15 Best Fictional Companies in the World

In this article we take a look at the 15 best fictional companies in the world. Click to skip ahead and jump to the 5 best fictional companies in the world.

Curious to find which are the best fictional companies in the world? Fans of fiction are not unfamiliar with the fan favorite companies that were created for the fictional universes, but have become so well known thanks to their detailed story lines development. Think of the legendary Acme Corp, that  each one of us millennials remember from those countless Looney Tunes episodes. Or the (could have been) coolest company on earth Stark Industries from Iron Man, that we often have wished was real enough to make us some cool robots and Iron man suits IRL. Some of these companies are headed by the coolest fictional CEOs and have employees that we can relate to. Whether they have been created for a fictional book world, a TV series or a movie franchise, they have captivated us with their awesomeness and carved a space in our memories. 

Some of these companies are very similar to real life companies, and we can easily draw parallels between them and their real world counterparts in terms of scale and ways of operations, and sometimes even through the products they make. Let’s take the example of Wonka Industries from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. We can somehow draw a parallel between it and Mars Inc, which can be considered its real life equivalent, being a giant chocolate producing establishment well-known throughout the world. Interestingly, there in fact existed a real life “The Willy Wonka Candy Company” which later came to be known as Nestlé Candy Shop before finally being discontinued in 2018. The company was named after the famed company from the 1964 classic novel by Roald Dahl. In real life Nestlé remains the largest FMCG company even though the Nestlé Candy Shop brands were eventually discontinued. 

There have, similarly, been numerous instances where real life was inspired by the fictional world and companies were modelled on companies that appeared in books or movies. A classic example you’d find is one of the entrants in our list of the best fictional companies, the Bubba Gump Shrimp Co ., an American seafood restaurant chain which was in fact inspired by the 1994 film Forrest Gump.  These instances need not be that stark, and very often than not we come across several small businesses or local players who take inspiration from fictional companies, naming their restaurants or salons after them. I’m sure many of us have come across some “Pop Tate’s”, from the legendary Archie’s comics series serving up a mean French fry in our very own friendly neighborhood, or a “Central Perk” café inspired by Friends, often themed tantalizingly around the series to attract the fan base. Time and again businesses have attempted to tap into a fandom as customers, bringing their fantasies to life, and often the fictional world has been a source of  lucrative product ideas as well. 

For our list we have used Paymentsense and other websites who like Forbes, who have listed the biggest fictional companies based on their real world counterparts’ revenues. The methodology includes finding a real life company in terms of scale and similar operations and product category, and basing their revenue to find which are the biggest fictional companies. We, at Insider Monkey, have retained this methodology and have also added extra points to these companies based on their popularity and the frequency that they have appeared on the list of our sources.  So if more than one of our sources has listed these companies they have received a higher score and so on. This brings us to the list of the biggest, most popular and best fictional companies in the world. Let’s uncover the contenders! 

15. Bubba Gump Shrimp Co.

Revenue based on – Bubba Gump Shrimp Co

2019 Revenue – $ 10.14 million

Starting off our list we have the Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. from the 90s movie Forrest Gump. American seafood restaurant chain Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. was inspired by the restaurant business that made an appearance in the film and was cleverly modelled to emulate it. In the film Tom Hanks’ character Forrest Gump considers opening a shrimping business along with friend Benjamin Buford “Bubba” Blue, and finally turns it into reality after Bubba’s death. This also gave birth to the concept restaurant in real life, as a dual venture of Paramount Pictures and Rusty Pelican Restaurants Inc. 

14. MomCorp

Revenue based on – iRobot (NASDAQ:IRBT)

2019 Revenue – $1,214 million

Next up, is the fictional company MomCorp from the fictional universe of American animated sitcom – Futurama. MomCorp is a large corporation owned by Mom, the cruel antagonist often hatching plans of world domination, has a number of industries under it, and the monopoly on creating robots.  Thus, robot gadget producing company iRobot is a perfect parallel that can be used to gauge Momcorp’s dynamics in the real world. 

