Toys, Trading Cards, Trivia

There are many, many toys, trading card sets of various kinds, and trivia games for the Harry Potter series. However, I collected very few such items. So, on this page I will feature select items only, as the main purposes of my collection related to adapting of the book into films, marketing of the books and films, and considering the impact of Harry Potter on cultural trends. In the first sections, I describe and link to key resources that show and tell about hundreds of Harry Potter toys and other products.

Key Resource: Harry Potter Collector’s Handbook

Harry Potter Collector's Handbook ~ William Silvester

One of the most helpful resources for fans/collectors of the Harry Potter books, films, and licensed products is Harry Potter Collector’s Handbook by William Silvester (Krause Publications, 2010). It has 272 pages of descriptions, price ranges, and 400 color photos that display just about every imaginable product in the categories listed below. Plus it has a profile on “J.K. Rowling: The Woman Behind the Wizard” and advice on “Collecting Harry Potter.” Because this book is one you’ll likely refer to frequently, I’m including page numbers to make it easier to locate sections. (And check out the Index for cross-listings.)

• Action Figures – p. 17
• Artwork – p. 40
• Board Games – p. 52
• Books – p. 62
• Calendars – p. 82
• Cards – Collector/Trading – p. 94
• Costumes – p. 105
• Dolls – p. 119
• Ornaments – p. 128
• Miscellaneous – p. 157
• Index – p. 268

Actually, the “Miscellaneous” category is the largest, and it includes:

• Audio Books – p. 158
• Autographed Pictures – p. 159
• Banks – p. 162
• Bookmarks – p. 163
• Card Games – p. 166
• Clothing and Accessories – p. 167
• Coins – p. 173
• Compact Discs [soundtracks] – p. 175
• Crafts – p. 176
• Cutouts – p. 177
• Film Cells – p. 177
• Food and Drink – p. 180
• Greeting Cards – p. 184
• Jewelry – p. 187
• Key Chains – p. 191
• Lego – p. 193
• Linens – p. 196
• Lunch Boxes – p. 197
• Magazines with Harry Potter Covers – p. 198
• Magnets – p. 201
• Movies [DVDs of Harry Potter films and documentaries] – p. 202
• Mugs – p. 207
• Party Supplies – p. 208
• Patches – p. 210
• Pens – p. 210
• Personal Care [toothbrushes!] – p. 211
• Picture Frames – p. 212
• Pins and Buttons – p. 213
• Plush – p. 215
• Postcards – p. 220
• Posters – p. 227
• Props and Reproductions – p. 233
• Puzzles – p. 234
• Rubber Stamps – p. 236
• Stamps – p. 237
• Stationery – p. 248
• Stickers and Tattoos – p. 250
• Toys – p. 256
• Video Games – p. 260
• Wall Décor – p. 264
• Wands – p. 266

If you are interested in action figure sets, check out Lee’s Guide to Toys, produced by Lee’s Toy Review. Here is a sample from the guide for action figures from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, along with some from Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets:

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone ~ Lees Guide to Toys

Key Resource: Collector Zone Catalogues

To see the widest possible range of licensed items, manufacturer catalogs offer one of the best sources for detailed information and pictures of items. The Collector Zone produces several different lines of Harry Potter collectibles, and they have posted a series of catalogues that include what they manufacture as well as other items. (For the links, check around the home page. At this time – early 2011 – the link to the catalogue section can be found in the bottom left-hand corner.)

I would show images of the covers from some of their catalogues that feature major sections on Harry Potter items, however, that is against their copyright policy. So, please check out The Collector Zone and download their catalogues for yourself. The first number below is the number on the PDF, followed by the season, issue number, number of pages, and the caption on the Harry Potter items featured therein. (Such as: action figures, art prints, busts and statues, collector coins, collector stamps, collector plates, board games, decal and thermal mugs, desk collectibles, die cast vehicles, hats, licensed jewelry, playsets, replica props and wands, robes, role play items, scarves, sculptures, statues, ties, and trading cards.)

