IE 5.2 & OS X - Select box not displaying items with u..

I am creating a dynamic list of brand names with a circle R on it. I am
using the code ® for the registered mark. It works every but OS X
and mac IE 5.2 .. OS 9 and 5.1 are fine. Any thoughts on this? I have
seen the problem posted before but am wondering if tehre is a solution.
In Mac 5.2 all the entries in the list are blank until i select one.
Then that one displays correctly in the select box. ANy thoughts?
Hacks? Workarounds?

I cannot use ®. This won't display correctly in the other
browsers.