History Main / TheRedStapler

** The forgotten minor hit(well minor in the [[AmericansHateTingle U.S. anyways]]) "Running Up That Hill" by ''Creator/KateBush'' was prominently featured in one season 4 episode and it ended up causing that song to have a massive resurgence in popularity, becoming number one on the iTunes charts and having a major increase in views on Youtube(where almost every single comment is talking about the show).

* While pornographic [[UndergroundComics Tijuana Bibles]] generally feature in a very obscure subset of comic collecting, they saw a big surge of interest from ''ComicBook/{{Watchmen}}'' fans when that comic referenced the art form in a side-plot which explained in detail what they were. Tijuana Bibles continued to see surges in popularity years later with each new film and TV ''Franchise/{{Watchmen}}'' adapatation.

* {{Creator}}/CliveCussler: Dirk Pitt's's signature orange-faced Doxa SUB [=300T=] dive watch has become very popular. It was based on a watch Cussler actually owned[[note]]which was a parting gift given to him by the manager of a dive shop he worked at until he published his first novel[[/note]]. In fact, it was so popular that a fan started creating reproductions in 2001, decades after the original Doxa went out of business, and Cussler got the first in the limited run.

* After the passing of Creator/BettyWhite on December 31, 2021, demand for merchandise based on her increased. For example, on Amazon, a figurine set based on ''Series/TheGoldenGirls'' and the complete series of ''Series/HotInCleveland'' were among the top-selling items on January 1, 2022.

* English electronic music duo Groove Armada released their single [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JxohJX9ElpE My Friend]] on 5 November 2001, and around Christmas 2019, the "Let It Rock" crop top worn by one of the female models in the video (believed to be the protagonist) is still highly in demand, although it's not known who produced it, or the identity of the actresses who wore it. As of 2022, it's ''still popular'' [[UpToEleven to the point people on social media]] really want it.

* After the Music/LadyGaga song "Poker Face" made an appearance in an episode of ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'' where the boys are playing ''VideoGame/RockBand'', the song quickly made it into the real game. Even better? ''So did Cartman's version.''

* ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' created a craze for unicorn-themed media, as its protagonist was a unicorn. The craze still goes on to this day.
** ''WesternAnimation/DespicableMe'' may have also contributed to the unicorn craze, as one scene features Agnes winning a stuffed unicorn from a carnival. Replicas of this specific stuffed unicorn are a popular prize at carnivals and state fairs.

* When Season 2 of ''Series/StrangerThings'' featured Dustin wearing a vintage dinosaur hoodie from the Science Museum of Minnesota, viral demand skyrocketed and official reprints of the shirt produced by the museum would be enough of a smash hit to crash their website on the first day, and the museum reported lines ''out the door'' at the on-site gift shop. Ironically, because the museum no longer had the patterns for the original sweatshirt they actually turned to the one used in the show to recreate them. Sales of Eggo frozen waffles also went up after they became Eleven's TrademarkFavoriteFood.

** In an unexpected turn of events, YouTube channel "Hacksmith Industries" has been developing a real-life version for years, and eventually word got back to a Caterpillar Marketing VP. They immediately went all in and donated a small skid-steer loader to the channel, which became the literal base for their now-completed and fully functional exoskeleton. They even supplied them with the official CAT paint, accessories, and permission to use the trademark and logos. It's not 100% movie accurate for engineering reasons, but damn close for current technology.

* A number of items seen on ''WebAnimation/{{RWBY}}'' has been given official merchandise including but not limited to Jaune's PJs, Jaune's hoodie, Ruby's headphones, Pumpkin Pete's cereal (complete with Pyrrha Nikos on the box), Ruby and Yang's PJs and more.

* Creator/OliviaHussey's RapunzelHair in ''Film/RomeoAndJuliet1968'' inspired a lot of young women to grow theirs out to waist length.

* The New York Public Library received a huge surge of Japanese tourists after the ''Manga/BananaFish'' anime aired, who made the pilgrimage to see the place where [[spoiler:Ash dies]], even leaving roses on the same chair Ash sat on.

