Forbes: Gold Hoard, Other Commodities Provide Rocket Fuel for This Year's Rich List

Via Reuters:

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.

Vampire-themed franchises have become big business, so it's no surprise that Carlisle Cullen, the 370-year-old vampire from the "Twilight" books and films who has been accruing interest on a small savings account since 1670, came in second with $36.2 billion.

A pair of over-achieving youngsters came in third. Artemis Fowl II, the prepubescent scion of an Irish crime family from Eoin Colfer's Artemis Fowl novels, was pegged at $13.5 billion, while the altruistically inclined comic book character Richie Rich totaled $9.7 billion....MORE

Much, much more at Forbes including the 25 richest fictional companies and an in-depth look at some of this year's list:

• ^#1 Scrooge McDuck
• ^#2 Carlisle Cullen
• ^#3 Artemis Fowl II
• ^#4 Richie Rich
• ^#5 Jed Clampett
• ^#9 Mr. Monopoly
• ^#10 Arthur Bach
• ^#12 C. Montgomery Burns
• ^#14 Gordon Gekko^#15