El Kadsreians Love Dunkin' Donuts

Also known as "Big in Japan". A version of the Ensemble Dark Horse, where interest in a character (or an entire work) is sparked by an audience well-divorced from the production source, particularly if the show is released in other countries. Places with different cultural baggage often hook onto different characters, whether or not these are the ones pushed by the story. This is even more of a gamble when one character's personality and motivations have a direct tie to the culture of origin.

In addition, what may be considered a bog-standard genre piece in the home country may be considered new and exciting in a country that hasn't been exposed to the particular genre yet.

Since many companies get paid by foreign distributors simply for the right to air, how shows do overseas is not always of direct concern to the original producers. Other times, these characters are not tightly connected to a single story and are more an owned property, and may get their own storylines released more or less exclusively in certain countries.

The trope is named for Norm Macdonald's punchline during his "Weekend Update" sketches on Saturday Night Live, which he'd go out of his way to include. David Hasselhoff, the Baywatch actor/producer, who was popular in Germany for his work as a singer in the late 1980s/early 1990s, particularly for being in the right place at the right time doing the right thing, which was being in Berlin at the fall of the wall promoting his new album via a concert tour, which included a popular song he had changed to be about peace and togetherness; he has had seven albums go platinum there. (His popularity has since waned, however, though Dirk Nowitzki, flag-bearer for Germany in the 2008 Summer Olympics and NBA star, claims he hums Hasselhoff songs at the free throw line)

Another variant of this trope is the joke that something is "big in Japan."

The opposite of Americans Hate Tingle (where something that's popular in its home market becomes loathed abroad, usually by getting a particularly vehement and widespread Hatedom in one specific country) and at once the Super Trope and the inversion of Never Accepted in His Hometown (where something is popular in any place other than its original country/city).

It's also not uncommon that an over-looked product or person becomes popular in a foreign country for monetary reasons: Broadcasting a show or song that was not popular in its country of origin is usually cheaper, so channels are prone to re-run these cheap products. If this is the case, then it over-laps with Vindicated by Reruns.

Superlative Dubbing, Woolseyism, Cultural Translation and Redubbing are not uncommon causes of this, where the translated version is actually better than the original.

See also Periphery Demographic, Japandering and Cultural Cringe. Alien Arts Are Appreciated is the Speculative Fiction version. Mexicans Love Speedy Gonzales is this trope crossed over with Actually Pretty Funny.

Contrast with Americans Hate Tingle and Banned in China.

Anime & Manga

 * Sherlock Hound was very popular in El Kadsre, likely due to the catchy theme song and art style. It's still rerun to this day. This is to the point where "Mr. Lestrade" is slang in parts of the country for police officers. Several people were very disappointed when the restored version's initial airings used the instrumental versions of the Japanese opening and ending themes instead of the well-known Complotto theme, so El TV Kadsre fixed it themselves by syncing the audio from their older videotape and film masters to the restored video (and slightly speeding up portions to match the audio).
 * For some reason, RWBY is very popular and has a big fanbase in El Kadsre and Hokushi.
 * Love Live!, Show by Rock!!, Pop Team Epic, Charlotte, Himouto! Umaru-Chan, No Game No Life and Sword Art Online are also popular in Alexonia, El Kadsre and Hokushi.
 * Pop Team Epic, Himouto! Umaru-Chan, Love Live! and Show by Rock!! are also very popular in Nishiyama.
 * Boku No Hero Academia in Nishiyama is an enormous offender in this case. The anime, for some reason, is so popular in the country, it cannot be described. Merchandise for it sells out faster than you could say "Cucumber".
 * Gone Horribly Wrong: In one rather uncomforting instance, two female fans of the character Katsuki Bakugo were suspected to be stalking his Japanese voice actor, Nobuhiko Okamoto. In another instance, a male fan of the character Mina Ashido was convicted of robbing a bank, and his excuse was that he "did it for Ashido-sama". This became a meme among Nishiyamese citizens. In a seperate instance, a teenager named Konata Shimoda has become a meme among Nishiyamese citizens due to her devotion to the character Shouto Todoroki.
 * Boku No Hero Academia is also wildly popular in El Kadsre, but it isn't as intense as Nishiyama.
 * Around the World with Willy Fog is wildly popular in Pansaura to the point where SpongeBob SquarePants looked obscure at one point, with merchandise sold all over the place. This is partly due to the excellent dubbing or the fact that it introduced classic literature to a new audience of children. In fact, when Willy Fog: The Musical toured the country in 2010, several venues sold out.
 * Sailor Moon has gained a reputation in Kuboia thanks to the constant airings of the infamous DiC dub as part of the AniDaze slot of Nick Go! making many people view it as an unintentional comedy. Several Kuboian Moonies were disappointed when recent reruns used the Viz dub instead.
 * Puella Magi Madoka Magica. Good lord, the magical girls are all extremely popular in El Kadsre, Nishiyama and Helvmark.
 * Tama & Friends is popular in Kuboia thanks to constant airings of the 4Kids dub on Nick Jr. Kuboia plus the once-in-a-while airings as part of the AniDaze slot of Nick Go!
 * The PaRappa the Rapper anime adaption is so popular in El Kadsre and Nishiyama that it's considered a cult classic in the latter country.

