--- type: "Guide" title: "Here’s How To Tell If LEGO® Is Real In 2026" description: "You need to know how to tell if LEGO® is real when buying or selling on third-party platforms. Bookmark this guide on discerning whether your LEGO® is real or fake!" resource: https://baumlinks.com/lego-faqs-how-to/how-to-tell-if-lego-is-real/ tags: ["Baumlinks LEGO® How-To's Guide Archive"] timestamp: 2026-02-03T06:11:26+00:00 --- **No One Likes Receiving Knock-off LEGO® Or Fake Minifigures.** Here is the typical scenario: you bought used LEGO® from an online, third-party marketplace, and now, you are looking at the pieces saying, **“how do I know if my LEGO® is real or fake?”** _We are going to split this post into two quick segments you can scroll down to find:_ **how to tell if your LEGO® bricks are real** and **how to tell if your LEGO® minifigure is real**. ![A Fake LEGO® Commando Clone Trooper With X Or Checkmark Written Above](https://baumlinks.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/LEGO®-Real-Or-Fake.png) ## How To Tell If Your LEGO® Bricks Are Real Or Fake In 2026 **Always check for the LEGO® logo.** Part of LEGO® protecting its intellectual property, brand, copyright, and trademark is ensuring its logo is clearly displayed on its LEGO® brick. Without the logo, I can guarantee you have [fake LEGO® bricks](/okf/posts/lego-faqs-how-to/should-you-buy-knock-off-or-fake-lego.md). Using a flashlight close to the brick, you should be able to see the LEGO® logo. **Check for the fit of the bricks.** LEGO® spent literal decades ensuring the LEGO® brick design seamlessly snapped together with the (_practically trademarked_) snap. If your LEGO® doesn’t fit together well, or comes apart easily, there is a really good chance it’s fake. The company seldom sells [defective LEGO® bricks](/okf/posts/lego-faqs-how-to/how-often-are-lego-sets-missing-pieces.md). **Compare the colors**. LEGO® has a distinctive shine and glossy feel due to the ABS plastic it is made out of – if your bricks are lackluster, chances are that lack of color is due to the lack of authenticity. **Feel the material of the LEGO® bricks.** Exceptionally brittle bricks are a sign that they are fake. The [ABS plastic LEGO®](https://baumlinks.com/lego-faqs-how-to/what-are-lego-bricks-made-of-chemistry-behind/) is made of is wicked durable. If your studs are falling off the plastic, there is a big chance it is fake! ## How To Tell If Your LEGO® Minifigure Is Real Or Fake There are few things more awful in this world than receiving a bulk buy of LEGO® minifigure pieces and finding out a bunch of them are fake. Luckily, it is pretty easy to spot a fake LEGO® minifigure once you know these tips. **Check The Head Stud.** Unless it is a really old LEGO® minifigure, the stud of the torso (where the head goes) will have the **LEGO® logo clearly displayed on the top of the stud**. Also, all LEGO® head studs have a slightly different color than the rest of the torso (usually a rectangular, black-patch) indicating that it is where the head goes! This patch also indicates which part of the torso is the front. **Check The LEGO® Leg Studs**. The legs have a distinctive diagonal slant along with their hexagonal design to clip into place with the torso. There is almost always a **LEGO® logo in between the studs of the legs**. **Shine a light through the underside of the LEGO® feet**. If you see a LEGO® logo inside the legs of the LEGO® minifigure, it is definitely not a fake! Lastly, use the call-outs of fake LEGO® bricks to apply to LEGO® minifigures. **Fake LEGO® minifigures lack a distinctive shine and feel brittle**. Fake minifigures also come in a slew of wacky, weird colors. ## Keep An Eye Out For Fake Or Counterfeit LEGO® Products ![Anakin Skywalker LEGO® Minifigure From The Star Wars Movie Series](https://baumlinks.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/LEGO®-Anakin-Skywalker-Minifigure-1.jpg) **_Don’t fret if you get fake LEGO®. At one time or another, we all have been bamboozled._** It is a part of the collecting and building process of real LEGO®. When you scour the internet looking for a long lost piece, you are bound to get a fake piece, or two. LEGO® Group does an exemplary job of ensuring the market stays clear of fake sets and saturated with genuine, real LEGO® pieces. However, sometimes bootleg manufacturers appear faster than the company’s legal team can issue a cease-and-desist. Rest assured, LEGO® does everything in its power to remove fake LEGO® from the market. **When [buying LEGO® from third-party platforms](https://baumlinks.com/where-to-buy-old-lego-sets-pieces-minifigures-easy/), always inspect the photos.** Third-party sellers is where fake LEGO® comes from. Bookmark this guide and you can protect yourself from the plethora of knockoffs flooding the market.