How are Bootlegs toys made? Fakes, Unlicensed, Knock offs. Whatever you call em, we address em

[@olszewski422ify]

Sometimes bootlegs are so much fun.

[@spectorcreative1872]

Triue dat

[@spot138]

There really are some very charming ones

[@peterl6095]

You think kids gonna care? Unless they're collecting them....which most are adults doing.

[@ChicagoMel23]

Yeah like the Star Wars ones. Little Girl, Glorious Star Lord, Daft Serious, What, R2-PO...lol

[@TrypticOwen]

As a Transformers fan, it would be very interesting if you follow this up with your perspective on the "third party" companies.

[@spectorcreative1872]

You got it!

[@TrypticOwen]

@@spectorcreative1872 Awesome. Should be interesting. Thanks!

[@davidanderson4748]

Also the role of 3D printing. It's changed the game for a lot of people.

[@wanderingoryx3710]

They're bootlegs

[@leviswranglers2813]

Ooo, Oooo, me too!

[@MrDrokkul]

"Hasbro would never sell a Bantha at this price point." Well...not until they can figure out how to get away with it, at least.

[@spectorcreative1872]

That would have to be one diamond encrusted Bantha

[@brentbanks8021]

Sounds like a $300+ six inch scale police spinner(Blade Runner), 6" A Wing/B Wing and 6" scale Colonial Viper are safe to shoot for...

[@davidanderson4748]

True story!

[@Astrotrain78]

Didn't they sell a pair of stairs for $100

[@hawktalon7890]

@@Astrotrain78 I believe they did, actually. Very odd.

[@0820pdb]

Hey Scott, Toy Smuggler here. I'm the guy who sculpt the Star Wars Bantha. Thank you for the complement. And acknowledging that products such as the Bantha help the Star Wars franchise. I personally love your channel, it's informative and just fun to watch. Keep up the awesome job. Kevin Sexton the Toy Smuggler.

[@spectorcreative1872]

You did an amazing job! Tuskin Raiders are one of my favorites and it still kills me we never got a Kenner versions. Yours looks amazing. I am envious of your talent!

[@0820pdb]

@@spectorcreative1872 Thank you very much, especially from someone like you, with your amazing background in toys. I would love on day make a full transition into the to industry. It's the love for classic toys that keeps me going. Thank you again.

[@Empawk]

@Toy Smuggler Which material are your Star Wars toy made from?

[@0820pdb]

@@Empawk Which are you referring too, the prototypes or final products?

[@Empawk]

@@0820pdb Both. I am mainly wanting to know what is used for the vintage style action figures. The ones that feel like rubber. I don't know what the material is.

[@Geekycastillo]

One of my favorite bootleg toys I’ve ever run into was “Robert Cop” it was just fantastic

[@spectorcreative1872]

I want one!

[@wanderingoryx3710]

It was intentionally made that way

[@Absorbvids]

I really appreciate the videos you have been putting out, I tend to learn something new every time.

[@spectorcreative1872]

So glad to hear it! Feel free to pass to friends lonline, it helps the channel a ton

[@sithlord2225]

From this I learned that Mattel is like Harmony Gold, they will go after whatever, no matter how small it is, if they feel it messes up with their copyright

[@spectorcreative1872]

Not just Mattel. Many companies

[@leviswranglers2813]

Disney went after a in home daycare that had hand painted Mikey and friends on their wall, so I think Disney falls into that category also.

[@jbriggsiv]

I live in Atlanta and know people who work for Coca-Cola. They told me the stories are true about them sending people out and making sure places don't use the term "Coke" for another cola. They get their lawyers involved in what seems like the smallest thing, but rom what they told me, Coca-Cola wants to make sure their brand never goes down the path of Q-Tips or Kleenex. No one asks for a "cotton swab" or "bath tissue". Branding is important and I guess your lawyers have to constantly fight for protection of it or you can start losing control of your own IP. So I guess this is more of a thing about the law and IP in the USA than it is about the companies themselves. I think just about any company with and important brand will be pretty strict with its use. Ah, but what do I know? I'm just some bunny on the internet.

[@Acidonia150reborn]

@@leviswranglers2813 They sure do not do that in UK or Europe all ice cream vans/small traveling fun fairs and daycare places are full of that stuff to this day.

[@CarlyCatharsis]

@@jbriggsiv Sounds Like They RLY NEED To Rewatch The Old "Coca-Cola" Commercial Which Explains That We Should Just Let Things Be & "Live in Harmony". As Perceptual Ignorance IS Total Bliss! I For One Like 16oz Original Formula OVER 8oz & Bottles For Flavor Sake, But "NEW Coke" (80's & "StrangerThings" Reissiue) Was ALOT Closer To Mexican Ones With A Hint Of Cinnamon?!

[@MalachiFrazee222]

Bootlegs are my favorite. They're from an official brand from an alternative universe. Special Man and My Little Horse are loved by kids in an universe very very far away. lol

[@spectorcreative1872]

Everyone loves My Little Horse. I'll have words with anyone who says differently.

[@brettpugh7898]

Living in Mexico, I LOVE seeing all the bootlegs for sale at the street markets 💜💙💙

[@spectorcreative1872]

They do have a home there!

[@sideswipe1261]

Send pictures! Have you thought about opening a little shop? Few places in the US have street markets like that to go to for all the goodies!

[@KellerFilm89]

Same in Hungary. In the 80's Hungary produced own Bootlegs, but since the 90's, where they got free from the Russian dictatorship, they don't produce anymore, they get the bootlegs from Asia and elsewhere. Latest bootlegs I saw in Hungary, where from Harry Potter, the new Jurassic Wold movies, some Disney Star Wars and Disney Princess stuff and Marvel.

[@greenisnotacreativecolour]

I think a whole video on "third party" Transformers wold go down a treat. Companies like Perfect Effect, Fanshobby, Mastermind Creations... They're doing big business!

