Accio Potterheads!

    The first Harry Potter book, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone was first released in the late 90's and immediately swept the muggle world and put them under an enchantment.  Following this was the six additional sequential books by J.K. Rowling.  In the early 2000's the books were turned into eight different movies.  The protagonists of the series are three Hogwarts students, Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger.  Throughout this series, Ron and Hermione assist Harry in facing dangerous obstacles on his path to defeating Lord Voldemort, the villain in this story.  Quickly after the release of the first book, the Harry Potter fan club grew immensely.  These "Potterheads" show their love for everything related to Harry Potter in a vast amount of ways.

Cosplay

    One activity that you may see Potterheads participating in is cosplay.  As muggles live their wizarding dream, Harry Potter fans gather from all over to dress up as their favorite characters from this series and attend events such as LeakyCon.  This convention is for those who are fans of magical stories, and it will take place in Chicago this year, where mischief will surely be managed.  Fans take their costumes to the next level by adding every detail they can possibly think of.  For example, when people dress up as Harry, they make sure to include his owl Hedwig, his scar, and try to carry other known items with them such as their own sorcerer's stone.  There is also a ton of cosplay in Harry Potter World, Universal as everyone is living their Harry Potter dream.

This Dumbledore cosplay from Dragoncon a couple weeks ago : r/harrypotter

Harry Potter Cosplay                 Dumbledore Cosplay                 Hagrid Cosplay

Harry Potter World

    At Universal, fans are seen walking around wearing cloaks and carrying wands.  In this real-life Hogwarts, fans have the opportunity to explore Diagon Alley and walk through Hogsmeade to experience and shop at their favorite Harry Potter stores including Ollivanders and Honeydukes.  Here people buy candy, merchandise, wands, and butterbeer.  Fans crave collecting wizard cards from the chocolate frogs, tasting the creamy fizz of butterbeer, and bravely experimenting with the flavors of Bertie Botts beans. Every fan wants to have their wands select them so they can spend the day practicing magic in the streets and experience the thrills straight from the movie and books by entering Gringotts.  Universal provides all kinds of ways to make that magic come to life and Potterheads long to experience that whimsical feeling.

Harry Potter World Universal

Wizarding World

    Another way fans show their love for this series is by creating a profile with my wizarding world.  You're not a Harry Potter fan if you haven't figured out what house you are in with the Hat Sorting Quiz.  Along with a range of quizzes, to expand your fandom to real life, this website has a page to shop for merchandise such as wands and robes.  The Hat Sorting Quiz allows fans to learn if they're brave like Gryffindor or loyal like Hufflepuff.  My Wizarding World also has a Find Your Patronus Quiz where fans answer questions to find out if they are a Stag like Harry, a Phoenix like Dumbledore, or their own unique magical creature.  Through taking these quizzes, I have found out that I am a Gryffindor and my Patronus is a Black Mamba.

Wand Shopping

Fan Fiction

    After reading and watching the original Harry Potter series, some fans often desire or imagine a different storyline.  Between relationships, perspectives, or the overall ending, fans create their own Harry Potter world through fan fiction.  One of the most popular fan fiction is through Hermione's perspective as she is one of the fan favorites.  Most of these fan written stories include a variety of different ships with Hermione and Draco, Harry and Draco, and Harry and Ginny being the most used.  If interested in reading some Harry Potter fan fiction, an array of stories can be found on wattpad and webnovel. 

Conclusion

    Overall, Harry Potter has one of the biggest fandoms in the world.  Since the first book was released, the love for this series has continued to grow into the fandom it is today.  With the new T.V. series expected to air in 2025/2026, the fan base will continue to grow.  Admiration for Harry Potter is seen everywhere whether it be at Universal, conventions, or through social media and stories.  Getting a sense of the magic that is described through J.K. Rowling is every fans dream and participating in the fandom culture will bring you that feeling.
Harry Potter TV Series On Max: Release Date, Cast, How To Watch, More – Deadline
                                                                                                                                                                Harry Potter Series



