Lego at risk of 'genericide'

[tazzy007]

I was in my local Supermarket the other day and went down the toy section and to be honest there was more Megablok's than Lego on the shelf. What Lego I did find some of the box's had been opened so I asked if the would reduce it they did and got a bargain. And yes Lego is the better brand even my 5 year old Nehpew says yuk to megablok's but some Parents can not afford Lego so they buy the cheaper brands. If Lego keep's there price's down they would make more sales I think.

[Legogal]

It really disturbs me to walk into a chain like TRU or WM and see clone brands right inside the LEGO display area! Sometimes I throw all the non-LEGO boxes down on lower shelves outside the LEGO area and smile. When non-LEGO are mixed right in with the LEGO, it is harder for parents to choose the good stuff. And I consider the other stuff an eyesore.

I am glad that TLG has some competition, but I hope that the competitions' products remain crappy and not a threat to LEGO quality-wise. There will always be a huge market for cheap plastic disposable junk toys in the US. That is not the LEGO market.

[8BrickMario]

I blame the Eurobricks community, but I am (now) a LEGO purist, i.e, no Mega Bloks, KRE-O, etc. I have heard people confuse the "rip-off brands" for LEGO, but, honestly, I don't mind too much. In fact, that people identify other building toys as LEGO just proves that it's still on top. I also have a peeve of owners of both mixing the two brick types. I seek old assortments of LEGO at garage sales, and when I do score a bag or two, there are always Mega Bloks and other toys mixed in. These are separated or trashed.

[rob-cubed]

As long as the other copycats are nipping at LEGOs heels, it benefits all of us. The amount of detail in LEGO sets and minifigs has grown exponentially over the last few years, driven partly by the higher level of realism seen in their competitor's stuff. I don't think it's done much to push down LEGOs retail prices, unfortunately, given the fact that sales are driven largely by themes these days.

People who buy "off brands" do it for two reasons: they are cheaper, or they offer something LEGO doesn't. Which in many cases is military-themed sets LEGO won't touch. I think the one down-side to competition is that it has become all about licensing and not the brick itself: so in the near future, a competitor may land a license for a hot property. Scooby Doo comes to mind, I'm dying for a Mystery Machine set from LEGO but I doubt they'd touch it while CB/Cobi has a set on the shelves. Competition for licenses may actually drive costs up a little. But in my mind, the more competition the better.

[Paul B Technic]

People will call it what they will, nothing much we can do about it.

[lightningtiger]

Perhaps Lego should fight like Coca Cola did about 100 years ago to defend it's brand.....they even fought Pepsi.....which was called Pepsi Cola back then.

It's like Biro.....we in Oz know it means a pen......doesn't mean every one of them is branded Biro.

I feel it's the Laziness of Humans to coin brand names as common nouns......at least we know what Lego is and it's our duty as AFOL's to put it out there !

[LordRanious]

I've never seen non Lego building Toys out of a Toy'R'Us or in some "low end" discount store which does not carry Lego at all. Also it was 95% Mega Blocks. I wonder if Kreo etc is even sold somewhere in Germany. But because of the rarity of them they are very often confused because the mainstream does not even know that there are other Companies selling something looking like Lego ( at least in my generation). So the potential of them being called Lego is very high. I have to admit that i have thought about buying some Mega Blocks Halo Sets, because I like the Video Game Series. But that should not

be wrong. But this effect of generalising names Is very common and so I think it will happen to Lego, too. I never had a non Lego Toy in my hands so I can't tell about their quality or "feeling". Maybe Mega

Blocks is more common in the US because the military stuff is more liked in Toys. In the End it is Kind of sad but I think they will not grow stronger in public opinion( i can only speak for Germany) because they ( the clones) are mostly regarded as "china stuff" even if they are not ( where are Mega Blocks and other are from? US ?).

[Cara]

I regularly hear people in TRU and while out shopping say things such as, 'Here are some Halo LEGO' or 'Transformer LEGOs'.

However I grew up vacuuming with a hoover, even though it wasn't a Hoover. And am another that uses Biro to mean any rollerball type pen. So ....

I think to more people it is less about longevity and top quality, and more about being a toy and if it lasts for the duration of the kids interest it's done its job.

[rodiziorobs]

My 5-yr old son knows and understands the difference between Lego and other brands. When we go to the store, he is excited to see everything on the Lego aisle, but doesn't even bat an eye when we go past the Megabloks and Kre-o.

I swear I did not teach him to do this.

He even has a little off-brand race car set that a well-intentioned aunt gave him, which he stores in the same box as his Lego. When he mixes up all his sets to build something new (something which drives his mother crazy, but doesn't bother me), he deliberately puts that car aside to make sure he doesn't accidentally mix it in as well.

I on the other hand make an exception for Tyco super blocks. I don't have a ton of them (and I am careful not to use any when building for a contest), but I feel like they are every bit as good in quality as Lego. (Apparently TLG thought so, as well, which is why Tyco was forced to stop making them about 20 years ago.)