* ''Series/TheDukesOfHazzard'' revitalized popularity in the late-1960s model Dodge Charger. Dodge produced around 45,000 for 1970, so while they are not scarce, the popularity has driven the price higher than the equivalent Plymouth model. The show also popularized [[WhoWearsShortShorts short shorts, particularly tight jeans cut off just below the buttocks ("Daisy Dukes")]].

** The show's led to many young people seeking out Wicca or looking to become witches themselves. Several covens reported getting calls and emails well into TheNewTens from teenagers asking if they could become like the Halliwell sisters.

* ''Series/RuPaulsDragRace'' has popularlized drag performance in the mainstream public, but the drag community is split on whether or not that's a ''good'' thing. On one hand, the show is praised for normalizing gender-nonconformity in young people and for increasing foot-traffic into {{gay bar}}s, either for ''Drag Race'' viewing parties or for their own drag shows. On the other hand, many drag queens and fans that have been into the scene for decades miss the days when it was still underground and not inextricably tied to a reality show. People whose first exposure to drag was through the show might not realize that most local queens only perform as a hobby and might not have the money or skills to look as polished as the queens on tv (and many don't aspire for that anyway). Additionally, fans of the ''Drag Race'' who go to a real drag show expecting things to be more like what they've seen on TV may find themselves disappointed. Even most contestants urge their fans to learn more about drag beyond ''Drag Race'' and to support/respect their local queens. As Season 5 winner Jinkx Monsoon put it, "Watching ''[=RuPaul=]'s Drag Race'' doesn't make you an expert on drag; it makes you a fan of a TV show."

* ''Series/RuPaulsDragRace'' has popularlized drag performance in the mainstream public, but the drag community is split on whether or not that's a ''good'' thing. On one hand, the show is praised for normalizing gender-nonconformity in young people and for increasing foot-traffic into {{gay bar}}s, either for ''Drag Race'' viewing parties or for their own drag shows. On the other hand, many drag queens and fans that have been into the scene for decades miss the days when it was still underground and not inextricably tied to a reality show. People whose first exposure to drag was through the show might not realize that most local queens only perform as a hobby and might not have the money or skills to look as polished as the queens on tv (and many don't aspire for that anyway). Even most contestants urge their fans to learn more about drag beyond ''Drag Race'' and to support/respect their local queens. As Season 5 winner Jinkx Monsoon put it, "Watching ''[=RuPaul=]'s Drag Race'' doesn't make you an expert on drag; it makes you a fan of a TV show."

** The Tenth Doctor's fondness for Converse All-Stars helped contribute to their surge in popularity around that time.

** Tom Baker's iconic scarf was so popular that BBC released the knitting instructions and the colors to use, and people knitted their own, even entering contests on length (as the original was 22 feet long(!)).

* The popularity of ''Series/WhoseLineIsItAnyway'' in the late 1990s and early 2000s heralded a massive increase in the number of participants in improv theater courses for a short time.

* ''Film/TheBigLebowski'''s ascension to CultClassic status in the 2000's has been connected to a rise in the popularity of White Russians, the Dude's favorite cocktail. In particular, it helped boost sales of Kahlúa, a Mexican coffee liqueur that's popularly used to supply the drink's coffee flavor.

* ''Film/AStreetcarNamedDesire'' caused a spike in T-shirt sales because of Creator/MarlonBrando's sexiness while wearing one.

** Certain random devices and common items used in the film are now highly sought-after by collectors. The JVC camcorder used by Marty, a common enough item at the time, has since become a collector's item, and the Krups coffee grinder used as the base of the "Mr. Fusion" prop is now incredibly rare and sought after.

%%Don't add the Pepsi Perfect bottles, self-lacing sneakers, or other things that originated in BTTF2 and were later made "real". They belong in [[Defictionalization]], not here; this is for real items which predated the films, or (still) fictional items that people thought were real due to the films.

** The [=DeLorean=] DMC-12 had been produced for less than two years and had a reputation for [[TheAllegedCar extreme unreliability]] and was mostly the butt of jokes about its designer, mostly known for dodgy business dealings and alleged drug-money ties he became caught up in to try and keep his failing company afloat, hence Marty's surprised comment that Doc Brown had, out of all automobiles, built a time machine out of a [=DeLorean=]. The car was discontinued and the company shut down years before the first film was ever made, but the movie caused secondhand prices to skyrocket. Eventually the car was brought back into low-level production by a new [=DeLorean=] company which acquired remaining part stock, arguably because of the movie alone.

