Fictional characters, big bucks: Forbes magazine has released its list of the top-earning fictional characters of 2003, based on toy/merchandise sales, video-game sales, publishing and box-office revenues, and DVD/video sales and rentals. (To qualify, a property must have debuted in a narrative story, such as a cartoon, book or video game; that's why the $4 billion-earning Hello Kitty is excluded.) It will come as little surprise that Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse tops the list with a 2003 income of $5.8 billion.

1. Mickey Mouse: $5.8 billion
2. Winnie the Pooh: $5.6 billion
3. Frodo and Lord of the Rings: $2.9 billion
4. Harry Potter: $2.8 billion
5. Nemo (Finding Nemo): $2 billion
6. Yu-Gi-Oh!: $1.6 billion
7. SpongeBob SquarePants: $1.5 billion
8. Spider-Man: $1.3 billion
9. Wolverine (X-Men): $900 million
10. Pikachu (Pokeman): $825 million

The "near misses" -- properties that were edged out of the Top 10 -- are perhaps just as interesting: Homer Simpson (The Simpsons); Dora the Explorer; The Hulk; Red Ranger (Power Rangers); and Buzz Lightyear (Toy Story).