[Artanis I]

I don't think Lego is at significantly more risk of their brand name becoming generic than they were back at the advent of clone brands like Mega Bloks. In fact, Lego has done a lot to keep such a thing from happening, and I think the brand itself is more well-known than ever, thanks in part to their media presence with brands like The Lego Movie or the Lego licensed video games. Sure, people not in the know will call Mega Bloks Lego—but they've been doing that for years, and the people who matter most (Lego's customers) are very picky about getting the real deal. Also, keep in mind that brands like Kleenex, Hoover, and even Sellotape have significant competition in the products they provide. Lego, on the other hand, dominates the building toy market to the point where their main competition isn't "clone brands" but rather large toy companies like Hasbro and Mattel.

Good point.

With brands like Kleenex, BandAid, or Aspirin, they struggle more with their names being used to describe a type of product due to other products being of almost -- if not equal -- quality. I think Lego will be able to go to the levels of the Kleenex, BandAid or Aspirin through just being much higher quality than the others, and being able to brand themselves differently. Unfortunately, there are plenty who still use Lego as a synonym for any building block toy, but I don't think it is as bad, or ever will be as bad as other brands. I don't know of anyone so loyal to the brands of Kleenex, Bandaid, etc that will get so angry over using the wrong name because they value the brand like we will with Lego :)

Haha.

On that note, I also already came across various fake transformers which aren't from Hasbro (and thus, not even called Transformers) but still are named "Transformers" on their pricetags.

I had some "not Transformers" as a kid, and couldn't tell the difference in many cases. A lot of official Transformers toys weren't very good quality anyway.

I on the other hand make an exception for Tyco super blocks. I don't have a ton of them (and I am careful not to use any when building for a contest), but I feel like they are every bit as good in quality as Lego. (Apparently TLG thought so, as well, which is why Tyco was forced to stop making them about 20 years ago.)

I had some of that too. I gave away all of the "not Lego" I had, but their standard ABS bricks were just as good as Lego bricks. The other parts weren't as good.

[emilstorm]

It's an interesting question, I think it varies a bot geographically. Here in the Land of the Lego clone brands are rarely seen. I remember seeing some TNMT clone stuff in a video rental place back when the very first TMNT movie came out, and that is the only example I remember. My brother bought my nephew somi Cobi stuff online once, and my nephew always referred to it as the "military Lego", but I have never seen it in stores here. I think it's safe to say that at least in Denmark, "Lego" still means "Lego", not the other stuff.

[bjorkan]

Just yesterday a friend of mine told me that she is waiting for two Lego trains, locomotives, from Hong Kong (for son), ordered by eBay, I said, you mean Lego clones, and she said, well, whatever… no comments (she is not my friend any more)

[Sir E Fullner]

I can see what you're getting at. I know several people who derogatorily use "LEGO" for various other toy bricks, and it really gets my goose. Mostly, whenever I correct them, they say that they really do not care.

[Faefrost]

Perhaps Lego should fight like Coca Cola did about 100 years ago to defend it's brand.....they even fought Pepsi.....which was called Pepsi Cola back then.

It's like Biro.....we in Oz know it means a pen......doesn't mean every one of them is branded Biro.

I feel it's the Laziness of Humans to coin brand names as common nouns......at least we know what Lego is and it's our duty as AFOL's to put it out there !

But Coke is one of the key examples of genericizing. When you go to a restaurant you tend to order a "diet coke" without thinking. You certainly never check to see what the actual blank on tap is, and I have never heard anyone say "diet cola".

[TheLegoDr]

In regards to Coke/Pepsi, if I remember correctly, in the movie Wayne's World which was from the early 90s, Rob Lowe's character asks for Pepsi Cola while ordering Chinese food on the phone...interesting. I wonder when they officially stopped using cola in their name.

In regards to LEGO, I see clone brands in the same aisle at all of the stores near me (Target/Wal-Mart, I don't go to TRU so I don't know about there). You'd think it'd be easy to just look at the tag on the box. LEGO's logo isn't exactly easy to miss. Bright colors, large letters...

I think I may be one of the few that prefers to say the actual term in regards to the non-brand name nouns. We do buy kleenex, but I like saying facial tissue. Or Adhesive bandage instead of band-aid (which we commonly buy band-aid brand, even though they don't stick too well). So maybe I should start calling LEGO interlocking building bricks, just for the fun of it.

[legoman19892]

But Coke is one of the key examples of genericizing. When you go to a restaurant you tend to order a "diet coke" without thinking. You certainly never check to see what the actual blank on tap is,

I think that is only in the south.

Up here in the north, if you ask for a coke when the place has a contract with Pepsi you will be asked if Pepsi products are okay with you.

and I have never heard anyone say "diet cola".

That's because we order cola buy the liter.

Edited May 29, 2014 by legoman19892

[obsidianheart]

That's because we order cola buy the liter.

Rock! Never expected to see that here.

Anyway, I'm sorry to say that outside of the 4 FoLs I know, LEGO is a generic term for construction toys with most people I know.

