103 Words That Get You Banned on Etsy (2026 List)

Some words will get your Etsy listing removed within hours. Others will get your entire shop shut down.

I’ve compiled this list after tracking hundreds of takedowns, talking to suspended sellers, and monitoring which terms trigger Etsy’s automated systems. Bookmark this page. Check it before every listing.

One word in the wrong place can undo years of work.

How This List Works

I’ve organized these by risk level:

🔴 Critical = Almost guaranteed removal. Brands actively monitor Etsy. 🟠 High = Very likely removal. Known to trigger takedowns. 🟡 Medium = Possible removal. Context matters.

For each term, I’ve included who owns it and what to say instead.

Let’s go.

Disney (The Big One)

Disney’s legal team is the most aggressive on Etsy. They removed over 300,000 listings last year alone. If Disney owns it, don’t say it.

🔴 Critical - Instant Removal: | Word | Say Instead | |------|-------------| | Disney | (remove entirely) | | Mickey Mouse | cartoon mouse, classic mouse | | Minnie Mouse | polka dot mouse, bow mouse | | Frozen | ice princess, winter queen | | Elsa | ice queen, snow princess | | Moana | ocean princess, island girl | | Encanto | magical family, miracle house | | Lion King | safari lion, jungle king | | Simba | lion cub | | Stitch | blue alien, experiment creature | | Winnie the Pooh | honey bear, classic bear | | Tinkerbell | fairy, pixie | | Pixar | (remove entirely) | | Toy Story | cowboy and spaceman | | Buzz Lightyear | space ranger | | Finding Nemo | clownfish | | Monsters Inc | monster friends | | Cars (movie) | racing cars | | Lightning McQueen | red race car |

Star Wars

Disney owns this too. Same aggressive enforcement.

🔴 Critical: | Word | Say Instead | |------|-------------| | Star Wars | space saga, galactic | | Jedi | space warrior, galactic knight | | Sith | dark warrior | | Lightsaber | laser sword, light sword | | Darth Vader | dark helmet, space villain | | Baby Yoda | green alien baby, space baby | | Grogu | little green alien | | Mandalorian | space bounty hunter | | “This is the way” | (remove entirely) | | Stormtrooper | space soldier | | Yoda | wise alien, green master | | “May the Force” | (remove entirely) |

Marvel

Same owner, same problems.

🔴 Critical: | Word | Say Instead | |------|-------------| | Marvel | comic hero | | Avengers | hero team | | Iron Man | metal hero, robot suit | | Spider-Man | web hero, spider hero | | Captain America | patriotic hero, shield hero | | Hulk | green giant | | Black Panther | jungle hero | | Wakanda | African kingdom | | Thor | thunder god (careful - mythology is ok) | | Loki | trickster god | | Groot | tree creature | | Deadpool | red masked hero | | X-Men | mutant heroes |

DC Comics

Warner Bros enforces these heavily.

🔴 Critical: | Word | Say Instead | |------|-------------| | Batman | dark hero, caped hero | | Superman | flying hero, super hero (wait, see below) | | Wonder Woman | warrior princess | | Joker | clown villain | | Harley Quinn | (remove entirely) | | Justice League | hero team | | Gotham | dark city |

🟠 High Risk - Jointly Trademarked: | Word | Say Instead | |------|-------------| | Superhero | hero | | Super hero | hero | | Superheroes | heroes |

Yes, “superhero” is trademarked. DC and Marvel own it together. Use “hero” instead.

Harry Potter

Warner Bros is extremely active on Etsy.

🔴 Critical: | Word | Say Instead | |------|-------------| | Harry Potter | wizard boy, magical student | | Hogwarts | wizard school, magic academy | | Gryffindor | lion house, red and gold house | | Slytherin | snake house, green house | | Hufflepuff | badger house | | Ravenclaw | eagle house, blue house | | Muggle | non-magical | | Quidditch | broomstick sport | | Butterbeer | magical drink, fantasy drink | | Deathly Hallows | (remove entirely) | | Patronus | spirit guardian |

Nintendo & Gaming

Nintendo is notoriously protective.

🔴 Critical: | Word | Say Instead | |------|-------------| | Nintendo | (remove entirely) | | Mario | red plumber (risky), game character | | Luigi | green plumber | | Princess Peach | pink princess | | Zelda | elf princess, adventure princess | | Pokemon | pocket creatures, creature collector | | Pikachu | yellow creature, electric mouse | | Animal Crossing | island life, cozy game | | Minecraft | block game, building game |

Sports Leagues

These are lawsuit machines.

