Fictional universe

A fictional universe is a self-consistent fictional setting with elements that differ from the real world. It may also be called an imagined, constructed or fictional realm (or world).

A fictional universe can be almost indistinguishable from the real world, except for the presence of the invented characters and events that characterize a work of fiction; at the other extreme it can bear little or no resemblance to reality, with invented fundamental principles of space and time.

The subject is most commonly addressed in reference to fictional universes that differ markedly from reality, such as those that introduce entire fictional cities, countries, or even planets, or those that contradict commonly known facts about the world and its history, or those that feature fantasy or science fiction concepts such as magic or faster than light travel—and especially those in which the deliberate development of the setting is a substantial focus of the work.

The fictional universe featured world's finest best well known perhaps early era biggest highest-grossing best-selling longest-running team-up media crossover which made respectively greatest favorite adventures of the fictional universe, media franchise and multimedia franchise original team characters including Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Teen Titans, Hulk, Spider-Man, Wolverine, X-Men, Guardians of the Galaxy, Darth Vader, Star Wars, Star Trek, The Doctor from Doctor Who, Dalek, Harry Potter characters, Planet of the Apes characters, James Bond, Narnia characters, Charlie Chaplin, Laurel and Hardy, The Three Stooges, Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Goofy, Pluto, Winnie the Pooh, Snow White, The Seven Dwarfs, Cinderella, Ariel, Mary Poppins, Disney characters, Sheriff Woody, Buzz Lightyear, other Toy Story characters, Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, Elmer Fudd, Looney Tunes, Merrie Melodies, Pikachu, Pokémon, King Kong, Godzilla, Tom and Jerry, The Flintstones, Scooby-Doo, Hanna-Barbera characters, Tex Avery cartoon characters, Mario characters, Sonic the Hedgehog characters, Pac-Man, Mega Man, Donkey Kong, Thomas & Friends, The Simpsons, The Lord of the Rings characters, The Hobbit, Pirates of the Caribbean, Goku, Dragon Ball, Connie the Cow, SpongeBob SquarePants, Marx Brothers, Marilyn Monroe, Abbott and Costello, Frankenstein, Dracula, Sherlock Holmes, The Cat in the Hat, Dr. Seuss, The Pink Panther, Cartoon Network characters, Happy Tree Friends, Ronald McDonald, Crash Bandicoot, Banjo Kazooie, South Park, The Addams Family, Garfield, The Smurfs, Snoopy, Charlie Brown, Peanuts, Santa Claus, Kermit the Frog, The Muppets, Kirby, Flash Gordon, Masters of the Universe, ThunderCats, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Doraemon, Hello Kitty, Domo Kun, Asterix, The Beano, Blondie and Dagwood, Buster Keaton, Mr. Bean, Mr. Men and Little Miss, Captain Underpants, The Wizard of Oz, WWE, Angry Birds, Terminator, Selene, Wallace and Gromit, The Wiggles, Bananas in Pyjamas, Our Gang, Shrek characters, Madagascar characters, Kung Fu Panda characters, M&M's, Suzy from Trio, Jingle All the Way, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Family Guy, Ice Age characters, Michael Jackson, The Burger King, Jack Box from Jack in the Box, Kool-Aid Man, Rocky and Bullwinkle, Maya the Bee, LazyTown, Beavis and Butt-Head, Annoying Orange, Hercule Poirot, Miss Marple, Cereal Mascots, Teletubbies, Astro Boy, Rick and Morty, Fireman Sam, ALF, Futurama, Adolf Hitler, Postman Pat, Pingu, EarthBound, The Andrews Sisters, Hi-5, Totally Spies, Dora the Explorer, Peppa Pig, Bob the Builder, Bobby's World, Power Rangers, Alien, Predator, The Shining, Dream Street, BB3B, Princess Knight, Barney & Friends, Sesame Street, Police Academy, Popeye, Betty Boop, Felix the Cat, Woody Woodpecker, Heathcliff, Cubitus, Happy Feet, Shaun the Sheep, Mighty