How to tell if a Littlest Pet Shop 675 Dachshund is original

There are several Littlest Pet Shop pets that are considered hard to find or cream of the crop collectibles.  There's the Race About Ranch Kitty Cat #339, the two-toned collie dog #58, and the #577 great dane with one blue and one brown eye.  Then there is the #675 dachshund puppy dog, also called Savannah.

Somehow, of the "Big Four", only dachshund #675 ever was widely copied as an aftermarket production from China.  While there are many pets copied from China, most are just random selections from the LIttlest Pet Shop series and not highly sought after or high priced pets.  In copying #675 and selling on eBay, the producers created some confusion in the purchase of this dachshund as an open package collectible.   While many eBay sellers may market their items as "original", how do you, the buyer, really know whether this is a genuine original or an "original" reproduction?

The reproduction or after-market pets, are actually quite well made and have very little to distinguish them from the originals.  If you are just looking to have the pet as a play toy, you are in luck as the cost of these after-market reproductions is dramatically less for a very similar looking pet.  But if you are trying to add an original to your collection, there are a few tells.

The most obvious one and only one really visible in photos is the left eye as you are looking at the dachshund.  While on the original the green and yellow lines follow the curve of the black in the eye; on the reproduction, the green and yellow line swerve downward as you can see above.  The white of the eye is split in two by these lines.

The second, less obvious tell, and the only one that really affects the quality of the reproduction, is that the plastic stick that attaches the head is a bit lower quality on these.  I've had one break before during shipping, whereas I've never seen a LPS head break in hundreds of other shippings.  Under normal play, the head will stay attached with no problem; but if you know there will be rough play, be forewarned.

In conclusion, aftermarket may be just the way to get dachshund 675 at a reasonable cost; but you should be armed with the knowledge of what makes 675 an original versus an aftermarket pet.  Happy shopping!