[@spectorcreative1872]

Truly they are!

[@Beedo_Sookcool]

For a while, it seemed Hasbro was just doing endless iterations of Optimus, Megatron, Bumblebee and Starscream with every wave, a couple of repaints, and maybe one or two new characters. I sincerely get the feeling that if the third-party companies weren't so prolific and successful in making and selling their versions of the combiners and triple-changers, Hasbro wouldn't've started doing those, themselves.

[@DetectiveBarricade]

@@Beedo_Sookcool Nor would Takara have chosen to go as cartoon accurate as physically possible with their Masterpiece line or even offer "b-list" characters like Tracks. (let alone the upcoming Skids) Now if only the plastic materials didn't feel so flimsy. *cough* Hound *cough*

[@Beedo_Sookcool]

​@@DetectiveBarricade Ugh, those blasted cartoon-accurate "Masterpieces"! Yecch. When I hear "Masterpiece," I want to see "working" pistons, rivets, sculpted seams, intricate paint decos and tampos, lots of accessories, and feel the heft of some die-cast metal in there. The last entirely new MP set I got was Tracks, in 2015. After that, I've had no interest in the line. I appreciate some of the attempts to go back and redo some in toy-accurate decos, but after 2017, I can't afford that kind of expenditure any more.

[@MentasmUK]

@@Beedo_Sookcool thing is they never looked like that in any iteration. Most people's fondness for the brand is based on the original G1 toys or cartoon/comic. As a kid I always wanted the toys to look like they did in the latter, rather than a disperate collection of moulds from random companies, so the current MP and 3P line is great for me. It's have no interest if they started adding gears, pistons and other intricacies that were never there to begin with. That said, there are 3P companies which offer that sort of thing.

[@DCMarvelMultiverse]

Sometimes they are better.

[@spectorcreative1872]

From time... to time

[@Arashikage32]

Great stuff as always Scott. I try to buy the weirdest bootleg I can anytime I’m out of the country. And you are right, the less affluent the country, the more pervasive bootlegs are.

[@spectorcreative1872]

It is like a ratio

[@Canoby]

I have mixed feelings about bootlegs, often depending on how well done they are and if they offer something we don't get from officially licensed products. I generally prefer to support official releases but some of these are so cool I have a hard time resisting. I'd love a follow up video on selling custom figures vs customized figures.

[@spectorcreative1872]

Yeah it is a hard thing to just have one emotion about

[@X.Q.Jonah-]

I’d like to know a little more about the technical aspect of the design and production of the swap meet type. Are they using stolen molds? Are they creating their own molds from existing figures? Sometimes the figures look like the same mold as a legit one, but are scaled up or down somehow.

[@spectorcreative1872]

I;ll add this to a follow up!

[@CyberDragon10K]

I know some of those KO people stole the CAD files for Masterpiece 36 Megatron and were able to produce alternate faces that were being held for a toy deco release by Takara.

[@grebnedu1219]

Nute Gunray : "My Lord, is that legal ?"

[@spectorcreative1872]

Hasbro will make it legal

[@krzysztofmathews738]

So here is a question for you. Looking at third party transformers- and by that I mean the high quality ones that sell for say $85 or more, not the cheap flea market recasts, are those high end toys considered to fall under the 'craft' designation then, on account of the limited quantity and high price point?

[@greenisnotacreativecolour]

I'd like to know this too, they're better than official transformers most of the time. What i heard was that with transformers only the names and faction logos are copywrited, and these third party figure always have different names and no faction logos.

[@spectorcreative1872]

Both. High price and limited run

[@everettst.claire870]

Uncle Owen and aunt Beru, post stormtrooper visit, action figures! I need them!

[@spectorcreative1872]

We all need those...

[@superjoe7]

What about the issue with factories in China who make exact replicas of authentic figures. For example blue fin Tamashii nation sh figuarts, which normally retail for $70-$100 you can find a Chinese knock off for closer to $20. Is this a topic that could supplement this video?

[@trelard]

The CCP doesn't care about rights laws. They are thieves and tyrants in the CCP Elite who use their own citizens as slaves and treat them less than human, so it's not a surprise they see everyone else as even lesser. This is why the CCP elite must be removed before they unleash yet ANOTHER biological weaponry against the planet like they have over the past few years.

[@spectorcreative1872]

Yeah this could be a new video. Many factories are paid under the table to run "a few more units" for the black market.

[@neburselasor]

If someone can make enough profit selling a bootleg product that it gets the attention of the IP owner, doesn’t that suggest that there’s a demand for what they’re selling? And if so, why doesn’t the IP owner just, you know... make that thing? Even a small limited run of this figure or replica would lower the potential value of the bootleg, right? Speaking for myself as a collector, I’m not above owning a hand-made figure or replica it it looks amazing, but given the choice, I would always prefer an officially licensed item, even if it is a slightly lower quality.

[@spectorcreative1872]

It can, but it doesn't always justify the cost of production

[@CarlyCatharsis]

I Dunno... Some Of The Latest Official Releases May Look Great in Bot Form, But Are Pretty-Low Quality When Changing To Vehicle Modes.

[@masonasaro2118]

what I wanna know, is who makes the bizzare crossover ones, and why?

[@CandGoods]

I'm personally a big fan of the work of Obvious Plant, who I'm pretty sure was the one who did the aforementioned Incredible Fella. Another favorite of theirs is Mobile Suit Garfield.

[@spectorcreative1872]

Nice!

[@FranklyPeetoons]

Great piece. More deep digging would be fun to see. How do the people involved in designing & creating injection molds & paint ops & so on for widely-distributed bootlegs get into that business? Are those who produce these toys ex-industry employees down on their luck? How are corners cut to keep costs down? There needs to be lots of hard technical work done to make these knockoffs and seeing that compared to the manufacturing of legally licensed toys would be very interesting. How many of these come out the back door of factories that make legitimate toys? So many questions...