Music
Note that Nishiyama is listed a lot on this list. The average music diet of a Nishiyamese person tends to consist of 1970's and 80's FM rock groups, alternative rock acts, girl groups, and American pop music.
 * Electric Light Orchestra in Nishiyama. Where do we start...
 * This got to the point where their 1977 album Out of the Blue topped the music charts in Nishiyama, and it remained there for 8 weeks. 4 decades later in 2011, their compilation The Essential Electric Light Orchestra would end up topping the charts for a whole month. "Mr. Blue Sky" was at one point the most requested song on FM radio stations in the country. Tickets for shows in the country would sell out faster than you could say "Jeff Lynne". Words can not describe how popular they are.
 * Gone Horribly Wrong: Their popularity caught the attention of the Nishiyamese government. At a January 1982 show at the Koda Amphitheater, ELO got the fans so excited that they started a riot, and tried to get to the members. Some fans would try to clip off locks of Jeff Lynne's afro. Some fans wanted a piece of drummer Bev Bevan's tank top. Some fans would end up damaging their equipment. Their manager, Don Arden, insisted the band get into their limo ASAP. This incident made the Nishiyamese government very unhappy, and they banned the group from performing in the country until around 1995, to prevent further incidents. (By that time, the band had already broken up.)
 * Even still, the band's shows in Nishiyama sell out even today. Alone in the Universe was number one for 17 weeks in 2015 and half of 2016. There was nearly a shortage of CD's and vinyl in the country due to this.
 * ELO are also popular in El Kadsre, but not as extreme as in Nishiyama.
 * are easily the most beloved band in Puerto Chango, and Computer World topped the charts when it was first released, staying at number one for 5 weeks. During the Caspovian Civil War, Puerto Changuese soldiers called ceasefires just so they could purchase copies of The Mix, the band's then-latest album.
 * British band Gorillaz are very popular in El Kadsre, Helvmark and Nishiyama, and are easily one of the most beloved bands in the latter country, where the band has an enormous cult fanbase. Their songs "Feel Good Inc.", "Clint Eastwood", "Tomorrow Comes Today", "19-2000", "DARE" and "Humility" have topped the El Kadsreian, Helvish and Nishiyamese music charts for anywhere from 6 weeks to a whopping 10 weeks, except in the case of "DARE", which topped the Nishiyamese charts for nearly 5 months.
 * Gone Horribly Wrong: The band is so popular in Nishiyama that in 2003, tickets to their first show in the country have sold out in no less than 5 minutes. Another concert there in 2005 was nearly postponed in fear of a stampede or a riot occurring. At yet another concert in the country in 2009, the fans were so excited to see their favorite band perform that they started a full-fledged riot. Some fans would end up damaging their equipment, effectively cancelling the concert.
 * To this day, despite this incident, Gorillaz concert tickets in Nishiyama sell out faster than you can say "Sunshine in a bag".
 * Rinava have a cult following in the, where they were a one-hit wonder (well, technically, they are basically a four-hit wonder in the States). They're also known there for their soundtracks to the Bionicle films.
 * were so popular in El Kadsre that a scheduled concert by the band was nearly canceled for fear of a human crush occurring. It was only by way of urging the crowd to calm down that the whole show wasn't canceled.