• #55 (Spring 2008; Harry Potter 2; 8 pages; New Order of the Phoenix Products)
• #54 (Winter 2007; Issue #10; 24 pages; Order of the Phoenix Action Figures)
• #53 (Summer 2007; Harry Potter; 20 pages; Brand New Range of Toys)
• #52 (Winter 2006; Issue #8; 40 pages; Hermione Light-Up Wand)
• #49 (Spring 2006; Issue #7; 36 pages; Harry Potter New Products)
• #47 (Winter 2005; Issue #6; 12 pages; Dark Times Lie Ahead – New Goblet of Fire Products)
• #46 (Autumn/Winter 2005; Issue #5; 36 pages; Goblet of Fire Trading Cards)
• #38 (Ideal Home Show 2005; 16 pages)
• #37 (Autumn 2004; Issue #3; 24 pages; Prisoner of Azkaban Update on cover)
• #36 (Summer 2004; Issue #2; 24 pages; Magic of the Movies / Harry Potter on cover)
• #35 (Winter 2003/2004; Issue #1; 24 pages; LOTR on cover)

Print Studios

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix ~ Dell Print Studio

Print studios are fun items to have for customizing your own print projects. Typically, print studios based on films use stock photographs or line drawings of the movie’s key characters, and perhaps some of the distinct settings, props, animals, etc. that make the film what it is. These images can be mixed and matched and put into such print project templates and activities as: banners, posters, party invitations, stationery, puzzles and games, greeting cards, postcards, coloring pages, email cards, bookmarks, trading cards, etc. The templates available depend on the manufacturer.

For the Harry Potter film series, CD-ROM print shops have been available for three movies:

HP2 – Chamber of Secrets [Epson printers; software produced by Microgistix, Inc., and apparently it had images or editions for each of the four Hogwarts "houses" - Griffendor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin]

HP4 – Goblet of Fire [Dell]

HP5 – Order of the Phoenix [Dell]. This allows Potterpreneurs to use movie-based images to: Create a Design, Create a Wallpaper, Create a Card, Load a Template, Load a Design.

Each was offered for a limited time by the company mentioned as a premium giveaway, either with printer cartridges, a printer, or other computer equipment. Various of these print studios appear on eBay, the Order of the Phoenix edition being the most commonly found there.

Given the global popularity of the book and film series, it is not surprising that each of these print studios offers instructions in seven languages (often in both UK and US forms of English). You’ll see the language abbreviations listed in this order:

• US – United States (Order of the Phoenix only)
• GB – Great Britain
• D or DE – German (Deutschland)
• NL – Dutch (Nederland)
• F or FR – French
• I or IT – Italian
• E or ES – Spanish
• P or PO – Poland

Novelty Printing Items

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets ~ Novelty Bank Notes ~ England

I don’t know exactly when the trend toward “novelty” item printing began. With “fantasy currency,” it may have begun in about the 1980s or so. I seem to recall an issue arose in the US when someone had pasted an oval photo of a well-known political figure on a one-dollar bill, and there had to be an official determination as to whether that was considered “defacing money” and whether such funds could still be considered “legal tender.” It wasn’t (i.e., not illegal) and it was (i.s., still legal money for exchange). Perhaps it is just easier to create a fantasy nation and currency denominations … At any rate, there are these British-style notes that use character photos from Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. For what it’s worth, I found the set on eBay US.

Artbox Trading Card Sets

Artbox Entertainment has produced an extensive series of trading card sets and related promotional cards, chase cards and items (as well as coins, autograph cards, costume cards, and other specialty items), binders, and collectible tins. I have not collected these sets, but appreciate the amazing attention to detail and design they represent. Most of the series have 90 cards in the base set, several promos, and multiple kinds of chase cards. (Note that not all sets are presented on the Artbox website.)

With films series like Harry Potter and The Lord of the Rings, trading cards often provide a significant amount of behind-the-scenes production information. This usually includes production design, special effects, costume design, make-up and prosthetics, stage development, rare photographs, and trivia. So, trading cards can prove themselves to be far more than a collectible set of cards with pictures from the film. They can supplement the DVD special features, documentary books, and other sources of information about the films’ production – but with well-designed cards that we can hold, look at, store, review, reflect on, and hold again.

The sets produced by Artbox in their Harry Potter series include:

• Harry Potter Literary Collector’s Cards – Set of 45 cards, using the book illustration art of Mary Grandpré for the first five books in the series.
• Harry Potter Poster Set – cards for the various official posters from the first five films in the series. (Limited Edition with only 1,100 sets produced.)
• Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone – Set of 90 Cards.
• Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone Widevision – Set of 80 Cards.
• Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets – Set of 90 Cards.
• Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban – Set of 90 Cards.
• Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban Update – Set of 90 Cards.
• Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire – Set of 90 Cards.
• Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire Update – Set of 90 Cards.
• Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix – Set of 90 Cards.
• Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Update – Set of 90 Cards.
• Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince – Set of 90 Cards.
• Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince Update – Set of 90 Cards.
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1 – Set of 90 Cards.
• Harry Potter Memorable Moments – Set of 72 Cards.
• The World of Harry Potter in 3D – Set of 72 Cards.
• Harry Potter 3D Series 2 – Set of 72 Cards.

