Knockoffs
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Marco Pony
I found these at Big C Maha Sarakham (still slowly dying). I just found the brand funny for some reason. But AI told me that it’s an established brand that’s been around a long time. Because of course it is. The typesetting is just everything I ever expected.
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Marchall Amps AKA Weiduka
I was online looking for a cheap amp to replace my current cheap one (which has bust a capacitor or something and picked up an oscillating ground loop type hum) when I stumbled onto this beauty of a knockoff: At first glance, I thought it was a legit Marshall product made for millennials, because with the similar font, my brain just skipped over the odd letter. But this is only part of the reason this is one of my favorite knockoffs this year. The other lies in the specs: Wongchongkrong noise is the sound of the People’s high-end AC power filter… Wongchongkrong for the people! WONGCHONGKRONG FOREVER !! Buy your…
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SPENDYGAMS – Scrabble Knockoff
The kids started playing Scrabble at school and wanted to practice, so I broke out one of the knockoff sets I found at Terminal 21 in Korat a few years ago in anticipation. Unfortunately, the tiles are too big for the spaces on the board and the whole thing is so cheaply made that it affects gameplay a bit. So I’ll probably buy a real board, or at least a better knockoff, in the near future.
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Misushit?
This is probably the best Matsushita knockoff name, ever (combined with a retailer’s misspelling) – and that’s saying a lot since Matsushita and National brands were folded into Panasonic years ago. These trusted brand names live on in developing countries, even if new product lines do not. I’ve seen quite a few Matsushita, National, and Panasonic knockoff names (and that’s just a few from this electronics group), but the most often honored here and elsewhere is probably Mitsubishi, including the following permutations: Mitsuboshi:”Three hats” Mitsubashi: “Three bridges” Mizubashi: “Water bridge” Matsuboshi: “Pine hat” etc. “Mitsubishi” literally means “three water chestnuts,” but “-hishi” is what we call a diamond mark so it’s just…
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Chris Pongpitaya’s Supercar Knockoffs
…Because nothing says genuine 911 like a spoiler the size of a Cessna wing (and judging by the height of the hood, front wheel drive as well). (thx Mark) This video intrigued me so much, I had to dig around a bit. Here’s the juicy bits: When looks alone matter – A Bangkok Post article on Chris and his shop, Schönes A thread on a Phuket message board with sweet replica Aston Martin pics An online gallery with photos of the old factory in Ekamae According to this Danish article, this is the contact info for Chris Pongpitaya / Schönes in Bangkok, Thailand:Tel: (+66) 81 674 4950schones_2000@yahoo.com UPDATE:Here’s some alternate…
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Sporting Goods Knockoff Fever: Mitzuka & Balldings
Is this the highest form of flattery for Mizuno and Rawlings? “Balldings” is officially the best knockoff name, ever. Better than a genuine BOLEX watch, better than PenesamiG, better than MICKEY MUSOE. What was that last one, you ask? The person wearing this thought it was wholly unremarkable.
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DORAEMAX
Who’s that blue robot cat from the future with the Homer Simpson eyes? Knockoffs sometimes (unintentionally?) kick more ass than the original items.
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LANGBA – PenesamiG
In my previous post, I spoke of “fake brand name knockoffs that are loosely based on a famous item but a little too ironically so, giving you the impression that the person who designed it did so as an inside joke or something…” This is more precisely what I meant: This is not your average copper top. ////////////////////////// These crappy and frankly, dangerous (look at the insane bulging on the rightmost one – they came this way!) Chinese knockoffs were bundled with a couple of LCD flashlights I took camping a few weeks ago. The term “mutant knockoffs” has been coined for products like these. ////////////////////////// LINKAGE: Fake Products: Mutant…
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Justin of America – Justin Jeans?
Sometimes, a sign just hits you in the face: Spotted in Khon Kaen, Thailand Somebody painted my ass on a sign! We’ve actually spotted Justin Jeans apparel – mostly t-shirts and sweatshirts – at cheap night markets, but not the actual jeans. The clothes we saw were of the extremely cheap variety, made of the thinnest cotton poly blend, designed so badly as to be unappealing anywhere but the poorest corners of the third world. Kind of like those fake brand name knockoffs that are loosely based on a famous item but a little too ironically so, giving you the impression that the person who designed it did so as…
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Cheap Cheap
One of the great joys while shopping in Thailand is the bargaining – there is a definite art to it. One must find the equilibrium between getting the best deal on an item and becoming frustrated and looking like an asshole. In this context, an asshole is either a jerk using noobie bargaining tactics, or more commonly, someone who is expending copious amounts of time and effort for a negligible monetary return, i.e., battling it out with an old lady over a dollar difference on a twenty dollar purchase. Is a dollar difference worth sealing a deal but leaving one party with a sour taste in their mouth? Some people…
