The 101 Most Influential People Who Never Lived

 

Does Barbie help to set high achievement standards for girls?

How many people will die from following The Marlboro Man's example -- smoking cigarettes?

What do Archie Bunker, Hercules, Nancy Drew, and Santa Claus have in common?

 

The 101:

1. The Marlboro Man
2. Big Brother
3. King Arthur
4. Santa Claus (St. Nick)
5. Hamlet
6. Dr. Frankenstein's Monster
7. Siegfried
8. Sherlock Holmes
9. Romeo and Juliet
10. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
11. Uncle Tom
12. Robin Hood
13. Jim Crow
14. Oedipus
15. Lady Chatterly
16. Ebenezer Scrooge
17. Don Quixote
18. Mickey Mouse
19. The American Cowboy
20. Prince Charming
21. Smokey Bear
22. Robinson Crusoe
23. Apollo and Dionysus
24. Odysseus
25. Nora Helmer
26. Cinderella
27. Shylock
28. Rosie the Riveter
29. Midas
30. Hester Prynne
31. The Little Engine That Could
32. Archie Bunker
33. Dracula
34. Alice in Wonderland
35. Citizen Kane
36. Faust
37. Figaro
38. Godzilla
39. Mary Richards
40. Don Juan
41. Bambi
42. William Tell
43. Barbie
44. Buffy the Vampire Slayer
45. Venus and Cupid
46. Prometheus
47. Pandora
48. G. I. Joe
49. Tarzan
50. Captain Kirk and Mr. Spock

What is importance or influence, after all?

Teachers: We've got lots more discussion questions here.

51. James Bond 

52. Hansel and Gretel 

53. Captain Ahab 

54. Rick Blaine 

55. Ugly Duckling 

56. Loch Ness Monster (Nessie) 

57. Atticus Finch 

58. Valentine (St) 

59. Helen (of Troy) 

60. Batman 

61. Uncle Sam 

62. Nancy Drew 

63. J. R. Ewing 

64. Superman 

65. Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn 

66. HAL 9000 (2001: A Space Odyssey) 

67. Kermit the Frog 

68. Sam Spade 

69. Pied Piper 

70. Peter Pan 

71. Hiawatha 

72. Othello 

73. The Little Tramp 

74. King Kong 

75. Norman Bates 

76. Hercules (Heracles) 

77. Dick Tracy 

78. Joe Camel 

79. Cat in the Hat 

80. Icarus 

81. Mammy 

82. Sindbad 

83. Amos 'n' Andy 

84. Buck Rogers (incl. Flash Gordon) 

85. Luke Skywalker 

86. Perry Mason 

87. Dr. Strangelove 

88. Pygmalion 

89. Madame Butterfly 

90. Hans Beckert 

91. Dorothy Gale (Wizard of Oz) 

92. Wandering Jew 

93. Jay Gatsby 

94. Buck (Jack London - Call of the Wild) 

95. Willy Loman 

96. Betty Boop 

97. Ivanhoe 

98. Elmer Gantry 

99. Lilith 

100. John Doe 

101. Paul Bunyan

 

 

 

 

 

Buy the book on-line now from Amazon.

"Slightly silly and infinitely entertaining, The 101 Most Influential People Who Never Lived is also, in fact, seriously interesting. The contemplative coauthors of this unusual book treat the reader to an amusing short essay about each of the 101 fictional characters they deem to be the most significant in American cultural history. Among the great invented luminaries, you'll find Icarus, Santa Claus, Don Juan, King Kong, Jim Crow, Luke Skywalker, Sherlock Holmes, G. I. Joe, Captain Ahab, Alice, Hamlet, HAL 9000, Mary Richards, Bambi, the Marlboro Man, Big Brother, and Archie Bunker." -- CH, Bas Bleu
 

Which was more influential in women's liberation: Lady Chatterley or Rosie the Riveter?

How are ancient legends used to justify political decisions?

What moral behavior do we expect of our machines?

What are the 50 most recognizable, and the 50 most important, characters in fiction today?

 

"The 101 Most Influential People Who Never Lived is a riot. It's a brilliant concept, charmingly executed. Even when you disagree with their choices-and disagreeing is half the fun-Messrs. Lazar, Karlan, and Salter make such good, solid, and clever cases for their nominees that you have to nod in agreement or at least in admiration. From Odysseus to Bond, James Bond and Lilith to Mouse, Mickey Mouse, the selections are provocative, the writing lively, the discussion animated and engaging. Any book that can bring together Othello, Hiawatha, and Kermit T. Frog gets my vote. Over and over again, I found myself musing, why didn't I think of this? I'm insanely jealous. And grateful."

Tom Foster, author of How to Read Literature Like a Professor

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Last updated May 15, 2008