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Bootleg Q/A
Q: Where do these pictures come from? One of those looks like an image I posted on a forum...
A: The pictures come from all over the internet. Many people will try to take credit for some of the images, but they come from all over the world and most are as old as 1995. You can send an email if you do find your picture on here. Otherwise, by leaving the names off, I can protect the identity of those who bought this illegal merchandise. It's up to you if you want your name out there, associated with the crime of purchasing a bootleg. Q: Do you own any of the bootlegs shown? A: Nope. Q: What should I do if I see a bootleg product? A: Walk away. Do not purchase. Q: What if I've already purchased something bootleg? A: Well you can't sell it, because it's a bootleg. Even if you try at a garage sale, you run the risk of being caught. Might be a low risk, but not a chance worth taking. If you know someone who would use it, you can give it away for free, or you can just set it aside somewhere and save up for the real thing. Q: If I have a bootleg toy, can I give it to my child/grandchild/niece/nephew/baby sibling? A: NO!! Although many sellers will try to tell you that the toy is safe for kids 3 and older, most bootlegs are made from low-quality materials in cheap factories. You don't know if this toy has been painted with lead paint, has needles stuck in the stuffing or if the toy has anything else wrong with it. Q: Why shouldn't I buy a bootleg DVD? Isn't it the same as copying a store-bought DVD? A: It's not the same. DVD copying software often times auto-deletes content from the disc (such as extras, a menu, ect.) and usually the bootleggers try to cram more than two discs worth of content onto fewer discs. This cramming process can damage the data, resulting in a dim, dingy look to the film, glitches and after a few years, the disc is rendered unusable. Lower quality bootleggers try to tape the shows from TV (read: placing a camera in front of a TV) or they try to source film from VHS tapes and old Laserdiscs. The quality is anything but HD. Q: Where are these bootlegs sold? A: Sadly everywhere. Amazon, eBay and Etsy are the worst offenders here. There are new bootlegs every month. Dollar Stores, Thrift/re-sale shops, Pawn Stores, Comic Shops, Garage Sales, Swap Meets and outdoor sale places are also guilty of selling them. A big custom dealer is Setsuna Kou. That dealer takes apart official merchandise to create their own. Q: If I find a Sailormoon related bootleg and I want to share it, can I send it to you? A: You can email all photos and links here: ![]() Q: Soooo does this page exist to support the purchase of these things? A: Absolutely NOT!! Actually this page serves two purposes. One is to educate new or returning Sailormoon buyers so they DON'T fall for bootlegs, and second... to make people laugh. Let's face facts here, some of these bootlegs are just hysterically BAD. Q: I just saw a Palla Palla toy. Is it real? Which characters do not have dolls or figures? A: The Amazoness Quartet each had one plush doll and one dressable doll. Look for the BanDai logo on the tag or box. The following characters do NOT have their own figures, plush or dolls as of May, 2012: Queen Metalia The Doom/Hell Tree Ali/Alan (En actually has a mini figure.) The Black Moon Sisters Wiseman The Witches 5 Master Pharaoh 90 The Amazon Trio Zirconia Queen Nepherenia/Nehellenia Sailor Galaxia and her team Princess Kakyuu Kousagi, her cat, Ami, Rei, Mako and Mina Fan Made characters Any "bad guy of the day" villain Words to look out for when shopping:
1. Factory Sealed
2. Great for kids! 3. Custom 4. OOAK (One of a kind) 5. Cosplay/for cosplayers (Unless you see a BanDai or Toei Animation silver sticker on it, it's a fake.) 6. Hentai, Doujinshi, Porn 7. Malaysia/Government approved 8. New from China/Hong Kong/Malaysia 9. Taiwan Exclusive 10. It's my art/my expression 11. Unnofficial/not authorized How to spot a REAL Sailormoon item:
1. If it's a toy from Japan, look for the Toei Animation sticker, then look for the red BanDai label.
2. If it's a Kodansha product, (they gave away bags and such) look for signs of age and a copyright date for Naoko Takeuchi. 3. Know your seasons. Sailormoon came out in 1992, meaning that merchandise were in pre-production in late 1991. R came out between 92 and 93, S in 94, SuperS in 95 and StarS in 96. The series ended in 1997. Sailormoon debuted in America in 1995. So if you see an item with a date stamp of 1990, it's a fake. Be aware of items that have the wrong logos on the merchandise. For example, Sailor Moon did not become Eternal Sailor Moon until StarS. So if you see a Sailormoon S mark on a picture of Eternal Sailor Moon, it is a BIG fake. Also, there are only 3 movies and 200 episodes of the anime. There is no episode 201. DiC never dubbed StarS. Nor did Cloverway. 4. Beware of art from the actual Sailormoon manga on non book items. If it's on Kodansha merchandise or on a book, it could be real. If it's on a bookmark or DVD, it's fake. Only a handful of trading cards ever had the manga artwork on them, be cautious. 5. Check the price. Original Sailormoon dolls and figures start at $20. If it's expensive, it's probably real. If it's cheap, be careful. 6. Look at the store you are buying this from. If you are in America, and it's at Hot Topic, F.Y.E., Wal*Mart, Meijer, or another nationally known retail store, it's real. If it's at a mall kiosk, Chinatown, a hair/beauty store, outside, or at any shop where English is not spoken well, it's a fake. 7. If you are shopping overseas, make sure you are at a regular chain store or book store. Be aware of bootlegs to other series. (Spider-Man, Hello Kitty, Power Rangers/Super Sentai, Pokemon, Yu-Ghi-Oh, Kamen Rider and Fantastic Four are the most common bootlegs.) |
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LAME and stupid excuses bootleggers and trolls hide behind:
Trolls who are dumb enough to defend bootlegging and of course bootleggers themselves try to hid behind the WORST excuses. Here's a rundown:
1. This is my interpretation of Sailormoon!! ~ You can make up as much fan art as you like. But the moment you start accepting money for it, you've crossed the line into bootlegging. Once you cross that line, this is no longer you making up "artwork", this is now you, openly scamming Sailormoon fans and robbing the show's creators of a payday.
2. This is art based on the popular series ~ Just like #1. This lame excuse usually is attached to a Shrinky-Dink keychain, made from a photo from the actual series or from a REAL trading card. Just because you photoshopped it does not EVER mean you can sell it. 3. I gave credit to the series creators!! ~ There are people, rotting in prison cells around the world, still hiding behind this excuse. You can give all the credit in the world and even post the proper copyright notice on each figure or keychain you sell, it's still ILLEGAL and you shouldn't act surprised when someone calls you on it. 4. Well.. I spent TIME on this. I WORK HARD to make this you know ~ You could spend the next 8 years working on a statue of Sailor Saturn. If you do not have permission from Toei or Naoko, it's a BOOTLEG and it's worth is absolutely nothing. 5. You are STUPID okay?? I did my research, unlike YOOOUUU. My teacher/high school club/DA group/the cop I called and totally spoke to says you're an idiot. You know what? I might even sue YOU for slander. I'M the one in the right because this is my business and I gave my credit. Everyone KNOWS who I am ~ I've seen this rant copy and pasted from every stupid, mouth breathing, waste-of-life troll you can imagine. And many of them are legit bootleggers. And oh yes, people DO know who you are if you're dumb enough to post this. They know you are a FAKE. This ladies and gentlemen, is the last-ditch-effort rant that trolls and the like post, because they're delusional enough to think it makes them look "smart". They have no clue how many of you are laughing at them right now. 6. SEE??? The copyright laws say that I can do anything. It's not a direct copy of that thing, it's my ART ~ There is NO copyright law in the world that would stand behind this claim. And again, this claim usually follows an item, made from an actual picture the bootlegger swiped from the internet. Nobody is stupid enough to believe this, especially not a cop. 7. Well they do it on Etsy!! ~ Aaaaand they keep getting CAUGHT on Etsy, which is slowly but surely cracking down on bootleggers. It's the same reason why many of them are now heading to Yardsellr and eBay. 8. But I bought the original photo.. ~ Which is NOT the same as buying the rights to it. 9. I can mod this if I want to!! ~ And nobody is stopping you, but if you sell it, you're a bootlegger. 10. So what? I can't enjoy my art EVER?? ~ Nobody said that. You can enjoy all the photoshopping you like. But if you make money from it, you're a bootlegger. 