The Top Ten  April 2 - 9    

Highest-Earning Fictional Characters

The earnings are based on worldwide revenue related to toy merchandising, videogame sales, publishing and box-office earnings, and DVD/VHS sales and rentals.

Rank Character Creator Estimated Earnings, 2003
1. Mickey Mouse Walt Disney $5.8 billion
2. Winnie the Pooh A. A. Milne $5.6 billion
3. Frodo Baggins J.R.R. Tolkein $2.9 billion
4. Harry Potter J. K. Rowling $2.8 billion
5. Nemo Andrew Stanton $2 billion
6. Yu-Gi-Oh! Kazuki Takahashi $1.6 billion
7. SpongeBob SquarePants Steve Hillenberg $1.5 billion
8. Spider-Man Stan Lee and Steve Ditko $1.3 billion
9. Wolverine Stan Lee and Jack Kirby $900 million
10. Pikachu Satoshi Tajiri $825 million
Character must be fictional and part of a narrative.
Source: Forbes.