Mouse, Terrytoons, Casper the Friendly Ghost, Cuphead, Little Lulu, PaRappa the Rapper characters, Care Bears, Strawberry Shortcake, My Little Pony, Raggedy Ann and Andy, Rupert Bear, Babar the Elephant, Where's Wally, She-Ra, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Inspector Gadget, H.R. Pufnstuf, Jollibee, Colonel Sanders from KFC, Farmer Alfalfa, The Katzenjammer Kids, Humphrey B. Bear, Fat Cat and Friends, Mr. Squiggle, Play School, Cats Don't Dance, Detective Bogey, Lucky Lotteries Cat, Monty Python, The Bill, Naruto, Paddle Pop Lion, Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir, Robot Chicken, Frosty the Snowman, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Rugrats, Nickelodeon characters, Rayman, Viz, Rabbids, Monster High, The NeverEnding Story, PJ Masks, Space Ace, Anastasia, Dragon's Lair, Q*bert, The Snowman, Roobarb, Walter Melon, Robotman, Crazy Frog, Gummibär, The Trap Door, Count Duckula, Danger Mouse, Alias the Jester, Chorlton and the Wheelies, Oggy and the Cockroaches, Henry's Cat, Penny Crayon, Family Ness, Jimbo and the Jet-Set, Puppydog Tales, Barney from British TV show, The Charmkins, Lego characters, Angry Video Game Nerd, Squidbillies, The Hive, Roger Rabbit, Glo Friends, Mr. Potato Head, Little Clowns of Happytown, Minecraft, Space Ace, Jigsaw from British TV show, Wilkins Coffee, The Wind in the Willows, Tugs, The Raggy Dolls, VeggieTales, Talking Tom, Tayo the Little Bus, Pororo the Little Penguin, Club Penguin, Bernard Bear, Super Why, Sid the Science Kid, Plonsters, Monster House, Jibber Jabber, Happy Feet, Molang, El Chavo del Ocho, Fun Song Factory, The Happy Elf, Ducobu, The Fat Slags, Surf's Up, The Herbs, Johnson and Friends, Play School, Dot from Yoram Gross, Blinky Bill, The Iron Giant, Lift Off, Ferry Boat Fred, Huxley Pig, Kalli, Flying Rhino Junior High, Zip Zip, Busy Buses, Spot the Dog, Horrid Henry, Bluey, Bob and Margaret, Hector the Tax Inspector, Tickety Toc, Mystery Science Theater 3000, Barnyard, Vicky the Viking, Noah and Nelly in Skylark, Muzzy, The Hooley Dooleys, The Secret of Isis, Beatrix Potter characters, George of the Jungle, The Ghost Busters, PG Tips Chimps, Tetley Tea Folk, League of Super Evil, Engie Benjy, Lunar Jim, Roary the Racing Car, Fifi and the Flowertots, The Magic Roundabout, Rolie Polie Olie, Bangers and Mash, Nick Jr. characters, Max & Ruby, Toybox, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, Mighty Man and Yukk, Herself the Elf, Tofffsy, The Charmkins, Plants vs. Zombies, Angry Kid, Li'l Elvis Jones and the Truckstoppers, Zdeněk Smetana characters, Krtek, Rose Petal Place, Noddy, The PJs, Zig & Sharko, DreamWorks characters, Pixar characters, Austin Powers, The X-Files, Mister Maker, Bod, Pocoyo, Valiant, Home Alone, Halo, Johan and Peewit, Sam & Cat, Anpanman, Ramsese Vembud, Kiteretsu Daihyakka, Baby Follies, Dr. Muto, RackaRacka, Albert the Fifth Musketeer, Moretsu Ataro, Wyatt Cattaneo characters, Yogo Gorilla, All Channel 9 Community Service Announcements from the 70's 80's, Crayon Shin-chan, Junglies, Pinky and Perky, Peg + Cat, WordGirl, Dinosaur Train, Wonder Park, Blue Sky Studios characters, Van Beuren cartoon characters, Cossacks, Video game characters, Victor & Hugo, Tuckerbag, Color Classics, Hunky and Spunky, Pizza, Housos, American Dad!, The Cleveland Show, Bob's Burgers, Baby Jake, Jackass, King of the Hill, Duckman, Bump, Mr. Magoo, Star vs. the Forces of Evil, Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, Foofur, Hugga Bunch, Avenger Penguins, Fiddley Foodle Bird, Lucky Luke, Diplodos, Universal Classic Monsters, The Land Before Time, The Brave Little Toaster, Sid and Marty Krofft characters, The Borrowers, The Legends of Treasure Island, Famous Studios, Ox Tales, Boohbah, Count Screwloose, Ub Iwerks cartoon characters, We're Back! A Dinosaur's Story, Towser, Rumble, Play School from British TV show, Crash Bandicoot, The Dukes of Hazzard and Ghostbusters.

