The 25 most memorable fictional companies, firms or stores

In Last Man Standing, Mike Baxter (Tim Allen) runs Outdoor Man — a television version of those over-the-top outdoor stores like Cabela's or Bass Pro Shops. The fictional Outdoor Man seems like it's a lot more entertaining. Executive and marketing guru Mike is witty but demanding. Owner Ed Alzate (Hector Elizondo) is smarter than he comes off, while lovable doofus Kyle (Christoph Sanders), security guy Chuck (Jonathan Adams), and mechanic Joe (Jay Leno) provide consistent comic relief.

Empire Records (1995) was far from a great movie. However, the indie record shop seemed like a pretty cool place to work. Joe (Anthony LaPaglia) was a good guy to work for, though his stress level was high. Perhaps it's because of his attractive but somewhat dysfunctional employees. There was a family vibe going on at Empire Records. In a roundabout way, the workers cared about each other while listening to some mediocre 1990s pop alternative.

Seinfeld showcased some memorable and highly dysfunctional companies during its legendary run. One of the more respectable places of employment was Pendant Publishing. Elaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) was a copy editor under Mr. Lippman (Richard Fancy) but missed a major chance for advancement when she didn't tell him about Kramer's coffee table book. George (Jason Alexander) briefly worked for the company before he was fired for sleeping with a cleaning crew member. The company eventually folded following the failed merger with Matsushimi.

One of the major projects that employees of The Very Big Corporation of America worked on was to find the meaning of life, which happened to be the title of the hilarious 1983 movie from famed British comedy geniuses. In addition to trying to find the meaning of life, the corporation owned numerous businesses such as Liver Donors Inc., Super Big Ltd., and Mirage Land Co.

The famed Cincinnati radio station was not all that successful, but it sure made those of a certain age in the 1970s and '80s laugh regularly. Rock jocks Dr. Johnny Fever (Howard Hesseman) and Venus Flytrap (Tim Reid) were a couple of cool customers, and Jennifer Marlowe (Loni Anderson) capably handled the reception desk. Les Nessman (Richard Sanders) was a quality newsman, while general manager Arthur Carlson (Gordon Jump) was not very good at his job. Just harken back to the station's failed Thanksgiving turkey giveaway event.

Spanning the worlds of Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul, there might not be a finer fictional fried chicken joint in television history. Of course, it's also a false front for Gus Fring's meth manufacturing and distribution business. As fans of both shows know, it's quite successful for Gus (Giancarlo Esposito). Like other food and drinking establishments on this list, real-life versions of Los Pollos Hermanos have surfaced in real life, in pop-up form.

Vandelay Industries did not actually exist in the world of Seinfeld. It only existed inside George's mind. To prove he was looking for work while trying to get an extension on his unemployment benefits, George claimed to have an interview with Vandelay for a latex salesman position. Jerry (Jerry Seinfeld) played along with the ruse, answering the phone as employee Kel Versen at one point. Ultimately, Kramer unintentionally thwarted the plan, leaving George on the floor of Jerry's apartment with his pants down.

The 1973 cult film Soylent Green was set in 2022, with a food shortage due to overpopulation. Soylent Industries was trying to do its part to help through its artificially produced wafers "Soylent Red," "Soylent Yellow," and the new and tasty "Soylent Green," which was said to be made of plankton. However, NYPD detective Frank Thorn (Charleston Heston) knew the truth: "Soylent Green is people."

The prominent New York City ad agency located on Madison Avenue had been a force in the business since the early 1920s. Don Draper (Jon Hamm) eventually became a partner at the agency despite his hard living. That said, his overall ruthlessness had something to do with his advancement in the company. It was quite the place to work back in the day, and the drama was aplenty. 

We'll highlight the beloved record store from the 2000 film High Fidelity starring John Cusack as Rob Gordon, the underachieving and struggling owner of the Chicago store. Unlucky in love and broke, Rob is often miserable. Working at Championship alongside Rob and the "musical moron twins," Barry (Jack Black) and Dıck (Louiso), would be quite entertaining — spending the days indulging in top-5 lists and looking down on those considered pop-culturally challenged. 

In the 1980s and '90s, Cyberdyne employees probably thought their work was innovative and groundbreaking. They didn't realize that it would ultimately destroy the planet in the Terminator film franchise. This is the tech company that created Skynet. This artificial superintelligence system took on a mind of its own and ultimately fought back through a nuclear assault against the humans trying to deactivate its madness. Employee Miles Dyson (portrayed by Joe Morton, Phil Morris, and Courtney B. Vance throughout the franchise) invented the microprocessor that led to Skynet.

Making "Fine Wands since 382 BC," Ollivanders was one-stop shopping for wizards' and witches' wand needs within the Harry Potter universe. John Hurt played the wise, white-haired Ollivander. He made the wands by hand and could tell the story of each one. Ollivander stands out in the realm of fantasy fiction when it's important to support small and local businesses.

If we follow the storyline of the Jurassic Park novel and film, InGen, fictionally based in Palo Alto, Calif., was responsible for cloning dinosaurs by extracting the blood of mosquitoes trapped in the fossilized form dating to the Mesozoic era. That astonishing breakthrough and development caused a world of hurt, starting with the dinosaur theme park on Isla Nublar and elsewhere throughout the Jurassic Park franchise of films. Hopefully, the company had a good benefits package.

