A Marlboro billboard in Denver in an undated photo. They influence everything from how we look and act to eat and speak and have even helped sway the course of history - but they are not real. And topping a list of "The 101 most influential people who never lived" in a book released on Tuesday is the Marlboro Man - a macho American cowboy who emerged in the 1950s and helped boost sales of Marlboro cigarettes. "The figments of our imaginations, the creatures we push out of our minds into the real world are fully capable of pushing back with surprising consequences," Jeremy Salter, one of the US book's three authors said. Coming in at number two on the list is Big Brother of George Orwell's 1984, followed by King Arthur , who the authors say embodies for many the ideal monarch, and Santa Claus comes in at number four. "Santa Claus governs our entire economy for the last quarter of the year and without him businesses would go broke," said co-author Allan Lazar. Barbie "the bodacious plastic babe who became a role model for millions of little girls, setting an impossible standard for beauty and style" makes the list at number 43. "The idea came to us that influential characters didn't have to exist, that fictional characters were just as important in our lives, even in maybe some cases more so than real people," Lazar said. Even the Loch Ness Monster makes the list at number 56. "As the most popular tourist attraction in Scotland, Nessie's influence on the cash flow of that country has been significant," wrote the authors of "The 101 most influential people who never lived." 点击进入往期回顾 (Agencies)

他们的影响无处不在，从人们的衣食住行到言谈举止，甚至影响了历史进程，但他们在现实生活中并不存在。 本周二，一本名为《最具影响力的101位虚构人物》的书新鲜出炉，其中，于上世纪50年代出现的“万宝路牛仔”荣登榜首，这个颇具男子气概的酷男形象曾使万宝路香烟热销全球。 这本书共有三位作者，其中一位作者杰里米·索特说：“我们凭空虚构出来的人物和形象反过来会对我们自身产生意想不到的影响。” 排名第二的是乔治·奥威尔的小说《1984》中的主人公“老大哥”，其次是亚瑟王，这本书的作者说他是很多人心中理想君主的化身；位居第四的是圣诞老人。 作者阿兰·拉撒尔说：“圣诞老人在每年的最后一季度都是经济增长的最大动力，没有圣诞老人，很多企业会破产。” 风靡全球的塑料芭比娃娃位居排行榜第43位，它是无数小女孩心中所向往的“美丽和时尚”的典范。 拉撒尔说：“有影响力的人物不一定真实存在，虚构出来的人物在我们的生活中同样重要，有时他们甚至比现实人物的影响力还要大。” 甚至连尼斯湖水怪也榜上有名，排行第56位。 作者在书中解释道：“尼斯湖是苏格兰最受欢迎的旅游景点，它对大量资金流入当地具有举足轻重的作用。” (英语点津姗姗编辑)

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