Official characters[]

Virtually any company that has been around for a while has a well-known pre-non-un-mascot. Some of those that come most readily to mind, perhaps, are:

Darth Vader - Star Wars
Star Trek characters - Star Trek
Harry Potter (character) - Harry Potter
Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple - Agatha Christie
Satan or Devil - Hell
Jesus - Heaven
Indiana Jones (character) - Indiana Jones
Mr. Bean (character) - Mr. Bean
Jack Box - Jack in the Box
James Bond - James Bond
The Doctor and Dalek - Doctor Who
Selene - Underworld
Aslan - Narnia
Captain Jack Sparrow - Pirates of the Caribbean
Adolf Hitler - Nazi and Germany
Donald Trump - America, White House and President
Charlie Chaplin - Charlie Chaplin
Buster Keaton - Buster Keaton
Michael Jackson - Michael Jackson
Laurel and Hardy - Hal Roach Studios and Larry Harmon Pictures
Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman - DC Comics
Spider-Man, Hulk and Wolverine - Marvel Comics
The Sandman - Vertigo
Happy Tree Friends - Mondo Media
Bozo the Clown - Larry Harmon Pictures
Mario - Nintendo
Sonic the Hedgehog - Sega
Mega Man - Capcom
Pac-Man - Namco
Santa Claus - Christmas
Greg, Murray, Anthony and Jeff - The Wiggles
Thomas the Tank Engine - The Railway Series, Britt Allcroft, Gullane, Mattel and Hit Entertainment
Smurfs - Peyo
Katniss - The Hunger Games
Minions - Despicable Me
Scrat - Blue Sky Studios
Marty McFly and Dr. Emmett Brown - Back to the Future
HAL 9000 - 2001: A Space Odyssey
Terminator - Terminator
Alien - Alien
King Kong - RKO Radio Pictures and Edgar Wallace
Godzilla - Toho
Frankenstein, Dracula and Universal Classic Monsters - The Novels and Universal Classic Monsters
Raggedy Ann and Andy - Raggedy Ann
Noid - Domino's Pizza
Jollibee - Jollibee
Cartoon Network characters - Cartoon Network
Alex, Clover and Sam - Totally Spies!
Michelin Man - Michelin
Marinette Dupain-Cheng and Adrien Agreste - Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir
Mr. Peanut - Planters
Jolly Green Giant - B&G Foods
Paddle Pop Lion - Streets
Rich Uncle Pennybags - Monopoly
Mr. Clean - Procter & Gamble
Poppin' Fresh - Pillsbury
Quicky - Nesquik
Coco the Monkey - Coco Pops
Garfield - Jim Davis
Snoopy and Charlie Brown - Peanuts
He-Man - Masters of the Universe
Lion-O - ThunderCats
Flash Gordon - Flash Gordon
Oggy and the Cockroaches - Gaumont and Xilam
Dennis the Menace and Gnasher - The Beano
Sherlock Holmes - Sherlock Holmes
Droopy, Wolf and Red - Tex Avery
Bare-ass Girl - Coppertone Suntan Lotion
Butler - Ask Jeeves
WWE characters - WWE
Peppa Pig - Peppa Pig
Campbell Soup Kids - Campbell’s Soup
Elsie the Cow - Borden’s
Energizer Bunny - Energizer Batteries
Hammy The Gobster - Gobster
Jack in the box - Harvey Comics
Joe Camel - Camel Cigarettes
Beavis and Butt-Head - MTV
Elizabeth "Hetty" Spaghetti - Jollibee Spaghetti
Josephine the Plumber - Comet Cleaners
Leo the Lion - MGM
Mickey Mouse - Disney
Bugs Bunny - Warner Bros.
Cartman, Stan, Kyle and Kenny - South Park
Marilyn Monroe - 20th Century Fox (20th Century Studios)
Planet of the Apes characters - Planet of the Apes
Tom and Jerry - MGM, Hanna-Barbera and Turner Entertainment
The Flintstones - Hanna-Barbera
Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie - The Simpsons
Count Chocula, Franken Berry, Boo Berry, Fruit Brute and Fruity Yummy Mummy - Monster Cereals from General Mills
Kermit the Frog - Jim Henson
The Cat in the Hat - Dr. Seuss
Morris the Cat - 9 Lives Cat Food
Peacock - NBC-TV
Pegasus - Tri Star
Redskins - Washington Redpenises
Sailor Jack and Bingo - Cracker Jack
Spuds MacKensie - Budweiser
Eye - CBS
Blondie and Dagwood - Blondie
Gummy Bear (Gummibär) - Gummibär
Tony the Tiger - Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes
Torch Lady (or Lady Liberty) - Columbia Pictures
Toucan Pusball - Kellogg's Fruit Loops
Betty Crocker - Food products (baking)
Aunt Jemima - Syrup
Ronald McDonald - McDonald's
SpongeBob SquarePants - Nickelodeon
Rocky and Bullwinkle - Jay Ward
Kool-Aid Man - Kool-Aid
M&M's - Mars
Woody and Buzz Lightyear - Pixar
Shrek - DreamWorks
Wallace and Gromit - Aardman Animations
Care Bears and Strawberry Shortcake - American Greetings
Hello Kitty - Sanrio
Goku - Dragon Ball
Pikachu - Pokémon
Popeye - King Features
The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit characters - The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit
The Burger King - Burger King
Colonel Sanders - KFC
Annoying Orange - DaneBoe and Annoying Orange
Angry Birds - Rovio
Rosie the Waitress - Bounty
Barry "bang and it's gone" Scott - Cillit Bang
Useful Awe Girl - Morton Salt