[@spectorcreative1872]

I'll add this to a follow up. Thanks!

[@rayshonmeeks5444]

Great video as usual, learning allot. Just courious, what makes you belive Smith Lord Creations toys are homemade? Are there indicators? Thanks!

[@spectorcreative1872]

High price.

[@Demonskunk]

That Revengers: Endless Tussle thing is from a company that makes fake packaging called Obvious Plant.

[@spectorcreative1872]

I watched both of those cartoons as a kid. They were not very good

[@TitularHeroine]

Good stuff 😂😂😂

[@peter.24.7]

The figure looks like Shrek got buff.

[@niktes3337]

I choose to live in a World that is not controlled by Corporations where the Power is given back to the People, so I totally support Knockoffs, Bootlegs, and Piracy. Many times the Knockoff or Bootleg is much better than the original because there is less Corporate Limitations. And they allow for Everyone to enjoy the creation and improve upon it out of the Control of Corporations. When a Corporation gets so big that they think they have to Control Everything that is when that Corporation needs to be Dissolved.

[@brandonmilner1957]

What are the rule if there are any on products made for licensed products. Like upgrade kits for transformers for example.

[@spectorcreative1872]

Ah, I am working on a video on that!

[@brandonmilner1957]

I started last year making upgrades for a few transformers. I’m the small guy in this game. But I’m growing fast. A few of my designs have video reviews by others. And a few have told me they were not going to buy the original figure until they saw my upgrades.

[@thomasthompson2431]

Wondering where the pound shop/ dollar store style toys sit on this list, every action Dan, super ranger, space warrior, or super robot changer that graced the budget pegs

[@spectorcreative1872]

See here!kzbin.info/www/bejne/oHu1fIBraZqMpbM

[@Infantryalltheway]

I was saving my last bit of coffee to accompany my morning smoke, and spit it after seeing the incredible fella in the endless tussle. Great vid

[@spectorcreative1872]

I aim to please!

[@luiszuniga2859]

The most shoking scene in Episode VIII... was the toys crafted by kids

[@spectorcreative1872]

That is really funny!

[@nostalgia_jt4696]

Lol. Bernie dolls. Do they have the inauguration mittens variant?

[@spectorcreative1872]

Just came out as a running change

[@mikespiegel_]

Though I'm not a fan of Knock Offs, some that have caught my eye are the New Diaclone and Transformers Oversized KO's. The Takara/Tomy original Diaclones are very expensive, taking into consideration how small these toys actually are, and having a cheaper (although not as high quality) option is very appealing. Sometimes Hasbro's Transformers are made in a small size and feel very underwhelming in hand, that's why the Oversized KO's seem like a good alternative.

[@spectorcreative1872]

Transformers seem to be the king of this segment of the toy industry, likely due to so many countries being involved as makers and buyers

[@mikespiegel_]

@@spectorcreative1872 Also the existence of "third party" Transformers, which feature original designs that would not exist otherwise

[@wanderingoryx3710]

@@mikespiegel_ most of the time they have no qc and have fragile joints in places

[@Abhothra]

Hi House Scott. =p What about 3rd party accesory producers? Do they need to licence as well or can they just advertise it as "Fit for the following scale/toy line" Even though it's clearly a He-Man Axe or whatnot.

[@spectorcreative1872]

It isn't really black and white and usually if it is a small enough run it is still considered a craft item.

[@terranceclark3479]

Have you done any research on those companies that start out with craft bootlegs and evolve in the companies making product using licensed IP? I know that is how Super 7 started...

[@spectorcreative1872]

Outside of Super 7, I have not done any formal research.

[@TitularHeroine]

I have a surprisingly decent He-Man bootleg, some knock offs like Warlord, the odd Warrior Beast or two, and some things blur THAT line (Imperial, Sungold, etc.). Great info hereabouts. "You'll laugh. You'll cry. You'll hurl." (Thanks, 'Wayne's World' movie poster!) Great episode, sir. 💛

[@williamthompson5504]

Warlord is a DC comic character created before He-Man.

[@TitularHeroine]

@@williamthompson5504 I mean the scale and style of the figures specifically, Remco jumping on MotU popularity bandwagon.

[@spectorcreative1872]

I don't even own "a" Bootleg let alone many Bootlegs necessitating an entire rack

[@olivergwynne5607]

Do you think that there's an element that bad toys highlight the better quality ones and so having cheap knock offs actually leads to more sales?

[@spectorcreative1872]

Honestly i think that the bootlegs that are done for low cost are really there to serve low income countries not to encourage better legal product.

[@ShaneFalko]

Awesome and informative video ! Thank you !

[@spectorcreative1872]

Thrilled you enjoyed~!

[@chuckgibson3973]

The phrase "Is the juice worth the squeeze" is a keeper...

[@spectorcreative1872]

I credit my bosses at Mattel for that one

[@RoundupResistance]

The most bizarre knockoff I have seen is one called "Mickey Happy Turning" - I think such knockoffs should belong in a museum (especially online) such as The Counterfeit Report to help convey the seriousness of the problem.

[@spectorcreative1872]

I would like to own one of these

[@truckshackley373]

I bought a bootleg Spider-Man figure back in the 90's (I actually still have him) when the animated series was on the air. I wanted a Spidey figure I could hang from the rear view mirror of my truck and not really care if the sun fades it or it gets damaged like I would if I bought one of the legit figures. Oh, and his packaging said his name was "Night-Man" (written in the same style as the legit Toy Biz figures) and his spider logo on his chest was more-or-less just a paint splotch with legs.

[@spectorcreative1872]

Night Man, like from Always Sunny?

