# Is there a fictional character more popular than Sherlock Holmes? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 22, 2014, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-fictional-character-more-popular-than-sherlock-holmes/696211 "2014-08-22T15:59:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2014, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-fictional-character-more-popular-than-sherlock-holmes/696211/1 "2014-08-22T15:59:52Z")
Counting the numbers of different media where the character may have appeared, and the number of individual actors that may have portrayed him/her, and the span of time where the same character has been in popular culture, is there anybody even close to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s creation? Who are at least some candidates to consider? ---
**Author:** ![Reeses\_Monkey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reeses_monkey/32/2885_2.png) [@Reeses\_Monkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reeses_Monkey)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2014, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-fictional-character-more-popular-than-sherlock-holmes/696211/2 "2014-08-22T16:07:01Z")
Santa. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2014, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-fictional-character-more-popular-than-sherlock-holmes/696211/3 "2014-08-22T16:08:19Z")
Dracula and Frankenstein. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2014, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-fictional-character-more-popular-than-sherlock-holmes/696211/4 "2014-08-22T16:11:52Z")
If you count amateur productions and fan fiction, I’d have to go with God. ---
**Author:** ![Jragon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19b73/32.png) [@Jragon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jragon)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2014, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-fictional-character-more-popular-than-sherlock-holmes/696211/5 "2014-08-22T16:14:51Z")
Well, I mean are we just talking about the Western world? If not, Sun Wukong has to be in the running. ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Panda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ee7513/32.png) [@Darth\_Panda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Panda)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2014, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-fictional-character-more-popular-than-sherlock-holmes/696211/6 "2014-08-22T16:16:35Z")
Jesus. Harry Potter. Maybe even Batman. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2014, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-fictional-character-more-popular-than-sherlock-holmes/696211/7 "2014-08-22T16:18:08Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > If you count amateur productions and fan fiction, I’d have to go with God. Jesus is a pretty good candidate, but I bet the Wise Man has been played by at least three times as many actors. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2014, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-fictional-character-more-popular-than-sherlock-holmes/696211/8 "2014-08-22T16:20:56Z")
Tarzan James Bond Captain Nemo Nero Wolfe Superman ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2014, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-fictional-character-more-popular-than-sherlock-holmes/696211/9 "2014-08-22T16:31:57Z")
Ebeneezer Scrooge. Mickey Mouse. ---
**Author:** ![epbrown01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7ba0ec/32.png) [@epbrown01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/epbrown01)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2014, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-fictional-character-more-popular-than-sherlock-holmes/696211/10 "2014-08-22T16:52:51Z")
> [@Jragon](#): > > Well, I mean are we just talking about the Western world? If not, Sun Wukong has to be in the running. Not Wong Fei-Hung? That seems to be the name in every Chinese kung fu movie set in the past. ---
**Author:** ![robert\_columbia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e79b87/32.png) [@robert\_columbia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robert_columbia)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2014, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-fictional-character-more-popular-than-sherlock-holmes/696211/11 "2014-08-22T17:08:20Z")
> [@Jragon](#): > > Well, I mean are we just talking about the Western world? If not, Sun Wukong has to be in the running. Really good point - sometimes we don’t recognize the stock characters of other cultures. FWIW, Son Goku of Dragonball more or less is Sun Wukong, or at least significantly based on him to the extent where you can call him a SF interpretation of him. Other characters to consider: King Arthur, and/or other well-known characters of the Arthurian tales such as Sir Lancelot and Guinevere \<3. Romeo and Juliet ---
**Author:** ![Macca26](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/13edae/32.png) [@Macca26](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Macca26)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2014, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-fictional-character-more-popular-than-sherlock-holmes/696211/12 "2014-08-22T17:19:01Z")
To consider on top of all the rest: Robin Hood. Amaterasu. Heracles. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2014, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-fictional-character-more-popular-than-sherlock-holmes/696211/13 "2014-08-22T17:26:35Z")
Odysseus ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2014, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-fictional-character-more-popular-than-sherlock-holmes/696211/14 "2014-08-22T17:53:15Z")
Hamlet. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2014, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-fictional-character-more-popular-than-sherlock-holmes/696211/15 "2014-08-22T17:54:37Z")
It’s beginning to look like we need us a poll! ---
**Author:** ![Chingon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chingon/32/17645_2.png) [@Chingon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chingon)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2014, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-fictional-character-more-popular-than-sherlock-holmes/696211/16 "2014-08-22T17:58:41Z")
Orpheus The “Devil” ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2014, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-fictional-character-more-popular-than-sherlock-holmes/696211/17 "2014-08-22T18:03:16Z")
Beowulf Zorro Perseus Theseus ---
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2014, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-fictional-character-more-popular-than-sherlock-holmes/696211/18 "2014-08-22T18:04:35Z")
No. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2014, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-fictional-character-more-popular-than-sherlock-holmes/696211/19 "2014-08-22T18:15:47Z")
Aside from cartoon images like Mickey Mouse (and maybe Santa Claus), I wonder how many fictional characters would be instantly recognized in silhouette form. When I was teaching English in Moscow (the topic on this day was “Modals of Deduction”), I drew an outline of Holmes’s profile on the whiteboard, and the Russians knew who it was before I had finished. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2014, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-fictional-character-more-popular-than-sherlock-holmes/696211/20 "2014-08-22T18:19:57Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > Aside from cartoon images like Mickey Mouse (and maybe Santa Claus), I wonder how many fictional characters would be instantly recognized in silhouette form. When I was teaching English in Moscow (the topic on this day was “Modals of Deduction”), I drew an outline of Holmes’s profile on the whiteboard, and the Russians knew who it was before I had finished. Someone already mentioned Batman. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-fictional-character-more-popular-than-sherlock-holmes/696211.md?page=2)