It's a good thing the Bluth Company was not a real-world entity because the family-run group, which manufactured smaller versions of mansions, was a disaster — a comical disaster. This is why Arrested Development was such a beloved show. After all, George Bluth Sr. (Jeffrey Tambor) was jailed for fraud and spending company money on his lavish lifestyle. Eventually, his competent and sane son Michael (Jason Bateman) took over the company but had to deal with a dysfunctional family. Let's not forget the Bluths also owned the popular Bluth's Original Frozen Banana Stand.

Duff Beer is the preferred beverage of Homer Simpson. It goes well with Homer's favorite sweet: doughnuts. Duff started as fictional beer on The Simpsons, but its recognizable label has been slapped on real-life beer bottles and cans without the proper authorization, which has led to numerous legal battles. We hear the Duff Brewery tour is quite good.  

The most famous fictional coffee house in television history. The Friends hangout was so popular that real-life pop-up versions have opened over the years. Central Perk was a cozy place where Rachel (Jennifer Aniston) and Joey (Matt LeBlanc) briefly worked, and the whole group spent a lot of time. It offered the live musical stylings of one Phoebe Buffay (Lisa Kudrow) and the sarcastically warm reception from barista Gunther (James Michael Tyler) behind the counter.

The place "where everybody knows your name." In the wake of Cheers' success as a sitcom came versions of the bar in the city of Boston, where it was born from the TV exterior of the Bull & Finch Pub on Beacon Street. While the bar was physically warm and picturesque, Cheers' charm was all about the people. It was quite the cast of characters: owner Sam Malone (Ted Danson), lovable bartenders Coach (Nicholas Colasanto) and Woody (Woody Harrelson), wise-cracking waitress Carla (Rhea Perlman), and legendary patrons Norm (George Wendt), Cliff (John Ratzenberger), and Frasier (Kelsey Grammer).

When supposed paranormal activity was rampant in New York City during the 1980s, somebody needed to take care of the problem. Enter Ghostbusters, a paranormal investigation and elimination service run by scientists Peter Venkman (Bill Murray), Ray Stantz (Dan Aykroyd), and Egon Spengler (Harold Ramis). And man, they got the job done well enough to earn a sequel film, hit song, and a 2016 reboot.

Yes, the daily, monotonous grind of working at this Office Space software company seemed downright miserable. Working for somebody like Bill Lumbergh (Gary Cole) looked seriously painful, especially if your TPS Reports weren't turned in on time. Then again, there are plenty of down-to-earth characters like Peter Gibbons (Ron Livingston), Michael Bolton (David Herman), and Samir Nagheenanajar (Ajay Naidu) to grab a beer with or enjoy an early lunch at a nearby Applebee's ripoff.

Based in Gotham City, owned by Bruce Wayne (a.k.a. Batman), and headquartered out of the luxurious Wayne Tower. It's a multinational conglomerate that includes Wayne Technologies, Wayne Aerospace, Wayne Foods, and Wayne Electronics. Then, there is the Wayne Foundation, the philanthropic venture housed in the Wayne Foundation Building, which features an elevator leading down to the Batcave.

It was Tony Stark's business (started by Isaac Stark Sr. and later run by his father, Howard) and the birthplace of Iron Man. Within the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Stark Industries deals in defense and manufacturing weapons — often for the military and the Avengers. Pepper Potts (most notably Gwyneth Paltrow) was CEO; in many ways, she was the woman behind the man who was able to keep Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.), within the MCU films, in check.

Home of Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory, there might not have been a better fictional place to work in all of the cinema — as long as the employees had the willpower to perform a day's work without fattening up on all those delectable sweets. Willy (we're talking Gene Wilder from the 1971 classic) ran a tight ship and made sure all his workers were dedicated and devoted to doing the job on hand: making the greatest candy in all the world. 

Only the scariest monsters are fit to succeed at Monsters, Inc. The famed Monstropolis factory where employees, known as "scarers," go into the homes of human children to scare them and harvest screams to power the monsters' community. Among the best "scarers" are Sulley (John Goodman), Mike Wazowski (Billy Crystal), and the rather nasty Randall (Steve Buscemi). Traditionally, graduates of Monsters University earn employment at Monsters, Inc.

While the fictional paper and office-supply company is headquartered in New York City, fans of The Office know the branch to work at is in Scranton, Pennsylvania — especially if one kisses up to incompetent boss Michael Scott (Steve Carell). The cast of characters at the Scranton office is legendary. From the down-to-earth, witty Jim (John Krasinski) to brownnose Dwight (Rainn Wilson) and everybody in between, it's a wonder any work gets done. 

Looking to comedically blow something up in an animated venue? ACME is the place to go for all your harmless, cartoon explosive needs. Prominently featured in the Road Runner and Wile E. Coyote cartoons, as well as some Tiny Toons and Animaniacs adventure shorts. The different devices and gadgets meant to thwart those cartoon antagonists were priceless and excellent product placement.