[@AllThings80s]

The funny thing is, both Smith Lord Creations and Stan Solo make products that are far superior in quality when compared with Hasbro's Retro Collection. Also, the two aforementioned companies are actually releasing figures that the fans want.

[@spectorcreative1872]

Irony is not without a sense of toys.

[@paulkiefer3893]

What's the tank engine robot called

[@spectorcreative1872]

Thomas

[@jacobnothnagle9978]

Great video Scott! Very informative. I had always wondered how operations like SmithLord Creations manage to go under Hasbro’s radar when, like you mentioned, Hasbro themselves are making “retro” styled products as well now. Never knew about the price point thing being what exempts them from legal troubles. I appreciate you sharing your insights in these videos. Great work.

[@spectorcreative1872]

Glad this video helped clarify. Feel free to share with friends online. It helps the channel a ton!

[@gspendlove]

There was a great article in a magazine called "Collector's Universe," around the time Episode I came out, about foreign knockoffs of Kenner Star Wars figures. The pictures were great. I'd like to get my hands on some of those, especially the Polish Uzay Blue Stars, which were just Snowtroopers cast in blue plastic instead of white. But I'd bet you wouldn't be able to find any for sale, and even if you could you'd have to take out a second mortgage on your house.

[@spectorcreative1872]

Oh yes those SW toys are actually quite legendary now

[@rjc7289]

I've got KO versions of all sorts of toys from Transformers to Slinky. With some of them, you'd be hard-pressed to tell the difference between them and the real deal unless you know what to look for. All they have to do is change a few minor things around to get around the legal issues and not have to deal with any potential trademark infringement.

[@DarthMohammedRules]

So, is it the same sorta thing when a different toy company re-uses molds, but maybe does different colors and calls it something else? Like, I remember some of the "discount" stores back in the day having transformable robot toys that weren't "Transformers," but like, it was obviously using, for example, the Decepticon jet mold, maybe with a tweak or two here and there, and in a totally different color. And of course, they called them something different, like "Convertibles" or whatever.

[@spectorcreative1872]

Oh wait until you see the follow up video in the works!

[@vanthdreadstar8039]

I like the Japan Wonder Festival where makers can get a limited license to sell bootleg or garage kits for a few days. I have some fantastic Microman kits resulting from that festival.

[@spectorcreative1872]

That is awesome. The Japanese toy market is pretty radical.

[@wanderingoryx3710]

@@spectorcreative1872 check out toy polloi's recent Japan mailbox video, he name drops a channel of an American living in Japan and has a lot of videos on 90s gum toys

[@eladiocofresi5202]

The Etsy part is fascinating. Someone commented to me about infringement upon making ascots and bow ties taking concepts from fictional characters, and a fellow seller received a cease and desist letter for featuring knitting work inspired by a certain book franchise. Meanwhile, I kept on seeing pieces as you mentioned.

[@spectorcreative1872]

Yeah it is a wild west that tends to be ignored. Until it isn't

[@CarlyCatharsis]

If It Werent For Kitbashing & Finding Some Cheap Bootlegs At Different Points Throughout The Late 80's-2011, I Would Have NEVER Been Able To Have The ENTIRE MK Toy Collection, (NOW Want A Platino; Fistos Twin?) TF-Bruticus, TF-Menasor (Stunticons), TF-Superion (Arielbots), The Technobots, TF-Defensor (w/Inferno Replacing Hot Spot), G2-Devastator (Yellow/Black), StarSaber & Victory Leo (Combiners)!!

[@spectorcreative1872]

Hey whatever leads to a collection one is proud of!!

[@nathanrosario5667]

When I worked at LEGO we had a glass case full of knock-off product. Many of them came from China. They took the brand very seriously over there. From day one we were educated to say things like LEGO bricks rather than Legos for fear of losing the name to the public domain.

[@spectorcreative1872]

I have heard that! Yeah and 3D printers are coming for you Lego! Thanks for sharing this. Awesome

[@planetschlock]

Awesome! I've always found bootleg toys amusing but over the past few years I've grown to appreciate them more after an interest in action figure customization and kitbashing and stuff like that.

[@justicierodelaliga]

I wonder why someone would get these figures. And I mean parents and such. A kid will know it´s fake, it´s such bad quality it´ll break, it´s potentially dangerous and, I don´t believe, even the poorest child/family would want them. They can save the money to get a real one or just don´t get it. I can understand, if someone doesn´t have that much money, and would want to buy a toy for a kid to just get random X (and cheap) toy from any store. But not actually paying for these.

[@planetschlock]

​@@justicierodelaliga I suspect that impulse buying from parents/grandparents who don't know or care that they're the genuine article is a huge factor.

[@spectorcreative1872]

It is such an interesting part of the hobby/industry

[@geechie-don7157]

Great stuff. I remember picking up a transforming Batmobile for my nephew while visiting Japan. It was really cool

[@spectorcreative1872]

Sometimes bootlegs are the best toys! Sometimes

[@eskimojoe6564]

You diddnt mention super 7 How do they get away with what they do?

[@spectorcreative1872]

They pay a licensing royalty and make official toys as far as I know. Am I missing something?

[@addgamer9568]

Hi! I am an avid toy collector I have a channel on Facebook with about 100 paid supporters and I just shared your video with them there are a lot of toy collectors amongst my community and I will be talking about your videos during my live streams because so many of my fans are toy collectors and love anything to do with toys! Thanks for the excellent video I really enjoyed it and I did thumbs up and subscribe I just found you today!

[@spectorcreative1872]

Thank you so much! Sharing these videos is the best way to support the channel and it is very much appreciated!!

[@edwinsmith-jones6205]

Thankyou for clearing the whole Smithlord Creations situation up for me, every time I've asked about the legality of these elsewhere I've been greeted by passive/aggressive answers & treated as if I'm a hater who wants to see the firm shutdown.

