History Main / ShortLivedBigImpact

* The network version of ''Series/WhoWantsToBeAMillionaire'', hosted by Regis Philbin for Creator/{{ABC}}, lasted only three years. Yet it was ''huge'' in its day, prompting [[WhoWantsToBeWhoWantsToBeAMillionaire legions of big money game shows]] and a brief yet obvious revival of a slowly dying genre. While a syndicated version lasted for many years afterward, it was the original (for the US, being adapted from the UK) ABC version that had the biggest impact on the genre despite a short life.

* WesternAnimation/TheSpectacularSpiderMan only lasted 26 episodes and series lead Creator/JoshKeaton voiced the character only in said series and one video game, but has become as much of a SacredCow casting choice as Creator/KevinConroy as Batman, who has a much more extensive tenure as said character.

* Creator/MaryKayBergman was one of the most influential voice actresses of the 1990's, she was best known for being the voices of Dr. Blight from WesternAnimation/CaptainPlanetAndThePlaneteers, the original voice of Timmy Turner from WesternAnimation/FairlyOddParents when it was a series of shorts on WesternAnimation/OhYeahCartoons, the third voice actress for Daphne Blake of WesternAnimation/ScoobyDoo, several supporting characters in Disney animated movies and series, and the original voices of all of the recurring female characters from WesternAnimation/SouthPark, tragically she suffered from General Anxiety Disorder and committed suicide at the age of 38; her career lasted for 9 years. Although several projects she worked on were released years after her death, following her death research on her disorder helped spread awareness, several websites were dedicated to her, and two voice actress she mentored Creator/TaraStrong and Creator/GreyDeLisle became more prominent, with the two inheriting many of the characters she voiced.

* Creator/JeanHarlow's SpiritualSuccessor Creator/MarilynMonroe lasted a little longer - dying at thirty-six - but her career was pretty short too. Although she had been working in films since 1947, her big break as a sex symbol didn't come until 1953 and she would be dead less than ten years later. She's a pop culture icon and one of the most famous stars of UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfHollywood.

* ''ComicBook/{{Watchmen}}'' - a 12 issue monthly comic that ran for just over a year, and initially protected by an editorial mandate from DC forbidding anything from anything else from being written in the same universe (though that ceased being the case in 2012), yet perhaps more than any other comic it [[TropeMaker made]] or [[TropeCodifier codified]] everything about UsefulNotes/TheDarkAgeOfComicBooks.

* French director Creator/JeanVigo directed only two feature films, ''Zéro de conduite'' and ''Film/LAtalante'', before his death in 1934 at 29 years old. He is nonetheless considered one of the greatest directors of all time, and ''massively'' influenced French cinema, including the directors of the UsefulNotes/FrenchNewWave (he was a favourite of Creator/FrancoisTruffaut). There's even a prestigious award named after him, the ''Prix Jean Vigo''.

* While the UsefulNotes/NewHollywood era lasted just under two decades compared to the ''several'' decades of the [[UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfHollywood Studio System]] and [[UsefulNotes/TheBlockbusterAgeOfHollywood Blockbuster]] eras (the latter of which is still ongoing), it had a profound impact on how Hollywood operated. New Hollywood was the era in which, at least in the eyes of academics and the American cultural elite, cinema finally secured its status as TrueArt after decades of fighting for acceptance alongside literature, theater, and music. The old studio system, in which the producers [[ExecutiveMeddling had the ultimate say]] in everything that happened on set and backstage, was gone for good, and wouldn't be replicated even after they started reasserting their power.

* UPA [United Productions of America] barely lasted more than a decade as a [[Creator/ColumbiaCartoons theatrical cartoon studio]], during which time their [[LimitedAnimation stylized approach to the medium]] profoundly changed the way cartoons looked for the next few decades ([[UsefulNotes/TheDarkAgeOfAnimation for better or worse]]). Even today, their influence, direct or indirect, is felt in shows as diverse as ''WesternAnimation/DextersLaboratory'', ''WesternAnimation/ThePowerpuffGirls'', ''WesternAnimation/BeavisAndButtHead'', ''WesternAnimation/SamuraiJack'', ''WesternAnimation/HomeMovies'', ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' and ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic''.

* ''WesternAnimation/BettyBoop'' debuted in 1930 and lasted only nine years before UsefulNotes/TheHaysCode struck. Despite this, she remains as one of the most iconic characters of UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfAnimation and is regarded as the first example of MsFanservice in the medium.

