The knock-off stakes have officially gone up a notch. It used to be that Lego (I'm not really comfortable typing it in all caps even though it's officially spelled in all caps) knock-offs, or Lego-compatible products if you're more PC, simply took the standard block sizes of original Lego pieces, made their own original sets, mass-produced them, and called it a day.
Those knock-off sets are still in vogue, of course, and they're becoming more and more common in lower-end malls and bazaars.
What's new is that some enterprising manufacturers have started to take aim at some of Lego's more popular pieces that gives them tremendous staying power with today's kids and kids-at-heart old-timers: licensed minifigs (adopted slang for Lego human representations).
