Knockoff shoes are sometimes very similar to original Topper stock.

- How do you tell if you have a knockoff shoe?

Check for the texture of the material. It should be pliable, soft and rubbery - or plastic.
It should have a rectangle hole in the bottom large enough for a stand prong.
The bow pumps have a solid bow across the top.

Same with the boots. Pliable rubber with rectangle hole. Topper stock is generally higher quality.

Here are some comparisons:

NOTE: These are findings from my own studies.
I've attempted to present the most accurate data possible.

These are Topper stock boots. They are pliable rubber and have the rectangle holes in the bottom for stands. They come in white, red, black, orange (coral), and yellow.

There are a few different knockoff boots, some very similar but made of different material - mostly plastic.

These are knockoff boots made of plastic. For the most part these do not have holes in the bottoms.
Comparison shot. On the left is a Topper boot and on the right a knockoff. This particular knockoff boot bears a close similarity and could be confused with the real thing if viewed in an auction photo. If you're concerned about getting the genuine article, ask the seller about the hole.
Majorette Boots (right) with hats and baton. The boots are pliable rubber with holes for stands. The hats are plastic. These sets have gold or silver trim.

Topper pumps with no bows. The pumps shown on the right are soft rubber and have the rectangle holes in the bottom.
Close-up view of the rectangle hole and the tread on the bottom of a bowless pump in a Topper stock shoe.

These are Topper plastic shoes. The material is a softer plastic, but not rubber and not pliable. Often times they are somewhat transparent.

A side-by-side close-up of a rubber Topper bowless pump (left) vs. the Topper plastic bowless pump (right). Notice the transparency of the shoe on the right.
Side-by-side, you can see the difference in the tread. Topper soft rubber shoe is shown in the upper half, plastic below. There are knockoffs which are similar to Topper pumps but the holes for stands are not big enough. The materials used in the knockoff shoes are also brittle and poorer quality.
(left) These are two lime colored Topper shoes. They are plastic, not pliable, but of the same mold as the rubber shoes. An example of how the colors greatly vary.

Above, Topper bow pumps. Left to right: gold, white, yellow, dk green, aqua and orange.


Topper orange bow pump side profile, top and bottom.
Topper flat heeled bowless shoes. Sometimes referred to as slippers. Also pictured is tennis shoe from "What a Racket".

Side-by-side you can really see the difference between Topper's bowless pump and the bowless flat.
Another comparison shot. Not much difference between the two Topper shoes at this angle. You can definitely get away with having a flat and a pump as a pair on a doll facing frontwards.
The Topper boys have loafers in black & brown. Van has yellow sneakers.
Dawn's red tennis shoe (top) compared to JPI Starr's sneakers. The Topper shoe is soft pliable rubber. JPI shoes are very hard plastic and larger than Topper's. They fit Dawn reasonably well. The orange sneakers look especially cute with Tangerama Tunic.
KNOCKOFF SHOES

Mattel Rockflower pumps. These are too wide for Dawn's feet. Marked Hong Kong inside the shoe.

They are made of plastic and have no hole for a stand.

Premier brand clogs. Soft rubber material. No holes in the bottoms.
They're fun for a different look on Dawn.
These are also Premier brand. Soft rubber material. These do have the rectangle holes. In place of bows there are two horizontal stripes. The walls of these shoes are often thicker than Topper shoes.

These hard plastic knockoff bow pumps came with Super Models by Toy Concepts. A Dawn clone from the 1990's.
Dandee produced these pumps and packaged them with Fashion World outfits for Dawn and other 6.5" fashion dolls in the early 1970's.
The Fashion World pump is made of soft rubber and has a tiny slit to accomodate the prongs of a stand.

These knockoff pumps are sometimes mistaken for Topper stock, but are fairly easy to distinguish. The material is hard plastic, often brittle. It is common to see a small crack in the top of these pumps. The hole in the bottom is much smaller than those in Topper shoes.
This is a very nice knockoff. It could belong to Pippa. The bow is similar to a Topper bow pump. There is no rectangle hole in the bottom. The material is soft rubber. Almost the same as a Topper stock shoe.

These two pumps were hard to distinguish from Topper stock shoes. The only apparent difference was the tread. The shoe on the right (coral) has hardened, but seems to have once been a soft pliable rubber material.

Notice the comparison in the next photo.
The blue bow pump on the top is a Topper stock pump. The one below is probably a knockoff (also pictured above).
This smart little high heel number is soft rubber, but with no hole for a stand.

This lime green shoe is too small for Dawn. I've been told they may belong to Uneeda Tiny Teen dolls.

Instead of a rectangle hole, the hole in this pump is perfectly round.

These pumps are from JPI's Starr Model Agency line of dolls from the 1990's. While stylish in appearance, they don't stay on Dawn very well. The material is very hard plastic, with a rectangle hole for a stand. JPI also manufactured a stand nearly identical to Dawn's. They were packaged with some of the Starr dolls. They also came in lavender, dark pink, dark green, yellow, light blue and orange. Starr has rubber tennis shoes similar to Dawn's except Starr's are pastel colors and Dawn's are red.