11. You're just keeping yourself ignorant, YOU need to educate yourself ~ Another stupid and desparate attack from a bootlegger. This lame, two in the morning attack is from Ms. Infidel, a supporter of bootleggers. Truth is, it's never "ignorant" to expose bootleggers and scam artists, especially not when they sport items with chipping paint. She also has an odd blog, Facebook and a sci-fi based Twitter. Isn't it completely WEIRD that she tweeted me her attack just as I was updating this page, September 22, 2012? Literally, as I was typing this, she flamed me. Never heard of her before. Creepy much? She was totally fine until I added more pictures on this page, warning you, the faithful about the latest bootlegs. Hmm.. I suppose that puts her Etsy account on watch? NOTE: Don't flame her. BLOCK her. End of story. 12. Well... it's not like Kodansha/Toei/BanDai/Naoko really NEEDS the money ~ And that is that ignorant and stupid attitude that keeps us from having nice things. (And no, idiot. You're so-called "art" that you're charging money for isn't a nice thing at all.) Sure it might seem like fun to cheat a company out of money, but when you cheat the company, you also cheat it's workers. Your favorite voice actor in Sailormoon? The people who actually spent REAL time drawing and painting every scene? You just cheated them out of their hard earned cash. You can give all the credit you and, and you are still a thief and a scam artist. It's like this. How would YOU feel, if I took something that you actually for real drew, and made money off of it, and you never saw a dime from it? Not much fun now, is it? Don't lie and claim "well that's different" it's the same. 13. You just don't understand anything! ~ Only the most pathetic morons say this, kids. Here's what I understand. You, breaking the law, trying to make people feel sorry for you, because you want money for fanart. Yeah, that's against the law. I understand that plenty. 14. This is how I make my LIVING okay??? ~ No, not okay. I'm sorry the economy is shit, but ripping people off is never the answer. Either make up your own characters and ideas, or get a real job. And attacking me only makes you look twice as pathetic. 15. It's NOT wrong! See what I heard was... ~ And this turns into a long post that I always end up deleting. What you "hear" and the actual law are two different things. 16. Well GAWD why is it wrong? ~ Once again, it's illegal, and furthermore the materials used to make bootlegs are generally of a lower grade than what REAL merchandisers use. Oh sure, I bet you dropped a fortune at the local craft store. Wanna bet how much lead, cadmium and other toxic materials you exposed yourself to? If you think they saftey test those things, you're mistaken. Same for you shoppers out there. That Hong Kong bootleg looks super cute, right? Wanna take a chance on needles in the stuffing or lead based paint? |
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List of terms for those new to internet shopping:
NSFW: Not Safe For Work ~ Adults only!!
OOAK: One of a Kind ~ Blatant Bootleg NRFB: Never removed from box MIB: Mint in Box ~ May also mean the item is in mint (un-touched) condition, but is missing it's original packaging. As-is: What you see is what you get. Broken or not. |
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Bobagirl This page on Bootlegs is actually dedicated to a long-gone website from Bobagirl. She was the first to document bootleg Sailormoon goods. Check out what she found: Sailor Neptune candy topper? Sailormoon R watch Sailor Mercury Beauty Warrior playset These heat packing cosplay sets also came in Sailor Moon and Sailor Mars and have been spotted on eBay as late as 2012. Chibi Mako pin Chibi Ami pin Chibi Michiru pin Chibi Minako pin Child's Usagi outfit Sailorbikes in Mars, Mercury and Moon. (Check adult Sailor Chibi Moon and Sailor Moon in the picture!) Sailormoon Fly Dancer. (It's half Uranus and half Venus) Backwards "Magic Feeling" Sailor Chibi Moon wand Sailor Uranus figure On the left is a REAL Tuxedo Mask figure. On the right is a fake "Pretty Fighter" Prince Endymion... playset? Custom Black Lady.... with Kousagi's hair?? New additions to these products started creeping back onto eBay in 2011 and in 2012: Chibi Super Sailor Moon set? Sailor Moon Sailorbike |
| Sailor Mary Bootlegs: Sailor Mary action figures: Moon, Venus and Mercury Sailor Mary Jupiter, Mercury and Venus Sailormary Mercury Sailor Mary Jupiter Sailor Mary Box Sailor Mary Mercury Sailor Mary Box Sailor Mary set 1 2 3 4 5 |
| Annie Pretty Sailor Bootlegs: Annie Pretty Moon: Chibimoon Moon, Jupiter Moon and Moon Moon? Annie Pretty Moon and Planet Girl Annie Pretty Sailor Doll Box art |
| Sailor Sweetie Bootlegs: Sailor Sweetie set with Chibi Jupiter and Venus Sailor Sweetie set with Chibi Sailor Moon and Teenage Sailor Chibi Moon Sailor Sweetie set with Chibi Mars and Mercury Sailor Sweetie Moon and Artemis Sailor Sweetie Senshi Package Sailor Mars and a bunny Sailor Venus, a bird and a ride Made in Chna and again Chibi Toonmakers? Sailor Moon 1 2 Sailor Chibi Moon 1 2 3 Sailor Mercury 1 2 Sailor Jupiter 1 2 |
| Shirley Moore Bootlegs: Beauty Soldier Shirley Moore Play Set Shirley Moore Jiputer figure Shirley Moore Box Shirley Moore Venus and Moon |
| Meteor Girl Bootlegs: Meteor Girl Venus Meteor Girl? ... from MoonBeam Meteor Girl Purse and figure set Meteor Girl weapons |
| Bootlegged Artbooks: NOTE: The following comes from Manga Style Bad Beans?? Since when do they come in a bag?? The artbook should have metallic lettering. WTF is this? Spot the mistakes! And more! NOTE: The following from here on come from all over the internet: United States Fleet Artbook #3: 1 2 |
have been listed by other sellers as "official" merchandise.
