mental_floss magazine
SUBSCRIBE >
GIFT SUBSCRIPTIONS >
DIGITAL SUBSCRIPTIONS >
subscriber services >
Where Knowledge Junkies Get Their Fix
Everyone knows about Rolex knock-offs and Louis Vuitton imitations, but at least with those, the company doing the knocking-off goes to a lot of trouble to replicate the brand name, as well as the merchandise. Not so with these 12 hilarious imitations found recently while researching fake iPhones. Seeing as this is the Word Wrap, you’re input is valued, as always. Have you seen a whacky knock-off brand name not mentioned here?
1. Sony
2. PlayStation
3. Puma
4. Prada
5. Panasonic
6. Adidas
7. Converse
8. KFC
9. Montblanc (I presume!)
10. Nike
11. Hugo Boss
12. Starbucks
Check out all past Weekend Word Wraps>>
Comments (38)
Comment
- Follow mental_floss
most of them so-called brands are found here in china. in fact i have a N95, looked inside and it says “Finland makes” instead of made in finland. and its manual, NOKLA Manual. bwahahaha!!!
posted by jay maraan on 3-7-2008 at 3:13 am
Another knock-off brand:
- Panasony (electronics)
There’s a lot more but can’t think of any from memory.
posted by Jay-R on 3-7-2008 at 3:27 am
there is a couple of them i believe in Manchester in the UK, called…
McTuckey’s Fried Chicken
both McDonalds & KFC in one…
posted by Parry on 3-7-2008 at 3:48 am
I saw a radio by “Panasony” (panasonic/Sony)
I had batteries that looked like “Duracell” but were named “Duracharge”
posted by Tdave on 3-7-2008 at 4:04 am
I think my favourite is the Mont Blanc, you got to give credit to those guys!
posted by Marianovsky on 3-7-2008 at 5:07 am
Back in the 80’s I had a pair of Caca-Cola sunglasses. It had the same flowy script like you know who…
posted by Ken on 3-7-2008 at 6:18 am
We have a Ken’s tuck in fried chicken down in portsmouth
posted by Jack on 3-7-2008 at 7:01 am
China’s got other KFC knock-offs: one we saw in the basement of a department store was the oh-so-clever “EFG,” complete with red/white motif.
posted by spooler on 3-7-2008 at 7:57 am
I have a picture of a guy wearing a “South Face” coat in Prague.
posted by Jesse on 3-7-2008 at 8:08 am
I’m still waiting for Banana to come out with a uPod.
posted by Allison on 3-7-2008 at 8:39 am
I think every country has some sort of Starbucks knockoff. As to be expected, I believe one of these has chosen the creative name: Starf*cks.
posted by Florida on 3-7-2008 at 8:40 am
I live down the street from “Kennedy Fried Chicken” (complete with KFC font and red/white colors)
Somehow I doubt the chicken part…
posted by bohemepoet on 3-7-2008 at 8:50 am
I saw some Tammy Hilfigure shirts at a flea market one time.
posted by Codius on 3-7-2008 at 9:08 am
I had a box of Dinacell batteries once for a product demo. We had to constantly replace them because they leaked after 12 hours.
posted by jeff on 3-7-2008 at 9:18 am
The last time I was in DC I was almost duped into purchasing Oaktree sunglasses. They sure looked like Oakleys and the guy was saying the name fast enough that you couldn’t tell the difference.
posted by Hogan on 3-7-2008 at 9:39 am
I picked up a Rolek watch in Central Park a few years ago.
posted by Ira on 3-7-2008 at 9:40 am
My mother bought me some IVIKE (NIKE)socks.
posted by Michelle on 3-7-2008 at 9:51 am
We used to have a Halal place down the block (in Brooklyn) called Kantacky Fried Chicken – it used to be called Kentucky, they were threated, and so the owner just slapped A’s in a different font over the e and the u, respectively.
posted by Josch on 3-7-2008 at 10:02 am
My grandma bought us “Duraking” batteries. Most useless battery ever.
posted by Maria on 3-7-2008 at 10:03 am
In Colombia a friend of mine purchased a pair of shoes and he thought he got a good deal on them, until he brought them home and realized the sole read “Abibos”.
