• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

Jensen Huang says ‘a lot’ of six-figure jobs in plumbing and construction will soon be unlocked because someone needs to build new AI centers

2

Millennials say they’ll refuse to care for aging boomer parents—but they’ll be forced to as their inheritance shrinks to 40 cents on the dollar

3

The rise of 'conspicuous waiting': The 19th-century economic theory that explains why Gen Z posts their place in line

1

Jensen Huang says ‘a lot’ of six-figure jobs in plumbing and construction will soon be unlocked because someone needs to build new AI centers

2

Millennials say they’ll refuse to care for aging boomer parents—but they’ll be forced to as their inheritance shrinks to 40 cents on the dollar

3

The rise of 'conspicuous waiting': The 19th-century economic theory that explains why Gen Z posts their place in line

20 make-believe companies that changed the world

By
Colleen Leahey
Colleen Leahey
and
Tim K Smith
Tim K Smith
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Colleen Leahey
Colleen Leahey
and
Tim K Smith
Tim K Smith
Down Arrow Button Icon
June 11, 2014, 8:37 AM ET
Wonka
Wonka
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Some well-known companies do business strictly on the page, or on the screen.  Our favorites:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r2pt2-F2j2g


Company: 
Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory
From: Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory

The chocolate company and its mouth-watering treats sweeten children’s moods and bloat their bellies worldwide, while also saving the majority of Loompaland’s population from ruin. Take that, Arthur Slugworth.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eCJnRkyCnVw


Company:
Elias-Clarke
From: The Devil Wears Prada 

Elias-Clarke publishes the magazine that’s absolutely everything to the fashion industry. Runway dictates the season’s trends, making or breaking designers’ careers and creating millions of dollars and countless jobs—through, say, a cerulean Oscar de la Renta dress featured in 2002. The color’s popularity took off and, years later, sweaters of the same color were sold to the masses at a “tragic Casual Corner.”

 


Company:
Acme Corp.
From: Looney Tunes

This hardware/sabotage supply company purports to assist a coyote in pursuit of a road runner. Acme’s products tend to be failure prone, however. An account of these failures may found in a legal complaint, written by Ian Frazier and published in The New Yorker, titled Coyote v. Acme.

 


Company: 
Burns Industries
From: The Simpsons

Charles Montgomery Burns owns the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant, as well as over a dozen other ventures in the city. In Springfield, his wealth is unparalleled.

 


Company:
Bailey Building and Loan Association
From: It’s a Wonderful Life

The family-owned business, based in Bedford Falls, provides poorer townspeople with affordable housing in Bailey Park. When a financial mishap threatens to shut down the firm, some divine intervention keeps owner George Bailey from going off the deep end. It’s hard to deny the company’s significance when God and angel-to-be Clarence are on its side.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A52Y4IorgDU


Company:
Stark Industries
From: IronMan

After inhering the defense contractor—listed on the NYSE—from his father, CEO Tony Stark pivots its business model to build suits or armor. They are used to fight international (and extraterrestrial) terrorists.

 Runner-up: Batman’s Wayne Industries

 


Company:
Warbucks Industries
From: Annie

The billionaire founder of Warbucks Industries made his money through defense contracts. He has friends in high places—like the White House—but the world that Oliver Warbucks changes most is that of a little redheaded girl, saving her and her parentless friends from their evil orphanage warden.

 


Company: 
Spacely Sprockets
From: The Jetsons

The high-tech equipment manufacturer keeps Orbit City’s robot population up and running, though not without challenges. Competitor Cogswell Cogs, located on a nearby asteroid, constantly threatens to steal market share from Spacely Sprockets.

 


Company: 
Buy n Large
From: Wall-E

The conglomerate sells absolutely everything: Its two million wholly owned subsidiaries include “every conceivable field,” from yogurt to aerospace.  It changes the world by covering it with garbage—then ships all humans to a space station where their bone density decreases almost as quickly as their body fat increases.

 


Company:
International Secret Intelligence Service (ISIS)
From: Archer

ISIS’s relatively incompetent team of agents fights global espionage until the U.S. government disbands the agency. So, naturally, they form a drug cartel.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ymH3N-7AkEc


Company:
Umbrella Corp.
From: Resident Evil

Though it’s publicly known as a pharmaceutical company, Umbrella Corporation secretly develops bio-weapons. The T-Virus, one of its creations, kills the host and turns it into a flesh-hungry zombie. It creates a global pandemic that turns much of the world’s population into killing machines.

Runners up: Cyberdyne Systems from Terminator; LexCorp from SpiderMan

 


Company: 
Gekko & Co.
From: Wall Street

Corporate raider Gordon Gekko’s motto “Greed is good” helps him build his fortune, destroying plenty of companies in the process—until a protégé’s ethics derail Gekko’s attempts to buy a massive airline company, leading to insider trading charges and a stint in jail.

 


Company:
Gringotts Wizarding Bank
From: Harry Potter

One of the wizarding world’s safest locations, Gringotts houses many non-Muggles’ most valuable possessions. Run by goblins, the bank manages to protect its assets from Voldermort’s forces during the evil wizard’s second coming.

 


Company: 
International Genetic Technologies (InGen)
From: Jurassic Park

InGen’s research helped clone once-extinct animals—like dinosaurs. The creatures live within secure borders in Jurassic Park on Isla Nublar. When a corporate rival infiltrates the system, the security shuts down and the dinosaurs run free.

