A FICTION EMPIRE LIST Things that were fake, before they became real. Find a Source All MediaAdvertisingAnimated FilmAnimated SeriesComedy ActsComic BooksComic StripsFilmLiteratureMagazinesMusicOtherRadioTheaterTV SeriesVideo Games Search Records Record Name/DescriptionRecord Comments All SourcesLife Imitates Art Categories All GroupsBogus Business BureauFictitious TimelineMake Believe MapOther Order by Record Name GroupCategorySubcategory ASCDESC

Total Record Results: 65

#	Record Name	Source	Group	Category	Subcategory
BOGUS BUSINESS BUREAU
1	Bad Twin	LOST 2004 TV Series	BBB	Literature	Books-Fiction
	LOST Bad Twin Fiction novel by Gary Troup, one of the passengers on Oceanic flight 815. Sawyer finds and reads the manuscript. Released as a real life semi-canonical tie-in novel available in hardcover and audiobook. Published by Hyperion Publishing.
2	Batman vs. Superman	I AM LEGEND 2007 Film	BBB	Video	Movies-Sequels
	I AM LEGEND Batman vs. Superman Ad for a new film visible on the side of a building, years before the DCEU and the real Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.
3	BBC 4	AUSTIN POWERS 1997 Film	BBB	Video	TV Stations
	AUSTIN POWERS: INTERNATIONAL MAN OF MYSTERY BBC 4 Mentioned in Austin Powers and his band Ming Tea's song "BBC" that plays during the credits: "Will ya make me tea? Make love to me? Put on the telly? To the BBC! To the BBC, Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! BBC 1! BBC 2! BBC 3! BBC 4! BBC 5! BBC 6! BBC 7! BBC Heaven!" BBC did eventually launch a real BBC 4 five years later, in 2002.
4	Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans	HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCERER'S STONE 2001 Film	BBB	Food	Candy
	HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCERER'S STONE Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans Popular candy, similar to Muggle jelly beans, except the range encompasses every flavour imaginable, including vomit, toffee and earwax. Now available for real from Jelly Belly.
5	Billy Graham's Bible Blaster	THE SIMPSONS 1989 Animated Series	BBB	Media	Video Games
	THE SIMPSONS Billy Graham's Bible Blaster Rod and Todd's religious video game in the Flanders home. Later turned into an actual online game on the official Simpsons website, accessible through Rod's character biography.
6	Bluntman and Chronic	JAY AND SILENT BOB REBOOT 2019 Film	BBB	Literature	Comic Books
	JAY AND SILENT BOB REBOOT Bluntman and Chronic Stoner comic based on Jay and Silent Bob. Actual Bluntman and Chronic comic books created by Kevin Smith were published after the release of Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back.
7	Bluntman and Chronic	JAY AND SILENT BOB STRIKE BACK 2001 Film	BBB	Literature	Comic Books
	JAY AND SILENT BOB STRIKE BACK Bluntman and Chronic Stoner comic based on Jay and Silent Bob. Actual Bluntman and Chronic comic books created by Kevin Smith were published after the release of Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back.
8	Bluntman and Chronic	CHASING AMY 1997 Film	BBB	Literature	Comic Books
	CHASING AMY Bluntman and Chronic Stoner comic based on Jay and Silent Bob. Actual Bluntman and Chronic comic books created by Kevin Smith were published after the release of Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back.
9	Booty Sweat	TROPIC THUNDER 2008 Film	BBB	Beverage Products	Energy Drinks
	TROPIC THUNDER Booty Sweat Alpa Chino's energy drink brand.
10	Bubba Gump Shrimp Co.	FORREST GUMP 1994 Film	BBB	Dining	Restaurants-Seafood
	FORREST GUMP Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. Company Forrest establishes in honor of his friend Bubba. Inspired by the movie, an actual restaurant with the same name opened in 1996.
11	Buckaroo Banzai	THE ADVENTURES OF BUCKAROO BANZAI 1984 Film	BBB	Literature	Comic Books
	THE ADVENTURES OF BUCKAROO BANZAI ACROSS THE 8TH DIMENSION Buckaroo Banzai Comic book featuring Buckaroo Banzai.
12	Bust-A-Nut	TROPIC THUNDER 2008 Film	BBB	Food	Candy
	TROPIC THUNDER Bust-A-Nut Alpa Chino's candy bar brand. Pop a cap in hunger!
13	The Caverns of Draconis [game]	COMMUNITY 2009 TV Series	BBB	Toys	Tabletop Games
	COMMUNITY The Caverns of Draconis [game] Dungeons & Dragon module - not real module at the time, but the company DriveThru RPG created a real module that you can buy.
