What is Defictionalization?

Some time ago, during a discussion about a draft at TLP, I realized that the way we use Defictionalization is a bit broader than the above description. According to the trivia page, Defictionalization is " the transformation of a product, object, or Prop from a movie, book or other fictional source into a real item in the real world", but the examples range further than just products to basically anything fictional that becomes real, such as a charity group, gaming MODS (which is more like Audience Reaction), and include Show Within a Show. The latter are technically already covered by Spin-Off, which even defines them as "a type of Defictionalization". A bit of an odd interaction there, so now I want to know what others think.

Well, first of all, a Spin-Off would only be a case of Defictionalization if the Spin-Off already existed In-Universe as a Show Within a Show. For example:

• Nikki Heat: A Spin-Off (Tie-In Novel specifically) to Castle that's supposed to be the novels the title character writes during the show, therefore also a Show Within a Show and Defictionalization.
• Wormhole X-Treme!: A Show Within a Show that exists so that Stargate SG-1 can poke fun at itself and was not turned into an IRL series, therefore not a Spin-Off or Defictionalization.
• The Mandalorian: A Spin-Off from the Star Wars films that exists in the same continuity: it's not supposed to be fictional from the perspective of somebody in The 'Verse, it just follows a separate storyline from the Skywalker Saga, therefore not a Show Within a Show or Defictionalization.
• The Red Stapler: Named after an IRL Swingline product inspired by the film Office Space, where Swingline had not previously produced a red-colored stapler before. A case of Defictionalization, but not a Spin-Off series or a Show Within a Show.

The grey area might surround fan created content, as the intention by the trope is for officially licensed material or Life Imitates Art. Someone writing fan fiction based on a fictional book within a work would be a different trope. On the other hand communities sometimes embrace their depiction in a popular work and end up treating the content of a fictional work as though they were real, such as Rocky in Philadelphia.

A Spin-Off is a very broad subject about piggybacking a new work based on the popularity of some element in the original/inspiration, so saying the Defictionalization of a Show Within a Show can be viewed as a Spin-Off of the parent work is hardly a complicated statement.

What confuses me is that Spin-Off and Defictionalization are effectively covering the same idea (a Show Within a Show became real). However, one of them is treated as an objective trope, while the other is a trivia even though, again, they say the same thing.

Edited by SoyValdo7 on Feb 21st 2024 at 7:56:26 AM

Not necessarily. A Spin-off is just any work that branches off of one main one, such as a story featuring a side-character.

A Spin-Off is specifically a new narrative work based on some aspect of the original work, typically a character but may be a setting or organization. Defictionalization is that some element that was fictional in a work is then created as a real product that consumers can get, it might be part of The Merch or was the inspiration for other products (Star Trek lead to automated doors and cell phones).

The ONLY way they overlap is when made-up narrative content from a work gets licensed material treating itself as an independent work. Thus a popular Show Within a Show is only seen in snippets in the original work, but someone creates a full top-to-bottom production of the internal show that discards any Framing Device from the parent work. Thing is this is typically done as a one-off or short run as an ad for the parent work, a true Spin-Off is a separate show entirely designed to exist on its own merits.

A show in a show is a type of product. There are different types of Shows within a Show, but when a show is fictional, then it is a fictional product. In the Simpsons, characters drink Duff beer and watch the Radioactive-Man movie. Originally both were fictional products. Now Duff beer is a real thing.

Defictionalization can apply to things that aren't works. For example, a placename in a work can be defictionalized when a real place gets named after it - "California" is probably the canonical example.

I think you mean "Idaho".

Really? Wow.

Edited by StarSword on Feb 23rd 2024 at 3:22:22 PM

Nay, I meant California, since its name comes from a fictional island in Garci Rodríguez de Montalvo's Las sergas de Esplandián.

I don't think defictionalization should be applied to things used in works. I think that's more like Shout-Out or the many related tropes. This is about real life concepts or names being taken from works of fiction.