Some fandoms, on the other hand, form because of either the obscurity or infamy of the work, or because of a non-traditional fan base of the franchise. Upon researching the topic a little (a little Wikipedia, heh...) I have found many great examples. For the sake of time, however, I must limit my study to only a few of them.
A cult following differs primarily because this form of fandom is a smaller, more intense variety. While it is true that many mainstream fandoms like Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, and most superhero franchises have a sub-fandom which could be identified as a cult following, they are not cult followings in and of themselves. In these instances, it is the dedicated fans that make up the sub-fandom: for Harry Potter, those who read the books before the movies and who can recite precise details from any given book; for Lord of the Rings, there is a similar aspect of book reading; and for super hero franchises, it is those who read the comics and can point out many (if not all) of the inconsistencies in the movies. The cult following, however, is usually based in an entirely obscure work, that for whatever reasons, only few people follow. It could be off-the-wall, eccentric, against the cultural norm, or something that has recovered from a bad start. Still others are obscure for a particular place, or divisive because of the structure of the thing itself.
Eccentric, against the cultural norm: One notable example here is the Rocky Horror Picture Show. Fans of the movie would understand why I place it under this category in particular. The show itself is a difficult musical to describe. The basic premise is that two travelers, new husband and wife, somehow end up at a large castle/mansion thing. Initially, it seems rather mild, but as we meet other characters, it is anything but. To say the least, with its rampant sexuality and leading man dressed as a transvestite, it is not the kind of movie to watch with family. I say this not to judge, but rather to point to the fact that it would not garner much support from a main-stream audience. However, from some close friends (Theatre people, we know how they are!) I know that fans adore it.
Obscure for a particular place: My two examples for this are simple. Doctor Who and Monty Python, undoubtedly well-known in England, are more obscure here. Here, I must make a distinction: I do not consider someone who has only seen Monty Python and the Holy Grail to be a true fan. There must be knowledge of the other movies and of the television. Alas, my knowledge of the franchise comes mostly from the Grail movie and the (probably) sanitized reruns of the show that came on PBS a few years back. Nonetheless, these British television programmes managed to achieve their cult followings in the US. In starting with Doctor Who, I can see why people go for the older show: the characters are fun, and the old special effects and costumes are fun to poke fun at, especially from this side of 50+ years.
Unusual following: Some shows transcend their set audience and achieve popularity with a demographic that the show's creators might not have expected. One good example is the television series My Little Pony. Already from the title, one can tell that the show is aimed at pre-adolescent girls, and if it a cartoon, it is most certainly a marketing tool to sell toys, a la the original Transformers. However, like Transformers before it, the franchise has indeed gone beyond being a mere 30 minute toy commercial. One reason, although it is hard to tell which came first, are the pop culture allusions within the series. There is a background pony in many episodes who resembles a certain incarnation of the Doctor from Doctor Who. Another episode's featured song is based on a popular song from a Sondheim musical. Still another references several 90's cartoons. Clearly, Hasbro and the writers know that older fans are becoming attracted to the show. Unlike older generations of MLP, the latest iteration, Friendship is Magic was specifically designed to go against the "girly" nature of the franchise to that point. I wonder if they expected it would go this far? Even famous actor John de Lancie, who voiced an eventually-redeemed villain, has participated in the fandom, composed of what are known as "bronies" and "pegasisters."
(I was going to write on Glee, but decided not to. All that is needed to know, is that it is a sort of high-school soap opera concerning a school glee team, and it often has excellent covers of various pop songs. I've only seen a few episodes, but I first heard "I Dreamed a Dream" and "Dream On" as Glee covers.)
Anyhow, from these examples, I believe it is plain that cult followings often do have quality franchises behind them. For whatever reason, though, only a relative few people actively enjoy them. Be it obscurity or controversy, they are relegated behind the main stream giant franchises.
Tune in next article for some regular, non-sci fi fandoms! Or maybe a look at the development of the fandom as a whole. Or maybe something completely different!
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