Clockwise from top left: Lego owl (Photo: Lego), Harry Potter store (Photo: Angela Weiss/AFP/Getty Images), DVD set (Photo: Warner Bros. Home Video), Funko Pop (Photo: Funko), Quidditch (Photo: Jack Taylor/Getty Images), Wizarding World Of Harry Potter (Photo: Universal Studios Hollywood).Graphic: Karl Gustafson
For those who somehow haven’t heard already, this November 16 marks the 20th anniversary of the cinematic release of Harry Potter And The Sorcerer’s Stone, which transformed J.K. Rowling’s print vision of the young wizard’s life into a sort of quasi-reality.
For many people, Sorcerer’s Stone marked their entry point into the Potterverse, which eventually consisted of seven HP volumes from Rowling. Seven more movies would follow. (And we’re not counting the Fantastic Beasts franchise).
In response to fans’ voracious appetites surrounding The Sorcerer’s Stone’s anniversary, various brands have delivered everything from Lego sets to Broadway shows, from TV series to magic wands, and beyond. Here’s a selective sampling of Potter experiences, games, and merchandise.
Harry Potter Lego sets
Clockwise from top left: Lego owl (Photo: Lego), Harry Potter store (Photo: Angela Weiss/AFP/Getty Images), DVD set (Photo: Warner Bros. Home Video), Funko Pop (Photo: Funko), Quidditch (Photo: Jack Taylor/Getty Images), Wizarding World Of Harry Potter (Photo: Universal Studios Hollywood). Graphic Karl Gustafson
For those who somehow haven’t heard already, this November 16 marks the 20th anniversary of the cinematic release of Harry Potter And The Sorcerer’s Stone, which transformed J.K. Rowling’s print vision of the young wizard’s life into a sort of quasi-reality.For many people, Sorcerer’s Stone marked their entry point into the Potterverse, which eventually consisted of seven HP volumes from Rowling. Seven more movies would follow. (And we’re not counting the Fantastic Beasts franchise).In response to fans’ voracious appetites surrounding The Sorcerer’s Stone’s anniversary, various brands have delivered everything from Lego sets to Broadway shows, from TV series to magic wands, and beyond. Here’s a selective sampling of Potter experiences, games, and merchandise.
This is still weird to me. Yes the movies made HP “mainstream” but the books were already wildly successful by this point, why are they marking the big anniversary now and not back in 2017? Like it was already a thing, the reason the movie was huge was because a whole bunch of kids already knew about this.
14/13 J.K. Rowling’s Twitter feedFans who have outgrown the Potter series’s kiddie messages of tolerance, learning lessons, and personal growth should definitely check out J.K. Rowling’s Twitter! But don’t worry, Sorcerer’s Stone fans – there’s still a troll involved, and plenty of talk about bathrooms. Like a real-life Sorting Hat, she might even tell you if your identity is real or not!
Really cool of the AV Club to pretend to support trans people against JKR’s vile bigotry, but then turn around and write an article detailing all the fun ways you can give more money to that woman who despises our existence. Except by “cool” I mean, “disgusting, yet unsurprising”
Yeah, I’ve been tolerating the other articles because the franchise is still a cultural touchstone that’s worth talking about. (Though it’s weird that the AV Club seems to be single-handedly trying to make the 20th anniversary of the movies A Thing—other outlets are barely talking about it, if it all.) But this…this is just a fucking commercial.
“Including cool Harry Potter Lego sets….but don’t you even THINK about putting the girl Lego hair piece on the boy Lego figures, you disgusting aberration!”
There was a some much needed snark that was absent here, or even mention of how messed up the development of that new HP game was (such as the former head guy being just about as gross as Rowling).
Well, you shouldn’t expect people to join your hysterical lynch mob. In spite of the relentless gaslighting, sane people read what JKR said and don’t find disgusting bigotry. It doesn’t help your cause that nobody can quote an actual hateful statement from her.
I was going to say AVClub should add a note about which of these would directly benefit JKR. But I was too kind, we should all be disgusted at this commercial.