14	Cheesy Poofs	SOUTH PARK 1997 Animated Series	BBB	Food	Chips and Crackers
	SOUTH PARK Cheesy Poofs Cartman's favorite snack, eventually made into an actual product by Frito-Lay. I love Cheesy Poofs you love Cheesy Poofs if we didn't eat Cheesy Poofs we'd be lame.
15	Chocolate Frog	HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCERER'S STONE 2001 Film	BBB	Food	Candy
	HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCERER'S STONE Chocolate Frog Chocolate candy in the shape of a frog. Each pack comes with a collectible card featuring a famous witch or wizard. Now available for real from Jelly Belly.
16	The Cones of Dunshire	PARKS AND RECREATION 2009 TV Series	BBB	Toys	Tabletop Games
	PARKS AND RECREATION The Cones of Dunshire Role-playing game that Ben creates. NBC worked with Mayfair Games to create a fully playable, though incredibly complicated, version of the game.
17	Daily Bugle	SPIDER-MAN: NO WAY HOME 2021 Film	BBB	Media	Newspapers-misc
	SPIDER-MAN: NO WAY HOME Daily Bugle Internet news site that streams Mysterio's final video, revealing Spider-Man's secret identity. As part of the promotional campaign, several Daily Bugle news stands were put up in New York.
18	The Dark Face of Love: Stories & Poems	YOU 2018 TV Series	BBB	Literature	Poetry
	YOU The Dark Face of Love: Stories & Poems Book of memoirs by Guinevere Beck, published posthumously. Later sold on Amazon as a real life book.
19	Dunder Mifflin Copy Paper	THE OFFICE 2005 TV Series	BBB	Products	Office Products
	THE OFFICE Dunder Mifflin Copy Paper Primary product sold by Dunder Mifflin, eventually manufactured for real, licensed by Comcast and produced and sold by Quill.com, a wholly owned subsidiary of Staples.
20	ESPN 8: The Ocho	DODGEBALL: A TRUE UNDERDOG STORY 2004 Film	BBB	Video	TV-Sports
	DODGEBALL: A TRUE UNDERDOG STORY ESPN 8: The Ocho Spoof of over-expanding ESPN, covering obscure sports. In 2017, ESPN actually rebranded one of their networks, ESPNU, to "ESPN 8: The Ocho" for one day - August 8 - in honor of the movie Dodgeball, changing their programming to include disc golf, trampoline, dodgeball, cornhole, kabaddi, and the Firefighters World Challenge XXV.
21	Eyeholes	RICK AND MORTY 2013 Animated Series	BBB	Food	Chips and Crackers
	RICK AND MORTY Eyeholes Snack food product. Rick: "You got to be careful Morty, If that guy catches you with a box of his Eyeholes, he'll come bursting in through a window and just starts kicking the shit out of you. But it's worth the risk. They melt in your mouth." Now available on Amazon.com from FYE in the form of white chocolate truffles with green strawberry filling.
22	Fallout 4	YOU AGAIN 2010 Film	BBB	Media	Video Games
	YOU AGAIN Fallout 4 Video game that Joanna gives Marni's younger brother - which didn't actually come out until 2015.
23	Fast and Furious X	REPO MEN 2010 Film	BBB	Video	Movies-Sequels
	REPO MEN Fast and Furious X Additional entry in the Fast and the Furious movie franchise, advertised in the city. A 10th sequel did eventually come out in 2023 - 12 years after Repo Men.
24	Fix-It Felix Jr.	WRECK-IT RALPH 2012 Animated Film	BBB	Media	Video Games
	WRECK-IT RALPH Fix-It Felix Jr. Arcade game. Turned into a real arcade game for San Diego Comic-Con 2012.
25	Flutter Girl	SINGLES 1992 Film	BBB	Performing Arts	Songs
	SINGLES Flutter Girl Song on the tracklist that Jeff Ament of Pearl Jam came up with for the tape of solo songs that Matt Dillon's character, Cliff Poncier, peddles in the film. Chris Cornell of Soundgarden later decided to record actual songs based on the titles.
26	Half Moon Live in Concert	THE WALKING DEAD 2010 TV Series	BBB	Performing Arts	Albums
	THE WALKING DEAD Half Moon Live in Concert Music album by country singer Half Moon, the alter ego of the Whisperers' second in command, Beta. AMC Film Holdings actually released a vinyl LP featuring songs from the soundtrack, including 2 songs by Half Moon - I Went To The Well (written by Cooper Andrews and Dan Fogler) and The Turtle & The Monkey (written by Emily Kinney).