Promo Card for Sorcerer’s Stone Set

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone ~ Artbox Trading Cards ~ Promo 04 (Gold Foil Version)

Artbox Poster Card Set

Artbox Poster Card Set ~ #1 of 3

Artbox Poster Card Set ~ #2 of 3

Artbox Poster Card Set ~ #3 of 3

Artbox Trading Card Sell Sheets

Prisoner of Azkaban ~ Artbox Trading Card Sell Sheets

 

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince ~ Artbox Trading Card ~ Promotional Card Set

View-Master

ViewMaster 3D ~ #1 of 3 ~ Storage Tin, Viewer, Series #1 Cards

ViewMaster 3D ~ #2 of 3 ~ Series #1 Cards (back), Special Viewer and Storage Case Cards

ViewMaster 3D Card ~ #3 of 3 ~ Rare Foil Version and Regular Version

In 2001, Mattel/Fisher-Price released a View-Master system based on Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. The film based on that book was released that same year, so – to be released early enough to serve as a promotion for the eventual movie – the ViewMaster had to be in the planning and production stages before the film was finished, and perhaps even before all the casting had been completed. So, it uses “literary illustrations” based on J.K. Rowlings’ descriptions of characters in her books rather than on the cast selected for the film.

The system was different from the traditional View-Master that uses reels – it used individual cards instead in a different format viewer instead. (3DStereo.com, which still sells the viewer and cards, noted that these 3D Windows are “similar to the 1950s Stori-view cards.”) The Harry Potter View-Master system included three items, sold separately: Viewer, 3D Windows plus Decoder Cards, and Storage Case.

View-Master 3D Viewer – press the gemstone on top and the viewer opens, looking similar to a set of pocket binoculars. The viewer can store several cards (called “Windows” in this system). The viewer was packaged with one unique card not found in the separate packages of cards, a special 3D Window card of Harry on his broom, chasing the Golden Snitch. This card is not part of the Series #1 card set. Original list price: $29.95.

3D Windows – individual cardstock cards with small frames of film in the lower left- and right-hand corners. When these cards are clicked into place in the viewer, a stereo picture similar to the image on the main part of the card appears.

Decoder Cards – individual plastic cards with no film frames, but a “diffraction grid” on the left-hand side instead. This special grid can be used to read secret writing on the 3D Windows that answers a trivia question from The Sorcerer’s Stone, such as, “Who’s motorcycle did Hagrid borrow?” The answer is found hidden in a small panel of what looks like parallel lines in which slight differences in line thicknesses actually form the letters of the answer – and it can only be seen when the Decoder Card is placed on top of it.

The cards were sold in packages of six randomly mixed cards: one Decoder Code and five 3D Windows. Each card has a lenticular/3D puzzle piece on the back, so when the entire set of 24 is put together, it creates a picture. Card size approximately 3.25″ wide by 3″ high. Original list price: apparently $7.95 per package, as that is the list price given on the very few online sites I could find that are selling the last remainders of their packages. This rather high price may later have been dropped to $2.99 (which is the current list price on Amazon).

I could not find details on the release date for Series #1. Series #2 was scheduled for release in June 2001, and Series #3 for release in August 2001. For a picture of the back of Series #1, see Photo #2 above. For a complete listing of cards in Series #1, see at the bottom of this section.

Decorative Metal Storage Case and Cardstock Wall Poster – The tin case was designed to hold the viewer and all 60 of the 3D Windows and Decoder Cards from the three series of cards View-Master planned to release. The cards could be stored either by clipping them into pre-cut corner tabs in the heavy cardstock poster – which was designed to show images of all 60 cards in Series #1, #2, and #3 – or stacking them inside three slots in the storage base. The base also included a space specifically to hold the viewer. The case included a unique Albus Dumbledore Decoder Card only available in this product package. Case dimensions approximately 12″ x 9.5″ x 4″. Original list price: $18.95.