Eh, I’m waiting for my kid’s enthusiasm for it to peter out. Meanwhile, trying my damnedest to get her into Le Guin, Jacques (Redwall), and other assorted books. Less for Rowling’s shittiness, more because there’s just plain BETTER shit out there.
Children’s librarian here who grew up on Redwall: it’s weirdly hard to get kids into Redwall! Even kids who love those Warrior Cats books for some reason just don’t get into it. Once in a blue moon I get a kid to read one and from then they’re hooked, but it’s a tough sell compared to books of similar reading level and it’s weird.I highly suggest adding Lloyd Alexander to your list if he’s missing, the Chronicles of Prydain are terrific.
It’s wild how popular Warriors have been for like twenty years now. I’m frankly glad they are, even though I don’t think they’re very good: it’s great for kids to have accessible super weird utterly sincere fantasy with lore that belies its mediocrity. I just wish it translated to a love of Redwall, which isn’t perfect but hot damn are you in for a treat if you like food and ballads and sudden bursts of violence.A criminally underrated fantasy trilogy that I always recommend, particularly because while I don’t believe in “boy books” or “girl books” the sad truth is that a lot of fantasy centers around male leads despite often being written by women, is Marie Rutkoski’s The Kronos Chronicles, starting with The Cabinet of Wonders. It’s about a girl in a world where everyone has a single magic power, like X-Men mutants but if everyone was a mutant, but they’re weird powers; for instance, her dad can manipulate metal, but does so by having a conversation with it and convincing it to do what he wants. But the twist is that the world is actually a variant of ours, and the story takes place in Renaissance-era Prague.https://marierutkoski.com/books/the-cabinet-of-wonders/Also if she likes spooky shit, Tracey Baptiste’s The Jumbies is excellent. It tells a classic fairy tale style story (girl gets a new stepmother who’s clearly an evil witch enchanting her father) but it’s based on Caribbean mythology and is from an author who actually knows her shit, rather than one who, say, writes a whole book about fantasy creatures from other cultures and gets basic shit wrong about them. https://traceybaptiste.com/the-jumbies-series(Don’t buy em on Amazon!)
(Don’t buy em on Amazon!) Oh, I don’t fuck with Amazon in this house. 😉 Thank you for the recommendations! I’m also trying to get her into comics she might like. She really took to the Over the Garden Wall adaptations, which are great fun.As to Redwall, IIRC it’s in development at Netflix, by the OtGW team. I’m thinking that’ll spur interest!
lol I literally wrote an entire episode-by-episode review of OtGW for the five year anniversary as a side project from my gigantic episode-by-episode review of Steven Universehttps://goingoverthegardenwall.tumblr.com/tagged/over-the-garden-wall/chronoYou’re a good parent.
Dang, that would make for a much better listicle to celebrate the HP anniversary. Maybe one point could be still “buy the books if you must, but maybe support your local library if you don’t have the series”; the rest of the list could be franchises that don’t go towards someone that advocates for bigotry.
This is kind of an off the wall recommendation but I loved these books at the same time I was reading Harry Potter – The Gatekeepers series by Anthony Horowitz. It’s a 5 book series about 5 teenagers all across the world who have to come together and defeat a great evil, but it’s more along the lines of a horror movie than a happy adventure. Ooh! The Pendragon Saga by DJ Machale, that’s another one I loved. Alternate universe exploration, really creative plotting.
AV Club: J.K. Rowling is a transphobic bigot who tainted her legacy and the entire Harry Potter franchise with hate.Also AV Club: Now here’s how to get your hands on all that sweet sweet Harry Potter merch!
It’s obscenely irresponsible for writers who claim to give a shit about trans people to advertise objects which will line the pockets of a loud, proud transphobe.Congratulations, there are folks here I respect less than Barsanti now. Fucking hell, this site.
I’d like to add my voice to those criticising the presence of this article extended advert for products based the writing of a high profile transphobe. This is (at least) in poor taste and poor judgement. Most of us who have been visiting this group of websites* for many years are used to the current stream of disappointments we are confronted with, but this is an insulting new low.*So what is the collective noun for websites?