Works cited

Dive into anything. Reddit. (n.d.). https://www.reddit.com/r/harrypotter/comments/xcuqp7/this_dumbledore_cosplay_from_dragoncon_a_couple/

MuggleNet. (2023, January 16). NYCC: “Harry Potter” fans show their true colors with cosplay. MuggleNet. https://www.mugglenet.com/2022/10/nycc-comic-con-harry-potter-fans-show-their-true-colours-with-cosplay/

Pryde, J. (2021, October 2). 15 Harry Potter fanfiction stories for The grown-up newbie. BOOK RIOT. https://bookriot.com/15-harry-potter-fanfics-for-the-grown-up-newbie/

Schulte, A. R. (2018, July 20). Harry Potter characters cosplay at comic-con!. Cool San Diego Sights! https://coolsandiegosights.com/2018/07/20/harry-potter-characters-cosplay-at-comic-con/

Tapp, T. (2023, April 13). 'Harry Potter' TV series on Max: Everything we know about the cast, release date, what J.K. Rowling says & more. Deadline. Retrieved May 7, 2023, from https://deadline.com/2023/04/harry-potter-tv-series-max-release-date-cast-1235323284/

Wikimedia Foundation. (2023, February 17). Harry Potter fandom. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_Potter_fandom#:~:text=Diehard%20fans%20of%20the%20series,Facebook%2C%20Twitter%2C%20and%20Tumblr. https://www.mugglenet.com/2022/10/nycc-comic-con-harry-potter-fans-show-their-true-colours-with-cosplay/

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Since 1989

Image
Taylor Swift     Who's Taylor Swift anyway?      Taylor Swift is one of the most loved pop stars in the nation. Her fan base has been growing steadily since her debut album dropped in 2006. Her fandom is full of some of the most creative and committed people. "Swifties" is the name that's been given to her fans and they are all proud to say it. From clothing to jewelry, fanart, and more, Taylor Swift's fans do it best.  Fan Art The internet has been flooded with Taylor Swift fans preparing for their turn to see her in concert. Fans have been customizing very creative outfits to wear to her concerts. Since her tour will include songs from all of her eras, fans are basing their outfits on their favorite album, and for some, it's them all!  One fan recently made a portrait of Taylor using lavender buds. Artist Nathan Wyburn spent hours on the project and his video was even shared on the official Taylor Nation TikTok account! This portrait was inspired by ...
Read more

Christine the Pristine RA

Image
Mr.Crabs Choking      In  Each dorm complex, community assistants help ensure the overall quality of life for the residents they watch over and preserve the rules/regulations of residents' life. Christine has drawn upon her Art Studio major, and it shows through the many decorations plastered around the halls of the 2nd floor of Montour. These small additions to the corridors and entrance are small contributions that RAs like Christine have made to improve Montour.     The 2nd floor gives off the feeling of a hotel illuminated by brightly boxed lights seeming unnerving without the additions made by Christine. When walking up to the 2nd floor two foyers stand in front of you. One goes straight to the lounge area and another on the left has an abundance of posters for different clubs and bulletin boards that have images of SpongeBob characters. Posted with words that correlate with the character on how to adjust to campus life each one different than the rest...
Read more

Harry Potter Fandom

Image
The Wizarding World Within: Exploring the Enchanting Universe of Harry Potter    Harry potter Fandom        Greetings fellow fans and followers! It is with great pleasure that I welcome you to my personal blog celebrating everything related to J.K. Rowlings timeless creation - Harry Potter! For over two decades now readers and viewers alike have been spellbound by this captivating world filled with beloved characters and richly imagined settings. And with legions of devoted fans producing works ranging from fiction to art and everything in between the Harry Potter fandom is truly a force of nature. As someone who has been passionate about this franchise for years I created this blog as a space to share my love of the wizarding world and explore its many facets - from its intricate narrative arcs 0 o its thriving community of fans. So whether you're a dedicated follower or new to Hogwarts life join me as we delve into Harry Potters enchanting universe! For ...
Read more