Merchandising

Boring title, but it gets right to the point. Merchandise. Every major book or movie series creates something extra to sell to go along with it, whether the motives are strictly for profitable purposes or just for fun. Harry Potter merchandise is definitely one of the best-selling categories.

So many types of merchandise exists with the Harry Potter name on it that it would be absurd for me to try and analyze them all. If only I had that much free time. Instead, I'm going to pick a few different ones and talk a little bit about them.

Harry Potter Video Games

Even that heading is broad. Computer/video games have all been created throughout the development of the Harry Potter series. Games for all 7 books exist for Playstation 2, Xbox, Wii, and Nintendo, the newest game being Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2.

Now, I will not even try to pretend to be an expert on these games; I personally only own Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone for Windows 97. I will say, however, that I have played a few of the games on Playstation 2. The video games themselves incorporate challenges from the movies/books that characters went through and allow for the player to go through them. It virtually re-creates the world of Harry Potter and creates different tasks the players have to achieve in order to move through the game. Though they claim to be "fun for all ages", most of these are geared towards the preteen/teen crowd.

Harry Potter Board Games

The classic tradition of sitting down to play a board game may be slightly lost, but Harry Potter board games still exist!  From adding on to the traditional board game Clue, to Harry Potter Chess, to creating a Harry Potter Scene-It, games for the series have multi-faceted backgrounds.

Personally, I played the first edition of Harry Potter Scene-It a few years ago and absolutely loved it. It gave me a chance to play a game that all my Harry Potter-loving friends could enjoy, and we could show off just how much information we retained from reading the books/watching the movies. I would definitely say that creating this game was a great addition to the Harry Potter world.

Harry Potter Accessories

Like I said before, MANY types of merchandise exist in the world. What I mean to encompass under this section are the random trinkets; wands, t-shirts, posters, necklaces, and other artifacts duplicated from the series.

Many outlets sell these items, but one of the more popular places is at the Warner Brothers site. Since Warner Brothers has a copyright on Harry Potter, the more reliable merchandising comes from there. I have never ordered any merchandise from this website, but I have bought merchandise from Hot Topic. This store only sells merchandise after movies release in theaters, but I included a link to the site anyway. Currently I own 3 Harry Potter tshirts, a few posters, a Deathly Hallows necklace, and a Gryffindor Snuggie from this store. Yes. I do indeed own a snuggie. Moving on...

Harry Potter Legos

We all remember the childhood classic Legos. Harry Potter within the past few years has added a spin onto this classic toy, creating scenes from the books and movies you can build and collect, including Hogwarts, the Forbidden Forrest, the Quidditch Pitch and many more.  Though I cannot say I have ever played with these, my friend Chanda collects them avidly and loves to build them.

From diehard fan to mild supporter, Harry Potter merchandising has taken the world by storm, creating a place inside many fans' homes. I have personally supported a few of these outlets through my purchasing of the merchandise; have you?

Coming up next...

Going to take a step away from the physical aspects of Harry Potter and go in a different direction: Have you been wondering what J.K. Rowling and the rest of the cast have been up to since the end of the films? I'll be summing up a few of the cast's newest ventures. Have any requests on people to read about? Let me know! I'm always up for suggestions!

Harry Potter, Brought to Life

Alright, so that was a little cheesy I know -- but that's exactly what comes to mind when I think of a Harry Potter theme park, and that's exactly what the goal was behind opening the park in 2010 at Universal Studios.

For a little history lesson on the development of the park, the idea has been discussed since the late 1990's. At this time, all rights to Harry Potter were owned by Time Warner. In 2001, Time Warner opened an attraction at Warner Bros. Movie World in Gold Coast, Australia. This attraction, titled the "Harry Potter Movie Experience", featured an indoor walk-through incorporating elements from the first two movies. It closed, however, after two years of operation.

The announcement was made in May 2007 that an addition to the Universal Studios park would open in 2009; a 20-acre addition that would recreate Hogwarts, the Forbidden Forest, and Hogsmeade. Construction began January 2008, and the park was finally open to the public in 2010.

There are three ride attractions; Dragon Challenge, Flight of the Hippogriff, and Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey. Dragon Challenge is a roller coaster that takes you through elements of the Triwizard Tournament; each "dragon" is a different ride with different scenes. Flight of the Hippogriff is a more family-oriented roller coaster that shows you around Hagrid's Hut, as well as the Hogwarts grounds. Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey takes you through Hogwarts castle, allowing each guest to walk through classrooms and locations described in the books, as well as shown in the films.

Other attractions include a replica of Hogsmeade Village with stores featured in the series; Zonko's Joke Shop, The Three Broomsticks, Ollivander's, Owl Post, Honeydukes, and other favorites.

Is it just me, or does that sound completely awesome?! (For more information, along with visual aids, go to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter website.)

Personally, I have not been there. Since I learned of its opening, I have desperately wanted to. Though I have not, a good friend of mine named Whitney has. She absolutely loved her trip, and said that walking into Hogwarts was "just like walking into the movies". Only some of us can be so lucky...

So here I pose a question: Have you or anyone you know been to the park? What are some good qualities about it? Bad? Any personal experiences you or someone you know would like to share, feel free to comment! I will update with any information you are willing to give me. Whitney will be sending pictures sometime this week, which will be posted in a couple of days.

Coming next time: I will continue to analyze the "merchandising" of Harry Potter by discussing other types that have been successful over the years. Any merchandising you personally prefer? Any you find absurd? Let me know!