Setting aside all the other discussions to be had about the ethics of spotlighting Rowling, especially when the site’s avowed journalistic stance would dictate otherwise:The movies aren’t good.
The movies have never been good. In the act of adaptation, the movies diminished the world of Potter instead of broadening or expanding it.
The Columbuses were boring, the Yateses were middling, the Newell was outright bad, and the Cuarón was visually distinctive but narratively incomprehensible.
The movies added nothing of value to the story, save perhaps for Rickman’s interpretation of Snape. Without a too-big-to-fail IP to prop it up, the series would have withered on the vine long before completion.
So I guess what I’m saying is, even without the JKR of it all, I think these movies really aren’t worth spotlighting.
They even started the thankfully short-lived trend of splitting the final story into two movies even though it’s the least eventful of the books.If they wanted good movies they should’ve been animated, would’ve allowed for way more consistency and way better effects for the magical settings, but nope, just had to be live action and just had to gamble on all the child actors. I’m glad Dan Radcliffe has a career, and there are brights spots here and there (Kenneth Branagh deserves a chef’s kiss) but yeah hard hard hard agree, bud.
Did Rowling’s people find some spare change in an office couch that will fund the AV Club through 2035? What is with the punishingly relentless Harry Potter coverage lately?
It really feels like marketing push puff stuff. I could totally be wrong–maybe Harry Potter clicks are just incredibly fat and juicy. I just can’t fathom why there’s so fuckin’ much of it.
maybe Harry Potter clicks are just incredibly fat and juicy These blogs don’t care why you clicked or what you wrote in a comment as long as you clicked and commented.All engagement is good engagement to them.
Meanwhile, Wizards of the Coast is putting out Strixhaven, a Magic the Gathering and D&D setting for people who like wizard schools but would like to stop giving JKR money.
If this article had to exist (it did not), this would have been a nice corrective to include.
Is that a Renegade thing? Like Kids on Bikes and Teens in Space, etc.? I find their stat dice a little too swingy but they’re good people overall, I have some of their stuff. If nothing else it has to be better than Witch Girl Adventures.
Yeah, it’s Renegade. I don’t love the dice mechanic myself, but Kids on Bikes is just one of a whole constellation of not-Hogwarts magical school RPG products out there now.
There were something like three Kickstarted in the last 12 months alone, in addition to higher profile stuff from WotC, Renegade and so on. (It certainly seems like a good fit for Powered by the Apocalypse, so I’m sure there’s a bunch of those, too.)
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This is still weird to me. Yes the movies made HP “mainstream” but the books were already wildly successful by this point, why are they marking the big anniversary now and not back in 2017? Like it was already a thing, the reason the movie was huge was because a whole bunch of kids already knew about this.
14/13 J.K. Rowling’s Twitter feedFans who have outgrown the Potter series’s kiddie messages of tolerance, learning lessons, and personal growth should definitely check out J.K. Rowling’s Twitter! But don’t worry, Sorcerer’s Stone fans – there’s still a troll involved, and plenty of talk about bathrooms. Like a real-life Sorting Hat, she might even tell you if your identity is real or not!
Really cool of the AV Club to pretend to support trans people against JKR’s vile bigotry, but then turn around and write an article detailing all the fun ways you can give more money to that woman who despises our existence. Except by “cool” I mean, “disgusting, yet unsurprising”
Yeah there’s some big time mixed messaging going on here.
Yeah, I’ve been tolerating the other articles because the franchise is still a cultural touchstone that’s worth talking about. (Though it’s weird that the AV Club seems to be single-handedly trying to make the 20th anniversary of the movies A Thing—other outlets are barely talking about it, if it all.) But this…this is just a fucking commercial.
Meh I’m here for it she’s kinda funny and the movies slap
“Including cool Harry Potter Lego sets….but don’t you even THINK about putting the girl Lego hair piece on the boy Lego figures, you disgusting aberration!”
There was a some much needed snark that was absent here, or even mention of how messed up the development of that new HP game was (such as the former head guy being just about as gross as Rowling).
Well, you shouldn’t expect people to join your hysterical lynch mob. In spite of the relentless gaslighting, sane people read what JKR said and don’t find disgusting bigotry. It doesn’t help your cause that nobody can quote an actual hateful statement from her.
I was going to say AVClub should add a note about which of these would directly benefit JKR. But I was too kind, we should all be disgusted at this commercial.
Robert shumake Visit mehttps://t.co/04tmhb6nBy?amp=1
Did JKR buy this site or something?
Eh, I’m waiting for my kid’s enthusiasm for it to peter out. Meanwhile, trying my damnedest to get her into Le Guin, Jacques (Redwall), and other assorted books. Less for Rowling’s shittiness, more because there’s just plain BETTER shit out there.
Children’s librarian here who grew up on Redwall: it’s weirdly hard to get kids into Redwall! Even kids who love those Warrior Cats books for some reason just don’t get into it. Once in a blue moon I get a kid to read one and from then they’re hooked, but it’s a tough sell compared to books of similar reading level and it’s weird.I highly suggest adding Lloyd Alexander to your list if he’s missing, the Chronicles of Prydain are terrific.
I’ll do that! She’s into those warrior cat books, oddly enough. 😀
It’s wild how popular Warriors have been for like twenty years now. I’m frankly glad they are, even though I don’t think they’re very good: it’s great for kids to have accessible super weird utterly sincere fantasy with lore that belies its mediocrity. I just wish it translated to a love of Redwall, which isn’t perfect but hot damn are you in for a treat if you like food and ballads and sudden bursts of violence.A criminally underrated fantasy trilogy that I always recommend, particularly because while I don’t believe in “boy books” or “girl books” the sad truth is that a lot of fantasy centers around male leads despite often being written by women, is Marie Rutkoski’s The Kronos Chronicles, starting with The Cabinet of Wonders. It’s about a girl in a world where everyone has a single magic power, like X-Men mutants but if everyone was a mutant, but they’re weird powers; for instance, her dad can manipulate metal, but does so by having a conversation with it and convincing it to do what he wants. But the twist is that the world is actually a variant of ours, and the story takes place in Renaissance-era Prague.https://marierutkoski.com/books/the-cabinet-of-wonders/Also if she likes spooky shit, Tracey Baptiste’s The Jumbies is excellent. It tells a classic fairy tale style story (girl gets a new stepmother who’s clearly an evil witch enchanting her father) but it’s based on Caribbean mythology and is from an author who actually knows her shit, rather than one who, say, writes a whole book about fantasy creatures from other cultures and gets basic shit wrong about them.
https://traceybaptiste.com/the-jumbies-series(Don’t buy em on Amazon!)
(Don’t buy em on Amazon!) Oh, I don’t fuck with Amazon in this house. 😉 Thank you for the recommendations! I’m also trying to get her into comics she might like. She really took to the Over the Garden Wall adaptations, which are great fun.As to Redwall, IIRC it’s in development at Netflix, by the OtGW team. I’m thinking that’ll spur interest!
lol I literally wrote an entire episode-by-episode review of OtGW for the five year anniversary as a side project from my gigantic episode-by-episode review of Steven Universehttps://goingoverthegardenwall.tumblr.com/tagged/over-the-garden-wall/chronoYou’re a good parent.
You’re a good parent. Thanks, man! I try my best! 🙂 I’ll give that a look when I get a longer break!
I found a random copy Redwall in my fourth grade classroom, and it was my gateway to epic fantasy, followed shortly by the Eddings’ Belgariad books.
Dang, that would make for a much better listicle to celebrate the HP anniversary. Maybe one point could be still “buy the books if you must, but maybe support your local library if you don’t have the series”; the rest of the list could be franchises that don’t go towards someone that advocates for bigotry.
This is kind of an off the wall recommendation but I loved these books at the same time I was reading Harry Potter – The Gatekeepers series by Anthony Horowitz. It’s a 5 book series about 5 teenagers all across the world who have to come together and defeat a great evil, but it’s more along the lines of a horror movie than a happy adventure. Ooh! The Pendragon Saga by DJ Machale, that’s another one I loved. Alternate universe exploration, really creative plotting.
Uh… Yikes, y’all. Don’t encourage people supporting Rowling. Any purchase from this list will directly enrich a bigot.
Well, not the cast cameos, but otherwise, yeah.
AV Club: J.K. Rowling is a transphobic bigot who tainted her legacy and the entire Harry Potter franchise with hate.Also AV Club: Now here’s how to get your hands on all that sweet sweet Harry Potter merch!
“Look, we even made a cute little logo for it!”
Fuck TERFs.
It’s obscenely irresponsible for writers who claim to give a shit about trans people to advertise objects which will line the pockets of a loud, proud transphobe.Congratulations, there are folks here I respect less than Barsanti now. Fucking hell, this site.
I’d like to add my voice to those criticising the presence of this article extended advert for products based the writing of a high profile transphobe. This is (at least) in poor taste and poor judgement.
Most of us who have been visiting this group of websites* for many years are used to the current stream of disappointments we are confronted with, but this is an insulting new low.*So what is the collective noun for websites?
*So what is the collective noun for websites?
A waste.
A Geocities.
Setting aside all the other discussions to be had about the ethics of spotlighting Rowling, especially when the site’s avowed journalistic stance would dictate otherwise:The movies aren’t good.
The movies have never been good.
In the act of adaptation, the movies diminished the world of Potter instead of broadening or expanding it.
The Columbuses were boring, the Yateses were middling, the Newell was outright bad, and the Cuarón was visually distinctive but narratively incomprehensible.
The movies added nothing of value to the story, save perhaps for Rickman’s interpretation of Snape. Without a too-big-to-fail IP to prop it up, the series would have withered on the vine long before completion.
So I guess what I’m saying is, even without the JKR of it all, I think these movies really aren’t worth spotlighting.
They even started the thankfully short-lived trend of splitting the final story into two movies even though it’s the least eventful of the books.If they wanted good movies they should’ve been animated, would’ve allowed for way more consistency and way better effects for the magical settings, but nope, just had to be live action and just had to gamble on all the child actors. I’m glad Dan Radcliffe has a career, and there are brights spots here and there (Kenneth Branagh deserves a chef’s kiss) but yeah hard hard hard agree, bud.
Did Rowling’s people find some spare change in an office couch that will fund the AV Club through 2035? What is with the punishingly relentless Harry Potter coverage lately?
It really feels like marketing push puff stuff. I could totally be wrong–maybe Harry Potter clicks are just incredibly fat and juicy. I just can’t fathom why there’s so fuckin’ much of it.
maybe Harry Potter clicks are just incredibly fat and juicy
These blogs don’t care why you clicked or what you wrote in a comment as long as you clicked and commented.All engagement is good engagement to them.
Meanwhile, Wizards of the Coast is putting out Strixhaven, a Magic the Gathering and D&D setting for people who like wizard schools but would like to stop giving JKR money.
If this article had to exist (it did not), this would have been a nice corrective to include.
And if they ditched their own in house troll Mike Mearls, that might mean something. They didn’t and won’t, though.
In that case, can I interest you in indie game Kids on Brooms?
Is that a Renegade thing? Like Kids on Bikes and Teens in Space, etc.? I find their stat dice a little too swingy but they’re good people overall, I have some of their stuff. If nothing else it has to be better than Witch Girl Adventures.
Yeah, it’s Renegade. I don’t love the dice mechanic myself, but Kids on Bikes is just one of a whole constellation of not-Hogwarts magical school RPG products out there now.
There were something like three Kickstarted in the last 12 months alone, in addition to higher profile stuff from WotC, Renegade and so on. (It certainly seems like a good fit for Powered by the Apocalypse, so I’m sure there’s a bunch of those, too.)
Looking forward to next month’s glowing Mel Gibson retrospective.