13 Supposed Rip-offs That Were Actually the OG Brand

Even respectable art “borrows” from its predecessors, because in one way or another, we all stand on the shoulders of the giants who came before us. It’s just so hard, nearly impossible even, to respect blatant rip-offs. What makes these unapologetically lazy cash-grabs worse is that they became so much more successful than the original that the original could now be mistaken as the rip-off! Is there no justice?

Well, sometimes there is justice. But even if these David vs. Goliath legal battles rule in favor of the little original that could, they’re usually settled out of court for a fraction of what millions (or billions) of dollars that the rip-off raked in. There’s your crumb, you original-thought having creative genius! That is however a much better outcome than getting absolutely nothing because some Hakuna Matata-spouting lion waited until you died to begin “development.” So the next time you see a Japanese lion cub named Kimba, just know that he was indeed the O.G. Here’s Kimba and 12 other supposed rip-offs that were actually the originals.