posted by Will on 3-7-2008 at 10:12 am
There is a Chinese made “Chintendo Vii” it’s hard to tell but I think they copied the Nintendo Wii.
posted by Kevin on 3-7-2008 at 10:52 am
Reminds me of the Simpsons episode where Homer is buying a new tv. Can’t remember all of the brands, but he was looking at a Sorny and a Magnetbox.
posted by beth on 3-7-2008 at 10:55 am
I think i know a genuine panaphonics when i see one.
posted by Greg on 3-7-2008 at 11:06 am
Years ago, a friend went to one of those electronics sales they hold in hotel ballrooms and local arenas. He found what he thought was a pretty good deal on a Alpine tape deck, until he got up to the checkout and, just before he paid for it, noticed that it was not and Alpine, but an Alphine with a near exact logo.
posted by Anthony on 3-7-2008 at 11:39 am
I have some knock off Sharpies. They’re called ‘Skerples’.
posted by Shann on 3-7-2008 at 12:10 pm
I had some korean knock off sharpies. They were actually better than the real thing.
There seems to be a good deal of “dyslexia” going on here… :P
posted by Lea on 3-7-2008 at 12:41 pm
Here in the west we are putting more and more value into imaginary property (patents, copyrights, trademarks etc.) so its no surprise that countries smart enough to see through the BS that is imaginary property don’t respect our stupid rules.
And its going to come to a head at some point, with either the west using force on countries that don’t play by our rules, or just a simple economic collapse will happen in the west.
posted by e. conomist on 3-7-2008 at 1:55 pm
On a trip to Senegal, we saw many knockoffs. The ones that stand out are abibas, Mike, and Nice
posted by K on 3-7-2008 at 2:07 pm
Years ago (in the 70’s I think) when Sony just became available in Turkey there were knock off radios with “Soni” logo. It reads the same as “Sony” in Turkish.
posted by Kenan on 3-7-2008 at 2:26 pm
In Bismarck ND, right across from the Ramada Inn (red type on a white sign), there is also an Armada Inn (white type on a red sign). Or there used to be, back in the 90s when I still lived around there.
And the comic strip Zits shows characters hanging out at Fourbucks Coffee, which I think is especially apt.
posted by Rachel on 3-7-2008 at 3:03 pm
I’ve seen Sharpie knockoffs in the chinese dollar store that actually said ‘Sharpie’ on them; they just had a brand name scribbled right above it in tiny script.. they weren’t even permanent! Terrible.
posted by Mary on 3-7-2008 at 3:10 pm
A friend of mine used to live near a Kenedy Fried Chicken. He was obsessed with the stuff. Thank goodness his lease ran out before he gained too much weight!
posted by Kat L. on 3-7-2008 at 4:05 pm
In London I took a picture of a Tennessee Fried Chicken. I’d post it if it wasn’t still packed up from my move to, how about this, Tennessee!
posted by stef on 3-7-2008 at 5:20 pm
A friend of mine bought some Galvin Klein jeans in Mexico.
I myself purchased a pack of Sharkie markers at a dollar store.
posted by Nikole on 3-7-2008 at 6:25 pm
There’s a line of inexpensive electronic devices from a company called COBY, whose name is written in a typestyle that looks suspiciouly like the SONY logo.
And I remember back in the days of cassette tapes that there were many different knock-offs of well-known brand names… TKD, Memerox, and so on.
posted by Sandy on 3-8-2008 at 1:07 pm
I bought some oakey sunglasses from a guy on the street in Toronto. We also have a popular donut chain called Coffee Time here, and I’ve seen many knockoffs with the same font and colour on the sign: “Time Coffee” and “Coffee Lime”
posted by Red Jenny on 3-8-2008 at 4:59 pm
I have seen around 5 locations of the KLG chicken place here in taiwan. way better and cheaper than KFC
posted by John on 4-8-2008 at 1:58 am
Reminds me of a local guy named Micheal Rowe. He started his own company called Mike Rowe Soft. As expected, that shit did not fly with Microsoft.
posted by Julian on 4-10-2008 at 4:04 am