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The Red Stapler: Difference between revisions
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{{trope}}
[[File:RedStapler.png|link=Office Space|
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* Cuenca, Spain, has seen a noticeable increase in Japanese tourism since being featured in ''[[So Ra No wo To]]''.
** Similarly, ''[[Heidi Girl of the Alps (Anime)|Heidi Girl of the Alps]]'' has drawn thousands of Japanese pilgrims to the Swiss Alps. St.Bernard dogs, in particular, are very popular because of the dog Joseph, which doesn't appear [[Heidi (Literature)|in the original novel]].
* Clarice's [[Fairytale Wedding Dress]] in ''[[Lupin III]]: [[The
* Sports manga and anime that are a runaway success (and this in any country, not just Japan) create an interest in that sport and consequently increase the number of members affiliating themselves to clubs. Among those manga and anime are ''[[Captain Tsubasa]]'' (who also tremendously helped the development of soccer as a whole in Japan, spurring the creation of the national pro league JFA, and thrusting the sport from obscurity to second-most played sport in the country) for soccer, ''[[Attack Number One|Attack No. 1]]'' and ''Attacker You!'' for volley-ball, and ''[[Hikaru no Go]]'' for [[Go]].
** [[Chihayafuru]] and karuta also.
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* Millions of baby girls were named Alice after [[Lewis Carroll]]'s [[Alice in Wonderland|book]] came out.
* J. M. Barrie's ''[[Peter Pan]]'' so popularized the name Wendy after its release, that he is often erroneously credited with ''inventing'' the name.
* Scottish poet James Macpherson (1736–96) [
* Shirley was primarily a boy's name (and a rare one) until Shirley Temple became famous. It then became a popular girl's name, reaching No. 1 in popularity in 1935.
** Shirley was an uncommon and exclusively masculine name until Charlotte Bronte's novel ''Shirley'' was published in 1849. The eponymous character is an independent heiress, and her name is ''intended'' to be tomboyish and unusual. It's stated that her parents wanted a boy, but having only a daughter, they christened her Shirley, the name "they would have bestowed on a boy, if with a boy they had been blessed." More than a century and a half later, Shirley is considered a feminine name and male Shirleys are thin on the ground.
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* After ''[[The Omen]]'' came out, the name Damien [http://www.ssa.gov/OACT/babynames/ experienced a slight decline] in popularity, having been ranked 283 out of 1,000 in 1974, 387 out of 1,000 in 1975, and 285 out of 1,000 in 1976... Although there was a one-day spike of the name for children born on [[Number of the Beast|June 6, 2006]] -- which, not coincidentally, was also the release date of [[The Remake]].
* In 1918, Italian general Armando Diaz signed the Victory Address, a short document meant to inform the population of the victory against Austria in WWI. It was shown in schools, barracks, town halls etc, and many children were required to memorize it. The Address ended with the words "firmato: Diaz" (signed: Diaz), which led many to think that "firmato" ("signed") was his name. In the following years, many children were baptized with that name.
* French [[Space Opera]] comic-book ''[[Valerian]]'' [
* The names "Isabella", "Edward" and "Jacob" were popular before ''[[Twilight (Literature)|Twilight]]'' was published. Still, they saw a significant boost... As did the never popular "Renesmee".
* If you know any women born in the 80's named Krystal (in a variety of spellings) or Alexis, there's a very good chance they were named after the [[Cat Fight|catfighting]] pair from ''[[Dynasty]]''.
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{{quote| "A lot of people, they see the ''Harry Potter'' films and they think that these animals make great pets and they ''really'' don't. They're not domesticated; they're totally wild animals. It seems so simple when you see it in a movie and easy, but in real life it's a constant eight to twelve hour day taking care of these animals."}}
** Many, ''many'' breeds of dog. Much to the anger of dog fanciers, who observe that a burst of demand for a specific breed leads to some breeders starting to replicate dogs who are outside of breed standards or even have genetic diseases like hip dysplasia or, notorious for dalmatians, deafness. Also, many people who buy a dog because of a [[Red Stapler]] appearance don't have any prior experience with dogs, and the breeds featured in media are not always easy and unpretentious.
*** ''[[
*** And as the film had a sequel, so did the phenomenon: the release of ''102 Dalmatians'', with a blue-eyed white puppy named Oddball, triggered a run on blue-eyed white Dalmatian puppies from parents who didn't realize that the blue-eyes gene is strongly associated with deafness. (You thought a hearing dalmatian was high maintenance? Try a deaf one...)