 * is very popular in Kuboia. Almost every song on his and  album charted on the Karuboia Rap Chart. In fact, tickets for his concerts in the country sell out faster than you can say "Key to Success".
 * "Brown Paper Bag" in particular topped both the rap chart and the Nick Go Top 40 for multiple weeks.
 * was surprisingly popular in Kuboia in the 2000's.
 * Hoganon Light Pop Class were popular in Barokia, and as a result are what comes to mind when someone talks about eurodance there.
 * Swiss electronic music duo are so popular in Jetania that when they performed a show there in 2016, tickets sold out within 5 minutes.
 * The Finnish kids' band are popular in El Kadsre for their general weirdness, among both kids and adults alike. Some Finnish-El Kadsreians used the band's music to help teach their children their family's native tongue, and "Sutsisatsi" was basically an anthem for high school students of all people in the early 2000's. This is to the point where they sold out the El Kadsre Entertainment Center on their first visit to the country as part of a Finnish-El Kadsreian festival in 2005, and sold out the same arena again in 2017.
 * The ended up being popular in El Kadsre due to their gimmick of being comprised of notable authors. They ended up getting to perform a few dubbed theme songs for Power Network's English dubs of anime and Chinese cartoons as a result.
 * The New Zealander rock band Six60 is somehow very popular in El Kadsre. This was number 1st popular charts in the 2010's.
 * American rock band Styx is rather popular in El Kadsre.
 * This was likely due to the fact that they did the soundtrack for the 1981 cult-classic anime film Padlocked Within A Dream. (Styx did the songs in the film, but the orchestral score was composed by Ryota Yamada) While Padlocked Within A Dream received rather mixed reviews upon it's release, the soundtrack was critically acclaimed and will long be remembered.
 * British trio Years & Years were popular in El Kadsre.
 * ABBA was so popular in Helvmark.
 * Christian metal band were popular in El Kadsre during the Vlokozu Union era, and still have a following there to this day. This is the point where the ambulance from the cover of Soldiers Under Command is on display in the Romrac Auto World museum in Romrac.
 * UK rapper has had a total of five number one hits in Kuboia.
 * South Korean boy group BTS were popular in Alexonia, El Kadsre, Hokushi, Mahri, North El Kadsre, Sentan and Vicnora.
 * South Korean girl group Twice were popular in Alexonia, El Kadsre, Hokushi, Mahri, North El Kadsre, Sentan and Vicnora.
 * American singer Ariana Grande was popular in Alexonia, El Kadsre and Jetania.
 * Vlokoziuan-American band the Given Takers are popular in parts of central Europe.
 * J-pop female duo Wink are popular in El Kadsre and Sentan.
 * J-pop and K-pop are very popular in Alexonia, El Kadsre and Mahri.
 * Britpop bands are amazing popular in El Kadsre and Helvmark.
 * New Zealander-El Kadsreian singer Jedidiah Cudby have popular in Japan and Spain.
 * South Korean girl groups fromis_9, AOA and BLACKPINK are all very popular in El Kadsre and Nishiyama.
 * Kylie Minogue is very popular in El Kadsre and Helvmark.
 * South Korean girl group Gugudan is ridiculously popular in Nishiyama.
 * Japanese girl group Morning Musume has a large cult fanbase in Nishiyama.
 * American singer Ariana Grande has had a total of 5 number one hits in Nishiyama.