27	Heat Wave	CASTLE 2009 TV Series	BBB	Literature	Books-Fiction
	CASTLE Heat Wave A Nikki Heat novel by Rick Castle, eventually adapted into a real novel by screenwriter Tom Straw.
28	I Went to the Well	THE WALKING DEAD 2010 TV Series	BBB	Performing Arts	Songs
	THE WALKING DEAD I Went to the Well Song by country singer Half Moon, the alter ego of the Whisperers' second in command, Beta.
29	Jack Rabbit Slim's	PULP FICTION 1994 Film	BBB	Dining	Restaurants-misc
	PULP FICTION Jack Rabbit Slim's Restaurant where Vincent and Mia eat, talk and dance. Vincent's assessment: "It's like a wax museum with a pulse."
30	Machete	GRINDHOUSE 2007 Film	BBB	Video	Movies-Action
	GRINDHOUSE Machete Movie trailer that accompanied Grindhouse, though Robert Rodriguez eventually made it into a full length feature film.
31	Missing	SINGLES 1992 Film	BBB	Performing Arts	Songs
	SINGLES Missing Song on the tracklist that Jeff Ament of Pearl Jam came up with for the tape of solo songs that Matt Dillon's character, Cliff Poncier, peddles in the film. Chris Cornell of Soundgarden later decided to record actual songs based on the titles.
32	Nike MAG	BACK TO THE FUTURE PART II 1989 Film	BBB	Apparel	Clothing Products
	BACK TO THE FUTURE PART II Nike MAG MAG = Magnetic Anti Gravity. Power-lacing shoe developed by real life company Nike. Nike eventually did make a show modelled on the sneakers worn by Marty McFly. In the 2011 release 1,500 pairs were produced, while a further 89 self-lacing pairs dropped in 2016.
33	No Pun Intended	THE LAST OF US 2023 TV Series	BBB	Literature	Books-Humor
	THE LAST OF US No Pun Intended Books of puns that Ellie reads. Officially licensed replica books are available for purchase.
34	Nowhere But You	SINGLES 1992 Film	BBB	Performing Arts	Songs
	SINGLES Nowhere But You Song on the tracklist that Jeff Ament of Pearl Jam came up with for the tape of solo songs that Matt Dillon's character, Cliff Poncier, peddles in the film. Chris Cornell of Soundgarden later decided to record actual songs based on the titles.
35	Olde Frothingslosh Pale Stale Ale	KDKA 1920 Radio	BBB	Beverage Products	Beer
	KDKA Olde Frothingslosh Pale Stale Ale Beer product from a running gag commercial by American radio personality and radio host Regis Cordic, from his time at both WWSW and KDKA, featuring fake advertisements for Olde Frothingslosh Pale Stale Ale, "the pale stale ale with the foam on the bottom." The beer was supposedly brewed by Sir Reginald Frothingslosh at Upper Crudney-on-the-Thames. In 1955, Pittsburgh Brewing Company began issuing special Christmas-season cans and bottles of Olde Frothingslosh filled with real beer.
36	Olde Frothingslosh Pale Stale Ale	WWSW-FM 1931 Radio	BBB	Beverage Products	Beer
	WWSW-FM Olde Frothingslosh Pale Stale Ale Beer product from a running gag commercial by American radio personality and radio host Regis Cordic, from his time at both WWSW and KDKA, featuring fake advertisements for Olde Frothingslosh Pale Stale Ale, "the pale stale ale with the foam on the bottom." The beer was supposedly brewed by Sir Reginald Frothingslosh at Upper Crudney-on-the-Thames. In 1955, Pittsburgh Brewing Company began issuing special Christmas-season cans and bottles of Olde Frothingslosh filled with real beer.
37	Pepsi Perfect	BACK TO THE FUTURE PART II 1989 Film	BBB	Beverage Products	Soft Drinks
	BACK TO THE FUTURE PART II Pepsi Perfect Vitamin-enriched variety of Pepsi cola sold at the Cafe 80's in 2015. In October 2015, Pepsi released a limited quantity of Pepsi Perfect bottles to attendees of New York Comic Con that were dressed as Marty McFly.
38	Phantasm: Ravager	JOHN DIES AT THE END 2012 Film	BBB	Video	Movies-misc
	JOHN DIES AT THE END Phantasm: Ravager DVD visible when Dave is on his couch watching a commercial for Marconi, the final installment of the Phantasm series, which didn't come out until 2016, 4 years after John Dies at the End.
