A reminder of the days when thrift and industry were hallmarks of the Scots, before those pimply track-marked yobs of “Trainspotting.”
A miserly duck, a vampire and pair of precocious kids are among the richest fictional characters, according to a ranking by Forbes.Scrooge McDuck, the "penny-pinching poultry" with a fortune in gold coins whose estimated worth is $44.1 billion, headed the list of Forbes' "Fictional 15" wealthiest imaginary characters.
But despite his riches, McDuck still trails Microsoft founder Bill Gates' $53 billion. Mr. Monopoly, the top-hatted, mustachioed character from the popular board game, placed ninth with $2.6 billion. The editors based his worth on the current value of Atlantic City real estate and a presumed percentage of property ownership.
So his name is Mr. Monopoly? Really? I thought it was Rich Uncle Pennybags. Turns out Parker Brothers changed the name in the 90s, because “Mr. Monopoly” reinforces the brand better than Uncle Pennybags. People might be playing Monopoly and suddenly forget the name of the game, but then they’d look at the box and see the character “Mr. Monopoly” springing out of the O in “Monopoly,” and think, oh, right, it’s “Monopoly.”
Wikipedia says the character was based on J.P. Morgan and “Esky,” the character from Esquire magazine. You can see the resemblance:
