LEGO knockoff products, informally known as LEGO clones, are toy construction sets that resemble LEGO products in both appearance and function. LEGO clones, often designed to be compatible with LEGO parts, are almost always priced cheaper than LEGO in stores. Some buyers, especially LEGO purists, accuse LEGO knockoff brands of producing products of inferior quality. Love ’em or loathe ’em, here’s a closer look at five major LEGO knockoffs.
1. Best-Lock Construction Toys
England-based Best-Lock features licensed sets for Terminator and Stargate SG-1. Other themes produced by the company include: town, farming, Wild West, pirates and military.
2. Character Building
England-based Character Building has licensing deals with Scooby Doo, Dr Who and Looney Toons. Other product lines include: H.M. Armed Forces, Monsters vs. Zombies, and Sports Stars.
3. Mega Bloks
Founded in 1967, Canada-based Mega Bloks is one of the most popular LEGO knockoffs in the United States. Mega Bloks has third-party licensing deals with popular franchises including: Hello Kitty, Halo, Call of Duty, among others. Mega Bloks products are carried by many of the same major retailers as LEGO, often occupying shelf space near LEGO products.
4. Nanoblock
Founded in 2008, Japan-based Nanoblock, manufactured by Kawada, have a similar brick design to LEGO but at much smaller scale (hence the name “nano”). Kawada holds licensing agreements with: The Adventures of Tintin, Pokemon, Hello Kitty, Mega Man and more.
5. Kre-O
Launched in 2011, Kre-O is a relative newcomer to toy construction sector. The company is marketed by toy giant Hasbro products are manufactured by South Korea-based Oxford. Kre-O licensing deals include: Transformers, Battleship, G.I. Joe, Star Trek, CityVille Invasion (based on a popular online game), and Dungeons & Dragons. The name Kre-o is derived from the Latin word “creo”, which means “I create.”