I think the term 'Chinasaur' is misleading.

[brontosauruschuck]

Most of the nice dinosaur toys are made in China too.

[Libraraptor]

That´s true indeed. Unfortunately it is much cheaper for the companies to have toys produced in China, where the underpaid workers work under horrendous circumstances. Don´t know how much Safari or Schleich (to call some examples) care for these circumstances, but it would be their duty to do so in the face of fairness and sustainability.

But this would bee to much of a political issue for this forum.

We never defined the term "chinasaur", the definition has rather been evolving from the occasions in which it has been used. This definition seems to be "cheaply and/or semi-correctly produced and thus looking figures, sometimes with a kitschy vibe" in my opinion.

[Cretaceous Crab]

I agree. I think "cheapasaur" is a slightly more accurate and PC term.

[SidB]

"Cheaposaur" would work for me.

[Libraraptor]

This sounds good. From now on I try to only use "cheapasaur". Does not make me less unconfortable with what the companies do in China and what China itself does to its peolpe, but  this is a completely different matter and doesn´t belong to this forum.

[brontosauruschuck]

I never had a problem just saying it's a crappy knockoff toy. 

[Gwangi]

I can see why the term Chinasaur might be viewed as sinophobic, and for that reason it should probably be dropped. If you don't know where the term came from it might be thought of as being some sort of veiled racism. If my understanding of the word is correct it doesn't originate from the fact that cheap toys are made in China but rather that the cheapest toys only say China on their underside. Companies like Safari have the year of production, company name, animal's name. But a Chinasaur is a Chinasaur because it says CHINA on it, without much if anything else.

Also, most toys nowadays are made in China but their companies are based elsewhere. But China produces its own toys too, and many of them are  knockoffs and cheap bargain toys made with questionable materials, hence "Chinasaur". That was until PNSO came along which is the only Chinese company to produce quality figures that I'm aware of. The existence of PNSO makes that definition for a Chinasaur obsolete now because it stands as an example of a China based company producing a quality product.

[Neosodon]

I can see why the term Chinasaur might be viewed as sinophobic, and for that reason it should probably be dropped. If you don't know where the term came from it might be thought of as being some sort of veiled racism. If my understanding of the word is correct it doesn't originate from the fact that cheap toys are made in China but rather that the cheapest toys only say China on their underside. Companies like Safari have the year of production, company name, animal's name. But a Chinasaur is a Chinasaur because it says CHINA on it, without much if anything else.

Also, most toys nowadays are made in China but their companies are based elsewhere. But China produces its own toys too, and many of them are  knockoffs and cheap bargain toys made with questionable materials, hence "Chinasaur". That was until PNSO came along which is the only Chinese company to produce quality figures that I'm aware of. The existence of PNSO makes that definition for a Chinasaur obsolete now because it stands as an example of a China based company producing a quality product.

Well said. I don't find it offensive but the term may sound bad to someone who doesn't get the origin. For me it just reminds me of my archaic "CHINA" stamped childhood collection. I'll never forget those masterpieces of abstract art.

[stargatedalek]

As Gwangi said "Chinasaur" is not in reference inherently to the location (let alone nationality) of manufacture, but rather to toys marked only with a location of manufacture (which is almost always China). These toys are generally low in quality and are often being made of inferior or even unsafe materials, hence people are often quick to lump them together.

PNSO figures are marked with things like production information and a CE mark. Despite also being produced in China they only change the connotation of the term under a false assumption as to the terms origins.

It's an easy enough false assumption to make and its fair to want it phased out for that reason alone, but given the terms prolonged use it's also very important to understand the origins and context of the term lest assumptions be made about the character of those who've used it.