 


Company: 
Special Executive for Counter-Intelligence, Terrorism, Revenge and Extortion (SPECTRE)
From: James Bond

SPECTRE, led by supervillain Ernst Stavro Blofeld, attempts to use stolen atomic bombs and space vessels to blackmail governments. It has not yet gotten the better of Royal Navy Commander James Bond, CMG, RNVR.

 


Company:
Virtucon
From: Austin Powers

Founded by villainous Dr. Evil, Virtucon focuses on world domination.  Dr. Evil gives little thought to financials, preferring   initiatives like creating sharks with laser beams on their heads and turning the moon into a death star.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5dzj4tMKsOM


Company: 
Weyland-Yutani
From: Alien

The space technology company specializes in “Building Better Worlds,” often at the expense of human lives. It orders its employees to attempt to obtain living examples of the deadly Xenomorph species—extraterrestrial creatures that need hosts to survive. Warrant Officer Ellen Ripley, aboard the USCSS Nostromo, finds one.

 


Company:
Oceanic Airlines
From: Flipper, Executive Decision, Daredevil, Lost, and more

Perhaps the world’s worst airline, Oceanic has been crashing planes since 1965 (Flipper’s season 2). Many of its passengers have died or found themselves stranded on a deserted island.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kZKZxpwBPG0


Company:
Monsters, Inc.
From: Monsters, Inc.

Historically, the company derived its energy from scaring small children. But a young girl helps two employees realize that laughter is a more powerful source and Monsters, Inc., changes its business strategy.

 


Company: 
The Resources Development Association (RDA)
From: Avatar

The largest non-governmental agency in space monopolizes import and export rights at Pandora, a moon with abundant woodlands  populated by the humanoid Na’vi. RDA’s plans to mine the planet for unobtanium threatens to harm that world’s environment and leads to a war with the globe’s natives.

About the Authors
By Colleen Leahey
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
By Tim K Smith
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Latest in

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • TikTok icon
  • YouTube icon

Latest in

Spain puts up a 1,600-foot sea barrier between Ceuta and Morocco after EU states warn against ‘uncontrolled mass crossings’
PoliticsImmigration
Spain puts up a 1,600-foot sea barrier between Ceuta and Morocco after EU states warn against ‘uncontrolled mass crossings’
By Suman Naishadham and The Associated PressAugust 1, 2026
3 hours ago
Trump vows to restore his ‘Anti-Weaponization Fund’ a day after declaring it dead, while Tillis slams it as a ‘payout pot for punks’
PoliticsDepartment of Justice
Trump vows to restore his ‘Anti-Weaponization Fund’ a day after declaring it dead, while Tillis slams it as a ‘payout pot for punks’
By Eric Tucker and The Associated PressAugust 1, 2026
3 hours ago
Welcome to the mega-war: Mideast and European conflicts merge, sucking in more countries along the way—even ones claiming neutrality
Middle EastIran
Welcome to the mega-war: Mideast and European conflicts merge, sucking in more countries along the way—even ones claiming neutrality
By Jason MaAugust 1, 2026
4 hours ago
Elon Musk’s fortune slumps to pre-SpaceX IPO levels after rout
Big TechWealth
Elon Musk’s fortune slumps to pre-SpaceX IPO levels after rout
By Tom Maloney and BloombergAugust 1, 2026
6 hours ago
Exxon, Chevron warn fuel prices to endure as war knocks refining
Energyfuel
Exxon, Chevron warn fuel prices to endure as war knocks refining
By Kevin Crowley and BloombergAugust 1, 2026
6 hours ago
Bessent joins Japan to help reverse months of yen losses
EconomyCurrency
Bessent joins Japan to help reverse months of yen losses
By Shintaro Inkyo, Masahiro Hidaka and BloombergAugust 1, 2026
6 hours ago

Most Popular

Jensen Huang says ‘a lot’ of six-figure jobs in plumbing and construction will soon be unlocked because someone needs to build new AI centers
Success
Jensen Huang says ‘a lot’ of six-figure jobs in plumbing and construction will soon be unlocked because someone needs to build new AI centers
By Preston ForeAugust 1, 2026
8 hours ago
Millennials say they’ll refuse to care for aging boomer parents—but they’ll be forced to as their inheritance shrinks to 40 cents on the dollar
Personal Finance
Millennials say they’ll refuse to care for aging boomer parents—but they’ll be forced to as their inheritance shrinks to 40 cents on the dollar
By Nick LichtenbergJuly 31, 2026
2 days ago
The rise of 'conspicuous waiting': The 19th-century economic theory that explains why Gen Z posts their place in line
Retail
The rise of 'conspicuous waiting': The 19th-century economic theory that explains why Gen Z posts their place in line
By Tatiana SatauaJuly 31, 2026
2 days ago
'Retiring backwards': How cold economic reality forced Gen X into something like the reverse of baby boomers' golden years
Success
'Retiring backwards': How cold economic reality forced Gen X into something like the reverse of baby boomers' golden years
By Nick LichtenbergJuly 31, 2026
1 day ago
Jensen Huang says this is the greatest time in history to start a business—and his advice is to stop overthinking it: 'How hard can it be?’
Success
Jensen Huang says this is the greatest time in history to start a business—and his advice is to stop overthinking it: 'How hard can it be?’
By Preston ForeJuly 31, 2026
1 day ago
Polar bears roll in beds of ice cubes at Prague Zoo as Europe battles record heat
Environment
Polar bears roll in beds of ice cubes at Prague Zoo as Europe battles record heat
By The Associated PressJuly 30, 2026
2 days ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.