* The StG 44 assault rifle. Went into service in 1943 to select ''Wehrmacht'' units by the time the war effort of Nazi Germany had begun to collapse due to decisive battles in favor of the Allied forces, most notably in the Eastern Front against the Soviets, and lasted until their downfall in 1945. While it was not the game-changing weapon that the Nazis had hoped for, the [=StG=] 44 has nevertheless left an impressionable mark amongst the Allied forces, especially for the Soviets, who were inspired by the weapon to create their own comparable 'assault rifle' - birthing probably ''the'' most famous firearm in history, the AK-47. Nowadays, while possibly not being the first assault rifle to be developed[[note]]depending on how you define one, that honor goes to the Fedorov Avtomat[[/note]], the [=StG=] 44 is considered to be the "grand-daddy" of the assault rifle, as its influence can be seen in countless modern assault rifles that became a global standard role for infantry rifles by the time the UsefulNotes/ColdWar set in.

* Willy Brandt was elected [[UsefulNotes/TheChancellorsOfGermany chancellor of Germany]] in 1969 with one of the slimmest majorities in German history (12 seats out of 518). He was reelected by a big margin in 1972 and resigned over an espionage scandal (a personal aide turned out to be a Stasi spy) in 1974. In those five years, he singlehandedly set the pace for German foreign policy of the next decades. His "Ostpolitik" (Eastern policy) and the "Wandel durch Annäherung" (change through rapprochement) approach set the tone for East-West relations and there are memorable images (Brandt [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warschauer_Kniefall kneeling in Warsaw,]] Brandt in East Germany and deafening cries of "Willy Willy") are still known to most Germans today. He was the first German chancellor to visit Israel and won a Nobel Peace Price in 1971 (which was announced in parliament during a session). In domestic policy, he helped lower the voting age from 21 to 18, which helped in the aforementioned 1972 elections which he won largely on the youth vote. To this day many influential leftists in Germany cite Willy Brandt as one of their major inspirations.

* The ''VideoGame/RoboticOperatingBuddy'' only had two games, ''Gyromite'' and ''Stack-Up''. However, it allowed Nintendo to market the Platform/NintendoEntertainmentSystem as a toy rather than a game console, quelling consumer worries due to UsefulNotes/TheGreatVideoGameCrashOf1983. This let Nintendo gain enough traction to establish themselves as ''the'' video game company.

* In a somewhat more twisted way, the UsefulNotes/PhilipsCDi installments of the ''Franchise/SuperMarioBros'' and ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda'' series are this, only occupying [[VideoGame/HotelMario one]] and [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaCDiGames three games]] (respectively), each released in 1993-1994 and not being particularly well-remembered as actual games, but still carrying a tremendous legacy as fodder for YouTubePoop videos, with the bizarrely-animated and poorly-written cutscenes for these games becoming online cultural mainstays to this day.

* The original Nintendo UsefulNotes/GameBoyAdvance. While it was quickly overshadowed by the new and improved Game Boy Advance SP (which had a lit screen, something the original [=GBA=] did not), the original Game Boy Advance was universally praised for its sleek, comfortable form factor compared to its contemporary competitors the Bandai UsefulNotes/{{Wonderswan}} and the Nokia UsefulNotes/NGage, as well as past consoles like the bulky Sega UsefulNotes/GameGear and the UsefulNotes/AtariLynx, to the point that some people preferred the original for its form factor alone and even modded their systems to add an internal frontlight and/or backlight so they could have the best of both worlds. Despite being outclassed by the SP only two years later, its influence can be clearly seen in the designs of Sony's handhelds: the UsefulNotes/PlayStationPortable and UsefulNotes/PlayStationVita.
* Jeff Minter's (the same man behind ''[[VideoGame/{{Tempest}} Tempest 2000]]'' and its sequels) Virtual Light Machine (VLM) was a series of music visualizers produced for home video game consoles. The original iterations had the very unfortunate luck of being built exlucively into commercially unsuccessful platforms (Version 1 was stuck on the ill-fated [[UsefulNotes/AtariJaguar Atari Jaguar CD]], meanwhile Version 2 was stuck on the even worse-fated Nuon platform) but were very influential in the software field, with the first iteration directly influencing Winamp's built in music visualizer. Afterwards, music visualizers became standard in video game consoles like the UsefulNotes/PlayStation and even desktop computers. Minter's VLM software would finally see a wider audience when the third version, by this point rebranded "Neon", was built into the UsefulNotes/Xbox360. This was also the final version released to date as Minter focused on game development.