and much more.

Multimedia franchises[]

Multimedia franchises usually develop through a character or fictional world becoming popular in one medium, and then expanding to others through licensing agreements, with respect to intellectual property in the franchise's characters and settings. As one author explains, "For the studios, a home-run is a film from which a multimedia 'franchise' can be generated; the colossally expensive creation of cross-media conglomerates predicated on synergistic rewards provides an obvious imperative to develop such products."^[1] The Steve Jobs, Harry Donenfeld, Charles Thorson and Bob Givens trend later developed wherein franchises would be launched in multiple forms of media simultaneously; for instance, the film The Matrix Reloaded and the video game Enter the Matrix were produced at the same time, using the same actors on the same sets, and released on the same day. Several other franchises throughout the 2000s had films and games release within days of each other, including King Kong, Star Wars, Harry Potter, DC Comics, Marvel Comics, The Lord of the Rings, The Chronicles of Narnia, Pirates of the Caribbean, and Transformers.^[2]

Development of the universe characters[]

Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie, from The Simpsons
Darth Vader, from Star Wars
Thomas the Tank Engine, from The Railway Series and Thomas & Friends
Cartman, Stan, Kyle and Kenny, from South Park
Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman, from DC Comics
Spider-Man, Hulk and Wolverine, from Marvel Comics
Mickey Mouse, from Disney
Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig and Elmer Fudd, from Looney Tunes, Merrie Melodies and Warner Bros.
SpongeBob SquarePants the title character, from SpongeBob SquarePants and Nickelodeon
Harry Potter the title character, from Harry Potter
Selene, from Underworld
Fry, Bender and Leela, from Futurama
Scooby-Doo, Shaggy, Velma, Daphne and Fred, from Scooby-Doo
Fred Flintstone, from The Flintstones
Woody and Buzz Lightyear, from Toy Story and Pixar
Goku, from Dragon Ball
Pikachu and Ash Ketchum, from Pokémon
Kermit the Frog, from The Muppets
The Cat in the Hat, from Dr. Seuss
Star Trek characters, from Star Trek
The Doctor and Dalek, from Doctor Who
Mario the title character, from Mario
Sonic the Hedgehog the title character, from Sonic the Hedgehog
Pac-Man the title character, from Pac-Man
Mega Man the title character, from Mega Man