[@spectorcreative1872]

Yeah at the costs they charge, the IP owner I don't think cares. It is considered Craft.

[@Beedo_Sookcool]

@@spectorcreative1872 Suits me. The recent repro Amanaman is bloody amazing.

[@heisenbat]

"Is the juice worth the squeeze" now where have I heard this before...🤔🤔🤔

[@spectorcreative1872]

I think it is Tropicans' positioning line

[@Geewunner4life]

@@spectorcreative1872 or when dealing with the majority of modern day women.

[@LadyHarley]

Fan works and Etsy things sometimes are more creative and unique. They always seem to do stuff that manufactures don’t do or wont

[@genesanford9412]

There are a lot of different types of these toys.I grew up in a poor ,Mexican community ,& poorly made/looking k/o,s were a norm.Odd colors ,weird plastics , bad paint,normal.These days there are figures SO close ,or exactly the same,at half the cost of the real one.In many ,side by side comparison shows little differences, if any.The bootleg ,boxed Neca Horror lines are most often the best.The cost is about half of retail.Now ,invent an asinine tripling of that price for "collect-abilty" sake ,and there's the reason to snag the k/o. Goofy k/o,s are fun to collect , just for laughs ,and thats a "thing" these days.Great subject & episode Scott ! PS thanks for the Aqua ear-worm...AL DAY now , i.ll be hummin that song....thanks bro........( ..in a Barbie world.... STOP ! ...)

[@spectorcreative1872]

Well yes for economic reason this is appealing as well. Sorry about the song...

[@genesanford9412]

@@spectorcreative1872 yepper , i really dont have any "disposable income" , being a single father of a special needs child ,without family ,or gov assistance.i just dont have much for my toys.

[@rolandkatsuragi]

The KZbinr Phelous primarily focuses on counterfeit MotU and TMNT figures and it's quite the amazing wonder

[@spectorcreative1872]

Yeah these things are all over the net

[@TheGamesNexus]

As an interesting aside, I live in Hungary, and here bootleg Playmobil figures from the previous century are sold at incredible prices. It managed to gather a following, and now collectors are competing to find old stashes.

[@spectorcreative1872]

Bootleg Playmobile. That is very interesting. I'll need to dig a bit deeper into that

[@TheGamesNexus]

@@spectorcreative1872 Here is some further info: translate.google.com/translate?sl=hu&tl=en&u=hu.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schenk translate.google.com/translate?sl=hu&tl=en&u=sites.google.com/site/schenkmuzeum/ Another interesting thing not mentioned in these articles is that the bootlegger created a new variant of the Playmobile castle that was later licenced by the original manufacturer (probably in exchange for not suing the bootlegger).

[@DrDeathpwnsu]

Other countries basically... I was in Kuwait and we went to the mall in Kuwait City and like the entire toy aisle was just what you see here, what you have pictures of, that was wall to wall.

[@spectorcreative1872]

Yeah outside the US this is a much bigger part of the toy aisle

[@DrDeathpwnsu]

@@spectorcreative1872 yeah the first time you see Superman and Spider-Man and a Ninja turtle with maybe ET and something else you don't even recognize all together in one box you don't forget that lol

[@darknigthangel]

I was wondering about this too. Thanks for the insight. So this factories are like the hydra, you cut one head and 2 more grows. Have a nice day.

[@richardromanyshyn608]

I work on a lot of bikes and ATVs and the Honda copies of little four wheelers and cheap side by sides was just disgusting. Seems like they take the same parts from the most mysterious of suppliers. Brand name is always different every year and are constant tinker pieces of crap. You do get what you pay for. Local Menards had 4 junky side by sides in my shop at the same time. All with the same 1 problem from new. They send the parts to fix them then vanish out of existence once the bill is wrote out

[@spectorcreative1872]

Well except they are not a terrorist organization giving people super powers using Infinity Stones.

[@superjoe7]

@@spectorcreative1872 I understood that reference!

[@jamezjiggy4845]

Age old question haven't seen a video about on you're channel unless I'm missing it.. Collect MOC or open?

[@spectorcreative1872]

Here you go: kzbin.info/www/bejne/l4uahpR-f6uBr8U

[@colt5189]

I have some of the G1 Dinobots knock off figures that come out of China. Don't know if they some how obtained the official molds, or made molds from the original figures. Really wish Takara/Hasbro would recreate them and do an official reissue.

[@spectorcreative1872]

Hey, anything is possible if you make enough noise online

[@bri55118]

There was a video I saw that the company's take the original figures and take them apart and make blueprints from them. Then use that to mass produce the bootleg figures. Why takara or Hasbro won't reissue the dinobots it a mystery as they are some of the biggest fan favorites of the line.

[@tikvision]

Hasbro would never sell a bantha for that price. Sail barge = $800 / $900 Razor crest = $400 Millenium Falcón galaxy's edge (re issued legacy model) $400 Crappy flimsy bespin freezing chamber semicircle playset (you need two to close the circle) $40 Wall from Jabba the Hutt palace (includes tauntaun head which no one ever realized it was on the movie) $40

[@spectorcreative1872]

And that tends to be why they don't go after the craft industry.

[@nicholasbell9819]

Okay... try comparing apples with apples: Hasbro The Vintage Collection figure: $13 Hasbro Star Wars Retro Collection figure: $10 Smith Lord/Fans Strike Back loose figure:$50 Smith Lord/Fans Strike back carded figure: $75 Scott's point stands. The development and production costs of the Sail Barge or Razor Crest far exceed that of Fans Strike Back's Bantha. Obviously.

[@Beedo_Sookcool]

Outstanding video! Thank you! I will be referring a LOT of people to this one, as it's a frequent topic on the boards I frequent. I find some of the loudest critics of bootlegs are self-styled Serious Collectors. If it's a laughable bootleg from 1983 Yugoslavia, and it's in that collector's hands, it's a prized posession and conversatoin piece. If it's a modern repro of something Vintage that they wanted to scalp on eBay for $350, it's a sacrilege and must be stopped. 🤣 Also: "Knight Rider becames Robert!" Best bootleg tagline ever.