* The UsefulNotes/SegaDreamcast had a notoriously short life cycle for a mainstream console (It was only in production worldwide for less than two and a half years), but it had graphics leaps and bounds better than the competition at the time, and influential games like ''VideoGame/{{Shenmue}}'', ''VideoGame/PhantasyStarOnline'', and ''VideoGame/{{Seaman}}'' as well as faithful arcade ports of games like ''VideoGame/CrazyTaxi'', ''VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcom2'', and ''[[VideoGame/HouseOfTheDead House of the Dead 2]]''. It was also the first console with 480p Progressive Scan support via an optional VGA box (something the UsefulNotes/PlayStation2 also supported via component cables, but [[BonusFeatureFailure not very well]]). Sega also placed a heavy emphasis on its online capabilities, being the first console to include internet capabilities right out of the box with a built-in modem and included internet browser disc. Even the memory card was ahead of its time, as it included a screen and buttons that allowed it to be played like a handheld (and many games included optional minigames that can be downloaded to it), and it could even act as a second screen during gameplay, predating the UsefulNotes/WiiU by over a decade. While it was quickly outclassed by the UsefulNotes/PlayStation2 and even the UsefulNotes/GameCube, the Dreamcast left a lasting impact on the gaming scene as a whole.

* The ''VideoGame/RoboticOperatingBuddy'' only had two games, ''Gyromite'' and ''Stack-Up''. However, it allowed Nintendo to market the UsefulNotes/NintendoEntertainmentSystem as a toy rather than a game console, quelling consumer worries due to UsefulNotes/TheGreatVideoGameCrashOf1983. This let Nintendo gain enough traction to establish themselves as ''the'' video game company.
* The [=64DD=] was a console add-on for the UsefulNotes/Nintendo64 that expanded the system's functionality with special magnetic disks. It was only sold for approximately a year, and only eight games were created for it. Many of the games that had been planned for the [=64DD=], however, went on to find new life as releases for the [=N64=] or other consoles, chief among them ''VideoGame/AnimalCrossing'', which has gone on to become one of Nintendo's biggest breakout franchises.
* The ''Chrono'' games. Despite only consisting of three installments (''VideoGame/ChronoTrigger'', ''VisualNovel/RadicalDreamers'', and ''VideoGame/ChronoCross'') and spanning a grand total of four years from 1995 to 1999, ''Chrono Trigger'' is considered to possibly be the best [[EasternRPG JRPG]] on the UsefulNotes/{{Super Nintendo|EntertainmentSystem}} (which is no small feat, considering that it shares a console with ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVI'', ''VideoGame/DragonQuestV'', ''VideoGame/SecretOfMana'', ''[[VideoGame/EarthBound1994 EarthBound]]'', and ''VideoGame/SuperMarioRPG''), as well as one of the greatest of all time. And while ''Chrono Cross''[='=] status as a sequel to ''Chrono Trigger'' has caused some debate, it's still considered to be one of the best [[UsefulNotes/PlayStation PS1]] [=JRPGs=] alongside ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII'', ''VideoGame/{{Xenogears}}'', ''VideoGame/StarOceanTheSecondStory'', ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyTactics'', and ''VideoGame/SuikodenII''. However, barring rereleases of games in the series, the IP has been inactive since 1999 with no new installments, and this remains unlikely to change given Creator/SquareEnix's focus on ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'', ''Franchise/DragonQuest'' and ''Franchise/KingdomHearts''.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheMarvelousMisadventuresOfFlapjack'' is a cult classic at best, that lasted only 3 seasons and 46 episodes. However, three of the storyboard artists went on to create three shows that not only brought Cartoon Network out of its AudienceAlienatingEra, but also renewed interest in Western Animation in the 2010's. Additionally, ''WesternAnimation/GravityFalls'' creator Creator/AlexHirsch also worked on the series as a screenwriter and storyboard artist.

* ''Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagica'' may have lasted 12 episodes, 2 {{compilation movie}}s, and a [[Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagicaTheMovieRebellion sequel film]], but to most anime fans ([[GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff especially in the West]]), it is one of the most memorable (still ''very'' popular up to this day) and successful anime of all time, probably due to it being a DarkerAndEdgier [[{{Deconstruction}} take]] on the MagicalGirl genre, the [[RuleOfSymbolism complex]] [[MindScrew plot]], the memorable characters, and the fantastic [[Music/YukiKajiura soundtrack]]. It also turned Creator/StudioShaft and Creator/GenUrobuchi into HouseholdNames among anime fans.