*** Blue-eyed white dalmatians (and indeed, dalmatians in general) were bred at such a rate that puppy mills would inbreed lines with extreme prejudice if they could get away with it. They usually did, and caused enormous damage to the breed in general, with congenital defects ranging anywhere from extra dewclaws to clubbed limbs to clinical insanity.
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* In a reverse, ''[[A Streetcar Named Desire]]'' caused a spike in T-shirt sales because of [[Marlon Brando]]'s sexiness in one.
* While declining sales caused the last of the creameries which manufacture the centuries-old Wensleydale cheese to teeter on the edge of closure in the early '90s, [[Blessed Are the Cheesemakers|Wensleydale received a chance mention]] in the popular ''[[Wallace and Gromit]]'' shorts. Noticing the increased interest, the creamery persuaded Aardman Animation to endorse a ''[[Wallace and Gromit]]''-branded cheese, which worked to rebuild Wensleydale into a thriving product worldwide.
** The [
* There was a huge spike in sales of heart-shaped sunglasses after they were featured in the movie poster for [[Stanley Kubrick]]'s 1962 adaption of ''[[Lolita]]''.
** The book and film also killed Lolita as a first name. Humorously, the girl is actually named [[Meaningful Name|Dolores]], and Lolita was Humbert's (who was Nabokov's idea of the complete pseudo-intellectual) "fancy" nickname for her.
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*** Season 14 has May drive the Sandero in their trip to Romania, which he was rather excited about. He remarked that it's a good, honest small car that has everything you need and nothing you don't. He loved it so much, he said he was going to drive it back to the UK after the super car trip. {{spoiler|Unfortunately, a lorry driver "accidentally" backed into it when he met back up with Clarkson and Hammond, who of course laughed at him.}}
** Subverted in their ''American Supercars'' special. Dodge refused to loan them a Charger because they'd given so many of their other cars bad reviews, so Richard Hammond bought one... and he loved it.
** ''[[Top Gear]]'''s power lap certainly gives lower-profile sports car companies a chance to get some recognition: the [
** The real red stapler though is the military. Every challenge featuring the military provides the BA and RAF with a chance to show off their state of the art military hardware to millions of prime-time (often male, young adult) viewers. ''Top Gear'' is one of the best recruiting ads out on the BBC, second only to ''[[James Bond]]''.
** Rubbished by the presenters themselves, who note that several cars that they've dissed have gone on to sell in big numbers.
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* Inversion: Australian TV show ''[[Kath and Kim]]'' '''decreased''' the popularity of Chardonnay (wine). Having it drunk by two of the least classy middle-class women in all of Melbourne, one of whom pronounces it "card-donnay" might have something to do with it.
* Applications to ER medical residency programs skyrocketed after ''[[ER]]'' premiered.
* To give an idea of the hype on [[Matt Smith]]'s tenure in ''[[
** ...and his Doctor's mantra that [[Bow Ties Are Cool]]? [http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/doctor-who/7656389/Doctor-Who-prompts-surge-in-popularity-of-bow-ties.html Turns out he's right.]
** [http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zxNHIUgQmAI/TZG1YQSewXI/AAAAAAAAHB4/HbnmkoMFlyM/s1600/trailer+stetson.jpg Stetson hats] also became popular after he wore one.
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* This applies to almost every electronic instrument or related device made before 1990 and played by [[Jean Michel Jarre]], including guitar stompboxes and electronic organs (in particular, his famous sweeping string sound is made with a mid-class Dutch home organ and a phaser effect box). Add to this the fact that many Jarre fans and followers are electronic musicians themselves.
* Subverted by ''Manta'' by Norbert & die Feiglinge, a song about a sports coupé made by Opel. What the song kicked off was not an increased demand (which was good in a way because the Manta was discontinued two years earlier) but a [[German Humor|huge wave of jokes ridiculing the car and especially the drivers]] which ruined its reputation for many years.
* The Clancy Brothers were single-handedly responsible for sales of [
* [[Katy Perry (Music)|Katy Perry]]'s video for "Part of Me" has made the Volvo 200 series a somewhat popular car again, with the 260 model being particularly collectible. The version in the video was a U.S.-spec 240 GL 2.3 sedan, 1991 model year. Volvo buyers are even demanding new, [[Retraux]] Volvo 240s, similar to the new MINI Cooper and Fiat 500, as they feel the S40 is too small but the S60 is too large/expensive and more of a premium executive car.