etc.

Definition[]

What distinguishes a fictional universe from a simple setting is the level of detail and internal consistency. A fictional universe has an established continuity and internal logic that must be adhered to throughout the work and even across separate works. So, for instance, many books may be set in conflicting fictional versions of Victorian London, but all the stories of Sherlock Holmes are set in the same Victorian London. However, the various film series based on Sherlock Holmes follow their own separate continuities, and so do not take place in the same fictional universe.

The history and geography of a fictional universe are well-defined, and maps and timelines are often included in works set within them. Even languages may be constructed. When subsequent works are written within the same universe, care is usually taken to ensure that established facts of the canon are not violated. Even if the fictional universe involves concepts such as magic that don't exist in the real world, these must adhere to a set of rules established by the author.

A famous example of a fictional universe is Arda, of J. R. R. Tolkien's books The Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion. He created first its languages and then the world itself, which he states was "primarily linguistic in inspiration and was begun in order to provide the necessary 'history' for the Elvish tongues."^[1]

Another, more recent, famous fictional universe is that of the Avatar film series, as James Cameron has invented an entire ecosystem, with a team of scientists to test whether it was viable. Also, he commissioned a linguistics expert to invent the Na'vi language.

Virtually every successful fictional TV series or comic book develops its own "universe" to keep track of the various episodes or issues. Writers for that series must follow the story bible,^[2] which often becomes the series canon.

Frequently, when a series gets too complicated or too self-inconsistent (because of, for example, too many writers), the producers or publishers will introduce retroactive continuity (retcon) to make future editions easier to write and more consistent. This creates an alternate universe that future authors can write about. These stories about the universe or universes that existed before the retcon are usually not canonical, unless the franchise-holder gives permission. Crisis on Infinite Earths was an especially sweeping example.

Some writers choose to introduce elements or characters from one work into another, to present the idea that both works are set in the same universe. For example, the character of Ursula Buffay from American sitcom Mad About You was also a recurring guest star in Friends, despite the two series having little else in common. Fellow NBC series Seinfeld also contained crossover references to Mad About You. L. Frank Baum introduced the characters of Cap'n Bill and Trot (from The Sea Fairies), into the Oz series in The Scarecrow of Oz. The two characters made a number of subsequent appearances in later Oz books.

Scope[]

Sir Thomas More's Utopia is one of the earliest examples of a cohesive fictional world with its own rules and functional concepts but it comprises only one small island. Later fictional universes, like Robert E. Howard's Conan the Cimmerian stories or Lev Grossman's Fillory, are global in scope and some, like Star Wars, Honorverse, or the Lensman series, are galactic or even intergalactic.

A fictional universe may even concern itself with more than one interconnected universe through fictional devices such as dreams, "time travel" or "parallel worlds". Such a series of interconnected universes is often called a multiverse. Such multiverses have been featured prominently in science fiction since at least the mid-20th century.

The classic Star Trek episode "Mirror, Mirror" introduced the Mirror Universe, in which the crew members of the Starship Enterprise were brutal rather than compassionate. The 2009 movie Star Trek created an "alternate reality" and freed the Star Trek franchise from continuity issues. In the mid-1980s, DC comic books' Crisis on Infinite Earths told of numerous parallel universes that were destroyed.

Format[]

A fictional universe can be contained in a single work, as in George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four or Aldous Huxley's Brave New World, or in serialized, series-based, open-ended or round robin-style fiction.

