20+ Wacky Off-Brand Items and Merch That Prove Theft Can Be Creative

Ally Perry • Writer and Editor

Mar 24, 2024 8:00 PM EDT

Here's a scary thought: if we really sat down and pondered, how many brand names could we remember in one sitting? We are all being advertised to constantly, and it has given us all a consumerist encyclopedia in our heads.

Some of the only times that we sit up and take notice of this is when we are presented with the murky but endlessly amusing world of off-brand products. They are the dumbest kind of uncanny valley and honestly, we kind of have to respect the creativity that goes into them. That, or we have no choice but to admire just how blatantly (and badly) they are riffing on a well-known franchise.

It would almost be countercultural if it wasn't an obvious product of capitalism, but that's not what we're here to think about. Instead, these ridiculous items are merely our latest companion in the endless scroll through ridiculous entertainment.