5 - Charles M. Schulz - $30 million

The 'Peanuts' creator brought characters such as Snoopy and Charlie Brown to live in his legendary comic strip.

Snoopy and the gang still feature on television in Apple TV+ animated specials while the ever-popular 'Peanuts' merchandise helped the cartoonist – who died in 2000 – earn $30 million over the past 12 months.