Film

 * Lady and the Tramp is a cult classic in Barokia, however minor villains Si and Am are the most popular Disney characters in the country to the point where Mickey Mouse looks obscure. This may have had something to do with Thai expats there adopting them as a symbol of their home nation (they're Siamese cats for god's sake), despite the fact that they're viewed elsewhere as racist stereotypes. According to Word of God, Si and Am were added into Lady and the Tramp II: Scamp's Adventure just to make their Barokian fans happy.
 * The Aristocats is also popular in Barokia, to the point where Marie got her own cartoon series made as one of the few original productions of the local version of the Disney Channel. And that cartoon series turned out to be a success in not just Barokia, but also, where Marie is very popular.
 * Mac and Me is considered one of the worst movies ever made by a lot of people, however the film was a box office success the Vlokozu Union, probably due to the fact that modern-day residents of the United El Kadsreian Nations don't necessarily give a s*** about the health issues that come with "junk food" and "sugary drinks", and because E.T. is kinda obscure in modern-day El Kadsre. Even Angélique Vlokozu, the adopted daughter of Vlokouzuian leader Michael Vlokozu and the sister of David Vlokozu, is a fan, as she wore a T-shirt with the film's logo on it to a meeting of Parliament regarding the military. The film actually got re-released a couple times in El Kadsre to great success, and the El TV Kadsre Home Entertainment releases have money donated to  like how the film's proceeds went to.
 * Mac and Me is also a cult classic in Nishiyama.
 * Santa's Christmas Elf (Named Calvin), like Ms. Velma's Christmas in America, is another Christmas tradition of El TV Kadsre 1 that was brought to bigger attention outside El Kadsre by . El Kadsreians were saying "Pick a f***ing color!" as Dorothy Brown Green's narration credit came up, were questioning why Santa needed a U.S. visa, and were mocking the never ending still shots that the film is comprised of, long before the Snob riffed the film, and doing it all while having a good time watching it.
 * The Christmas Tree, despite its terrible quality, is a well-loved Christmas film in Nishiyama and is enjoyed by families all over the country during Christmas time.
 * The Magic Christmas Tree, like Calvin and Ms. Velma, is another example of a Snob-riffed film that's a Christmas tradition for El TV Kadsre 1. Hell, El TV Kadsre Television Network managed to produce foreign dubs for the film.
 * Technic Heroes is very popular in Australia and because of this, some of its films and shows were filmed in that country. For example, two of nine Bionicle movies, Bionicle VI: Island of Doom and Bionicle IX: The Legend Reborn were filmed in Australia.
 * Breakin '  and it's sequel Breakin ' 2: Electric Boogaloo are very popular in El Kadsre among the Breaker subculture (basically Raggare WITH BREAKDANCING INFLUENCE AND 1980'S CARS! ).
 * Both Breakin' and its sequel are cult classics in Nishiyama.

Literature

 * Stellaluna was very popular in El Kadsre when it was first released. Hell, the direct-to-video movie adaptation was released in theaters there and saw a lot more success there then in the States where it was torn apart by fans for being untrue to the original book. El TV Kadsre Animation, like with Sagwa, produced the animated series.
 * Due to the popularity of the show, Sagwa, the Chinese Siamese Cat actually outsold fellow book The Joy Luck Club in El Kadsre.

Video Games

 * Pop'n Music, Taiko no Tatsujin, PaRappa the Rapper, BanG Dream!, Doki Doki Literature Club and Puyo Puyo was very popularity in Alexonia, El Kadsre and Hokushi.
 * Baldi's Basics is a popular in Barokia, El Kadsre and Helvmark.
 * Doki Doki Literature Club is popular among Nishiyamese teenagers, as are Puyo Puyo and Overwatch.
 * BanG Dream! and PaRappa the Rapper are ridiculously popular in Nishiyama. Heck, there's even a big statue of PaRappa himself in the center of the Nishiyama Video Game Museum!
 * Fortnite is a popular video game in El Kadsre.

Live-Action TV

 * Barokian dramas are popular in the rest of . In fact, at one point during the ongoing Drug War in, cartels and soldiers would stop fighting to watch dramas such as Paghad Vammah Bismillaha (dubbed as Yo y mis dos amigos).
 * Ask any El Kadsreian who was a kid in the mid-to-late-1980s what his favorite non-animated TV program was; he/she will probably answer Street Hawk.
 * Most people know of Ms. Velma's Christmas in America through the review by, but in El Kadsre (where it's known by the title the Snob gave it, Ms. Velma's Most Incredibly Magnificent Christmas Week), it almost repeated every Christmas on El TV Kadsre 1 and quotes are repeated a lot for laughs, especially "I am the Bull. Moooouuuuuahhhghhhhaaaaa..." and "Here are the Ms. Velma Youth Singers", all of this in spite of the fact it was made by a very screwed up cult of a church. Oh, and every time a Stylophone is brought up, expect someone to quote the announcer stating Ms. Velma will shoot live ammunition on the stage and then play "the hand organ". And when someone is reciting the U.S. states, expect them to interrupt it with "This is Christmas in America" at least one point.
 * Roseanne was popular in Fuei in the 1990's, thanks due to it's rather hammy dubbing that turned it into a unintentional spoof of sitcoms. In fact, it's still being aired despite the whole racist tweet controversy that the revival canned after a short while, likely because of Fueians not necessarily giving a s*** about it.
 * Drake and Josh is popular among Nishiyamese children between the ages of 8-15.
 * Kamen Rider, a Japanese tokusatsu series is ridlculously popular in Alexonia, El Kadsre and Mahri.
 * Some two-season wonders didn't do well in North America, but it ended up being cult classics in El Kadsre. Examples included Movin' On and The Single Guy.

