Top 10 Times Toys Were Ripped Off

Both Star Wars and E.T. were beyond popular in the early 1980s. So it’s no surprise that someone tried to capitalize on the success of both. Yet somehow, this is not exactly what you’d expect. Is it E.T. or is it C3P0? No, it’s some kind of mix between the two called E3P0. Mixing E.T.’s look with the gold frame of three-pio, we get one of the strangest product knockoffs on this list. What’s worse is that there actually is an E-3P0 within the Star Wars universe, but he certainly doesn’t look like this.

Although Disney has grown exponentially as a media behemoth over the decades, still nothing is more synonymous with Walt Disney than Mickey Mouse. The company is, of course, even referred to as “the Mouse House.” Well, this copycat toy uses the same Disney font for their company name, Winner, and sells a plastic toy pegged as “Mouse and Friends”. One look at this thing and it’s pretty obvious there’s nothing exactly friendly about it. With dead black eyes, huge fang-like teeth, and tattered ears, it looks like poor Mickey became a werewolf and wants to eat the box he came in.

Sure, we know that sometimes it can be hard to distinguish between a turtle and a tortoise. But there’s no mistaking who the “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” are. It says turtles right in their name. So when you walk into a store and see what looks like a turtle dressed as a ninja, you immediately think: TMNT. Not so fast. This copycat “New Style Ninja Tortoise” has a striking similar look, both the toy, and the packaging it comes in. Each figure has a mask over their eyes, and a weapon at their side. Look familiar? The biggest giveaway is the giant green “TORTOISE” written across the top. And don’t even get us started on Ninja Hero Riders...

On a beautiful plain of grass, Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash enjoy their day playing and laughing in the sun. From across the field they spot what looks like a white and pink pony, and hope they can make new friends. As the pair get closer, our “My Little Pony” friends realize those aren’t ponies: they’re Demon Donkeys!! This MLP knock-off brand doesn’t even try to hide who they are copying from. Aside from the scary name, the “donkeys” look virtually identical to the ponies depicted in the original. They might have picked a less scary name for a toy typically targeted towards young children.

You might think this could be some superhero version of the actor James Spader but you’d be sadly mistaken. Nope, this toy is all about the famous web-slinger, the amazing Spader-Man! What’s that? Never heard of him? Yeah, neither have we. But colored red and blue, with black webs all through, there’s no mistaking who this toy is trying to be. There’s no real logic behind the use of “Spader'' beyond just having a name that is mildly close to the original. It does however make us want to see Tom Holland face off against James Spader in a Spidey costume. Or maybe even mustard-colored “Power Man.”

The third Toy Story movie came out in 2010. And thus, of course, so did a slew of merchandise that hit the shelves, and fans flocked to pick up the latest Woody & Buzz dolls. If you happened to hit a less than reputable store, you might have ended up with a cheap knock-off. Seen here, the box for “Space Boys 3” uses much of the same imagery from the actual “Toy Story 3” packaging. The real surprise here is how jacked they’ve made Woody appear. It’s as if they took Dwayne Johnson’s arms and attached them to the side of a cowboy. What kind of meals has Andy been feeding him?

After an accident while on the job, Alex Murphy was transformed into... Robocop. This 1987 movie became a summer blockbuster and spawned sequels, remakes, video games, and of course toys. Given that items of high popularity usually get copied, there’s no surprise bootlegged versions of Robocop toys became available. Primarily focused on action figures, some of the “Robert Cop'' variations look terrible, with disproportionate heads and bodies, and horribly-wrapped packaging. However, for items like the “Robert Cop 3” toy, the details on the packaging and the figure itself look virtually identical to the original.

They’re not angry, they’re just grumpy. Whether you were looking for a box of pencil toppers, or a nice new t-shirt, it’s not hard to find Angry Birds knock-offs across the web. One ill-tempered take in particular has us wondering whether it’s a genuine ripoff of the original franchise, or if it’s more of a humorous riff on the video game creatures. After all, a satirical version of the popular game was released in 2011, so could these ill-tempered avians be a variation on this? Well, either way, it seems pretty clear that this is all still more knockoff merch. Even if it’s done with a wink.

Is Barbie really all that boring? Outdated social stereotypes aside, she’s got all kinds of cool homes, beach sets, cars, and even an awesome boyfriend. And Disney princesses are some of the most popular characters of all time. So what exactly would inspire the bootleggers of the brands to name their toys “Blandness Girl” or “Benign Girl”? Clearly something was lost in the translation, as these copycat toys are wrapped in bright pink packages, with eye-grabbing images meant to attract younger kids. A quick glance and you might not even notice the silly names and assume it’s all the real deal.

Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.

Souperman
He Drinks Entire Bowls of Minestrone in a Single Gulp

Moneyply
Like the Original, Without a Top Hat

Wee
Just a Wee Bit Different Than the Original Console

Mr. Rock
Not Just a Knock-Off, a Spock-Off

Knight Rider Becames Robert
If Knight Rider and the Transformers Had a Baby

He’s an innocent little train just trying to get his coaches across Sodor from Tidmouth to Vicarstown. Along comes Diesel 10 and Thomas is not happy. Is he going to talk to him and try to convince him not to be so mean? No, Thomas transforms into Super Robot Transformable Tomas and uses his claw arm to take him out of the way. Sure doesn’t sound like the Thomas the Train most kids grew up with! This scary knockoff takes Thomas and his train friends and turns them into a Voltron-inspired mega robot. Sure, little kids could love it, but we don’t know how Sir Topham Hatt would feel about his beloved Thomas towering over the countryside.