** The [=DeLorean=] DMC-12, a car that had been produced for less than two years and had a reputation for [[TheAllegedCar extreme unreliability]] (hence Marty's surprised comment that Doc Brown had, out of all automobiles, made a time machine out of a [=DeLorean=]) and was mostly the butt of jokes about its designer, mostly known for dodgy business dealings and alleged drug-money ties. The car was discontinued and the company shut down before the first film was ever made, but the movie caused secondhand prices to skyrocket. Eventually the car was brought back into low-level production by a new [=DeLorean=] company which acquired remaining part stock, arguably because of the movie alone.

*** Certain random devices used in the film are now highly sought-after by collectors. The JVC camcorder used by Marty, a common enough item at the time, has since become a collector's item, and the Krups coffee grinder used as the base of the "Mr. Fusion" prop is now incredibly rare and sought after.

* ''Film/BackToTheFuturePartII'', being set TwentyMinutesIntoTheFuture, led to a lot of demand for "futuristic" things to come into being in real life:
** The movie featured self lacing sneakers, which [[http://www.themarysue.com/back-to-the-future-shoes/ Nike now has in production for 2015]] [[http://www.themarysue.com/nike-mag-commercial/ to benefit Michael J. Fox's charity.]] They do not, however, actually self-lace. Though a hobbyist has worked out such a device, it's too big and strong for actual use (it would fill the shoe entirely, and possibly break your foot). Nike also produced a very limited run of Hyperdunk sneakers in 2008 inspired by the sneakers in the movie (again, non-self-lacing).
** There was [[http://www.snopes.com/movies/films/hoverboard.asp a rumor]] that the Hoverboards from ''Part II'' were actually real, but had been banned due to inherent risk of lawsuits over injuries. According to ''{{WebSite/Snopes}}'', both Mattel (whose logo is prominent on the Barbie-pink hoverboard Marty [=McFly=] used) and the studio received a bunch of letters inquiring where you could get one of those wonderful toys. This was not helped when Creator/RobertZemeckis, the film's director, [[TrollingCreator gave an interview where he jokingly said they were real]]. [[http://www.cracked.com/blog/the-hoverboard-lie-how-back-to-the-future-ruined-childhood/ This article]] suggests that Zemeckis owes an apology (or preferably a real hoverboard) to all the children who saw the film for the trauma brought on by the realization that they could not, in fact, buy a hoverboard.

** A realistic example is the [=DeLorean=] DMC-12, a car that had been produced for less than two years and had a reputation for [[TheAllegedCar extreme unreliability]] (hence Marty's surprised comment that Doc Brown had, out of all automobiles, made a time machine out of a [=DeLorean=]). It was discontinued before the first film was ever made, but the movie caused second hand prices to skyrocket. Eventually, the car was brought back into low-level production, arguably because of the movie alone.
*** There's also a thriving sub-community of enthusiasts who have converted their [=DeLoreans=] into replicas of the one from the film. Or, if you'd rather pay to have someone else do it, you can have a professional who worked on restoring the original car from the film convert your [=DeLorean=] for only $50,000.
** Pepsi made a limited run of Pepsi Perfect for the 30th anniversary in 2015. And yes, it does cost [[RidiculousFutureInflation $20 per bottle]].

* While [[UndergroundComics Tijuana Bibles]] generally feature in a very obscure subset of comic collecting, they saw a big surge of interest from ''ComicBook/{{Watchmen}}'' fans when that comic referenced the art form in a side-plot which explained in detail what they were. Tijuana Bibles continued to see surges in popularity years later with each new film and TV ''Franchise/{{Watchmen}}'' adapatation.

* Lots of anime fans start learning the Japanese language, to the point where anime and manga fans make up some 60 percent of Japanese language classes. This actually causes an issue in that especially older anime and manga, even if they seem mature of American audiences, were made for a younger demographic in Japan. As a result, many fans who use anime as a basis for learning Japanese can come off sounding extremely odd to native Japanese speakers, since they will sound like they are imitating Japanese teenagers or grade-schoolers. Similarly, the same can be said with Japanese Dubs of Western Products (including with those with a good amount of {{Woolseyism}}(s) for them)