* Fake cover for Tokypop's Sailormoon SuperS #2
Princess Serenity
A Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask book
Yet another Sailor Moon book
An Ami Sailormoon R book?
S and M
Sailor Moon S Haruka Tenoh Tsugai Birthday Book
Pretty Soldier Sailormoon Koi to Sensou Uranus and Neptune
A Sailor Moon and Luna book?
Scream Eye's Club Presents Sailor Moon 6
Bleu de Ciel
Final Edition
A Sailormoon Book?
PUSSY-Cat
A fake Sailormoon Magazine
Primerose
Primerose 2
Primerose page
Fake Cover for Cel Mates
SuperS #4

| NawtyFox: NOTE: This seller has also had her goods on Amazon and Etsy. Most of her costumes are listed as "sexy" though she also sells baby costumes and costumes of popular movie characters. Sailor BLUE Moon?? Serena Haruhi Sexy Moon costume Jupiter Mars Totally light blue Mercury? Red Bow Pluto Really bad Saturn costume Lazy Venus |
| SALEMOON: SaleMoonS Sailor Mars Sale Moon Neptune and Uranus More SALEMOON figures 1 2 3 4 5 A bigger merchandise set??? wand another ad |
| Yetiart/ModelKitOnline Resin Bootlegs: NOTE: The team behind these bootleggers are notorius for charging $80-700 per figure or statue, and they have a habit of bullying potential buyers, claiming to be world class pro-artists. Wicked Black Lady Figure Chibiusa and Luna-P figure Maker Figure Maiden Chibiusa Eternal Sailor Moon with her staff Eternal Sailor Moon 1 2 Human Luna Sailor Saturn Sera Myu Sailor Venus Sexy Super Sailor Chibi Moon 1 2 Sailor Venus Kneeling Saturn Sailor Chibi Chibi Moon Another Saturn |
| Petit Soldier Sailormoon: Petit Soldier Chibi Moon and Luna-P ... Back Petit Soldier Chibi Moon (Yellow) Petit Soldier Jupiter Petit Soldier Tuxedo Mask Petit Soldier Sailor Moon Petit Soldier set |
| Sailor Angels: Sailor Angel Set Sailor Angel Small Moon Sailor Angels package |
| Luna Plush And Friends: NOTE: These bootlegs first showed up on Amazon, then wound up on eBay, Etsy and have even been sold in shopping malls! They are made in Hong Kong. NOTE #2: Originally just a Sailormoon bottlegger, they now bootleg other titles, such as Vocaloid, Naruto, Pokemon and One Piece. Green Luna Cherry Red Luna Gold Luna (Super Luna??) Kousagi's Cat!! Diana/Luna Plush No Tiara Sailor Moon Star Locket Princess Moon Plush Star Locket Moon ... Back Chibi Mercury Wingless Eternal Sailor Moon with Keroberos from Cardcaptor Sakura for a locket?! Eternal Sailor Moon Chibi Sailor Mars Female Artemis hat Luna hat (Looks like Diana.) Luna winter hat (Looks like Diana) Luna cap Artemis cap Diana cap Decapitated Luna/Diana coin pouch Decapitated Artemis coin pouch Diana coin purse Blue Eyed Diana Luna Plush Luna-Artemis Plush Luna-Luna Plush Manga Luna Hat Chibi Venus |