How To Avoid Fake Sonic Merchandise 7

How to Avoid Fake Sonic Merchandise Page 7

Sonic Gear Main Merchandise Page * Bootlegs 1 * Bootlegs 2 * Bootlegs 3 * Bootlegs 4 * Bootlegs 5 * Bootlegs 6
* Bootlegs 8 * Bootlegs 9 * Bootlegs 10 * Bootlegs 11 * Bootlegs 12 *

Fakery and junk abounds when bootleggers think they can get away with knocking off Sonic the Hedgehog!
Fight back by educating yourself on what NEVER to buy with these pages of photos and tips!
Remember, you vote with your money...any buying of fake junk only supports and encourages them to make more. Wouldn't you rather have awesome official items? Wouldn't you rather enjoy cool good quality stuff you know you can depend on? If you want the real deal, bootlegs are never the way to go.
Remember what a 'bootleg' item is:
It is an unofficial or unlicensed product being sold to the fans- by NON FANS. These can be home-made or made in a factory. They are not approved by the company who holds the license and are NOT made to any standard. The quality is usually low, leading to items which may break or wear out. Fake items may also be unsafe. Remember, bootleg makers are only after your money. They don't care at all about Sonic the hedgehog and are only out for a quick buck. Don't waste your money! Buy official SEGA Sonic things only

Here is a fake light switch plate.
A light switch plate is something that falls into the "easy to fake" catagory, so you should always be aware when buying. Because it is a flat, plastic item, if you have a special printer, you can steal art work and print them out all day to fleece the fans. Much like mouse pads and flat tag keychains, most sellers (usually via ebay) will have multiple plates to offer, or offer many sizes. Also, they'll tend to suffer from poor design or unimaginative-ness because they're just out to steal art, not do a good job. Will this stand up to washing? Will the print rub off leaving you with something ugly really soon? You can bet you can't return it when it does! Remember, fakes have NO quality control. Photo discovered by BlueBlur

Anything that can be ironed-onto can be faked. In this case it's a "Baby Onesie" which is basically a sack with sleeves and holes in it into which you're supposed to insert a baby. The Tails graphic isn't even ON the shirt! It's just a photoshop of what they'll iron on later.
You have to wash baby items frequently, which spells trouble right away for flimsy shabby iron-ons! How long would this one last? There's no telling but the bootlegger won't care if it washes right off baby's new clothes--and leaves you with a mess you over-spent for!
Notice the lack of tags, copyrights or logos. The real deal will almost always say it is. Look first, ask first, and if it's suspicious, don't bid! Photo discovered by BlueBlur

Important note:
If an auction shows JUST the shirt graphic, never bid. Do you want a real shirt? Demand photos of a real shirt. The image can be of anything, like the above stock arts, Sega logo...whatever. If they had a real shirt they'd show one. It's a sure-fire sign of a fake if they can't even show you real merchandise before you buy--so don't do it.

Name Age Shirts are Fakes - dont be a loser

The graphic here illustrates the point above: if it's JUST a graphic, it's NOT a shirt! Any shirt or item with personalization OR 'specifics' (that is, dates, names, ages, anything that can vary) is ALWAYS bogus. Sonic is popular, real items must be made many at a time, they're not ever going to offer personalized goods. You can also see they've 'squashed' some of the art (Amy is very smooshed/tall) because they're just stealing it and trying to jam it on a shirt for money. This shirt may as well say "I'M A HUGE LOSER please push me into a mud puddle" because no matter what age you are things that rip off Sonic are never appropriate. Discovered by: Techno1252

With these 2 phony skins, you can compare and contrast! The PSP skin at right is CLEARLY bogus. They put the characters right in where the holes go, threw on the SA1 logo with Heroes art, put in Sonic Jam era art too, and mixed in Xmas Amy. PLUS while trying to fool everyone with logos...

they put FAKE copyright info right on one of the holes so you can never read it. A real company won't knock out their own information!
The 2nd skin is for the DS Lite, and is also a sham. However, it is better & looks

more like it could be real, simply because they didn't doctor the art, thus not giving themselves a chance to screw it up (notice on the PSP-Tails' face is CLEAR because they didn't BOTHER to erase right. So disgusting.) But, you'll notice total lack of logos/copyrights...AND the art is from a game that never even went on the DS. That's also a clue: usually the skin will relate to something the system actually PLAYS. PSP photo discovered by ShadowWorld ,DS by Techno1252

This figural clock is rather odd. It's an Item Under Suspicion.
It has not been proven to be a fake, but MOST LIKELY is. It is fairly Sonic-like but it has so many errors that really it shouldn't be official. The eyes are separate, no visible spikes, his face is pinkish, the arms are white, he has super small hands, the shine-dot is in the center of the ey, there is no mouth and it does not say 'Sega' anywhere on it. The clock says 'quartz'. Apparently the button on top helps to set it. It's also billed as being able to sing, which is odd. What noise could it make?
This clock should be proved one way or the other, but most bets say it's a phony sometimes sold on ebay. Photo discovered by ShadowWorld.