39	Pineapple Express	PINEAPPLE EXPRESS 2008 Film	BBB	Products	Narcotics-Marijuana
	PINEAPPLE EXPRESS Pineapple Express The super special and rare strand of marijuana that Saul sells to Dale. Saul: "This is like if that Blue Oyster shit met that Afghan Kush I had - and they had a baby. And then, meanwhile, that crazy Northern Light stuff I had and the Super Red Espresso Snowflake met and had a baby. And by some miracle, those two babies met and fucked - this would the shit that they birthed." Dale: "So this is the product of baby fucking." Also described as smelling like God's vagina. Not a real strain at the time the movie was released, but is now able to be purchased at marijuana dispensaries.
40	Psycho III	THE FAR SIDE 1980 Comic Strips	BBB	Video	Movies-Sequels
	THE FAR SIDE Psycho III Next installment of the Psycho film series, this one featuring a tank heading for a woman in the shower. The actual third entry in the Psycho film franchise came out 3 years later, in 1986. It did not, unfortunately, feature a tank.
41	Reptar Bar	RUGRATS 1991 Animated Series	BBB	Food	Candy
	RUGRATS Reptar Bar Chocolate bar based on Reptar, the Rugrats' favorite dinosaur. Later, Entertainment store FYE sold real life Rugrats-inspired Reptar Bar. "Reptar bar, Reptar bar, the candy bar supreme! The candy bar that turns your tongue green!"
42	Rick's Cafe Americain	CASABLANCA 1942 Film	BBB	Dining	Restaurants-misc
	CASABLANCA Rick's Cafe Americain Rick's upscale nightclub and gambling den in Casablanca. In real life, a restaurant designed to recreate the bar from the movie called Rick's Cafe Casablanca opened in 2004 in Casablanca.
43	Rocky V	SPACEBALLS 1987 Film	BBB	Video	Movies-Sequels
	SPACEBALLS Rocky V The Mr. Rental video tape rental machine contains Rocky movies, including future volumes that had not yet been released, as well as some that still haven't been released.
44	S.S. Titan	THE WRECK OF THE TITAN: OR, FUTILITY 1898 Literature	BBB	Vehicles	Watercrafts
	THE WRECK OF THE TITAN: OR, FUTILITY S.S. Titan Massive unsinkable steamship that sinks in the North Atlantic after striking an iceberg. Titan and its sinking have been noted to be very similar to the real-life passenger ship RMS Titanic, which sank fourteen years later. "She was the largest craft afloat and the greatest of the works of men. In her construction and maintenance were involved every science, profession, and trade known to civilization. On her bridge were officers.
45	Schraderbrau	BREAKING BAD 2008 TV Series	BBB	Beverage Products	Beer
	BREAKING BAD Schraderbrau Hank's home brew. "Home brewed to silky perfection." Eventually brought out of Hank's garage and into your fridge by Breaking Bad actor Dean Norris and Buellton, CA brewing company Figueroa Mountain Brewing Co.
46	Seasons	SINGLES 1992 Film	BBB	Performing Arts	Songs
	SINGLES Seasons Song on the tracklist that Jeff Ament of Pearl Jam came up with for the tape of solo songs that Matt Dillon's character, Cliff Poncier, peddles in the film. Chris Cornell of Soundgarden later decided to record actual songs based on the titles.
47	Sex Panther	ANCHORMAN 2004 Film	BBB	Personal Care	Cosmetics
	ANCHORMAN: THE LEGEND OF RON BURGUNDY Sex Panther "Sex Panther by Odeon. It's illegal in nine countries. Yep. It's made with bits of real panther. So you know it's good. They've done studies. Sixty percent of the time, it works every time." Eventually made into a real product that, instead of bits of real panther, combines notes of juniper with cedarwood and sandalwood, and even comes in a box that growls when you open it.
48	Spoon Man	SINGLES 1992 Film	BBB	Performing Arts	Songs
	SINGLES Spoon Man Song on the tracklist that Jeff Ament of Pearl Jam came up with for the tape of solo songs that Matt Dillon's character, Cliff Poncier, peddles in the film. Chris Cornell of Soundgarden later decided to record actual songs based on the titles.
49	Spy	THE PHILADELPHIA STORY 1940 Film	BBB	Media	Magazines-misc
	THE PHILADELPHIA STORY Spy Tabloid magazine that served as the basis for Kurt Anderson and Graydon Carter's real world magazine of the same name, which skewered New York society in the 80s and 90s.
50	Stan Mikita's Donuts	WAYNE'S WORLD 1992 Film	BBB	Food	Donut Shops
	WAYNE'S WORLD Stan Mikita's Donuts Donut shop inspired by the Tim Hortons franchise in Canada. Created for real in 2017 in celebration of Wayne's World's 25th anniversary - one in Aurora, Illinois, and one in Los Angeles as part of the NHL All-Star Game festivities.