[@spectorcreative1872]

I just wish I could write bootleg toy packaging copy!

[@iampoch01]

Hi Spector, do companies also study the bootlegged items (especially craft products) to see which characters would sell etc? One example would be Demoniacal Fit. They make characters based on Dragon Ball and the figures are essentially SH Figuarts. However, they make figures of characters that Bandai haven't done yet. But funnily enough, Bandai does follow suit, such as the Ginyu Force.

[@spectorcreative1872]

Their is no exact rule, but yes they are looked at.

[@thrrax]

Most of the stuff we get when it comes to figures comes from China, and they are pumping fakes and "knockoffs" alongside the originals faster than the authorities can act. Plus, the Chinese copyright laws are a bit ambiguous, leaving them a lot of leeway to copy and resell stuff. Most of the time it's not even worth trying to fight a Chinese company. For example, a lot of Chinese versions of an official figure are actually rejects from the original's assembly line (small gaps in the assembly, some paint defects, a part came out slightly warped etc). They label them as "Chinese version" and can sell them freely, at a fraction of the original's price. Most times the manufacturers are obligated by contract to recycle the rejects, as much as they can, and reuse the material, but more often than not, they tend to "forget". And they get away with it 95% of the time, because the producers make a shitload of profit anyway, seeing that mass production of toys in China is cheap AF. Then we get the re-casters, which buy originals, make molds of them, and then cast their own versions. That's why you see slightly differences when it comes to parts size, joints, details, facial features, especially in figurines and action figures. I know this from a well known Chinese manufacturer that I worked with in the past.

[@thegillmanedits]

The irony is that a lot people unironically buying the knockoffs are too poor to buy the actual product though they'd love to. I speak from experience. My family was extremely impoverished when I was young and, let me tell you, I did not want that poorly painted, rip off of He-Man. Bootlegs have a special place in my heart not because they're obvious cash ins from crooks that happen to be hilariously bad but because they remind me of all my parents could spare to give me something that was at least close to what I wanted.

[@spectorcreative1872]

Great points and you hit the nail on the head

[@UndeadB0ulder]

Elsa mech low-key badass

[@spectorcreative1872]

Truly

[@bdrive5663]

As primarily a transformer collector, I have seen a lot of 3rd party versions of their IP that are done in small to medium runs. They have gone on record more than once with the general sentiment that while it dose infringe on their IP, given the nature of 3rd party toys and their higher cost they typically sale only to older collectors and don't impact their general toy sales so they tend to leave the 3rd party companies alone as long as they don't use Hasbro's actual molds or claim to be Hasbro products.

[@spectorcreative1872]

Yeah I'll need to do a whole video on that

[@destoker]

Fun fact at 9:20 about Grand Moff Tarkin, It was told that the empire was based on the Nazi regime. Well, in dutch the nickname "mof" was used for a german soldier, so translated his name would by "big Nazi Tarkin", and yes i have way to much time on my hands now....

[@spectorcreative1872]

I like it! I also hear in Dutch Darth Vader is "Dark Father"

[@theonewhocannotsmell127]

TBH, that Elsa with that armor in the promo art, looks badass

[@spectorcreative1872]

Wasn't that scene in Frozen awesome!

[@TOKYOTOYBANZAI]

Fun video! A couple corrections regarding Sucklord & Smithlord though. Sucklord didn't make the SUCKLE keshi figures until years after his success with his Gay Empire resin action figure line. Smithlord & similar Star Wars custom repro companies ARE mass producing their figures, however unlike Hasbro who can afford to produce millions of their products, small companies like Smithlord are only producing enough to meet the demand of their fans, which are still in the hundreds to thousands. They even use the same factory injection molding process. It's just that the metal injection mold is so expensive to make, that their figures have to cost a higher price in order to recover the price of the metal mold used for plastic injection.

[@spectorcreative1872]

Oh yes, I wasn't saying that is how he started, just how he became more well known. But thanks for the extra facts!

[@johnmorey720]

Another example is that Morrison Entertainment, who owns Monster In My Pocket, is VERY aggressive about protecting their P - to the point that if you try to make rubber toys of (public domain) mythological monsters, or if you include "pocket" in your unrelated toyline, they will send you a C&D.

[@spectorcreative1872]

Oh I have sure seen my share of C&D letters in my time in the toy biz!

[@jabberdouche]

My first intro to bootlegs was a.Metallica album called "The Devil, Shaved Soap, & Gasoline". I thought I had found a "rare" album (which it is, actually) but I played the record and it sounded like dog-poop. Next time I went to the record store, the guy at the record store filled me in on the wonderful world of boots

[@spectorcreative1872]

That is friggin hilarious

[@CyberDragon10K]

Transformers bootlegs/KOs were rampant for a long time and probably will be still. It's only somewhat recently when the company Wei Jiang decided it was a good idea to KO a _Hot Toys Iron Man_ that the House of Mouse ordered Hasbro to crackdown on their factories and shutter their operations. Up until then the diehards swore by Wei Jiang stuff; bigger, better paint, and more detail/improved engineering compared to the stock Hasbro product. They probably still do now, but finding Wei Jiang stuff is a lot harder.

[@spectorcreative1872]

Send in the sharks with lasers.

[@kenasche3114]

Hey Scott, Did You say you worked for Mattel? I have seen on KZbin a guy from France made a bunch of 3 D printed Big Jim's. The thing is I wish Mattel would take note and bring back Big Jim with this person's ideas.

[@Isolder74]

Not one mention fo the Galaxy Warriors. Afraid of getting caught in the galaxy hole or is that a subject deserving it's own discussion?