[Stegotyranno420]

Yeah. Pnso just throws what we are told about chinasaurus out of the windo. I agree with stolpergeist, but the name chinasaur stuck to my tongue

[DinoToyForum]

I've always taken the word 'Chinasaur' to mean no-brand dinosaur toys stamped "Made in China" (or not stamped at all but with a high probability of being made in China). On the face of it, this seems completely reasonable, since the country of origin is the only thing we know about these toys. This definition doesn't have any bearing on a figure being "nice" as B @brontosauruschuck implied; it doesn't necessarily mean a knock-off, since many chinasaurs are original sculpts; and it also doesn't necessarily equate to bad quality. Indeed, I've paid good money for originally sculpted 'Chinasaurs' (in China, no less), so unbranded dinosaur toys made in China aren't always cheaply produced and aren't always cheap to buy. Sure, on average a 'Chinasaur' will be cheaper, but some Chinasaurs are better than others, just as some branded dinosaur toys are better than others. For this reason, 'Cheaposaurs' doesn't work for me, and also the word 'cheap' is loaded with negative connotations.

In this sense, 'Chinasaur' isn't derogatory and doesn't come with any baggage or judgement. That said, it appears that some people are using the term differently, so it could well be being used negatively, or perceived negatively. Language and meanings change so this is certainly something worth considering.

The word 'Chinasaur' was also used as the social media hashtag for the 2017 Dinosaurs of China exhibition, for essentially the same reason as above: the dinosaurs came from China. The exhibition was co-curated by a Chinese person, who is also a close friend of mine, and funnily enough he and I have been discussing the possibility about an exhibition about dinosaur toys in China. So, we have considered the term 'Chinasaur' in this context. We have also been discussing the prevalence of knock-offs and copies in China, both in toys and paleo-art. Of course one Chinese person doesn't represent the views of all of China, but he's in a better position to judge the word Chinasaur than me, so I'll talk with him about this further and report back.

[DinoToyForum]

...and perhaps we should discuss this over on the ATF 'Chinamals'  thread as well: http://animaltoyforum.com/index.php?topic=2271.0

[ceratopsian]

....... and funnily enough he and I have been discussing the possibility about an exhibition about dinosaur toys in China. .....

How very interesting!  Hopefully the discussions will bear fruit.

[stargatedalek]

Yeah. Pnso just throws what we are told about chinasaurus out of the windo. I agree with stolpergeist, but the name chinasaur stuck to my tongue

PNSO are not unbranded, and so would not have been considered Chinasaurs to begin with.

[Stegotyranno420]

Yeah. Pnso just throws what we are told about chinasaurus out of the windo. I agree with stolpergeist, but the name chinasaur stuck to my tongue

PNSO are not unbranded, and so would not have been considered Chinasaurs to begin with.

Oh i thougt chinasaur meant anything dino figure from china

[CityRaptor]

It's basically a more specialized version of "No Name". But then again, a lot people on German Ebay seem to refer pretty much everything that is not Schleich ( if they don't refer to it as Schleich ) as such even if the figures in question are clearly stamped.

[Libraraptor]

It's basically a more specialized version of "No Name". But then again, a lot people on German Ebay seem to refer pretty much everything that is not Schleich ( if they don't refer to it as Schleich ) as such even if the figures in question are clearly stamped.

That is indeed an annoying phenomenon. There are far too many Schleich figures being offered on Ebay Germany and there´s far too little variety in other series.
But even figures which are "Not Schleich" are called "Dinosaurs. Not Schleich."
You can´t avoid Schleich here.

[sauroid]

the members of this forum have been using the term "chinasaur" since the beginning to apply to figures that are basically unbranded and cheaply made/poor quality. is it considered an offensive term now?

[SidB]

In view of the sensitivities and sensibilities of our times, it does seem best to avoid it, As @Stegotyranno's comment notes, it can be a confusing descriptive as well as potentially offensive. I'm going to use "cheaposaurs" myself, as was suggested.

[CityRaptor]

That is indeed an annoying phenomenon. There are far too many Schleich figures being offered on Ebay Germany and there´s far too little variety in other series.
But even figures which are "Not Schleich" are called "Dinosaurs. Not Schleich."
You can´t avoid Schleich here.

Yeah. Obviously a cheap tactic to attract people searching for Schleich. Misusing Jurassic Park/ World is also common. Saw an overpriced Tomy Ania T.rex listed with "no Jurassic World" in the title. And saw a seller using it to attempt to sell some overpriced bootlegs.