When is a bootleg not ALL a fake? When it's SonicEraser! With an odd name, strange premise and amature-ish looking cover, it looks like this would be all bogus. It is interesting though, because it is not. The cartridge is for MegaDrive (EU) and comes in a standard box with screenshots, good description and instruction manual.

This is way more than most bootlegs will do. However, it's made possible because the GAME itself is not a fake. It was produced for the Meganet an internet add on for the Megadrive only in Japan. It may have had a cartridge in Japan. It appeared around the time of Sonic 1. Not heard of it? That's because it failed. The internet was too new and the console too old to make it a good match. What someone's done is...they took the game and somehow burned it to a cartridge, then made up a box with it's info.
So what IS Sonic Eraser? The back states the premise as Sonic is fighting a fake Sonic...somehow. That's their excuse for 2 Sonic sprites spinning into eachother when you make a move in the puzzle. The game itself is like Dr Mario/Mean Bean Machine, but you're matching jewels instead. When you get a combo it breifly disables the other player. It has 10 difficulty levels but the music is pretty poorly done. The red rectangle in the top shot is a story book that opens up and explains how to play. What you see in the video is fan translated, the real thing would be in Japanese because Meganet never made it out of Japan outside of a brief period on SegaChannel which was the other online service for the USA but it didn't work either. You can see a Sonic Eraser Video on youtube with that link to really get a feel for it. Photos discovered by Berzeker.

Spotting a FAKE SKIN TIP:
Another tip to spot fake skins for consoles or portables is: if there is anything where it shows something on a corner or curve of the item, and it isn't distorted, it is a fake. Perspective would show character's bodies, background scenery or anything else curling or curving around an edge. The fakers who photoshop on their phony skins do not bother to account for this. Always inspect the images! Tip provided by Beatleboy62

This bootleg is a very strange one.
It falls outside the usual bootlegged item range, but is still one to be watched out for. This is a fake flask. Usually these small bottles are used to hold liquor of some kind. You can use them to keep 'a drink' with you even if you shouldn't. All signs of fakery are present here: the ebay seller has zillions of other themed flasks, this is NOT a photo of the real thing, the art has no copyrights, and it's obvious to see how it is stuck on. The item is either a decal of stolen art covered in enamel, or a resin 'button' applied to the side of the container (much like fake belt buckles)
Due to it being a beverage related container buying fake ones is especially hazardous due to things like improper/toxic coatings on the metal, fake stainless steel rusting, and other nasty health hazards. FAKES are NEVER regulated! Photo discovered by Berzerker.

Look out, it's the super hero of closet-hangers!
Turban Hog! Someone has clearly tried to steal Sonic to make up their shabby hanger-shilling mascot. Inside this box are clothes hangers for your closet bars. The company (trying to capitalize on Sonic's coolness) has 'modified' a stock Sonic into some wierd mascot type thing. They put a "P" on him like a super hero, used different shoes, erased his spikes and replaced them with...some kind of turban type thing!
It's a good thing they didn't take a very good art, as the mutant mouth and bonkey-eyes help keep this rather random package from looking too Sonic-ish. This Photo discovered by TotallyLooksLike .

This thing is so bad it's funny.
This is an adult Sonic costume that's clearly bogus. And hilarious, but what's funnier? The crossed eyes, or the fact that it's called a "Fancy Dress" and talks about "Wild Nights"? The unfortunate person modeling it also is afflicted with a case of the 5 oclock shadow, which certainly does not help with the lower part of the face.
The costume is trying...somewhat, by adding gloves with the proper finger amount, & the shoe buckles. They neglected most of the spikes on the back, & clearly can't figure out how to make the ears stay up. "Sonics" face is also rather 'whoops' as the pupils are pointed directly up and are cross-eyed as well. The usual baggy fabric & saggy spikes affect this costume as well. Photo discovered by:

Look out, because a shop is selling this costume at Littlewoods.ie (Ireland), AND Amazon.co.uk. But is it fake? 98% yes. (just because an affiliate sells it, doesn't always mean it's real! Beweare even on Amazon!) Info by Buzzthebatgirl & Red

A mascot type head is hard to make. It must fit over a regular head, yet still operate like a mask. However, difficulty is no excuse for trying to rip off Sega by turning up ill-planned bootlegs. As you'll notice here, it may have a decent face-bottom, but they've kept that terrible big wiggly mouth, and couldn't quite figure out the spikes. The ears may stand up, but they have no curve at all to them (they're like shark fins) and there is also no border of blue, making them look strange. For all that it costs (as they attempt to sell it) you'd likely be better off making a real fan item instead of this fake one! Photo discovered by: Austin H

