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Hilarious Ripoffs of The Most Popular Cartoons

BE AMAZED・25 minutes read

Despite "Good artists copy; great artists steal" not being an endorsement of blatant rip-offs, numerous animation rip-offs exist, such as "The Samsonadzes" imitating "The Simpsons" but failing due to poor animation and political themes, leading to low popularity and quick cancellation. "The Legend of Lucky Pie," inspired by "Adventure Time," had a looser art style, running for five episodes from 2015 to 2018 in China, funded through Patreon with independent creators but lacking the success of the original show.

Insights

  • Rip-offs of successful animated films and series are prevalent in the industry, leading to creations like "Plan Bee," "Chop Kick Panda," and "Ratatoing," often resulting in low-quality productions that fail to resonate with audiences.
  • Despite attempts to replicate the success of popular shows like "The Simpsons" and "SpongeBob Squarepants," knock-off series like "The Samsonadzes," "Coconut Fred's Fruit Salad Island," and "The Legend of Lucky Pie" often face criticism for their poor animation quality, lack of originality, and failure to capture the essence of the originals, resulting in cancellations and negative reviews.

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Recent questions

  • What is the inspiration behind many rip-off animated films?

    Lack of originality and desire for quick profits.

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Summary

00:00

Animation Rip-Offs: From Inspiration to Disaster

  • Pablo Picasso's quote "Good artists copy; great artists steal" is not an endorsement of blatant rip-offs in the animation industry.
  • The "Bee Movie" by Jerry Seinfeld, where a bee sues humanity for stealing honey, inspired the creation of "Plan Bee" by Spark Plug Entertainment in 2007.
  • "Plan Bee" is considered one of the worst films ever made, with nightmarish animation and demonic red-eyed characters.
  • "Kung Fu Panda" franchise, grossing over $1.8 billion, led to rip-offs like "The Little Panda Fighter" and "Chop Kick Panda," the latter released by a yoga company.
  • Gaia, Inc. released rip-offs of "Puss in Boots" and "Happy Feet," with "Tappy Toes" being a direct-to-DVD flop.
  • "Finding Nemo's" success spawned mockbusters, with "Finding Jesus" being a bizarre underwater fish-focused movie released in 2020.
  • Kuwait's "Block 13" is a rip-off of "South Park," featuring Arabic boys in place of the original characters, toning down offensive humor.
  • "Ratatouille" inspired "Ratatoing," a low-quality rip-off created in four months by Video Brinquedo, banking on confused consumers and quick profits.
  • Mockbusters like "What's Up: Balloon to the Rescue!" and "Life's a Jungle: Africa's Most Wanted" capitalize on similar titles and themes to deceive buyers.
  • "The Simpsons," America's longest-running animated series, is known for its changing visual jokes in the opening title sequence.

14:34

Cartoon Rip-Offs and Successful Franchises

  • "The Samsonadzes" is a cartoon show created by Shalva Ramishvili, featuring a Georgian family with yellow-skinned characters, a green parrot named Koke, and a dad named Gela who works in a bank.
  • The show is a knock-off of "The Simpsons," with similarities like a brown couch, a bald son named Gia, a book-smart daughter named Shorena, and political satire focusing on Russian politicians.
  • Despite trying to be original, "The Samsonadzes" had poorly rendered animation and was criticized for its political themes, leading to low popularity and cancellation after one season.
  • "Coconut Fred's Fruit Salad Island" is a rip-off of "SpongeBob Squarepants," featuring a coconut named Coconut Fred who creates chaos with his imagination, leading to the show's cancellation after 13 episodes.
  • "Adventure Time" is a successful show about Finn and Jake in the Land of Ooo, inspiring a Chinese rip-off called "The Legend of Lucky Pie" with similar animation styles and themes of friendship and courage.
  • "The Legend of Lucky Pie" was independently created by Chinese animators, funded through Patreon, and had a looser art style compared to "Adventure Time," running for five episodes from 2015 to 2018.
  • "Goober and the Ghost Chasers" was a show produced by Hanna-Barbera, a rip-off of their own successful show "Scooby-Doo," featuring a group of teen reporters and a green dog named Goober.
  • "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" was created by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird, starting as an indie comic in 1984 and becoming a popular cartoon show in 1987, leading to a successful toy line by Playmates Toys.
  • The success of "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" led to the creation of a wide range of toys, with $1.1 billion worth sold between 1988 and 1992, showcasing the immense popularity of the franchise.

28:09

Bizarre rip-off cartoons spark controversy and cancellation.

  • In 1990, "Samurai Pizza Cats" emerged as a rip-off show, featuring semi-cyborg samurai cats working at a pizzeria, parodying the Ninja Turtles.
  • "Street Sharks," a series from 1994 to 1997, showcased teenage boys transformed into shark hybrids fighting crime, using extreme sports like skateboards and motorbikes.
  • "Kung Fu Dino Posse," released in 2009, depicted dinosaurs from the ice age using kung fu to fight crime, despite historical inaccuracies, leading to its quick cancellation.
  • Various other rip-off shows followed, such as "Wild West C.O.W Boys of Moo Mesa," "Road Rovers," and "Biker Mice from Mars," featuring crime-fighting mutant animals.
  • Sanyuan Food promoted their goat milk brand, Miracle Star, through a cartoon called "The Weird, Wonderful, and Delightful Star," blatantly copying "The Amazing World of Gumball."
  • "The Delightful Star" series, featuring an anthropomorphic goat named Kiki and a talking pet frog, replicated "Gumball" shot-for-shot in art style, set design, and even scripts, leading to its cancellation due to negative reviews.
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