Top 10 Franchises that Resonated with an Unintended Target Audience
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 an alicorn) pony named Twilight Sparkle (Tara Strong) and her friends Applejack (Ashleigh Ball), Rarity (Tabitha... 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.
PAW Patrol is an Canadian animated television series created by Keith Chapman. It is produced by Spin Master Entertainment with animation provided by Guru Studio. In Canada, the series is primarily broadcast on TVOKids, which first ran previews of the show in August 2013. The series first aired on Nickelodeon... 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?
Pokémon, abbreviated from the Japanese title of Pocket Monsters and currently advertised in English as Pokémon: The Series, is a Japanese anime television series, which has been adapted for the international television markets. It was first broadcast in Japan on April 1, 1997, in the United States... 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.
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)—a dog with the magical power to change shape... 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.
This game is loved by people younger than the target audience. Also, how is this game similar to Minecraft?
Littlest Pet Shop is a toy franchise and cartoon series owned by Hasbro. The original toy series was produced by Kenner in the early 1990s. This toy was made for young girls, but teenage emo anime fans enjoy it more.
Also called "Miraculous", "Miraculous Ladybug", "Miraculous Ladybug and Cat Noir", "Ladybug and Cat Noir" or simply "Ladybug" . It's a French show created by Thomas Astruc and Jeremy Zag, produced by Method Animation (by Zag) and SAMG Animation (in Korean version). The theme song singed by Cash Callaway... 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.
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 parents Peter (Fat, Idiotic Dad) and Lois (Nagging Bitchy Wife), their children Meg (Socially Awkward Daughter) Chris (Fat, Idiotic... read more This show is made for adults, but kids watch it mostly.
The Lion Guard is an American animated television series developed by Ford Riley based on Disney's 1994 film "The Lion King". The series was first broadcast with a television movie titled "The Lion Guard: Return of the Roar" on Disney Channel on November 22, 2015 and began airing as a TV series on January... read more
The Newcomers
Sofia the First is an American computer-animated television series that features a commoner joining the royal family as a princess.
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.
Twenty One Pilots is an American musical duo that is originally from Columbus, Ohio, who are best known for their songs "Stressed Out", "Heathens" and "Ride". Currently there are two members, Tyler Joseph (lead vocals, piano, keyboards, synthesizers, ukulele, bass and guitar) and Josh Dun (drums and... 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.
13 Reasons Why is an American teen drama streaming television series developed for Netflix by Brian Yorkey, based on the 2007 novel Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher. The series revolves around high school student Clay Jensen and the aftermath of high school student Hannah Baker's suicide. Before her... read more
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.
American Horror Story is an American anthology horror television series created by Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk. Each season is conceived as a self-contained miniseries, following a different set of characters and settings, and a storyline with its own "beginning, middle, and end."
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.
The game is rated T, but for some reason, it has merchandise meant for younger kids.
Lego Ninjago: Masters of Spinjitzu, is an American–Danish action comedy family animated TV series that started as a pilot shorts for LEGO that aired on Cartoon Network in 2011. The show centers on the adventures of six ninja: Lloyd, Kai, Cole, Jay, Zane, and Nya. I haven't watched Ninjago in years, but I think the fandom consists of adults and teens nostalgic for the theme and show.
Helluva Boss is an American adult animated web series created by Vivienne "VivziePop" Medrano. It revolves around the misadventures of the employees of I.M.P., an assassination company in Hell. The pilot was released on November 25, 2019, while the first episode of the first season was released on October... read more
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, and his mission to conquer Earth and enslave the human race along with his malfunctioning robot servant GIR.
Regular Show is an American animated television series created by J. G. Quintel for Cartoon Network that premiered on September 6, 2010. The series revolves around the lives of two friends, a blue jay named Mordecai and a raccoon named Rigby—both employed as groundskeepers at a local park.