[SithMageHenry]

Last christmas our extended family had a mystery gift swap, and I heard rumors that there was a LEGO set in the mix. Out of like 30 gifts, I managed to choose the "LEGO" one and when I opened it to my utter dismay, it was a clone brand. I would have been semi-okay if it was Kre-o or even Mega bloks, but it was some Japanese brand I hadn't even heard of. I don't remember the name, but I do remember they didn't even have a website. The bricks didn't fit together well, and there was only 20 bricks. My aunt saw me fussing with them and said, "Oh cool, you got a LEGO set". I almost lost it, lol

[Artanis I]

But Coke is one of the key examples of genericizing. When you go to a restaurant you tend to order a "diet coke" without thinking. You certainly never check to see what the actual blank on tap is, and I have never heard anyone say "diet cola".

I think that one is regional, I've heard that in the States the words "pop" "soda" and "coke" are often used generically for carbonated drinks depending on where you are. Certainly in Australia if we say "coke" we only mean Coca Cola. If we say "cola", we mean any cola. If we ask for cola, we get whichever brand is there. If we ask for coke we get Coca Cola or if they don't have it they'll usually say "Pepsi?". The generic term here is either "fizzy cordial" or "soft drink" (depending on whether you're comparing it with alcohol or water cordial/fruit juice).

Last christmas our extended family had a mystery gift swap, and I heard rumors that there was a LEGO set in the mix. Out of like 30 gifts, I managed to choose the "LEGO" one and when I opened it to my utter dismay, it was a clone brand. I would have been semi-okay if it was Kre-o or even Mega bloks, but it was some Japanese brand I hadn't even heard of. I don't remember the name, but I do remember they didn't even have a website. The bricks didn't fit together well, and there was only 20 bricks. My aunt saw me fussing with them and said, "Oh cool, you got a LEGO set". I almost lost it, lol

Haha. Sometimes those swap arrangements don't work out. One time my present was a lottery ticket and some scratch cards. I won $2. Everyone else got boxes of chocolate. I miss the days of receiving Lego for Christmas!

[Faefrost]

I think that one is regional, I've heard that in the States the words "pop" "soda" and "coke" are often used generically for carbonated drinks depending on where you are. Certainly in Australia if we say "coke" we only mean Coca Cola. If we say "cola", we mean any cola. If we ask for cola, we get whichever brand is there. If we ask for coke we get Coca Cola or if they don't have it they'll usually say "Pepsi?". The generic term here is either "fizzy cordial" or "soft drink" (depending on whether you're comparing it with alcohol or water cordial/fruit juice).

Haha. Sometimes those swap arrangements don't work out. One time my present was a lottery ticket and some scratch cards. I won $2. Everyone else got boxes of chocolate. I miss the days of receiving Lego for Christmas!

In the US the term "Cola" has all but vanished from the spoken language. It mostly only exists on the labels of products. The conversation will go "Coke please" "We have Pepsi is that OK" "Sure".

[KateB]

My non-AFOL sister-in-law refers to Megabloks as "Lego" which makes my skin crawl.

Yep, my husband does this on purpose just because he knows it drives me crazy. I often go off on a rant when someone refers to Flego (Fake Lego in my vocab) as Lego.

My mum once bought my daughter some Flego and I helped her build it. It was awful stuff and a soul destroying experience! It didn't fit together properly and actually made my hands really hurt trying to build it, it was nasty. Needless to say that particular item is hidden somewhere in the dark recesses of her bedroom and if I come across it again I'm throwing it in the bin (she has loads of proper Lego and she won't notice it's absence).

Get it right people!! (must remain calm).

The conversation will go "Coke please" "We have Pepsi is that OK" "Sure".

Ha! I just experienced this exact conversation on our hols at Center Parcs in Nottingham, and also previously at my local Toby Carvery. I personally prefer Coke but Pepsi will do!

[emilstorm]

Ha ha Flego I like that! It sounds like a horrible mail order product. Or a secretion from the human body. Eitherway, not something you need:)

[paanjang16]

In some of the shops selling Knock-off fake bricks such as Decool, Sheng Yuan, Lele etc the sales people all promote their products by calling them Lego. In fact in the receipt from the store selling this stuff, the KO minifigure pack is shown as 'Lego'.

Also from my observation of parents with kids visiting these shops, kids will immediately say those KOs as Lego since the minifigures are very very similar to the original minifigures produced by Lego. It has come to the point where anything brick and minifigure is Lego even though it clearly isn't. It does not help the original Lego is waaaayyyyyy more expensive compared to the KOs. A RM 5 minifigure pack containing Ironman versus a RM 150 set with Ironman, most parents will opt for the RM 5 one.

I don't think TLG can do much to counter the tide of KOs though. Even Hasbro got problems trying to stop the tide of fake TFs.

[Superkalle]

I think the issue is more severe for companies that have the same name as the product, such as LEGO or Xerox, compared to those that have them separated, such as Aspirin by Beyer, or Frisbee by Wham-O and in absolute worst case these companies can "give up the fight" and not lose everything. For LEGO that'd be kind of difficult, unless they want to change the name of the company.

[KateB]

Ha ha Flego I like that! It sounds like a horrible mail order product. Or a secretion from the human body. Eitherway, not something you need:)

Yep, definitely not something anyone needs