From Grits to Chopsticks

There is no shortage of copycats in China, including copycat stores (like the one that we call “Fakea“).  In case you didn’t get enough copycat products in my last post, here are a few more from recent trips to markets nearby our apartment.  If you go to Wal-Mart, you’ll find a nice display of genuine Tide detergent:

But as you enter nearby market, you’ll find a slightly different display:

Luggage stores are notorious for their knockoffs.  Walk further into this market and you can buy a fake Puma bag:

One of our students’ favorite snacks is the famous “Oreo” cookie, nicely labeled in Chinese and English:

Of course, there is a copycat here:

Speaking of things that you put into your mouth, there is quite a variety of toothpastes in China.  You’re familiar with Colgate:

But you may have never seen Colgore:

Our favorite brand of toothpaste is produced by the P&G company and holds the dubious distinction of having the largest number of copycats:

A slight change, and you get Creve:

A few more letters, and you get Cvont:

Move the starburst to the center and squeeze in another letter:

If you have trouble saying the letter “L”, this could sound familiar:

Since we’re talking about clones, it only seems reasonable to have this one:

Finally, making the name more familiar to Chinese phonetics:

Remember, I found all of these within walking distance of our apartment.  Imagine what you might find if you expanded the search…