13. Wayne Enterprises 

Revenue based on – Space X

2019 Revenue – $2,000 million

A company with a young multi-billionaire heir CEO, with great ideas, a green business format, operates in aerospace and technologies and creating the Batmobile? Rings a bell? Yes, we are talking about Wayne Enterprises from the Batman universe with none other than Bruce Wayne calling the shots. Wayne Enterprise is a  multinational conglomerate owned by Bruce Wayne, the son of Thomas and Martha Wayne and is based in Gotham city. It is one of the companies that is well etched in every comic lovers’ mind. In real life, SpaceX comes pretty close with Elon Musk as CEO. 

12. Tyrell Corporation

Revenue based on – Illumina (NASDAQ:ILMN)

2019 Revenue – $3,543 million

Featured in Blade Runner, Tyrell Corporation is a company named after its founder Dr. Eldon Tyrell,  and specializes in producing life-like androids called “Replicants”. The company in the fictional world is based in Los Angeles. The 1982 science fiction film directed by Ridley Scott, starred Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer, Sean Young, and Edward James Olmos, and till date has inspired several science fiction films,  games, animation, and series.

11. Acme Corp

Revenue based on – Orica

2019 Revenue – $4,240 million

When we talk about fictional companies, there’s no way we can leave out Acme Corp. The legendary fictional organization is one of most memorable fictional companies, from the Road Runner series, most of us grew up watching. The company has time and again made an appearance in most Warner Bros. series, making sure we identify its products well. The fictional corporation is a company producing eclectic products with quirky uses, which often malfunction and explode. 

10. Oceanic Airlines

Revenue based on – Qantas

2019 Revenue – $10,620.40 million

If you have been a TV series fan, there’s no way Oceanic Airlines has been missed by you! The airline that appears in the famous Lost TV series, is one that fans clearly remember. Oceanic Airlines that appears in the series, is an airline company with a strong legacy until mysterious flight disappearance lands the onboard passengers on a deserted island. The American TV show aired from  2004 to 2010, over six seasons with a loyal following and has been one of the highest average rated TV series. 

9. Wonka Industries

Revenue based on – Mars

2019 Revenue – $18,000 million

A favorite for kids while growing up, The Wonka Industries, is a fantasy in itself with its attractive confectionaries. The chocolate factory from the Charlie and the Chocolate factory universe, owned by the eccentric chocolatier Willy Wonka, is as iconic as it gets. The chocolate giant is so huge in dynamics and its iconic products like the Wonka Bar, it is difficult to compare to anything in the real world. It rightfully earned its place on our list of best fictional companies in the world, for its huge popularity across generations. 

8. Oscorp

Revenue based on –  BAE Systems

2019 Revenue – $18,305 million

The company exists in the fictional Marvel Universe, where it is a technological pioneer, delving into high-tech scientific experiments. Mainly appearing in the Spiderman series, Oscorp has its hands full into everything sciencey from robotics to gross-genetics. The company is owned by the Osbournes and has seen a fair deal of controversies thanks to its genetic experiments gone wrong. 

7. Gringotts Wizarding Bank

Revenue based on – Royal Bank of Scotland

2019 Revenue – $19,027.60 million

In the wizarding world, there are hardly any other banks (or companies for that matter) that have the sheer scale of this Goblin-run magical bank! The bank’s office is located in the Diagon Alley of London, secured with many spells and charms, it is the safest place in the wizarding world. Here’s where all the banking functions are undertaken in the wizarding world, where you can store your money and valuables (including pure gold goblets!), but other than the bank also has a money exchange facility.  If you are in need of wizarding here is where you can head to exchange your Muggle moolah. 

6. Monsters Inc.

Revenue based on – Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK)

2019 Revenue – $25,079 million

Talk about alternative energy! Monsters Inc. is a fictional company from the Pixar movie of the same name, whose business operation includes energy generation by scaring human kids. The employees in the company are monsters who take on the daunting task of scaring human children in order to generate power. Some of the top employees of this company include the big blue monster James P. “Sulley” Sullivan and his one-eyed and green, monster best friend Mike Wazowski. Monsters Inc. , was a highly acclaimed animated film released in the year of 2001. 

Please continue to see the 5 best fictional companies in the world.

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Disclosure: No positions. 15 Best Fictional Companies in the World is originally published on Insider Monkey.