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== Video Games ==
* With so many ''[[Pokémon]]'', treating every Pokémon equally in regards to official merchandise is nearly impossible. At best at least every Pokémon gets a figure. However, usually depending on what's happening in Pokémon at the very moment (mostly related to the anime), demand for Pokémon involved will jump up. That or it jumps up because said products soon become available. For instance, ''Diamond and Pearl'' has been out in Japan since 2007, but it wasn't until April 2010 that Togekiss merchandise was available due to an event involving Togekiss in the anime. Also notice that various merchandise of other Pokémon that used to be commonplace are now rare items.
* The massive success of ''[[The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (Video Game)|The Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time]]'' resulted in a massive spike in ocarina sales. Music stores sold out of ocarinas and couldn't keep up with demand. Many kids were disappointed when they asked for an ocarina and got something like [http://www.grapevineroad.org/images/5%20note%20ocarina-01.jpg this] or [http://www.memory4teachers.co.uk/channels/presentations/Ocarina/images/PlasticOc.jpg this].
** To this day, Renaissance Fairs still sell baby-blue transverse ocarinas, usually with a Triforce-like sign to indicate them.
*** Which probably come from Songbird Ocarinas, who has been running the same ad in ''[[Nintendo Power]]'' for ''12 years''.
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** The game is also responsible for the popularity of real-life [[Nice Hat]] obsession among its fans, though part of it is also due to said fans wanting to [[Cosplay]].
* ''[[Fallout 3]]'' apparently greatly increased the interest in the 1940s music that makes up most of the soundtrack. [[That Other Wiki]] says Roy Brown's "Butcher Pete" increased in iTunes sales by 700% after the game's release.
* After a [
* The town that ''[[Higurashi no Naku Koro Ni]]'''s Hinamizawa is based on had to build a new shrine wall because of the fans.
* ''[[Guitar Hero]]'' and ''[[Rock Band]]'' have drastically increased the younger fanbases of [[Judas Priest (Music)|Judas Priest]], [[Iron Maiden (Music)|Iron Maiden]], [[Rush]], [[Kiss]], and many other old-school bands, and given many other bands like [[Dragon Force]] big career leg-ups.
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* While it's not really a big seller, you can still buy [[No More Heroes|Travis Touchdown's sweet leather coat]].
* A bakery nearby the [[Valve]] company HQ enjoyed a spike in black forest cake sales after ''[[Portal (Video Game)|Portal]]'''s release and [[The Cake Is a Lie|subsequent]] [[Running Gag]].
* [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/97789-Gun-Enthusiasts-Complain-About-the-Call-of-Duty-Effect One firearms blogger] refers to this as the "''[[Call of Duty (Video Game)|Call of Duty]]'' effect", noting that the most common search term used to find his blog was for the experimental, once-obscure Bushmaster ACR assault rifle. He attributes this to the gun being featured in ''[[Modern Warfare]] 2'' with a heartbeat sensor. People in the comments section also noted that ''[[Modern Warfare]]'' and games like it have caused an increased interest in the military and guns in general, with the owner of a gun store providing a rather creepy anecdote about a gamer who came into his shop looking for something to "[[Boom! Headshot!|headshot]] some [[Noob|noobs]]" with.
** Equally creepy is there's a very high chance that a good percentage of these people don't know [[Gun Safety]]. Not to mention their favorite gun to "headshot some noobs" probably runs for at least $1500, for the basic model.
* [[SWAT 4]] featured a stun gun that held two cartridges instead of one. They make that now.
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== Web Original ==
* [[Lord Kat]]'s renewed interest in the game [
* Similarly, [[The Spoony Experiment|Spoony]]'s review of the 1994 PC game "Bloodwings: Pumpkinhead's Revenge" had gamers hitting the used game stores and bargain bins in droves, searching for the obscure title.
** Which, in turn, nicely remedied his problem of not being able to find any info on it.
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== Other ==
* [http://www.founditemclothing.com/ Found Item Clothing] re-creates T-shirts seen in films, and [http://www.abbyshot.com AbbyShot Clothiers] has more or less devoted its entire line of clothing to faithfully reproducing coats and others apparel originally seen in [[Impossibly Cool Clothes|video games, movies, and anime]].
* University of Nevada hoodies were sold out from the university online store after pictures of [
* A bizarre example of the ''news'' having this effect: following the revelation that former Russian spy Alexander Litvenenko had been poisoned with the radioactive element polonium, a Polish restaurant in Sheffield called Polonium saw its bookings skyrocket.
* When Chef Paul Prudhomme first introduced his famous recipe for blackened redfish, it became so popular ''that it put the redfish on the endangered species list''.
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[[Category:Unexpected Reactions to This Index]]
[[Category:The Red Stapler]]
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