This derivative dinosaur toy draws its inspiration from a surprisingly modern and good-quality source; but like all knockoffs, the nature of that “inspiration” might leave a bad taste in one’s mouth.
Knockoffs are an ever-present element of the toy industry, and a persistent quandary for collectors. A knockoff is a product which imitates another, original product, usually without copying it precisely in order to slyly evade copyright infringement.
Larami’s Museum set is looking pretty dated now, but it’s a charming playset all the same and one of the more memorable imitators out there.
It’s said that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery; by that metric the dinosaur toy industry has been incredibly generous towards the leading toy brands.
In the world of paleoart and paleomerch, it’s very common to see artists and toymakers draw inspiration from the imagery of other creators. Often this can be a good thing and a chance to reinforce contemporary understanding – consider how many vintage toys drew from Charles R Knight and Rudolph Zallinger – but sometimes it ends up becoming flagrant theft of another’s hard work.
One issue that will always plague any creative outlet is this: plagiarism. Many will copy the best for a quick and easy way to get sales or attention. When it’s mentioned here, usually this is in referenced to Geoworld, and they are certainly guilty of this. However, they aren’t the only ones though.
For those who don’t know me, I’m Patrick, a member of the DTF, AKA “Ikessauro”. I live in Brazil and started collecting dinosaurs about 6 or 7 years ago. Back then the best dino figures I could find around here were the ones from Salvat collection.