In most small-scale fictional universes, general properties and timeline events fit into a consistently organized continuity. However, in the case of universes that are rewritten or revised by different writers, editors or producers, this continuity may be violated, by accident or by design—film productions are notorious for altering fictional canon of written series.

The occasional publishing use of retroactive continuity (retcon) often occurs due to this kind of revision or oversight. Members of fandom often create a kind of fan-made canon (fanon) to patch up such errors; "fanon" that becomes generally accepted sometimes becomes actual canon. Other fan-made additions to a universe (fan fiction, alternative universe, pastiche, parody) are usually not considered canonical unless they get authorized.

Collaboration[]

Main article: Shared universe

Shared universes often come about when a fictional universe achieves great commercial success and attracts other media. For example, a successful movie may catch the attention of various book authors, who wish to write stories based on that movie. Under US law, the copyright-holder retains control of all other derivative works, including those written by other authors. But they might not feel comfortable in those other mediums or may feel that other individuals will do a better job. Therefore, they may open up the copyright on a shared-universe basis. The degree to which the copyright-holder or franchise retains control is often one of the points in the license agreement.

For example, the comic book Superman was so popular that it spawned over 30 different radio, television and movie series and a similar number of video games, as well as theme park rides, books and songs. In the other direction, both Star Trek and Star Wars are responsible for hundreds of books and games of varying levels of canonicity.

Fictional universes are sometimes shared by multiple prose authors, with each author's works in that universe being granted approximately equal canonical status. For example, Larry Niven's fictional universe Known Space has an approximately 135-year period in which Niven allows other authors to write stories about the Man-Kzin Wars. Other fictional universes, like the Ring of Fire series, actively court canonical stimulus from fans, but gate and control the changes through a formalized process and the final say of the editor and universe creator.^[3]

Other universes are created by one or several authors but are intended to be used non-canonically by others, such as the fictional settings for games, particularly role-playing games and video games. Settings for the role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons are called campaign settings; other games have also incorporated this term on occasion. Virtual worlds are fictional worlds in which online computer games, notably MMORPGs and MUDs, take place. A fictional crossover occurs when two or more fictional characters, series or universes cross over with one another, usually in the context of a character created by one author or owned by one company meeting a character created or owned by another. In the case where two fictional universes covering entire actual universes cross over, physical travel from one universe to another may actually occur in the course of the story. Such crossovers are usually, but not always, considered non-canonical by their creators or by those in charge of the properties involved.

Lists of fictional universes[]

For lists of fictional universes see:

List of fictional universes in film and television
List of fictional universes in animation and comics
List of fictional universes in literature
List of fictional universes in games

Notes[]

↑ Foreword to The Fellowship of the Ring, by J.R.R. Tolkien
↑ How to Give Maris Hives, Alphabetized (April 2008), a blog entry by scriptwriter Jane Espenson
↑ Template:Cite book

References[]

Alberto Manguel & Gianni Guadalupi: The Dictionary of Imaginary Places, New York : Harcourt Brace, c2000. ISBN 0-15-100541-9
Brian Stableford: The Dictionary of Science Fiction Places, New York : Wonderland Press, c1999. ISBN 0-684-84958-5
Diana Wynne Jones: The Tough Guide to Fantasyland, New York : Firebird, 2006. ISBN 0-14-240722-4, Explains and parodies the common features of a standard fantasy world
George Ochoa and Jeffery Osier: Writer's Guide to Creating A Science Fiction Universe, Cincinnati, Ohio : Writer's Digest Books, 1993. ISBN 0-89879-536-2
Michael Page and Robert Ingpen : Encyclopedia of Things That Never Were: Creatures, Places, and People, 1987. ISBN 0-14-010008-3

Template:Fiction writing Template:Fiction navbox

Template:Authority control

[1] Foreword to The Fellowship of the Ring, by J.R.R. Tolkien

[jane-2] How to Give Maris Hives, Alphabetized (April 2008), a blog entry by scriptwriter Jane Espenson

[3] Template:Cite book

[1]

[2]

[3]