Unexpected Trends That Started Because Of These Specific Movies And TV Shows

If you've bought a chess set after watching The Queen's Gambit, this one's for you.

1. When Peter Kavinsky has his first taste of what looks like Yakult in To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before, the probiotic had a bit of a moment – it sold out in shops, and there were even guides on where to buy it.

Netflix

Shares of the company’s stock rose by 2.6% and long time buyers of the Asian drink reported it being sold out in their usual shops.

2. After its release in the '90s, Wallace and Gromit’s cheese of choice – Wensleydale – caused a spike in demand for the northern cheese, saving the factory that made it from closing.

Channel 4

When the creators of Wallace and Gromit were settling on the pair's favourite food, they chose Wensleydale cheese because they thought it would be interesting to animate, and had no idea that sales for the cheese were so low. Wallace and Gromit have since become ambassadors for the cheese, which has been going strong since the pair put it back on the map.

3. In 1997, a year after 101 Dalmatians was released, dog shelters saw a huge influx of the breed, mostly abandoned by parents who had bought puppies for their kids on a whim.

Buena Vista Pictures Distribution

The dog tale that we know and love was tainted by irresponsible breeders trying to capitalise on the film's success. The full numbers of abandoned dalmations aren't clear, but one shelter in Miami reported recieving 130 unwanted dogs in just 9 months.

4. And Finding Nemo had a devastating effect on wild clownfish – so many people bought them as pets that they ended up locally extinct in parts of Thailand, Sri Lanka, and the Philippines.

Buena Vista Pictures Distribution

The movie's conservationist message was quite clearly misunderstood, with sales of the breed rising 40%, putting clownfish on the endangered species list. As a result, the organisation Saving Nemo was launched to help conserve the breed and their habitat.

5. Since The Queen’s Gambit premiered this October, chess sets have been selling out everywhere – eBay has even recorded a 215% increase in Sales!

Netflix

Chess sales were already up this year because of the pandemic, but the Netflix original has really done great things for the game’s public image. The series follows a young chess prodigy, Beth, and while chess experts say it’s too soon to measure the full impact of the show, it’s definitely made a buzz.

6. When the world got hooked on Stranger Things, Eggo Waffles became the unofficial binge-watching snack of choice, courtesy of Eleven’s love for the frozen treat.

Netflix

October 2017 – the release of season 2 – saw the waffles' most ever social media mentions, and a 14% increase in sales, which is a pretty big deal considering Eggos heyday was back in the ‘80s. Interestingly though, sales only go up when new seasons of the show drop, so it seems like people buy them out of love for Stranger Things rather than the love of frozen breakfast food.

7. Rather disturbingly, when Breaking Bad got popular, so did crystal meth – in 2014 British border patrols saw a 400% surge in smuggling of the drug.

AMC

While usage of the drug went down in the US, seizures across Europe more than tripled by 2011 (compared to rates in 2000). Most chillingly, some dealers actually started creating their own brand of the fictional blue meth that Walt created on the show.

8. In E.T, Elliot won the alien’s trust by feeding him Reese's Pieces, permanently putting the candy on the map.

Universal

Universal initially wanted to use M&Ms in the scene, but Mars Inc. turned down the request, so they went to their second option – Hershey. Reese’s Pieces had only been out for four years and they weren’t anything close to a hit before they appeared in what went on to be one of the biggest films of the ‘80s. So to sum up, Mars Inc. – the brand behind Milky Way, Orbit, and Galaxy – really fumbled the extraterrestrial bag.

9. Toy Story 2’s 45-second inclusion of the ‘60s Etch-A-Sketch not only made the toy a hit with the next generation, but also saved the company that made it from dissolving.

Buena Vista Distribution

The baby boomer’s toy of choice had fallen out of popularity by the ‘90s, but it saw a rise in sales after it had a blink-or-you’ll-miss-it moment in the first Toy Story. The company decided to let it be used in a longer scene for the sequel, and the rest is history.

10. Before V for Vendetta came out in 2006, nobody really associated Guy Fawkes masks with internet hackers.

Warner Bros. Pictures

The mask that we know so well comes from David Lloyd’s illustrations, as he thought Guy Fawkes should be celebrated rather than burnt. When the graphic novel became a film, hackitvists were inspired by the masked protesters, and so it became a thing.

11. Thanks to Sex and the City, Manolo Blahnik went from being reserved for shoe connoisseurs to being a household name.

HBO

Despite being around since the ‘70s, it was Carrie Bradshaw and her love of shoes that can take the credit for most of the brand’s popularity in the noughties and beyond. In 2018, to honour the 10th anniversary of the film, the shoemaker, released the pair of stilettos Carrie wore for her wedding.

12. Since Frozen fever hit the world in 2013, the Lofoten Islands have been inundated with fans desperate to see the real place that the Arendelle was based on.

Walt Disney Motion Pictures / Getty

Tourism in Norway has grown 20%, and areas like the islands have been struggling to cope with the overwhelming amount of visitors and their impact – a woodland near a popular spot has even been nicknamed “forest of shit,” by the locals, because of all the litter left behind.

13. Gossip Girl is full of many a signature look, but you might be surprised to learn that, when viewers figured out its brand, Chuck Bass’ notorious scarf sold out almost immediately, and has developed a bit of a cult following.

The CW

The J. Press patchwork scarf is now instantly recognisable as part of his signature look. Not only did it sell out, but you can now buy knock off “Chuck Bass inspired” bedspreads, makeup bags, and wall art in the pattern.

14. Since he made his debut in 1933, Popeye is estimated to be responsible for tripling American spinach consumption.

Fleischer Studios

Thanks to Popeye, most of us are under the impression that spinach makes you strong, so it makes sense why fans wanted the spinach-strength for themselves. It wasn’t until 2013 that experts discovered that the creators of the cartoon only believed spinach caused strength due to a typo in a science book – a German chemist from 1870 accidentally recorded 100g of spinach as having 35mg of iron, rather than the actual 3.5mg.

15. When the British public found out that the hot priest on Fleabag was a fan of M&S gin and tonic, sales for the canned drink spiked across the entire country.

BBC

Fleabag and the priest chatting over a couple of cans was apparently too irresistible to viewers – sales went up 24% a week after the episode aired!

16. Bow ties can thank Doctor Who for bringing them back into popularity. When the eleventh Doc declared that “bow ties are cool” demand for them shot up across the high street.

BBC

Topman even reported that in the month after Matt Smith’s premiere as the Time Lord, sales increased by 94%!

17. And finally, when Parasite was released, people all over the world were trying to get a taste of ram-don – a dish created by combining two different instant noodle brands. According to Google, searches for recipes for the dish went up by 400%, and taste test videos flooded the internet.

CJ Entertainment

Ram-don, which is a combination of “ramen” and “udon,” is known as jjapaguri in Korea, and Bong Joon-Ho’s version is topped with sirloin steak. It didn’t take long for Asian grocery stores to notice it was trending – some started selling the two brands Neoguri and Chapagetti as part of a deal along with instructions on how to make the dish.

Has a film or TV show inspired you to jump on a craze or buy something? Tell us in the comments!