No, not your imaginary play friend who entertained you when you were 6 and not your supermodel girlfriend. These are "real" imaginary people.

1. Marlboro Man - Tobacco-advertising, rugged cowboy. First word being most influential, "Tobacco."

2. Big Brother - Telescreen image of a dictator of Oceania in Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four

3. King Arthur - If possible, he sat at the head of the Knight's Round Table

4. Santa Claus (St. Nick) - Single-handedly straightens out every kid in the world

5. Hamlet - "To be, or not to be..."

6. Dr. Frankenstein's Monster - A symbol for science experiments gone bad and physical brutes

7. Siegfried - Legendary dragon-slayer

8. Sherlock Holmes -Infamous, deductive detective. No sh**, Sherlock!

9. Romeo and Juliet - Shakespeare created this couple, the epitome of "love"

10. Dr. Jeckyll and Mr. Hyde - One-man, two completely opposite personalities

11. Uncle Tom - Harriet Beecher Stowe's creation that, according to Abraham Lincoln, started the Civil War

12. Robin Hood - "Take from the rich to give to the poor."

13. Jim Crow - "Seperate but equal" law named after him

14. Oedipus - Mythical Greek king who killed his father and married his mother

15. Lady Chatterly - A novel title character from the 1920s who was a cheating wife of paralyzed and impotent wealthy husband. Jerry Springer?

16. Ebenezer Scrooge - Ultimate Christmas attitude adjustment. "Bah, Humbug!"

17. Don Quixote - "Of which name I do not care to recall." Groundbreaking chivalric character who is responsible for much of Spanish culture.

18. Mickey Mouse - Icon of the Walt Disney Company.

19. The American Cowboy - Still how many foreigners picture Americans

20. Prince Charming - The perfect man who saves the damsel in many fairy tales. Happily ever after!

21. Smokey Bear - American mascot bear for forest fire safety

22. Robinson Crusoe - Original castaway. Would be a millionaire today if casted for CBS' hit reality show Survivor.

23. Apollo and Dionysus - Greek gods and brothers of truth and harmony (etc.), and wine and ecstacy, respectively.

24. Odyesseus - The hero of Homer's epic works about his long journey home from the Trojan War

25. Nora Helmer - A great and fantastic woman hiding under the facade of "the ideal 19th century woman" in Ibsen''s book A Doll House

26. Cinderella - Classic, opressed girl breaking out of her shell and finding a magical world filled of love.

27. Shylock - From Shakespeare's Merchant of Venice. Name has become synonymous with money (esp. the lending of money).

28. Rosie the Riveter - Icon of female culture who worked in munitions manufacturer's factorys during WWII.

29. Midas - Turned everything he touched into gold.

30. Hester Prynne - Condemned protagonist from Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter

31. The Little Engine that Could - Train from the moralistic children's story that teaches kids about the value of optimism.

32. Archie Bunker - Stereotypical American family man and blue collar worker from TV show All in the Family

33. Dracula - Reinvented the image of vampires.

34. Alice in Wonderland - The little girl who fell "down the rabbit-hole" into a wonderful world of fantasy.

35. Citizen Kane - A publisher who thrives on power, thrill-seeking and war. "Rosebud."

36. Faust - The man who makes a deal with the Devil.

37. Figaro - Comedic central character in many old and new stories.

38. Godzilla - Giant Japanese movie monster that set the stage for epic monsters.

39. Mary Richards - The title TV character from The Mary Tyker Moore Show that "could turn the world on with her smile."

40. Don Juan - Legendary libertine whose name is synonymous with "womanizer."

41. Bambi - The young deer prince of the forest and original story of the cycle of life.

42. William Tell - Famous bow-and-arrow marksman who shot the apple on the the top of his sons head. 43. Barbie - Every little girl in America has this doll and every man wants a real life version.

44. Buffy the Vampire Slayer - Woman vampire slayer (who proved that smaller TV networks could receive large ratings).

45. Venus and Cupid - The gods of beauty and love.

46. Prometheus - Titan that stole fire from the gods whose name is synonymous with "bold intellect."

47. Pandora - Woman in Greek mythology that explains why there is evil in the world.

48. G. I. Joe - Every little boy in America had this action figure and helped the U.S. Armed Forces become what it has today.

49. Tarzan - The man raised by the animals. Described as a flawless hero.

50. Captain Kirk and Mr. Spock - Along with Star Wars, Star Trek brought SciFi into the popularity it receives today.

from: http://www.listafterlist.com/tabid/57/listid/68/Personalities/50+Most+Influential+People+Who+Never+Lived.aspx

from: http://www.listafterlist.com