Even in Fiction the Rich Get Richer

April 7 2011 by Ellie Opas in Loan Analyst |No Comments

And you know what I’m getting, right? The old adage “the rich get richer” applies equally to the fictional characters of our world. The members of Forbes Magazine for the 2011 list of wealthiest fictional characters have an average net worth of $9.7 billion, up 20% from last year. In aggregate, the Fictional 15 are worth $131.6 billion, more than the gross domestic product of New Zealand.

How to qualify To qualify for the Fictional 15, characters must be known, both within their fictional universe and by their audience, for being rich. Net worth estimates are based on an analysis of the fictional character’s source material, and where possible, valued against known real-world commodity and share price movements. All figures are as of market close, April 1, 2011.

Top of the list is Carlisle Cullen Topping the list this year is newcomer Carlisle Cullen, patriarch of the Cullen coven of vampires in the Twilight series of novels. Cullen, age 370, has accumulated a fortune of $34.1 billion, much of it from long-term investments made with the aid of his adopted daughter Alice, who picks stocks based on her ability to see into the future. Low-key and undead, Cullen has spent recent years posing as a mortal doctor in a small town in Washington State.

Then it’s Chuck Bass Chuck Bass, the brooding, manipulative heir to deceased New York real estate legend Bart Bass, makes his Fictional 15 debut this year with an estimated net worth of $1.1 billion. The Gossip Girl star and fashion icon recently sat for a Forbes Fictional Interview.

Sir Topham Hatt Also new to this year’s list: Sir Topham Hatt ($2 billion), the railroad tycoon from television’s Thomas The Tank Engine & Friends, Lucille Bluth ($950 million), the matron of the dysfunctional Bluth real estate family from Arrested Development, and the Tooth Fairy ($3.9 billion), who has blown several previous fortunes 50 cents at a time. Jay Gatsby, the shady Long Island dandy from F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, returns to the list after an absence of several years with a billion-dollar fortune. Goodbye Uncle Sam Uncle Sam is the highest profile drop-off this year. The crusty frontiersman and former U.S. Army recruitment officer had the largest net worth swing in Fictional 15 history, from an estimate of “infinite” last year to less than a billion today. Yes, he has the ability to print money but how much exactly is that money worth? Gordon Gekko, the hero of the forthcoming Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps, drops off the list after a stint in federal lock-up.

Scrooge McDuck Fictional 15 perennials Scrooge McDuck ($33.5 billion) and Jed Clampett ($7.2 billion) had banner years, reflecting surging gold and oil prices respectively. Only Richie Rich ($11.5 billion) and Thurston Howell III ($2.1) billion have seen their fortunes decline over the past year.

Net worth estimates Net worth estimates are based on an analysis of the fictional character’s source material, and valued against known real-world commodity and share price movements. In the case of privately held fictional concerns, we sought to identify comparable fictional public companies.

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