Networks

 * ETVKK recently got popular in the Scandinavia region when a version for that area got launched in 2017.
 * Even though it only ever officially broadcasted in Kuboia, the Nickelodeon spin-off channel Nick Go! and its unofficial culture was recognised throughout the world, and was praised for its unique lineup. It was fairly normal for foreigners to use tools so they could watch the channel in their hometown.
 * Despite El Kadsre isn't a New Zealander territory and because of a huge amount of Kiwis living in the country, Television New Zealand and Mediaworks is gaining attraction in the county and it can be found in cable and provide television services in El Kadsre. TVNZ 1, TVNZ 2, TVNZ Duke and Three are carried on some providers.

Theater

 * Cats is well-loved in Vicnora, probably because of the fact that the country's national animal is a cat (a black cat, to be exact). They even built a theater especially for the musical in Roho, with an arena-style floor and seating arrangement and "shacks" where the Jellicles live planted in parts of the audience area.
 * The Interniot burlesque-drama mashup play Ten in the Bed is popular in parts of Barokia.

Sports

 * (and the monster truck sport in general) is popular in Puerto Chango, to the point where a 2003 event in Figgelmünch was nearly cancelled in fear of a stampede occurring. It was only by way of Grave Digger's Charlie Pauken urging the fans standing outside the arena to calm down that the event was saved.
 * Monster trucks are also a thing in El Kadsre. Snake-Bite is the most popular non-Monster Jam truck in the country, to the point where at a 1992 USHRA event in Cliffstown, the audience refused to boo the truck when the announcer told them to, leading to him dropping the f-bomb. Twice. "1-2-ahhh f**k it!" has become a meme among El Kadsreian monster truck fans.
 * The WWE is very popular in El Kadsre, Internet and Barokia.
 * The are considerably popular in El Kadsre, thanks to its big Kiwi population.
 * Baseball is the most popular sport in Nishiyama.
 * Rugby and baseball are the most popular sports in El Kadsre.

