Famous People Who Never Existed

Aunt Jemima

Shockingly, Aunt Jemima never existed. In fact, similar to Betty Crocker, this character—created by R.T. Davis and then later passed on to Quaker Oats—was merely a series of actresses paid to portray the queen of pancakes.

King Arthur

Though King Arthur of Camelot was most likely not real at all, his bravery and strength of character have inspired countless leaders from King Henry VIII to Queen Victoria.

Robin Hood

The centuries-old tale of a caped figure stealing from the rich to give to the poor is, in fact, way too good to be true. His (or her) existence is almost impossible for scholars to prove, as so many different conflicting stories about his provenance and accomplishments only point out the less-than-likely existence of this larger-than-life bandit.

Mavis Beacon

If you grew up in the 1980s, it’s very possible that Mavis Beacon taught you how to improve your typing skills. But, as it turns out, there is no real Mavis Beacon—all these years we’ve learned typing skills from a cold, emotionless robot.

 

Franklin W. Dixon

Stratemeyer also had everything to do with this pseudonym, under which multiple writers penned the monumentally successful Hardy Boys series, which has spanned nearly 9 decades.

 

Jack Dawson

While many people were convinced that the handsome protagonist of James Cameron’s Oscar-winning Titanic was based on real man, he is little more than a work of fiction. Let’s face it: even if Jack Dawson had been a real person who boarded the Titanic, he would never be able to measure up to Leo’s perfectly romantic portrayal in the film. Never.

Mulan

 

 

Mulan, or Hua Mulan as she’s known in China (and outside of the Disney franchise), is a Chinese warrior princess who disguised herself as a man to fight in combat. More recently, the tale of Mulan has been regarded as a legend and not a true story, as there has been little to no evidence found of a Hua Mulan existing during the Northern and Southern Dynasties period.

 

Juan Valdez

Think famed coffee icon Juan Valdez had a hand in growing the beans in your favorite brew? Think again.

In truth, Valdez was a character created by advertising agency Doyle Dane Bernbach as a means of promoting the National Federation of Coffee Growers of Colombia. The character has been portrayed by three people since 1958: José F. Duval, Carlos Sánchez, and Carlos Castañeda. (For what it’s worth, the latter two men actually worked as coffee growers.)

William Tell

 

 

Swiss folk legend William Tell was too good to be true from the start. C’mon. The guy could really shoot an arrow into an apple on top of a child’s head—from several feet away? Nah.