Top 10 Successful Entertainment Products

What began as a couple of RPGs for the original Gameboy in the mid-‘90s quickly developed into one of the world’s most beloved multimedia franchises, branching out into everything from mangas, to toys, to television, and of course, those beautiful trading cards. With its videogame segment having sold over 200 million accumulated units, it’s really no surprise that this is the world’s second most popular videogame franchise – second only to the next entry on our list. In fact, this Nintendo name was effective enough to grow from its original count of 151, to 720 species of pocket monsters and counting. Gotta catch ‘em all? Good luck.

Speaking of Nintendo names, here’s their best-selling and most prominent one to date - it’s a-him! Mario! Making his first appearance in the original Donkey Kong arcade game in 1981, this fun, high-hopping plumber has come a long way from dodging barrels and nabbing mushrooms. Producing over 200 video game titles, our little Italian friend is mascot not only to his parent company’s label, but also to the best-selling video-game franchise of all time, with accumulated sales nearing half a billion units.

We all know the iconic song, the haunting video, the epic dance sequence, and of course the moonwalker who brought it all to life. But some of us may forget the legendary single’s attachment to the likewise titled record, otherwise known as the best-selling album of all time – a title it achieved just over a year after its release and has retained ever since. With other singles like “P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing),” “Billie Jean” and “Beat It,” it’s awesome song after awesome song. An equally thrilling triumph was its record-breaking eight Grammy Awards, making it one of the ceremony’s most decorated albums. No wonder Michael Jackson was crowned the King of Pop!

Say what you want about the prequels, but they don’t negate this George Lucas saga’s status as the most epic and beloved franchise since, well, ever. What started as a single film recalling events a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far, away, has since become an expanded universe of Jedis versus Sith Lords, Rebels versus the Galactic Empire, good versus evil. Spawning countless books, videogames, action-figures, amusement park attractions, and with a third film trilogy coming to a theater near you in 2015, there’s no denying that the force is strong with this one!

Here’s an inspirational product for all you prospective entrepreneurs. A version of an earlier game called “The Landlord’s Game” – which aimed to make learning about rent, land ownership and taxes fun – “the fast-dealing property trading game” was introduced at the height of the Great Depression, but its enduring themes and challenging strategy has kept it in high demand ever since. As one of Hasbro’s crown jewels, there are hundreds of variations of “Monopoly,” which altogether have sold almost 300 million copies over the game’s lifespan, making it the world’s best-selling branded board game.

We all loved playing with them as kids, and hey, we probably still do. In production since 1949, this trademark Danish toy has been inspiring new generations of future architects and engineers with building sets that cover just about every theme just about anything you can imagine: from miniature skylines to ancient robot heroes to lifesize starships. But perhaps even more valuable to a child’s creativity are the individual bricks that allow imaginations to run wild. In its expansion, the company has gone beyond toy manufacturing, into books, videogames, amusement parks, TV and – of course – movies.

As colorful and fun as Lego, but infinitely more irritating, is this addictive toy wonder. Invented by Hungarian Architect Ernő Rubik in 1974, this befuddling piece of work was originally called the Magic Cube. Reaching its pinnacle of popularity in the ‘80s, it currently stands as the world’s best-selling puzzle toy, having sold an estimated 350 million units worldwide. The Rubik’s Cube has inspired fans – called speedcubers – to compete to see who can solve the puzzle in record time, or to try out different dimensions of the cube past the typical 3x3.

Spawning droves of muggle followers since 1997, the boy who lived was first introduced to the wizarding world with J.K. Rowling’s novel “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone.” Six additional books followed, that collectively sold over 450 million copies in more than 70 languages, making it one of the best-selling book series in the world. Though thematically concentrated on fantasy and friendship, the novels have further attracted the attention of adult readers and literary scholars for their dark tones and allegorical exploration of prejudice, political corruption, and coming-of-age.

Though we’ll always have a special place in our hearts for Microsoft and Nintendo’s consoles, it’s Sony’s PlayStation that dominates the competition in terms of sales and development. Introduced in 1994, the first PlayStation reached a major milestone as the first videogame console to sell over 100 million units. Its successor, the PS2 has since gone topped that record, as the world’s best-selling console. Analysts predict things will only get better for Sony and their flagship console, with promising exclusive games it its future causing gamers to salivate in anticipation.

Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions:
- Barbie
- Angry Birds
- Candy Crush Saga
- FarmVille

Taking the top spot on our list is the creation of almost mythic proportions that killed the Walkman and made CDs a recording industry endangered species. Unveiled in October 2001, this trademark lower-i product from Apple was marketed as “one thousand songs in your pocket,” which instantly won consumer attention and caused them to open their wallets. Today, the portable media device has come a long way from its musical roots, expanding to videos and interactive apps, and spawning several different iterations, from the compact Nano to the touchscreen version, all of which have cumulatively sold over 350 billion units worldwide.

Do you agree with our list? Which entertainment products keep your boredom at bay? For more entertaining Top 10’s published every day, be sure to subscribe to WatchMojo.com!