[@spectorcreative1872]

Maybe its own video?

[@Isolder74]

@@spectorcreative1872 It's such a huge rabbit hole that is probably the best option. Knockoffs of knockoffs of knockoffs.

[@robertwilliams1095]

I bought the bootleg ReAvengers when I was in Mexico they are 5 inch tall and metal kind of cool looking.

[@spectorcreative1872]

I would love that set. Nice one

[@TheGamesNexus]

This was an interesting take on bootlegs. I've included your video in our article about the topic.

[@spectorcreative1872]

Nice! If you send me a link I will be happy to share it on my social media! (send as a new comment if you will, not a reply)

[@TheGamesNexus]

@@spectorcreative1872 It's the same one about the copied models: alkony.enerla.net/english/the-nexus/miniatures-nexus/miniature-hobby/miniatures-casting-miniatures-copying-existing-miniatures And I'm almost sure YT won't let me put a link in a non-reply comment. Update: Yep, tried it, and it's gone.

[@CarlyCatharsis]

BTW; MANY Actual Celebrities Often Voiced Random Toys On Robot🐤Chicken, Such As The Cast Of Scooby Doo, George Lucas, Billy Dee Williams, Carrie Fisher & Even Mark Hammill. Just Like They Did On Drawn Together & Family Guy! But What's YOUR Take On: "Super7" Toys? Knockoff OR Legit?

[@spectorcreative1872]

Super 7? Those are fully legs licensed toys

[@CarlyCatharsis]

@@spectorcreative1872 Yet They Use The Kenner Font? So Are They Licenced Through Mattel? I've NEVER Bought Any! But I Have Previously Found IN-STORES (BigLots, FamilyDollar, DollarGeneral & 99€ Stores & Even DollarTree; "Convert-A-Bots", "Convertors; Spies", "Twin Metamorphs", "Transistor Robots", "Gamebots", "Quick-Change", "Motorbots" (Bruticus), etc. Allthough I TRY To Get Hasbro Stuff, Some Of The More Recent Prices Are INSAINE!! $20 & $30 For The "Deluxe & Voyager" Class Lines, Which USED To Be: $10-$20 That's DOUBLE Markup! But MOST Nimrods Gladly Pay That. I Just Got KINGDOM "Warpath" & It Actually Fell-Apart While Attempting To Follow The Instructions? Hell, You Don't Even NEED Those With "Legends" Class, "Cyberverse" Re-Issues & Budget "Authentics"!

[@zarnistastudios]

I hope you are right. There is a maker movement that does try to fill in the holes where mainline companies drop the ball. And they are made with passion and purpose. And most of these creators don’t make a lot. That’s why I think they are left alone. Plus it’s a laboratory for the big companies. They did the retro line after seeing the success of the maker movement. I think one helps the other. Hopefully they can coexist. And as you said some is a quick cash grab like you find at flea markets. Great video. Interesting topic. Cheers.

[@spectorcreative1872]

And cheers back, Thanks for the kind words and be sure t share any videos you like on social media. It helps the channel a ton!

[@No1.OriginalTrilogyStarWarsFan]

Bootleg figures, should check out Ashens videos. Very good as always. Have you done a video on toys in films looking so different than the real thing. E.G. Small Soldiers, early Toy Story figures etc.

[@spectorcreative1872]

Noted and will do!

[@No1.OriginalTrilogyStarWarsFan]

@@spectorcreative1872 Great cheers.

[@PatriciaCross]

There is another angle to this, and thus is especially true of vintage toys (and to a degree modern; but computer design has lessened this.) It was really common to make prototypes out of existing toylines. The Kenner Star Wars line is notorious for (most notably in its earliest releases) building it's prototypes out of Fisher Price Adventure People. Every company did this. So there exists a lot if wiggle room in how companies can copy moulds. That's how you wind up with so much knockoff He Man figures, many from otherwise legit companies (Remco for instance.) It works best if you start from an already kind of generic design (Adventure People, He Man) and modify it; but you can get away with a lot. Going through parts piles; i'm amazed how many pieces I find made by one company are clearly stolen from another. With some slight change. Companies cut a lot of corners this way and it gets hard to sue over it without opening a huge can of worms on themselves. I think to a degree, bootlegs are just considered a part of the toy industry. Every company is full of them to some degree or another. It has become part of the culture. But there are certain lines you cannot cross. I have some amazing bootlegs in my collection. I love them.

[@spectorcreative1872]

Oh yes, when making prototypes anything on hand will due. MOTU He-Man trio case in point.

[@elcowabungahe-man6156]

Great video in Argentina are doing a way bunch of 5.5 stile motu version figures i know their bootleg but many look great

[@spectorcreative1872]

Still available? Crazy!

[@rrr12653]

thanks for the insight Scott very interesting stuff. I do like the look of that spader man you think its on ebay ? hahah have a great weekend.

[@spectorcreative1872]

Spader man, Spader man. Does whatever a Spaderman does

[@sideswipe1261]

I’ve purchased low quality clear KO’s of Transformers from stores like Toy Liquidators (owned by Kay-Bee Toys when around), that had actual Autobot and Deception stickers applied in the sealed packages (the 5 piece “Superion” set is one), and from Big Lots purchased 1:1 (lower quality) Optimal Optimus from BeastWars. KB is toast, but Big Lots is HUGE and do this all day long! How do they get away with it? It’s ballsy to use unaltered Autobot stickers on bootlegs and be sold through huge companies!

[@spectorcreative1872]

Funny what you can do with a sticker!

[@anthonybehan6031]

I'd love to hear your take on the Transformers 3rd party industry. That's always been something that I never quite understood how it was allowed to get so big. I know people who are huge Transformers fan but Hasbro gets no money off them because they only buy 3rd party.

