It was 1992 in the Philippines, and times were tough. The country’s economy wasn’t doing well, and almost half of the residents were living in extreme poverty, surviving on the equivalent of $1.25 a day. Though they were working hard, many families needed a financial miracle. So when Pepsi announced its Number Fever promotion, a lottery game operating solely in the Philippines, the grand prize was the salvation many had hoped for — until everything came crashing down.
While plenty of people are after the latest and greatest products from their favorite brands, not everyone can afford the exorbitant price tags that often accompany them. As a result, some of us are more than happy to settle for substitute goods. But while some knock-offs are identical to the real thing, others fail so miserably that all you can do is laugh. From ridiculous dollar store items to restaurant chains that could have benefitted from some originality, here are the most hilarious rip-offs that the internet has to offer.
There may be the burned-out husk of an old McDonald's in the shopping center just down the road, but you can probably count on seeing intact Golden Arches just a few miles away. Not all chains can be so ubiquitous. Luckily for us, photographers have chronicled the demise of restaurants from a bygone era wutg rare images of these once-popular eateries. Picking up a burger or taco from them may be tough today, but a walk down photo memory lane will still have you practically tasting the all-American beef.
If you were to take a stroll down San Francisco's unassuming Gough Street, not a lot would stick out — at first. Then you come to the massive eight-sided mansion. Appropriately known as the Octagon House, this unusual abode has intrigued Californians for generations. In fact, nobody could remember exactly when or why it was built. However, the truth came bubbling to the surface during some routine maintenance, and soon historians were tearing through the new evidence.