by Jeremy Shada, and his best friend and adoptive brother Jake, voiced by John DiMaggio. Jake is a dog with the magical power to change... read more

   This show was made for stoners and tweens. Weeaboos and emos like this show. I still don't get how this show is influenced by anime.

5. Five Nights at Freddy's

   

   This game is loved by people younger than the target audience. Also, how is this game similar to Minecraft?

6. Littlest Pet Shop

   

   Littlest Pet Shop is a toy franchise and animated series owned by Hasbro. The original toy line was developed by Kenner in the early 1990s. Hasbro later revived the brand in the 2000s and launched several animated television adaptations.

   This toy was made for young girls, but teenage emo anime fans enjoy it more.

7. Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Cat Noir

   

   Also called Miraculous, Miraculous Ladybug, Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Cat Noir, Ladybug and Cat Noir, or simply Ladybug, this French animated series was created by Thomas Astruc and developed by Jeremy Zag. It is produced by Zagtoon and Method Animation in France, with animation contributed by... read more

   It's supposed to be for young girls, but teens and adults love it anyway. I feel like this show is slowly becoming the next MLP.

8. Family Guy

   

   Family Guy is an American adult animated sitcom created by Seth MacFarlane for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series centers on the Griffins, a family consisting of Peter, Lois, their children Meg, Chris, and Stewie, and their anthropomorphic dog, Brian. The show is set in the fictional city of Quahog... read more

   This show is made for adults, but kids watch it mostly.

9. The Lion Guard

   

   The Lion Guard is an American animated television series developed by Ford Riley, based on Disney's 1994 film The Lion King. The series premiered with a television movie titled The Lion Guard: Return of the Roar on Disney Channel on November 22, 2015. It began airing as a TV series on January 15, 2016... read more

10. Super Mario

    
The Newcomers
11. ?

    Sofia the First

    

    Sofia the First is an American computer-animated television series that features a commoner joining the royal family as a princess. It originally aired on Disney Junior from 2013 to 2018. The series follows Sofia's adventures as she adjusts to royal life and learns valuable life lessons.

12. ?

    Bluey

    

    I feel like this show is slowly becoming the next MLP. I doubt it will reach the exact same level of popularity as MLP, since that show actually had lore and meaningful stories, while Bluey is a slice-of-life show. But I mean it in the sense that it's meant for preschoolers, yet it's becoming a favorite for adult viewers.

The Contenders

13. Twenty One Pilots

    

    Twenty One Pilots is an American musical duo from Columbus, Ohio, best known for their hits "Stressed Out," "Heathens," and "Ride." The band formed in 2009 with Tyler Joseph, Nick Thomas, and Chris Salih. Today, the lineup consists of Tyler Joseph (lead vocals. Piano. Keyboards. Synthesizers. Ukulele... read more

    This band is a mystery box of musical genres except for punk rock, but emos love it. I guess their cover of "Cancer" by My Chemical Romance proved that.

14. Call of Duty

    Call of Duty is a rated M game, but children six years and up play this game with no problem.

    This game is for ages 17 and up, but most of its fanbase is way under 17.

15. 13 Reasons Why

    

    13 Reasons Why is an American teen drama television series developed for Netflix by Brian Yorkey and based on the 2007 novel Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher. Selena Gomez served as an executive producer, and Brian Yorkey and Diana Son were co-showrunners. The series stars Dylan Minnette as Clay Jensen... read more

16. Sonic the Hedgehog

    

    Made to be a video game series by Sega to compete with and cash-in on the success of Nintendo's Mario. But sadly, the Sonic franchise attracted the wrong audience in the form of classic cartoon fans, who compare Sonic to the likes of Mickey Mouse or Bugs Bunny as opposed to video game characters like Mario, Pac-Man, or Mega Man.

    It's even worse when these fans make crossovers of Sonic with anything that isn't a video game icon. I don't care what anyone says, Sonic will ALWAYS be just a video game icon to me. Sonic may be adapted to TV shows or such, but so are other video game icons. So, there is no reason to see Sonic as a cartoon icon rather than a video game icon.

17. American Horror Story

    

    American Horror Story is an American anthology horror television series created by Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk. Each season operates as a self-contained miniseries. The series follows a different set of characters and settings in each season and features a storyline with its own beginning, middle,... read more

18. Squid Game

    

19. Fortnite

    

    The game is rated T, but for some reason, it has merchandise meant for younger kids.

20. Omori

21. Undertale

    

22. Lego Ninjago: Masters of Spinjitzu

    

    LEGO Ninjago: Masters of Spinjitzu is an American and Danish animated action comedy television series. It began as pilot shorts for LEGO and premiered on Cartoon Network in 2011. The show follows the adventures of six ninja (Lloyd, Kai, Cole, Jay, Zane, and Nya) as they battle enemies and uncover ancient... read more

    I haven't watched Ninjago in years, but I think the fandom consists of adults and teens nostalgic for the theme and show.

23. Helluva Boss

    

    Helluva Boss is an American adult animated web series created by Vivienne "VivziePop" Medrano. The show focuses on the employees of I.M.P. (Immediate Murder Professionals), an assassination company located in Hell. The pilot premiered on November 25, 2019, and the first episode of season one was released... read more

24. Bendy and the Ink Machine

    

25. Genshin Impact

    

26. Invader ZIM

    

    Invader Zim is an American animated television series created by Jhonen Vasquez for Nickelodeon. The series centers on an extraterrestrial named Zim from the planet Irk, who is determined to conquer Earth with the help of his malfunctioning robot assistant, GIR.... read more

27. Regular Show

    

    Regular Show is an American animated television series created by J. G. Quintel for Cartoon Network that premiered on September 6, 2010. The series follows the lives of two friends, Mordecai, a blue jay, and Rigby, a raccoon. They work as groundskeepers at a local park and often find themselves in surreal... read more