[@planetschlock]

I think that Hasbro lets the third parties slide because, in a way, they kind of provide free market research into the kinds of toys and characters that collectors want so that they can make better assumptions on which characters might sell for their own official lines. Like for example, say there are a bunch of third-party toys of a lesser-known character like Bludgeon or Six-Knight that are being made and sold. Someone from Hasbro might see that and figure it's a safe bet to cash in with their official version in an upcoming line. Again, this is all conjecture on my part.

[@spectorcreative1872]

I'll add it to the topic list! Thanks.

[@wanderingoryx3710]

Third party bootlegs

[@chubibi06]

So you work for Mattel ? Well, do you believe Mattel will ever bring back on the market their "Ooze-a-saurs" set of figures ; from their line for the Disney movie Dinosaur ? Some of those figures are highly sought after (especially the mosasaur one) ; and i was wondering if there was even the smallest chance of ever seeing a collector set, maybe ? . . . I'm just throwing a bottle to the sea, there ; but that's something i've been wondering for a while now ; as i'm looking everywhere for that damned mosasaur. . .

[@spectorcreative1872]

I "used" to work for Mattel. I left in 2014.

[@knetge]

i would like to see you do a video on third-party companies. like in the transformers community. the ones that clearly make a G1 character but in a slightly different style. or the ones that make upgrade kits. would those count as a bootleg, and how do most companies feel about that stuff?

[@spectorcreative1872]

Working on that!

[@Justin-Hill-1987]

Reminds of that episode of The Powerpuff Girls Classic, Knock it Off, where Dick Hardly creates cheap bootleg versions of the Powerpuff Girls, which he sells to various parts of the world...

[@spectorcreative1872]

Oh that is a classic! Oh Blossom....

[@ididthisonpulpous6526]

The other major impediment is that bootlegs made in countries and regions that are not very keen on copyright laws in general. The one I notice is that China has a lot of really good bootlegs being made that are CLEARLY using the actual production lines of the actual toys. I seriously doubt that US companies can make China do anything China doesn't want to do relating to knockoff merch...

[@spectorcreative1872]

Very similar to the internet. It is hard to enforce laws without a global legal system

[@paleknight1]

This is why companies should just produce better quality products and stop trying to shut down bootleggers.

[@spectorcreative1872]

Ha!

[@Rattwap]

I feel you missed an opportunity by not talking about the company Lepin, who produced straight up bootleg copies of LEGO sets and how LEGO successfully had them and had the owners jailed.

[@studebricker2845]

That's what I was going to comment. I would like to hear about Lepin and what happened there. I felt like they were harming the Lego brand and wondered why Lego didn't go after them right away. I'm a big Lego collector by the way. Not involved with the company at all, but I am very loyal to Lego as a customer.

[@spectorcreative1872]

Oh that is a whole other video!

[@SlashTheWeasel]

2:18 I want that Frozen toy!! I vaguely remember seeing something of Suckle once and loved it and wondered how to get at that time. But I do love my Transformer Knock off toys. Cheap in so many ways but just pure fun being oversized and flimsy. I got to ask what is the deal with 3rd party Transformer toys? They have been around long before Hasbro did the Generations line and sell for quite price. I have few. Personally I think it forced Hasbro to make Generations Transformers cause of the popularity of the 3rd party TFs due that theylook like their G1 counterparts. Personally I'm glad Hasbro is making Generations cause I can't afford all the 3rd party out there and Generations is awesome in so many ways of durablitity and price.

[@spectorcreative1872]

That Frozen toy is really hard to find.

[@AgentOroko]

I bought a bootleg toy; it's a Marvel Select Juggernaut that's been painted to the Unstoppable Colossus from the Fear Itself storyline. I ordered it from China via Aliexpress.

[@spectorcreative1872]

Nice!

[@CarlyCatharsis]

Furthermore, I Just Got Some Of Hasbros: "1986 Studio Series", SIEGE & KINGDOM Figures & Was Severely Dissapointed/Angry For The MOST Part. While The Bot Forms Resembled The 86' Animated Movie & "Beast Wars" Show, The Pathetically Thin Plastic Was Ridiculous & The Transformation Was VERY Difficult. Compared To The EXACT Same Characters Released Between 2006-2009. But I WILL Give The "Legends" Class, Budget "Authentics & Cyberverse" Designers Mad Props, As The ONLY Disappointments Thus Far Was Optimus & Hot Rod. (STILL Love 2006 Version Most). Authentics "Soundwave & Grimlock" RULE!!

[@spectorcreative1872]

Now that is nuts!

[@CarlyCatharsis]

@@spectorcreative1872 How So? The Fact That The Plastic Was Wafer-Thin & Hard To Transform (Hot Rod, Elita-1) OR That "Legends" & Budget Deluxe "Authentics" Are FARR Superior? Hell, Eventhough They Couldn't Transform; "Hero Mashers" Were Screen Perfect For The Most Part... Allthough Rodimus & Bumblebee REALLY Needed Help, Those 2 Were The ONLY Major Issues! You Could Even Easily Make "Delta Magnus"!

[@mike_minnick]

I know a person who loved the Robocop bootleg "Robertcop" so much that when she was changing her name after her divorce she changed it to Robertcop

[@spectorcreative1872]

Even super cops robots need legal help

[@simplysteve68]

Walmart sells Easter basket collections, that have KO products in them, so I bought one (about 20 yrs ago), but the plastic wrap over the basket was too dark to see inside. So I opened it, to get at the candies as well. 😏 The one I bought had a Transformer, 3rd party KO, 5 pack Combaticons/Bruticus, but it was called "Military Combining Force"! Lol 😮😝😂

[@spectorcreative1872]

I love Military Combining Force! The second season was the best. It jumped the shark in season 3

[@rokkvi1]

I wonder if "Special man" is in "The Special people´s club"

[@spectorcreative1872]

He is the president