Miraculous (franchise)

Miraculous is a French superhero media franchise created by writer and director Thomas Astruc and owned by Miraculous Corp., a joint venture of ZAG Entertainment and Mediawan. The franchise follows two teenage superheroes in Paris, Marinette Dupain-Cheng (Ladybug) and Adrien Agreste (Cat Noir), who use magical jewels known as "Miraculous" to transform, the power of these jewels is granted by Kwamis, ancient magical creatures that represent abstract concepts. Together, Ladybug and Cat Noir protect the city from akumatized villains.

The franchise began with the main animated series Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir (2015–present), also includes web series, TV movies, animated films, video games, comic books, mangas and merchandising.^[1]

The original concept for the Ladybug character was conceived by French animator and storyboard artist Thomas Astruc around 2005. The initial spark arose casually after Astruc met a young woman wearing a ladybug t-shirt, leading him to create Ladybug's design on a Post-it note. Thinking the character worked, Thomas began developing her, drawing inspiration from the fake covers of Japanese comics like The Mini Menace Ladybug, and built a universe around the heroine, inspired by comic book universes like those of Marvel. The project gained momentum when Thomas Astruc teamed up with Jeremy Zag, a producer at ZAGTOON (currently ZAG Entertainment), allowing Astruc to refine the concept.^[2][3]

Astruc drew inspiration from Franco-Belgian and American comics, as well as Japanese animation. His references included the French character Amélie Poulain, Spider-Man and Sailor Moon. The goal was to create a series that reflected the romance and beauty of France, with superheroes that would appeal to young girls, but without falling into feminine clichés.^[3]

Graphic designer Nathanaël Bronn sought to create a universe with a French touch, moving away from the standard of "muscular superheroes" to design protagonists with slender and graceful silhouettes. The creators wanted to convey the elegant and refined image of Paris, fusing it with the modernity of superheroes. The Kwamis were inspired by the mascots of 1970s Magical Girls manga, with a touch of Japanese animation.^[3]

Toei Animation participated in the production of an anime-style trailer (known as Ladybug PV) in an attempt to promote this animation style. Due to technical reasons, such as animating the ladybug's spots, and to facilitate sales, the team opted for CGI animation. The promotional anime video, directed by Kohei Chikokal, leaked in September 2012 and was a 2D OVA featuring Félix Agreste, later replaced by Adrien Agreste. The tone of the series also changed during development, shifting from a darker concept to a lighter tone suitable for a children's audience, with the help of script director Sébastien Thibaudeau. The first official CGI (computer-animated) promotional videos were released on October 8, 2013, and in February 2014. The tone of the series also changed during development, shifting from a darker concept to a lighter tone suitable for a children's audience.^[4][3]

The project was announced in Cannes in October 2010 with an estimated budget of US$50 million. From the outset, the producers were developing a 360-degree strategy to build a comprehensive franchise, with plans to involve toys, comic books, and apps for Apple devices. The goal was to create "a series for girls that boys will love to watch."^[5]

The production of the series became a complex international joint venture, co-produced by ZAGTOON, Method Animation, Toei Animation and SAMG Animation. The animated series Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir premiered in South Korea on September 1, 2015, followed by the France premiere in October 2015.^[6][7] The show quickly achieved global success, being listed among the Top 10 most popular TV shows on Netflix in the United States and achieving record viewership in China. In August 2019, the Brazilian children's channel Gloob (owned by Grupo Globo) entered into a co-production partnership with ZAG for the upcoming seasons.^{[8][9][10][11]}

Currently, Miraculous is considered one of the most successful children's intellectual properties (IPs). The series, which includes TV movies and a 2023 feature film, has had six seasons available in over 150 countries, driven global retail growth with more than 230 licensees worldwide, and the seventh season is in production for release in 2026. The franchise's commercial success has reached over US$1 billion in retail sales worldwide.^[12][1]

Due to the exponential growth of the franchise, producers ZAG and the French independent production company Mediawan joined forces to launch Miraculous Corp. on May 13, 2024. This new label was created to oversee all aspects of ZAG's most successful original intellectual property, Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Cat Noir. The new corporation unites all facets of the franchise under one roof, with Mediawan holding 60% ownership and ZAG retaining the remaining 40%. Franchise co-creator and ZAG founder Jeremy Zag will continue as the majority shareholder and board member, overseeing the development and creation of new stories and characters within the franchise.^[13][14]

Bandai was named the global master toy partner for the animated series. The toy line was formally unveiled at the 2016 US Toy Fair, with a global launch at mass and specialty retailers planned for Fall 2016.^[17][18]

The toy line was strategically developed to inspire aspirational action, transformation, and friendship, targeting girls aged 4 to 8. The collection featured included plush toys, fashion dolls, and the Miraculous Ladybug toy line. Bandai expressed great enthusiasm in leading the development of a "new action doll market for girls," driven by the success of the series, which premiered on Nickelodeon USA in December 2015.^[18]

Among licensed manufacturers, Playmates Toys released a line of action figures and dolls, including the Ladybug Fashion Doll.^[19] Playmobil also entered the franchise’s merchandising portfolio, launching its Marinette & Ladybug figure sets, accompanied by the kwami Tikki, in 2022.^[20]

