# Fictional items in books, games and movies brought into the real world. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 12, 2006, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fictional-items-in-books-games-and-movies-brought-into-the-real-world/348096 "2006-03-12T22:56:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2006, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fictional-items-in-books-games-and-movies-brought-into-the-real-world/348096/1 "2006-03-12T22:56:09Z")
A while ago, I started a thread on “fictional” items that were real all along. This is about the power movies, games and books have sometimes generating real locations or items after the movie or book appeared. For example: Regarding Casablanca (1942) There was no Rick’s Cafe in Casablanca until 2004: [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/3906437.stm](http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/3906437.stm) Complete even with danger an intrigue: > [@](#): > > Rick’s Cafe may be the newest gin joint in town, but it is also the most highly protected bar in Casablanca. > > Several armed police officers guard the doors, searching every bag of every customer. They are taking no chances. > > Until US relations are seen to benefit ordinary Moroccans, there is a need for realism as well as Hollywood fantasy. From Harry Potter we have Bertie Bott’s Every Flavor Beans: > **[Featured Kids Party Themes](https://www.birthdayexpress.com/pages/featured-themes)** > **[Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans – Harry Potter Lexicon](https://www.hp-lexicon.org/thing/bertie-botts-every-flavour-beans/)** > > Bertie Bott’s Every Flavor Beans are a popular sweet for kids at Hogwarts. They buy them from the lunch trolley on the Hogwarts Express and from Honeydukes in Hogsmeade. They give them for Christmas gifts and as gifts when someone is ill and in the... > [@](#): > > One of the most famous sweets in the wizarding world is Bertie Bott’s Every Flavor Beans. These beans are essentially the same as Muggle jelly beans, but with flavors that Muggles would never expect. Bertie Bott’s Every Flavor Beans was creating by inventor Bertie Bott (1935 - present) quite by mistake. His original purpose was to create tasty candies from food but he accidentally included a pair of dirty socks in his experiment. Bertie recognized the sales potential of a candy that presented a “a risk with every mouthful!” (fw) Post your favorites. ---
**Author:** ![DxZero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@DxZero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DxZero)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2006, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fictional-items-in-books-games-and-movies-brought-into-the-real-world/348096/2 "2006-03-12T23:11:22Z")
[Everlasting Gobstoppers](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Everlasting_Gobstopper) ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2006, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fictional-items-in-books-games-and-movies-brought-into-the-real-world/348096/3 "2006-03-12T23:15:43Z")
Various Willie Wonka candies were made after the first movie came out. When **Bonanza** rules the airwaves, people use to show up in Virginia City, NV and ask to see the Ponderosa ranch. Eventually, they pointed the tourists to an old, abandoned ranch near town. Later, an actual “Ponderosa Ranch” was set up. But my favorite was when a radio station WABC-FM changed its call letters to match the Four Deuces/Frank Zappa song “WPLJ.” WPLJ is still broadcasting. ---
**Author:** ![FilmGeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@FilmGeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FilmGeek)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2006, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fictional-items-in-books-games-and-movies-brought-into-the-real-world/348096/4 "2006-03-12T23:29:43Z")
Zathura and Jumanji are both board games, iirc. Did Tron come out as a video game? I wouldn’t play it… 😃 ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2006, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fictional-items-in-books-games-and-movies-brought-into-the-real-world/348096/5 "2006-03-12T23:32:54Z")
The Necronomicon was the first to jump to mind for me. ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2006, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fictional-items-in-books-games-and-movies-brought-into-the-real-world/348096/6 "2006-03-12T23:40:49Z")
> [@FilmGeek](#): > > Zathura and Jumanji are both board games, iirc. > > Did Tron come out as a video game? I wouldn’t play it… 😃 The original arcade games were pathetic in comparison to the movie, but the recent Tron 2.0 [http://buenavistagames.go.com/product/tronPC.html](http://buenavistagames.go.com/product/tronPC.html) Shows that home computers today can recreate better electronic environments (in real time!) now, while the original movie computers had to spent months creating the original scenes for the movie. ---
**Author:** ![mobo85](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mobo85](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mobo85)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2006, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fictional-items-in-books-games-and-movies-brought-into-the-real-world/348096/7 "2006-03-12T23:44:38Z")
The success of the sleeper hit _Office Space_ inspired Swingline to manufacture red staplers. ---
**Author:** ![MrJackboots](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c0e974/32.png) [@MrJackboots](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrJackboots)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2006, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fictional-items-in-books-games-and-movies-brought-into-the-real-world/348096/8 "2006-03-13T00:31:23Z")
The patent for the waterbed was denied because of prior art, found in _Stranger in a Strange Land_. ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2006, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fictional-items-in-books-games-and-movies-brought-into-the-real-world/348096/9 "2006-03-14T23:21:58Z")
Now that is interesting **MrJackboots** , I wonder why that Patent office now seems to be unable to find previous art in many silly patents it grants nowadays. I almost forgot another item: [Bubba Gump Shrimp](http://www.bubbagump.com/html/monterey.html), the restaurants appeared thanks to the popularity of _Forrest Gump_. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2006, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fictional-items-in-books-games-and-movies-brought-into-the-real-world/348096/10 "2006-03-14T23:26:44Z")
> [@MrJackboots](#): > > The patent for the waterbed was denied because of prior art, found in _Stranger in a Strange Land_. The waldo was first conceived (not invented) by Heinlein in his novella of that name. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waldo](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waldo) Whether the actual inventor had trouble getting a patent, I do not know; but the name stuck. ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2006, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fictional-items-in-books-games-and-movies-brought-into-the-real-world/348096/11 "2006-03-15T00:25:00Z")
Vital sign monitors in hospitals were inspired by _Star Trek_. ---
**Author:** ![LiveOnAPlane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3d9bf3/32.png) [@LiveOnAPlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LiveOnAPlane)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2006, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fictional-items-in-books-games-and-movies-brought-into-the-real-world/348096/12 "2006-03-15T00:58:12Z")
I really don’t know if this qualifies, per your OP. That is, I don’t think Star Trek had anything, really to do with it, but… Capt. Kirk’s flip-open communicator. Got a cell phone just like it as have untold numbers of folk. Of course, mine won’t flip open with a turn of the wrist like his did, or like my gravity knife does. And while I can’t get Enterprise, I can just say, “Wife” and after a few seconds get her on the horn. (voice dial)