** ''Series/MrBean'' only ran five years (1990-1995) and fifteen episodes.[[note]]Or seventeen, if you're including the two unaired sketches.[[/note]] However, well over two decades after it ended, it and the series' eponymous character still remain a memorable fixture in pop culture, with [[Film/{{Bean}} two]] [[Film/MrBeansHoliday films]], [[WesternAnimation/MrBean an animated version]] and numerous subsequent guest appearances throughout the years (including the 2012 London Summer Olympics) under its belt. Furthermore, it is seen as one of the breakout series of the UK that allowed international audiences to embrace the country's style of television, along the likes of ''Series/DoctorWho'', ''Series/TheBennyHillShow'', ''Series/TheOfficeUK'', ''Series/{{Blackadder}}'' (another series that featured Creator/RowanAtkinson) and ''Series/AbsolutelyFabulous''.

* ''ComicStrip/CalvinAndHobbes''. Short-lived by [[PrintLongRunners newspaper comic]] [[FranchiseZombie standards]], running from 1985 to 1995 (with a year and a half of that time spent on sabbatical). Yet almost three decades after Bill Watterson's retirement, it remains one of the most beloved and revered modern newspaper comics of all time.

* Similarly to ''Mother'', the ''VideoGame/HalfLife'' series only consists of three mainline entries (discounting expansions) spread out over a non-indicatively large timeframe. However, the first two of those games had a profound effect on first-person gaming and the wider cultural landscape, especially online, where the popularity of mods, memes, and fanworks result in a wide-reaching influence that's still visible to this day. Likewise with Creator/{{Valve}}'s other two signature [=IPs=], ''[[VideoGame/TeamFortressClassic Team]] [[VideoGame/TeamFortress2 Fortress]]'' and ''VideoGame/{{Portal}}'', which each only had ''two'' mainline games yet are still juggernauts in terms of their online presence and cultural influence (with the second installment for all three series being the most prominent in terms of legacy).

* ''WesternAnimation/TheMarvelousMisadventuresOfFlapjack'' is a cult classic at best, that lasted only 3 seasons and 46 episodes. However, three of the storyboard artists went on to [[WesternAnimation/AdventureTime create]] [[WesternAnimation/OverTheGardenWall three]] [[WesternAnimation/RegularShow shows]] that not only brought Cartoon Network out of its AudienceAlienatingEra, but also renewed interest in Western Animation in the 2010's. Additionally, ''WesternAnimation/GravityFalls'' creator Creator/AlexHirsch also worked on the series as a screenwriter and storyboard artist.

* ''ComicStrip/CalvinAndHobbes''. Short-lived by [[PrintLongRunners newspaper comic]] [[FranchiseZombie standards]], running from 1985 to 1995 (with a year and a half of that time spent on sabbatical). Yet over two decades after Bill Watterson's retirement, it remains one of the most beloved and revered modern newspaper comics of all time.

* Devin Grayson's work with [[ComicBook/GreenArrow Roy Harper]] and his daughter [[ComicBook/TeenTitans Lian]] amounted to a one shot issue, a four issue miniseries, and roughly twenty issues of ''ComicBook/Titans1998''. She nevertheless developed Roy's backstory of growing up with a Navajo foster father in Arizona and fleshed out Lian's personality beyond being a cute child, giving her a huge amount of emotional maturity and depth. While Grayson remains notorious for her handling of Nightwing, her take on the Harpers has long been considered the go-to for most fans. Indigenous fans of Roy have long since clamored for DC to do something to make Roy Native by blood descent ever since Grayson's handling of his upbringing under Raymond Begay and the way he passed those teachings onto Lian. It's widely agreed upon that every writer to take on the characters after Grayson haven't come close to expanding on their development like she did. A recent example of this is how her story in the ''Green Arrow 80th Anniversary 100-Page Super Spectacular'' was applauded for being one of the first stories in almost 10 years to feature Roy and Lian together, in retrospect to her story in DC Pride 2022 and she portrayed Damian as being almost borderline homophobic and the general "sugarcoating" of the Stonewall riot (to the point that it had to be edited once it was published in collected format).

* Devin Grayson's work with [[ComicBook/GreenArrow Roy Harper]] and his daughter [[ComicBook/TeenTitans Lian]] amounted to a one shot issue, a four issue miniseries, and roughly twenty issues of ''ComicBook/{{Titans}}''. She nevertheless developed Roy's backstory of growing up with a Navajo foster father in Arizona and fleshed out Lian's personality beyond being a cute child, giving her a huge amount of emotional maturity and depth. While Grayson remains notorious for her handling of Nightwing, her take on the Harpers has long been considered the go-to for most fans. Indigenous fans of Roy have long since clamored for DC to do something to make Roy Native by blood descent ever since Grayson's handling of his upbringing under Raymond Begay and the way he passed those teachings onto Lian. It's widely agreed upon that every writer to take on the characters after Grayson haven't come close to expanding on their development like she did.