In the collectibles segment, ZAG Play, a division of ZAG, is responsible for the Miraball surprise collectible line. Additionally, the ZAG Store markets plush toys of several Kwamis, including Tikki, Plagg, Nooroo, Fluff, Mullo, and Barkk.^[21][22]

The franchise has also expanded into tabletop and card games. The collectible card game Throwdown! was released in physical retail stores on August 17, 2016, followed by an online release on October 12, 2016.^[23][24] The board game Miraculous: Chasing Hawk Moth (French: Miraculous: À la poursuite de Papillon), developed by ZAG Educa, was released on February 14, 2018. Designed as a family game for 2 to 4 players aged 5 and up, it features an average playtime of approximately 15 minutes.^[25]

The product program quickly expanded to include several licensing partners: Rubie's (costumes), Accessory Innovations (bags and backpacks), H.E.R. (jewelry and hair accessories), Komar (sleepwear), Handcraft Manufacturing (underwear), and Franco Manufacturing (bed and bath linens).^[26]

The franchise has also expanded its merchandising into the cosmetics and beauty category, with products licensed by Wyncor and Horizon Group USA. Cosmetic products include items such as nail polish, hair chalk, pompoms, lipstick and lip glosses. The lip gloss line features a color-changing effect and fruit flavors, each themed around a character from the franchise. Hair accessories, such as different brush models, have also been licensed. Notable kits include the Miraculous Ladybug Kids Makeup Set and the Miraculous 7pc Lip Gloss Set from Wyncor, as well as the Sport-on Beauty Makemover and Lip Balm Maker from Horizon Group USA.^[27]

The licensed product line has expanded to include everyday items and home decor. For the home, there are reversible children's bedding sets, a Cat Noir-themed coffee mug, and a personalized Marinette keepsake box (Miraculous Sweet Marinette Keepsake Box). In the school and beverage segment, the franchise offers rectangular lunchboxes, children's cups, sports tumblers with lids and straws and microfiber beach towels.^[28][29] ZAG Store has also launched the Marinette bag collection (backpack, shoulder bag, and small purse), in addition to Adrien Agreste School Bag (a reproduction inspired by the series) and macaron-shaped soaps.^[30][31][32]

On June 1, 2016, the French publisher Hachette Jeunesse, under the La Bibliothèque Rose collection, launched the Miraculous book series. The series consists primarily of novelized adaptations of episodes from the animated television series Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir, retelling televised stories in prose format for young readers. In addition to the main adaptations, the franchise introduced a spin-off line of books featuring original stories, titled Aventures sur mesure (translated into English as Tailor-Made Adventures). Unlike the main series, these books present narratives written specifically for print, expanding the franchise’s fictional universe beyond direct episode adaptations. The book series remains ongoing.^[33]

The first American comic and graphic novel series based on the franchise, Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir, was published by Action Lab Comics in partnership with ZAG Entertainment. The series originally ran from July 6, 2016, to April 8, 2020.

These graphic novels primarily consisted of adaptations of episodes from the first and second seasons of the television series, rewritten for the comic book format by Cheryl Black and Nicole D’Andria. This release marked the franchise’s initial expansion into the North American graphic novel market.^[34]

In America, the franchise has an American comic book series based on the animated series, known as Miraculous: Adventures of Ladybug & Cat Noir. Originally, Action Lab Comics planned to publish Miraculous Adventures as part of a series of four monthly comic books containing original stories, along with titles such as Tales of Ladybug and Tales of Cat Noir. However, due to the cancellation of the other three series, Miraculous Adventures became the only known comic book series to contain original stories and not just adaptations of existing episodes.^[35]

The series was published by Action Lab Comics in the United States. Production began in 2016, and the first volume was released on July 19, 2017. The series was canceled after the release of five volumes, although eight volumes had initially been planned.^[35][36]

As of 2021, Action Lab Comics lost the publishing rights in the US. In 2022, Mad Cave Studios took over the licensing, announcing plans to publish a new series of graphic novels starting in 2024.^[37] Strategically, in the initial development phase of the franchise in 2010, there were already plans for Univergroup to release 10 digital comic books for iPad and iPhone, written by Thomas Astruc.

In Japan, the franchise has a Japanese manga series based on the animated series, titled Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir (ミラキュラス! レディバグ&シャノワール). Toei Animation acquired the Miraculous license in Japan to create the manga in October 2019.^[46] The manga is published by Kodansha and began serialization in Monthly Shōnen Sirius magazine. The first chapter was released on January 26, 2021, with the first tankōbon volume published on June 9, 2021.^[47] Serialization in Monthly Shōnen Sirius ended with Chapter 14, but a new series of chapters was announced to be released on a manga app in 2025.^[48]

The Miraculous franchise has developed a robust and diverse lineup of mobile games available for iOS and Android, spanning multiple genres and gameplay mechanics.

The Miraculous franchise expanded into console and PC gaming with the release of action-adventure titles based on Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir, featuring original stories set within the series’ universe.