Bootleg / Knock Off

About

Bootleg (also called knock off) is a type of merchandise (such as video games, collectibles, electronics or toys) intended to copy or imitate various well known products. Bootleg goods are often created in East Asian countries, and are sold worldwide on online auction websites, second-hand shops, thrift stores, flea markets and other less reputable dealers. While they are created to attempt to leech money off from more successful franchises, because of the poor quality or dubious translation efforts of the bootleggers, the products sometimes produce hilarious results.

History

In the 1880s the word was first used to denote the practice of concealing flasks of illicit liquor in boot tops when going to trade with Indians. Since then,the word has been used to signal an illegal item being sold, mainly copyrighted material.^[1]

Many times, bootleg goods are made with either the same pattern, mold, or cast as the official product. In other cases, the bootleggers may produce their own molds by casting current toys or products, or, in the case of sewn items, rip apart a current model. Some bootlegs are factory rejects sold as products for a cheaper price. Other times, bootleggers may use the same factory to produce bootleg goods with lesser quality materials.

Another strategy is to simply grab an image off of the internet, find some English text online, and place it on a shirt, wallet or other good. Many times bootleg games simply translate the text of a foreign game; other times they may build a game on their own engine using an official license such as Sonic or Mario, or may even use Rom Hacks downloaded online and place them on cartridges for their bootleg titles.

Some goods that are frequently bootlegged are collector's items, video games, movies, electronics, toys and seasonal goods.

Impact

While bootlegs are generally frowned upon, due to fooling consumers into buying cheap knockoff products, bootlegs have grown in popularity due to their amusing nature, often induced by poor translations or poor product quality. Due to their curious nature, popularity in bootlegs begins to grow, even resulting in websites that chronicle their releases.^[3]

Notable Examples

Pokémon Vietnamese Crystal

Pokemon Vietnamese Crystal, along with Pokemon Diamond and Jade versions, are popular bootleg video game titles. The former is a poor translation from Japanese into Chinese, and then into English. The latter is a hack of a game from the "Telefang" series^[4]. Both are susceptible to frequent bugs, often hilarious translation errors and overall are very confusing and amusing experiences.

Pop Station Consoles

Stuart Ashen^[2] is a YouTuber who has become popular by showing off various bootleg toys and electronics, most notably the "Pop station" consoles, which are LED games with a case that is modeled off of popular consoles or handhelds to attempt to fool unknowing customers into purchasing them.

Stuart also regularly reviews bootleg toys found in Poundland and 99P stores, in his "Poundland Special" series.

Sense of Right Alliance

A bootleg of the justice league, this toy appeared in Tumblr and exploded in popularity due to its bizarre factor. The team consists of: Lighting McQueen (of Cars), Yellow/blue/red Power Ranger, Superman, Batman, Spider Man and Shrek.

Somari

Another famous bootleg, made in early 1994 ,this bootleg is a combination of Sonic the hedgehog and Super Mario. Made by a company named Hummer team.The Game is widely known by both communities.

Halloween Costumes

A popular practice among retailers during Halloween is to sell costumes that look like pop culture characters, but as they don't have the rights to the characters, they come up with different names that often bear humorous resemblance to the original characters. The trend has been covered online since 2006, when i-Mockery^[5] posted a list of knockoff costumes they'd found. Since then, similar lists have been published by Huffington Post,^[6] Funny or Die,^[7] The Daily Dot,^[8] and other entertainment/humor blogs every year around Halloween.

Search Interest

External References