* The [[CoolGuns StG 44]] assault rifle. Went into service in 1943 to select ''Wehrmacht'' units by the time the war effort of Nazi Germany had begun to collapse due to decisive battles in favor of the Allied forces, most notably in the Eastern Front against the Soviets, and lasted until their downfall in 1945. While it was not the game-changing weapon that the Nazis had hoped for, the [=StG=] 44 has nevertheless left an impressionable mark amongst the Allied forces, especially for the Soviets, who were inspired by the weapon to create their own comparable 'assault rifle' - birthing probably ''the'' most famous firearm in history, the AK-47. Nowadays, while possibly not being the first assault rifle to be developed[[note]]depending on how you define one, that honor goes to the Fedorov Avtomat[[/note]], the [=StG=] 44 is considered to be the "grand-daddy" of the assault rifle, as its influence can be seen in countless modern assault rifles that became a global standard role for infantry rifles by the time the UsefulNotes/ColdWar set in.

* ''WesternAnimation/APupNamedScoobyDoo'' only lasted a 3 season run of 27 episodes from 1988 to 1991. Despite this, its brand of self-referential humor would have a huge impact on many cartoons going forward, particularly ones the season 1 staff would work on (''WesternAnimation/TinyToonAdventures'', ''WesternAnimation/{{Animaniacs}}'', ''WesternAnimation/PinkyAndTheBrain'', and ''WesternAnimation/{{Freakazoid}}'')

* Crown Prince Rudolf of Austria(-Hungary) only lived to the age of 30. His life was responsible for: a 24-volume encyclopedia of regional studies (which he initiated and contributed to), ornithology research that are still cited to this day and displayed at Schönbrunn Palace, a collection of minerals, his notes from his lecture by Carl Menger (considered a key document on classical economic liberalism because they provide insight into Menger's theories, discoveries, and interpretation). His death from a MurderSuicide spawned a SuccessionCrisis that culminated in UsefulNotes/WorldWarOne. While he's still largely overshadowed by his parents Franz Joseph I and Elisabeth of Bavaria (Sisi), many media properties have featured Rudolf (or a NoCelebritiesWereHarmed version of him) as a major character: films, television series, musicals, ballets, and a manga.

* For that matter, TheWildWest era itself. While there are Westerns that take place [[DawnOfTheWildWest both before]] [[TwilightOfTheOldWest and after]], the average timespan has it lasting from 1848 (when the USA took possession of California from Mexico) to 1890 (when the US Census Bureau officially declared the frontier closed, and also the date of the last major Indian battle at Wounded Knee); a period of little over forty years. A stricter definition puts the start around 1868 (when the Civil War had ended and the Transcontinental Railroad allowed more people to move into the frontier), barely twenty years. To watch any American media, especially stuff made prior to 1970 (when TheWestern was still a mainstream genre), one would believe that the era lasted much much longer. Romanticism for this era -- or rather the ''perception'' of it -- is to this day [[AmericansAreCowboys one of the major bedrocks of American culture]].

* For that matter, TheWildWest era itself. The average timespan has it lasting from 1848 (when the USA took possession of California from Mexico) to 1890 (when the US Census Bureau officially declared the frontier closed, and also the date of the last major Indian battle at Wounded Knee), a little over forty years. A stricter definition puts the start around 1868 (when the Civil War had ended and the Transcontinental Railroad allowed more people to move into the frontier), barely twenty years. To watch any American media, especially stuff made prior to 1970 (when TheWestern was still a mainstream genre), one would believe that the era lasted much much longer. Romanticism for this era -- or rather the ''perception'' of it -- is to this day [[AmericansAreCowboys one of the major bedrocks of American culture]].

* The network version of ''Series/WhoWantsToBeAMillionaire'', hosted by Regis Philbin for Creator/{{ABC}}, lasted only three years. Yet it was ''huge'' in its day, prompting [[WhoWantsToBeWhoWantsToBeAMillionaire legions of big money game shows]] and a brief yet obvious revival of a slowly dying genre. While a syndicated version lasted for many years afterward, it was the original ABC version that had the biggest impact on the genre despite a short life.