What is the highest-grossing media franchise of all time?

It’s one thing to become a successful film franchise. That’s super cool and you can make lots of money. Great for you. But it’s something else to become a full-fledged media franchise.

We’re taking merchandising, toys, books, TV, movies, and anything else you can think of where you can put a fictional character on it and sell it. That’s when you go from being pretty successful to dominating the world.

Take something like Star Trek. The revenue the franchise earns comes from plenty of places that go way beyond just TV shows and movies. Who among us hasn’t considered buying a custom Starfleet jacket and wearing it every single day, even in the summer? Just me?

Among all of the media franchises out there, there’s one who is frankly trouncing the competition. Which media franchise has made the most money?