🔴 Critical: | Word | Say Instead | |------|-------------| | NFL | football league, pro football | | Super Bowl | the big game (this is important!) | | NBA | basketball league | | MLB | baseball league | | NHL | hockey league | | Any team name | the team, local team | | NCAA | college sports | | March Madness | college basketball tournament | | Olympics | international games, world games |

The “Super Bowl” one catches thousands of sellers every January. It’s been trademarked since 1969. Say “the big game” instead.

Kids Shows (Heavily Enforced)

Parents sell a lot of kids stuff on Etsy. Brands know this.

🔴 Critical: | Word | Say Instead | |------|-------------| | Bluey | blue heeler, blue dog | | Cocomelon | nursery rhyme, baby songs | | Paw Patrol | puppy heroes, rescue dogs | | Peppa Pig | pink pig | | Baby Shark | shark song, ocean baby | | Sesame Street | learning street | | Elmo | red monster | | SpongeBob | sea sponge, ocean character |

Celebrities Who Sue

These people (or their lawyers) actively hunt Etsy sellers.

🔴 Critical: | Name | Notes | |------|-------| | Taylor Swift | Has sued multiple Etsy sellers | | Swiftie | Trademarked | | Eras Tour | Trademarked | | Beyoncé | Active enforcement | | BTS | Their label is aggressive | | Blackpink | Same deal | | Kardashian | All of them sue | | Kylie Jenner | Owns Kylie Cosmetics trademarks |

🟠 High Risk: | Name | Notes | |------|-------| | Rihanna | Owns Fenty trademark | | Harry Styles | Some enforcement | | Ariana Grande | Occasional takedowns | | Dolly Parton | Some enforcement |

Hidden Everyday Trademarks

This is where most sellers mess up. These are common words that are actually trademarked.

🔴 Critical: | Word | Say Instead | Owner | |------|-------------|-------| | Velcro | hook and loop fastener | Velcro IP Holdings | | Onesie | bodysuit, romper | Gerber |

🟠 High Risk: | Word | Say Instead | Owner | |------|-------------|-------| | Chapstick | lip balm | Haleon | | Band-Aid | adhesive bandage | J&J | | Kleenex | facial tissue | Kimberly-Clark | | Q-tip | cotton swab | Unilever | | Jacuzzi | hot tub, whirlpool | Jacuzzi Inc | | Jet Ski | personal watercraft | Kawasaki | | Crock-Pot | slow cooker | Sunbeam | | Tupperware | food storage container | Tupperware | | Popsicle | ice pop, frozen treat | Unilever | | Frisbee | flying disc | Wham-O | | Ping Pong | table tennis | Parker Bros | | Bubble Wrap | cushion packaging | Sealed Air | | Styrofoam | polystyrene foam | DuPont | | Photoshop | photo edit, digitally edited | Adobe | | Rollerblade | inline skates | Rollerblade Inc |

Anime & Sanrio

Big in the handmade community. Also heavily protected.

🔴 Critical: | Word | Say Instead | |------|-------------| | Hello Kitty | bow cat, cute cat | | Sanrio | (remove entirely) | | Kuromi | goth bunny | | My Melody | bunny character | | Studio Ghibli | (remove entirely) | | Totoro | forest spirit | | Spirited Away | (remove entirely) | | Naruto | ninja anime | | Dragon Ball | anime fighter | | Pokemon | (see Nintendo above) |

Major Brands

Just don’t use brand names. Ever.

🔴 Critical: | Category | Examples to Avoid | |----------|-------------------| | Tech | Apple, iPhone, Google, Microsoft | | Fashion | Nike, Adidas, Gucci, Louis Vuitton | | Food | Starbucks, McDonald’s, Coca-Cola | | Toys | LEGO, Barbie, Hot Wheels |

How to Use This List

Before publishing any listing:

1. Ctrl+F through this list with your title, tags, and description
2. If you find a match, replace it with the safe alternative
3. When in doubt, cut it out

Quick test: Would a lawyer for [brand] care about this word? If yes, don’t use it.

The Real Solution

Checking manually works, but you’ll miss things. I missed “onesie” for months before someone told me.

A scanner tool catches what your eyes skip. It takes seconds per listing and saves you from waking up to a removal notice.

Your shop is worth more than one risky word.