In a world of phonies it is more than appropriate that a museum near Cologne, Germany celebrates the world of counterfeit goods. Located in a converted railway station the Museum Plagiarius has a permanent collection of 300 products next to their identical rip-offs. Where does this all come from, you ask? The annual Plagiarius awards, of course. Designers and manufacturers submit offending objects, and the “winners” earn a spot in the museum. Don’t expect to just see a bunch of fake Louis Vuitton bags, there is also replicated Stihl chain saws, false Furbys, knock-off Swiss Fortis watches and disingenuous Game Boys. Surprisingly, the exhibit does not include a student’s essay of The Scarlett Letter based on the Cliff Notes/Wikipedia/horrible fantasy remake versions versus…I don’t know… the original manuscript. Who wants the real thing when you can just dumb it down? Fake is always better, except when it’s cheese.
Museum Plagiarius, Germany