Rarity. From what research I was able to do, it seems that all three Series of cards were released, but only Series #1 (24 cards) had a large edition. Some of the cards were more rare, and so a full set of 24 cards was relatively hard to come by – I only completed one set from about 150 cards, and with 6 cards per package, so that took 25 packages. If the original list price was actually $7.95 per package, this high price plus a too-random mix with too many rare cards to find would’ve frustrated Harry Potter fans from finishing their collection. This may explain why Series #2 and #3 (18 cards each) apparently sold out quickly, and may have been produced in very small numbers, as I have rarely seen them available anywhere and only found a few mentions of them in online sources.Included in the Harry Potter View-Master system :

There is at least one more component to this system. Namely, there apparently is at least one kind of 3D Window that uses a swirled foil on the front instead of just printed cardboard. See photo #3 above for an ultra-rare foil version of “Hagrid on the Cycle” plus a regular cardstock version for side-by-side comparison. I found only one foil card in about 150 cards that have passed through my collection. Also, I could find no additional information on this anywhere online.

Series #1 – View-Master 3D Window Cards and Decoder Cards

* Asterisk indicates a Decoder card. All others are 3D Windows.

• Albus Dumbledore
• Devil’s Snare*
• Dumbledore & Baby Harry
• Hagrid on the Cycle
• Hagrid’s Gift for Harry
• Harry Casts a Magic Spell
• Harry in His Cupboard
• Hedwig with a Message
• Hermione Invitation*
• Inside Gringotts
• Invisibility Cloak
• Letters from Hogwarts
• Mirror of Erised
• Mrs. Norris on Patrol
• Norbert*
• Pig Snout
• Platform 9¾*
• Potions Class
• Ron & the Potions
• Ron & the Sorting Hat
• Ron on Broom
• Slytherine or Gryffindor [Note: Slytherin is misspelled on the card as Slytherine.]
• The Key Among All Keys
• Wild Ride Under Gringotts

Trivia Games: Scene It and 20Q

 

Harry Potter Trivia Games ~ 20Q and Scene It (Deluxe 1st Edition)

Trivia can be fun … especially when we’re not required to learn factoids, but just happen to do so because we love the material so much. There are Harry Potter trivia books; Harry Potter film DVD special features with trivia quizzes with cast and crew, and various kinds of trivia games (see the Films, Scripts, and DVDs page); and Harry Potter trivia in games like Scene It and 20Q.

20Q looks like a Golden Snitch, and challenges us to a battle with its great “brain” that stores details from all 7 books in the Harry Potter series, and from the first 5 movies. Its slogan is, “Think about anything from Harry Potter. I’ll guess your thoughts!” And just by using our responses of Yes, No, Sometimes, and Unknown to the questions it asks us, it usually figures out what Person, Place, or Thing that I am. (I’ve beat the 20Q occasionally … but you wouldn’t want me to tell you what I was in the wizarding world, would you?!) Designed for ages 8+, and manufactured by Radica and Mattel.

Scene It? DVD Game (shown is the Deluxe First Edition with special metal collector’s case) is “the spellbinding game with Harry Potter movie clips” that show the answers to the questions. It features a DVD with trivia from the first three movies in the Harry Potter series, plus bonus images, questions, and puzzlers from Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. This edition includes a sealed packet of 5 exclusive trading cards. Designed for ages 8+, with 2 or more players, and manufactured by Screen Life/Optreve. Requires a TV, DVD player, and remote control. The DVD gives a demonstration of how to play the game.

Artbox Trading Card Sets

· Harry Potter Literary Collector’s Card set (HP1-HP5)

· Harry Potter Poster set (HP1-HP5)

Number of cards in a set is for the basic set. Most sets have several promo cards, plus multiple kinds of chase cards.

1. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone – Set of 90 Cards.

2. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone Widevision – Set of 80 Cards.

3. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets – Set of 90 Cards.

4. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban – Set of 90 Cards.

5. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban Update – Set of 90 Cards.

6. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire – Set of 90 Cards.

7. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire Update – Set of 90 Cards.

8. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix – Set of 90 Cards.

9. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Update – Set of 90 Cards.

10. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince – Set of 90 Cards.

11. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince Update – Set of 90 Cards.

12. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1 – Set of 90 Cards.

13. Harry Potter Memorable Moments – Set of 72 Cards.

14. The World of Harry Potter in 3D – Set of 72 Cards.

15. Harry Potter 3D Series 2 – Set of 72 Cards.