First published in 1939, Madeline has sold millions of book copies and led to merchandise such as dolls, stickers, pyjamas and later a TV series.
This in turn led to merchandise being sold by the club claiming "The Sheep are on fire", and even resulted in local bakeries selling "The Sheep Are on Fire" Pies.
The suit said Universal had failed to fulfill its promise to put the Chipmunks in motion pictures, videos and theme parks and on television, which would have led to merchandising opportunities for the characters.
The success of the show led to merchandising, franchising of the concept internationally, and a woman-oriented spin-off, Queer Eye for the Straight Girl.
It's Disney's way of latching onto the "social commerce" bandwagon — sites that include user contributions (in this case, tips for new mothers from new mothers) that can lead to selling merchandise.
"Star Wars: Episode VIII" hits theaters Dec. 15, 2017 and will almost certainly break more records and lead to stranger merchandise and themed weddings.
The game's popularity has led to official merchandise from Valve including plush Companion Cubes, as well as fan recreations of the cake and portal gun.
The success of the Broadway musical has also lead to its own line of merchandising, including the Simba beanbag doll, based on the character's appearance and costume in the Broadway show.
Enter Hollywood, where comic book characters can sometimes lead to box-office blockbusters and ancillary merchandise.
It can lead to TV pilot deals, commercial work, merchandise sales, book agents and other tangible successes.