Western Animation

 * Sagwa, the Chinese Siamese Cat and the country of El Kadsre. Good lord. The show is still aired in The New 10's years after it ended; and merchandise still exists for the show, including boatloads of exclusive merchandise and promotions in kids meals from McDonald's and the already-popular Dunkin' Donuts. recorded an album in character (Ni Hao, I'm Sagwa!) just for the El Kadsreian fans and the obscure Christmas album for the show (Sagwa and Friends Sing Christmas) topped the charts for about 7 weeks around Christmas in 2003. In fact, when a character in Solo: A Star Wars Story was given the titular character's name, flame wars ensued from El Kadsreian netizens who called for Sesame Workshop to sue Disney. Hell, there's a statue of the titular cat outside the Chinese cultural center in El Kadsre City. Also, the sequel series Sagwa on the Go! was made by El TV Kadsre Animation because of this. It's also well loved in Barokia, where it got even more merchandise including, but not limited to: some imports of the El Kadsreian merchandise, religious clothing (yes, even hijabs) with the cats from the show on them, and a whole themed area at the Toon City amusement park.
 * Whilst Sagwa's the most popular character in the States, Sheegwa and Nai-Nai are the most popular characters in El Kadsre.
 * A lot of the show's popularity in El Kadsre and Barokia can be attributed to the good voice acting and awesome storylines in the former nation and the awesome dubbing in the latter nation.
 * Blue's Clues is fondly remembered in El Kadsre, and recently Banushen Television, who aired the series on free TV for ages, put it back on the schedule.
 * Pelswick is fondly remembered in El Kadsre as well, to the point where lines such as "If you talk like that, they're gonna need subtitles!" are still regularly quoted.
 * Danny Phantom is popular in Fuei, YinYangia, and Barokia.
 * Arthur is very popular in Fuei, where it's known as Artur, but more commonly as Sögurnar avf Artur (the name the Arthur Adventure books went under in the country). The show still airs to this day and Fuei 5 got high ratings for several episodes. Heck, the show got boatloads of exclusive merchandise there and inspired a Da Suisa-style webshow called Arrturo.
 * The Loud House is getting very popular in El Kadsre.
 * Timothy Goes to School was very popular in El Kadsre, and reruns still air to this day.
 * Blanche has became a cult hit in Kuboia and has been constantly tossed between channels in the country since its premiere in 2006. It aired on Jump! from 2006 to 2007, Venture! from 2008 to 2011, Playhouse Disney from 2010 to 2013, and Kantasia since 2018.
 * Subverted in The Incredible World of Riddles '  case, as Americans seem to hate the show.
 * Danky Dawg and the Dabimals is considered a cult classic in Barokia.
 * Chuck's Choice is so popular in El Kadsre that a girl group was based off the show, called The Triplets.
 * bro'Town is popular in El Kadsre and Vicnora.
 * Braceface is a cult classic in Pansaura, thanks to it's over-the-top dubbing that turned it into an unintentional satire of North American activism, especially animal rights activists.
 * The Simpsons is more popular in El Kadsre. The fact that currently airings of El TV Kadsre 3.
 * UniKitty! is a very popular show in Nishiyama. It has a loyal cult fanbase and it has risen to unexpected levels of popularity since the day it began airing in the country. It is also popular in El Kadsre.
 * OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes is also very popular in Nishiyama, to the point where lines such as "Are we having dessert?" are regularly quoted.
 * Ask any Nishiyamese adult between the ages of 19-32 what their favorite TV program is; and they'll probably say F is for Family or The Big Bang Theory.
 * South Park, Stranger Things and The Big Bang Theory are popular among El Kadsreian adults.

Real Life

 * The Trope Namer is Dunkin' Donuts, which despite being founded in the United States (Quincy, Massachusetts to be exact), has grown to be easily the most well known fast-food chain in El Kadsre after entering the El Kadsreian market in 1974. Locations are everywhere and their popularity in the country is to the point where McDonald's looks like a dying video store chain. It's tied with Sminster as the biggest fast food chain in the country (Burger King is in second whilst Mr. Cook is in third and the aforementioned McDonald's in fourth).
 * The snack pudding Milky is popular in El Kadsre, Nishiyama and Barokia, especially in the latter.
 * Green tea is the most popular ice cream flavor in Nishiyama, possibly due to 85% of the population enjoying the green tea beverage.
 * Dango is popular in Nishiyama, especially among children and teenagers.
 * Pocky is popular in Alexonia and El Kadsre, especially among teenagers.
 * The Austrian energy drink Red Bull is very popular in El Kadsre and Mahri and it is the second-biggest selling energy drink in El Kadsre (Technic has been in first for decades while is in third and  in fourth). The original Thai version,, is gaining traction in El Kadsre and it can be found in import shops and at some 7-Elevens as of now.
 * chocolates are popular for whatever reason in El Kadsre.
 * , a small city in in the  state of, is very popular as a place for El Kadsreians to live as expats or move to. Hell, El Kadsreian Melody and El TV Kadsre Television Network have their U.S. operations based in the city.
 * Mr. Cook started out in the 1980s after some former restaurants in  and  in the  were renamed and rebranded after Burger Chef pulled out of the region. While the chain died in the U.S. by 1998, the chain is still growing strong in El Kadsre, where it was launched in 1987 after the chain purchased a couple of terminated Sminster franchises, and especially after DD El Kadsre Holdings LLC (the  division which owns Dunkin' Donuts and Baskin-Robbins in El Kadsre) bought the El Kadsreian operations in 1996.
 * Coca-Cola is very popular in the UEKN and it is also the most biggest-selling soft drink in El Kadsre for ages. The India soft drink, Thums Up, is also gaining traction in Mahri and it can be found in import shops.