Since the first Harry Potter book in the series, the world has been gripped by
the imaginative world of Harry and his wizard friends. Fantasy fiction in books
and films always spawn lots of props unique to their inner world, along with the
usual videos, DVDs, computer games and movie posters. The Harry Potter story is
particular rich in strange animals and artifacts, and therefore has produced a
lot of Harry Potter merchandise.
In houses across the globe, children run around in Harry Potter costumes, waving
their magic wands. They may wear wire rimmed glasses and snack on candy such as
Cockroach Clusters or Bertie Botts Beans, (not sure how authentic this bit of
Harry Potter merchandise is !). In fact, it's possible to buy an entire cauldron
full of candy. Harry Potter merchandise could provide a whole theme for a
child's bedroom, with wallpaper, drapes, and bedding. They can decorate their
room, just like Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizards, with school banners
for each house; Gryffindor, Slytherin, Hufflepuff, and Ravenclaw. If they're
unsure which house they should be in, they can buy a Hogwarts Sorting Hat to
tell them.
The Harry Potter stories are not just about Harry, and the Harry Potter
merchandise involves the other characters and strange creatures as well.
Items include a Mad-Eye Moody Eye Patch and Albus Dumbledore mask, tassle
hat and tall wizard hat. Fans of puppets can have a phoenix or a griffin
puppet. Trading Cards with scenes from the films featuring all the heroes
and villains can be swapped at school.
Quidditch is the exciting sport played at Hogwarts, and it's possible to
re-enact the moves with a Harry Potter merchandise broom and a Golden
Snitch. The brooms come in different designs but remember it's just pretend
and you can't really fly! Harry Potter merchandise provides fun but also
some beautiful items to admire. There are wonderfully designed chess sets,
which are replicas of the chess pieces as featured in Harry Potter and the
Philosopher's Stone, (published in the USA as Harry Potter and the
Sorcerer's Stone). There is also a sculpture available of the regal Fawkes
the Phoenix.
Train sets are always popular with the kids, and parents too. Harry Potter
merchandise includes the very magical Hogwarts Express to transport them to
wizard school. There are also models of the car which Ron drives in Harry
Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.
Each movie release produces its own Harry Potter merchandise, including
computer games, and there are also games which just feature Quidditch. Every
aspect of the sport is explained with lessons on the different skills
needed. The moves can be acted out further with a collection of action
figures that are also sold.
Adults too can enjoy Harry Potter merchandise. The chess sets are marvelous
to play with, and some parts of the computer games are quite challenging. Of
course, the kids may not even get a look in with the train sets!
