The Mouse That Roared and Other Shanzhai Cartoon Characters

Ever the denizens of social harmony, China Daily launched a crusade earlier this week against costumed mascots posing as Disney characters outside the Bird's Nest Stadium:

China Daily reporters contacted the [Disney] company on Wednesday after witnessing two people in Mickey and Minnie Mouse costumes posing with visitors and then demanding 10 yuan. "This is a very big deal. We'll send people to Beijing immediately to see what's going on," said Huang Chen at Disney's Shanghai headquarters. Staff based in its capital office said they had no knowledge of the performers. As many as eight people are working in the area, with three roaming the square between the National Stadium and the Water Cube dressed as Fu Wa, the 2008 Olympics mascots. Some claim to be disabled to pressure tourists into paying up.

Knocking off the Big-D is by no means a new phenomenon here in China (authorities reportedly shut down an entire faux-Disney theme park in Shijingshan this past spring) - but when it comes to shanzhai cartoon characters in general, China reigns supreme. Take, for example:

The Mouse himself - Along with his fellow Disney characters, Mickey Mouse has been getting his likeness ripped off here since the '80s, making him China's reigning knock-off champ. Unfortunately, most domestic versions (including the aforementioned Bird's Nest poseurs) have the Big-Eared-One coming across as more of a strung-out rat than a cute and cuddly human-sized mouse - save for this weird Transformer/Rodent hybrid that kind of makes me wish I had one as a kid.

Gumbygate: Haibo, the official mascot of last summer's Shanghai Expo bears an uncanny resemblance to Gumby, the green Claymation figure that appeared on American TV over a "35-year span," which sparked a minor controversy for those who actually gave a damn when the character was unveiled in the run-up to the Expo. The jury is apparently still out on this one.

Kung fu Masters of the Zodiac - Perhaps it's not entirely fair to call this new Chinese-made cartoon a knock-off, but the Kung Fu Panda inspiration is painfully obvious and I could have sworn I've seen the snake character slithering around on the silver screen sporting Lucy Liu's voice. But then again, local pundits accuse Dreamworks of having ripped off Chinese culture in general to produce the latter, so take that, kettle!

Speaking of fat, anthropomorphic bears ... Winnie the Pooh is certainly in the top three when it comes to shanzhai merchandising. We've seen the yellow dude on everything from mousepads to cans of paint, as well as countless unauthorized books and magazines. Trailing not far behind is everyone's favorite mouthless feline from Japan, Hello Kitty (who has apparently managed to grow a mouth in this particular example).

Windows to the Heart - a Chinese-produced anime cartoon that was allegedly a rip-off of a Japanese cartoon called 5 Centimeters per Second.

But in all fairness, who says that Chinese illustrators can't come up with original ideas of their own? Certainly not the twisted geniuses who created these stunning murals at local kiddie playhouse Fundazzle that we posted on beijingkids. Munch would be proud:

For what it's worth, China isn't the only place with a legacy of ripping off cartoon characters. Turkey, India, Japan, the former Soviet Union and yes, even, Disney & Co. itself (ask Japanese animator Osamu Tezuka how he feels about Disney's Lion King), not to mention a host of comic book heroes, all share the dubious distinction of having ripped off someone else's concept.

Hell, China isn't even the only place where fake Disney characters hustle for change in the streets - so maybe our big-eared buskers deserve a bit of a break.