Is your head shaped like a bean? Do you look EXACTLY like Homer Simpson?
If so, you're the only person who's head this hat will fit upon. Look how absurdly tall it is. All it will do is extend your head upward if you were to be horrible enough to put on this phony Tails Hat. It appears that someone with a vague grasp of what Tails might look like is attempting to make money by selling bogus hats. However, with the mutant bangs, micro-ears, bug-like eyes and crazy-tall construction, it is unlikely they'll be rolling in cash, especially when REAL TAILS HATS are easily available and look 100s of times better than this barfy bootleg. Photo discovered by: Austin H

When bootlegs appear, shabbyness abounds!
This costume was described as 'rare' by the seller, which is a good thing with how nasty it is. Look at the cloth on the 'belly dot' of the costume, it's SO THIN and shabby that you can see through it to the clothing underneath! Then, the belly dot is positioned too low, and it doesn't even come with any shoes or gloves. The unfortunate guy in this photo is barefooted out in the yard! (what must someone have done to him to force him into this contrapiton!)
The 'mask' portion of the suit is also super bad. It has a huge non-Sonic-like wiggly mouth, wrinkly head construction, and poor face placement. The way the costume operates, it looks like the head is some kind of mutated hat. With no photos of the back available, you can bet they left off the spikes or did the worst job possible. If you want a Sonic costume, make your own because fakes will always dissapoint. Photo discovered by: Austin H

This is clearly a set of fake Sonic masks.
The problem with bootlegs (one of many) is that there's nothing to stop anyone from making them and trying to make a fast buck off anyone who happens to stumble upon them. Here, an amature attempts to create character masks in order to sell them. Too bad they don't have any grasp of pattern making, as all the heads are heart-shaped due to poor fold-pattern design. The masks are just bizzarre looking because design didn't come into play at all, they simply cut eye holes into the characters' eye-spaces without regard for the end result. Construction problems abound as do uneven coloring, disproportionate features and more. No one could be fooled into thinking these are the real thing, so why bother? Photo discovered by: Austin H

This is a bootleg 3 in 1 cartridge for the Famicom system. It's supposed to have Sonic 5, Double Dragon 3 and Street Fighter 2 12 P

There's something strange about this bootleg other than the ugly color of the plastic and the odd pairing of Sonic with fighting games. It's that it uses SA era graphics on something as old as the Famicom! Who is still making games for this ancient system? Let alone, fake ones like this. Sonic 5 is of course, a total sham. It's nothing but a nasty colored version of the Spring Yard Zone from Sonic 1 and some "5" scrawled onto the title screen of Sonic 1. With bootlegs, there's a re-run rip off around every corner! Discovered by Sonicfan2525

Is this figure real or fake?
THAT is the big question as stores online claim to be selling it. But NO ONE sells loose figures (out of box) unless they're vintage, or bootlegs. Jazwares would never release a no-box figure. So why do all stores (Amazon, KiddiMax) only have just this one photo and no box? Why do they all claim he's a 5inch, when clearly all Super Posers are not?
The other thing to note is his smaller guantlet-hand and the little Caliburn. It LOOKS like they're off of the 5 inch Figure and do not belong on the Super Poser. A few people have found him elsewhere, but its always the same photo. It really resembles the fan item on Fan Items 8, where someone DID modify a SP into SBK Sonic. That fan artist has process shots of cutting up the hand and putting it back together in the gauntlet, so they didn't "steal" this mystery figure. But, as you can see with that tiny hand, this one looks to be more of a kitbash. Is it a case of stolen art that was then mistaken for an official toy?
If you have proof of this figure, send it in to clarify! Discovered by SuperSkeetosPro & AutobotWheelie

This is a curious item. Is it real or is it fake? (It's fake)
It is a wall decor item, and is made of mirror colored glass. You can see how it catches the light on its beveled edges and in-cuts. It seems to be made of separate pieces (much like a stained glass window would be) as there are seams in the eyes as well as around all the lines. It is also engraved (see name) which as you know, personalization is usually a hallmark of phony goods. The middle spike is also quite long and un-naturally sharp (so longer names could be fit upon it) so it distorts the stock-art it is based off of. This was aquired at the Bloomsburg PA. fair in the USA. It's a quality item, however it not licensed. It's one of the things anyone wishes to be a 'real item' due to the nice look and the quality however, it just isn't. Usually places with such mirrors as this sell many other likenesses and characters. They are generally found at flea markets/fairs because those are hard to 'police' for infringement. Photographed & owned by thejess521

This cartridge is obviously a fake one. Nothing Sonic was ever made for the NES, as it was far too long ago. However, with the modern ability to take rom-dumps of games and manipulate them, someone has used that capability to create a fake NES cart with Sonic 1 on it. However, because the Genisis was a higher bit system than the old NES...how does it actually play? How was the game downgraded to play on the older system? In trying to get people to buy, old art is used on the cart, though the modern style logo gives it away. Discovered by: Breaksofresh