The Pokemon Company has its plate full with the massive success of Pokemon Sword & Shield and the mobile Pokemon GO game. However, video games are not its only specialty — Pokemon toys and plush have been popular worldwide since the launch of first-generation Pokemon back in 1996. They have become so popular that many have tried to replicate or fake these products, explaining the fake Pokemon toys that were just discovered in a shipment close to the northern border of the United States.
A truck in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, was stopped by US Customs and Borders Patrol and searched. 86,400 counterfeit Pokemon toys were found in various boxes labeled "plastic furnishing articles." In total, the Pokemon toys, if not counterfeit, would be worth about $603,936.
Apart from the massive copyright infringement, the counterfeit toys didn't have labels and could present a choking hazard. The toys were easily identified as counterfeit due to the distorted shapes and incorrect colors. The danger is if the counterfeit toys were sold, it is most likely the seller would be tricking consumers into thinking they are authentic Pokemon. The Pokemon Company has protected its intellectual property very well, and most likely, will want to crack down on more counterfeit Pokemon products.
The counterfeit Pokemon toys look like a Ditto unsuccessfully tried to transform. There's an Arbok toy missing the signature markings, so it just looks like a normal snake; one Combusken toy looks as if it had been halfway painted, and just has black dots for eyes.
It may be hard to identify real Pokemon products because so many try to fake and counterfeit them. However, The Pokemon Company usually partner up with well-known brands and produce quality products that are hard to duplicate. Top retail stores will almost always carry the official licensed Pokemon products, which will have official Pokemon markings.
The seizure of over 85,000 Pokemon toys is extremely important for the Pokemon brand because not only would the counterfeits take profits away, but it would tarnish the image of Pokemon, especially to younger children who may not know better. Some Pokemon may be a little bit weird, but each one was created with dedicated work and deserve to have their correct image maintained.
Source: Comicbook