The Animal Kingdon figures in my zoo

I got any nice figures from China, some are knockoffs, some not really and i am not sure if some are also new figures. All have a hard paper circle with Animal kingdom in the bag.

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The Animal Paradise knock-offs also come with a round paper. Maybe the name Paradise does not match with some of these.
What's that thing on the right side , a squat lobster (Munida refulgens) perhaps?
There's also a cormorant and some other unusual species. Can you give a brighter photo?
Also, isn't there more information on that card?

Roger wrote:

The Animal Paradise knock-offs also come with a round paper. Maybe the name Paradise does not match with some of these.
What's that thing on the right side , a squat lobster (Munida refulgens) perhaps?
There's also a cormorant and some other unusual species. Can you give a brighter photo?
Also, isn't there more information on that card?

the crustacean on the right is one of the freshwater shrimps in the genus Macrobrachium; I suspect this as it looks like a knock-off of one of the two species in this genus produced by Kaiyodo

Some really nice models,especially the flying squirrel!

Many thanks friends

newcomers

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Nice additions,especially the whale!

Taos wrote:

Nice additions,especially the whale!

I agree, nice whale.

Many thanks friends

I hope you keep exploring this brand even if some are knock-offs. Some of their figures look really interesting.

All the figures of this "brand" and other similar ones are copies of figures of the big brands. The truth is that they pose a certain dilemma (I do not know whether to call it moral) because I do not think that the sculptors of the brands would like to see these copies sold on Aliexpress but on the other hand there are some color variants that are really interesting. Of course they can not replace the real ones but if you like this or that figure or a certain species, it is hard to resist to buy some of these knockoffs as well.
What do you think about that?

If they're acting illegally, surely we should not support their busiiness but we have no real effect on it. 99% of the buyers don't know those are copies. The fact we buy a few of their figures is not decisive to support their business. Authorities should act accordingly and the fact that a few knowledgeable collectors buy a few figures it doesn't make any difference.
I don't agree with this kind of business but I also do not judge a collector for buying a few of their figures.
Though, if it is an important retailer or distributor buying from them and being aware they're cheaper copies, the story is different.

When you hold one of these figures in your hand, there is no doubt that it is not original (the material, the weight, the finish, the paint, the joints that some of them have...).
What I believe is that the fact of making slight variations in the figures fall into a legal void.

I was working in a clothing shop many years. Some of the rights could be very difficult. Most of the things in the world are also made in China, also in China produced the brands? And i believe after a few years the rights are open for other brands. For example, i am sure Wing Mau was always the producer of the figures, also as they sold by K&M or PV. Later, some of the same sculpts was made or sold by Yujin. We know Nayab figures, sold by Zoolandia, Del Prado and more names. We also know the figures by Maia and Borges? Are these knockoffs? I dont think so. If the figures are retired, i think the rights are open for oother brands. And if the brand also produce in that country, it is another thing.
Do we know really all the sculptors? Or do we know a knockoff of a figure produced by a known sculptor?
And if it are really copies, so why there are for sale official in shops and ebay?

I really know what you mean, but i think not each of that figures is a copy. And some are very different. And we dont know if the rights are the same in Asia.

I think you are mixing two different concepts, Andreas.
Wing Mau produced for K&M, Play Visions and Club Earth among others. They produce, the brands sell.
Maia & Borges cooperates with Schleich, Mojö Fun and Papo, there's an agreement between the companies.
Most of these Chinese figures, at least checking from the few I have, they have the joints differently placed and often poorly assembled showing that the manufacturing mold pieces are not the same. They sculpted them after the branded ones we know.
If they copied directly or from the Chinese factory, we will never know.
A good example is the perentie, we all know it was sculpted by Jason for the Southlands Replicas series, obviously he agreed with a Chinese facotry to produce the model but the figure is his sculpt. We know the Chinese knock-offs do not result from an agreement with the sculptor or his brand but the Mojö Fun version is credited to Southlands.
The Chinese model is a knock-off while the Mojö model is just a rebranded version even if they look the same.

Roger wrote:

I think you are mixing two different concepts, Andreas.
Wing Mau produced for K&M, Play Visions and Club Earth among others. They produce, the brands sell.
Maia & Borges cooperates with Schleich, Mojö Fun and Papo, there's an agreement between the companies.
Most of these Chinese figures, at least checking from the few I have, they have the joints differently placed and often poorly assembled showing that the manufacturing mold pieces are not the same. They sculpted them after the branded ones we know.
If they copied directly or from the Chinese factory, we will never know.
A good example is the perentie, we all know it was sculpted by Jason for the Southlands Replicas series, obviously he agreed with a Chinese facotry to produce the model but the figure is his sculpt. We know the Chinese knock-offs do not result from an agreement with the sculptor or his brand but the Mojö Fun version is credited to Southlands.
The Chinese model is a knock-off while the Mojö model is just a rebranded version even if they look the same.

I understand what you mean and i agree with the perentrie. But i also never asked him for that. And i dont mixed these things, they are buisness. And yes, a other buisness are copies. But do we know how the buisness works between China and Japan? You are sure there is no cooperation?
And i think there are more. Some of that cheap chinese productions are for sale in big Discountern in Germany, often also Schleich knockoffs. Why nobody stop that if it is forbidden. I can not imagine that Schleich members never have seen that. Maybe there is some more cooperation that we knows? Maybe if a figure is retired they sold the form? I think there are many more different concepts that we dont know, but also copies. So Toymany have many figures that we would say knockoffs. It is only a example. I dont want a big discussion but i am sure there are more relationsships in that buisness.

It would be interesting to know how these things work in the back of the business. I think Roger has defined it quite well and what Andreas comments about the large public distribution of copies does not go unnoticed. And I think that one of the aspects, at least in the artistic field, is how the production companies that copy are protected in some way precisely because of these variants in the production (materials, paint, etc). They call it “shield by interpretive license”.

Well, I undestand what Andreas means. The word knock-off is used sometimes in an unfair way because when it is a maker producing to another brand or a brand that bought the molds from another company, those are not knock-offs but even if we can't be sure how the business works in all situations, we're sure knock-offs exist and now it is more than ever or at least similar to what happened during the 1970's with the Hong Kong market.
I have an undeniable example.
I followed the whole process of the sculpting and production of the Mojö Fun pangolin. So I know it was sculpted and designed by a Mojö Fun worker.
Some time later, I saw a unbranded pangolin for sale in one of those Chinese websites and asked Kosta's help to get it.
It was him who noticed immediately it was a Mojö Fun copy since I'm not that good identifying models, even those I know every single detail.
When I received it, I checked and it was an exact copy of the Mojö model but without any brand marked on it. Just a round paper with one of those generic names.
I contacted Mojö Fun asking them if they gave permission to use the mold and the answer I got showed clearly they didn't know it, they did not give permission and the original figure from Mojö Fun was still being produced.
What is the name of this kind of business?