51	Stan Mikita's Donuts	WAYNE'S WORLD 2 1993 Film	BBB	Food	Donut Shops
	WAYNE'S WORLD 2 Stan Mikita's Donuts Donut shop inspired by the Tim Hortons franchise in Canada. Created for real in 2017 in celebration of Wayne's World's 25th anniversary - one in Aurora, Illinois, and one in Los Angeles as part of the NHL All-Star Game festivities. "If we get your order wrong, you don't have to pay"
52	Stay Puft Marshmallows	GHOSTBUSTERS 1984 Film	BBB	Food	Candy
	GHOSTBUSTERS Stay Puft Marshmallows When it comes time to select the Destructor, Ray thinks about the Stay Puft Marshmallow mascot, which then terrorizes New York City.
53	Swingline Red Stapler	OFFICE SPACE 1999 Film	BBB	Products	Office Products
	OFFICE SPACE Swingline Red Stapler Red was not an option at the time, but after the movie came out, Swingline produced a red stapler.
54	Talkboy	HOME ALONE 1990 Film	BBB	Technology	Audiovisual Devices
	HOME ALONE Talkboy Small electronic device that Kevin used to record everything from his uncle singing in the shower to clips from the movie Angels with Filthy Souls, eventually made into an actual product by Tiger Toys.
55	The Turtle and the Monkey	THE WALKING DEAD 2010 TV Series	BBB	Performing Arts	Songs
	THE WALKING DEAD The Turtle and the Monkey Song by country singer Half Moon, the alter ego of the Whisperers' second in command, Beta.
56	Unholy Storm	CASTLE 2009 TV Series	BBB	Literature	Books-Fiction
	CASTLE Unholy Storm 6th Derrick Storm novel by Rick Castle, eventually adapted into a real novel by screenwriter Tom Straw.
57	Vesper	CASINO ROYALE 1953 Literature	BBB	Menu	Mixed Drinks
	CASINO ROYALE Vesper Cocktail James Bond names after the beautiful Vesper Lynd. Following its appearance in the movie, it became a popular real life drink.
58	Vought a Burger	THE BOYS 2019 TV Series	BBB	Dining	Burger Joints
	THE BOYS Vought a Burger Parody of Whataburger. Sony Pictures Television brought the fictional fast food chain to life in Los Angeles from October 11-13, 2024 in West Hollywood on Melrose Avenue.
59	The You You Are: A Spiritual Biography o...	SEVERANCE 2022 TV Series	BBB	Literature	Self-Help Products
	SEVERANCE The You You Are: A Spiritual Biography of You Book by Mark's brother-in-law Dr. Ricken Lazlo Hale, PhD, now an actual book for sale from Amazon.
FICTITIOUS TIMELINE
60	November 13, 1937	LI'L ABNER 1934 Comic Strips	Dates	20th Century: 1st Half	Events
	LI'L ABNER November 13, 1937 Holiday that inspired real-world Sadie Hawkins dances, where girls ask out the boys.
OTHER
61	Catalina Wine Mixer	STEP BROTHERS 2008 Film	Other	Events	Fairs and Festivals
	STEP BROTHERS Catalina Wine Mixer Annual mixer that didn't exist at the time of the movie, but does now as a result.
62	Mahmoud	STRANGER IN A STRANGE LAND 1961 Literature	Other	Quotes	Quotes
	STRANGER IN A STRANGE LAND Mahmoud Mahmoud: 'Grok' is the most important word in the Martian language-and I expect to spend the next forty years trying to understand it and perhaps use some millions of printed words trying to explain it. But I don't expect to be successful. You need to think in Martian to grok the word 'grok'. (While the word 'grok' was created for the novel, it can now be found in Merriam Webster's Dictionary).
63	National Chicken Wing Festival	OSMOSIS JONES 2001 Film	Other	Events	Fairs and Festivals
	OSMOSIS JONES National Chicken Wing Festival After Bill Murray's character mentioned the fictitious festival in Buffalo, the city created a real version.
64	Quidditch	HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCERER'S STONE 1997 Literature	Other	Sports	Sports
	HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCERER'S STONE Quidditch Wizarding sport played on flying broomsticks, now played as a real life sport.
65	Tom	TOM GOES TO THE MAYOR 2004 Animated Series	Other	Quotes	Quotes
	TOM GOES TO THE MAYOR Tom Tom's novelty T-shirt depicting a top-hat doffing rat - which were actually produced and could be purchased from the show's creators: "Rats Off To Ya!"

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