Comments (27)

1. I once saw a Barbie knock-off called Benign Girl. Cracked me up.

   posted by Lora on 1-2-2009 at 11:20 pm

2. I saw a Subday in Korea.

   It probably isn’t as good as Subway.

   posted by Case on 1-2-2009 at 11:31 pm

3. Well, I don’t know if these really count as true knock-offs. My guess is the majority of these are from the different markets in China, and yes, they are technically knock-offs, but they are not an entrepreneur trying to sell something that is similar to another product.

   I’ve been to several markets in Beijing, and they’re not trying to fool anybody. Everyone who goes there to buy knows they’re buying fakes, although some of them are so good most people would never know.

   I must say I’m a little disappointed in this array.

   posted by Bailey on 1-2-2009 at 11:57 pm

4. Malaysia’s full of knockoff products, that eventually sort of became regular names! Examples include “asadi”, an adidas knockoff that specializes in sandals, “Sunny” electronics products… and for some reason among the goth kids here “Nightmare Before Christmas” and “Emily Strange” fakes are pretty common. And I think I saw that Polystation being sold at a (pirated) games store.

   On the other hand, “Sunbucks Coffee” is an entirely new phenomenon to me :P

   posted by ezanee on 1-3-2009 at 12:04 am

5. I do relief work in Haiti and one of the things the people receive are “Finger” brand sewing machines that look like early 1900’s “Singer” models.

   posted by KerriH on 1-3-2009 at 12:05 am

6. Are…are these for real? I’d love to know what countries they can be found! Especially “Sunbucks!”

   posted by Alice on 1-3-2009 at 12:14 am

7. In Toronto, there is/used to be a little diner called “McDona’s”, whose hanging store-front sign sported a conspicuously- painted yellow-gold double-arch.

   Don’t know how they ever got away with it, though.

   posted by Khush on 1-3-2009 at 2:00 am

8. My favorite rip-off brand, easily found in numerous mom-and-pop shops in Las Vegas, is “Panasoanic”. (Read that closely! There’s one extra added letter.)

   posted by gmsc on 1-3-2009 at 3:03 am

9. Try Nicky D’s at Coney Island

   freep.com /article /20081201/ NEWS01/ 812010356

   posted by Wayne on 1-3-2009 at 9:59 am

10. All I can think of with “KLC” is “Kinda Like Chicken”….no desire to eat there!

    posted by Heather on 1-3-2009 at 10:38 am

11. In Kampala, Uganda there is a Domino’s Pizza that doesn’t look anything like the ones in the state and I understand that they refuse to change the name

    posted by Pcoetzee on 1-3-2009 at 10:45 am

12. This reminds me off the knockoff Versace-Universal Studios collaboration in Kamikaze Girls. Ah, that movie is hilarious!

    posted by lu on 1-3-2009 at 3:07 pm

13. OMG How could you leave out the most shameless of knock-offs: Skerple marker. (google it)

    It took me about a week to realize that I wasn’t actually using a Sharpie.

    posted by Derrick on 1-3-2009 at 4:01 pm

14. There is Kabul Fried Chicken in Kabul..Its written KFC with same colonel sanders logo.Only expansion is written in persian..very smart technique

    posted by San on 1-4-2009 at 6:23 am

15. My sister traveled around the world for a year and found some great knock-offs. My favorite that she saw was a Mouthface jacket. Now I call all Northface stores Mouthface.

    posted by Erin on 1-4-2009 at 10:34 am

16. In Senegal, I saw a “shamsung” DVD player. Top that!

    posted by Kyle Jacobson on 1-4-2009 at 6:09 pm

17. Not a brand name, but I grew up near the Penn State main campus, where there was a popular bar called “Cafe 210.” One year some enterprising folks opened up a bar just one block over called “Cafe ZIO” whose logo was nearly identical. It was more than enough to fool drunk college students, and eventually the real Cafe 210 put on some legal pressure and the name and logo of the impostor were changed.

    posted by PisecoMom on 1-4-2009 at 7:53 pm

18. In Bangladesh I saw a “Burger Queen.”

    posted by natalie on 1-5-2009 at 12:06 am

19. Awesome. I remember in college in 2001/2002, I sat behind this German girl in my French class (?) and she wore a “daiads” windbreaker. Good to know that that knockoff still survives.

    posted by melissa on 1-5-2009 at 12:42 am

20. I remember reading about a Middle Eastern company that was making knockoffs of the European FCUK brand. Guess which letters they switched : )

    posted by Chelsea on 1-5-2009 at 11:24 am

21. I’ve seen some Wii knockoff stuff under the name of Wü.

    posted by BananaMan on 1-5-2009 at 3:56 pm

22. What a great list… I had heard of a few of these but SUNBUCKS completely cracked me up.

    And Heather´s “Kinda Like Chicken” caused an outburst of laughter that actually made my co-worker turn to give me a dirty look. Thanks for that! ;)

    posted by GTT on 1-6-2009 at 12:40 pm

23. I bought a piece of luggage from a guy on the street in St. Martin, made by the prestigous luggage company “Samsonic”

    posted by Andrew on 1-8-2009 at 1:43 pm

24. I was in China last year, and saw a woman in a Frada jacket.

    posted by Adam on 1-9-2009 at 2:57 am

25. I remember buying a shirt in Thailand that was by “Gavin Klein”!

    posted by super kawaii mama on 1-12-2009 at 4:37 am

26. I used to work in a video game store. One day someone tried to trade in some “Nintondo” Game Boy games.

    posted by Andrea on 1-12-2009 at 10:29 pm

27. I’ve seen knock off handbags with the logo G and the brand name ‘goosi”

    posted by Haley on 1-26-2009 at 1:55 am

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