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"DID YA BUY MY MERCHINDISE?!?" Dumbledore asked calmly.

I was watching this video while eating breakfast and when I finished I looked down in horror... I was eating from a Harry Potter bowl...

the subway hunger games ad has me literally crying. “the people in district 12 are starving… luckily you won’t be like them with our $5 footlongs !!!”

"You are a consoomer, Harry."
"I'm a ... what?"
"A consoomer. You were born with an unlimited credit card!"

"Please consider the environment before printing this email" at the bottom of those emails from the Harry Potter shop is the definition of performative corporate activism

I love that the email that tells you "we can't tell you where our merchandise was made" also says that the bottom, "please consider the environment before printing this email." WTF?

I remember going to the Wizarding World when I was like 12 or 13. They do an Olivander's 'experience' where they fill up the room and select a random kid to try out wands while practical effects happen around you. I got selected from the back of the room, then went through a few wands before one 'spoke to me.' It did feel magical and special, until afterwards a plain-clothed universal employee pulled me aside to say, "You actually don't get to keep this, but your parents can pay for it in the next room if you'd like!" like really? you cant shill out 20 some-odd wands a day

It's always been weird to me how the Weasleys are considered poor while the Malfoys are rich when the Weasleys have to have the most grandest depiction of a Witch's Hut I've read and seen and Malfoy Manor is your average Muggle Aristocrat's mansion

I’d also like to point out how this applies to Jurassic Park - the first film was entirely anti consumerism, but now they’re “slapped it on a plastic lunchbox”

"forced to write her novel on napkins in a cafe" as a poor person in the UK, that part of her poverty legend never made sense, like, she spent way more on that cafe cup of tea/coffee, assuming it was a greasy spoon than paper costs

Imagine being on the train to Hogwarts and wanting to buy a wispa and a coke only to find out that nouveau riche Potter kid everyone's been talking about for years bought the whole cart
Edit: I thought it was obvious this was a joke. I have no interest in debating the logistics of the Hogwarts Express food cart supply chain
Edit 2: A second edit to make the first edit more prominent because Potter fans in 2024 still can't detect humour nor display basic reading comprehension 🤦

I feel like Squid Game is our current equivalent to this phenomenon - I felt so gross about the Dominos commercials to promote the new season of Squid Game. Netflix turning it into a reality competition show. The countless amount of merch to make light of actual torture in the show. The show itself is about desperation, disenfranchisement, and poverty! Why are you selling cute pop figurines of the characters and sets?!

I once heard someone describe the character of Harry Potter as that kid who goes to college, and learns about all the injustices and flaws with the world and society around him, and then decides to become a Cop because his dad was the chief of police or something. And I think that’s just an incredibly apt metaphor for the series as a whole; just barely brushing its fingers against self awareness, ALMOST recognizing the grievous ills of the social structures around us, before taking a sharp U turn and going, “Well wait, what if slavery’s GOOD actually!”

I would argue that Dudley was never intended as anti-consumerist, particularly - it was about him being ungrateful for it and treating his stuff badly, rather than getting it in the first place (then again, I haven't reread it in years, for obvious reasons). Whereas Harry (because he grew up without anything) is suitably grateful for all his new stuff and treats it well and takes care of it. "Ungrateful" is a more common insult than "greedy" when villain characters use it, too

I really love Shaun's video on Harry Potter pointing out that JK Rowling's morality is basically "if a character we dislike does something, it's bad, but if a character we like does the exact same thing, it's good"

getting stupidly obsessed with a book series i picked up from my local library that was published like 20 years ago and doesn't even have a wikipedia article has made me kinda realize just how intertwined marketing is with fandom. so much of the buzz of fandom, especially since the advent of the internet, has been targeted and exploited. it just feels so much different when there isn't merch, or tie ins, sponsored youtubers or billboards, no influence and clout from a large community of people. i think we as fans need to reflect on the role fandom takes in modern capitalism

It reminds me of that certain era of y/n fanfics some years back. You’re adopted by [insert character/celebrity here], and by Chapter 3 (at the latest), you’re taken to buy a new wardrobe, new furniture, makeups, etc. Everyone got their chance to play Little Orphan Harry but instead of Hagrid in Diagonal Alley, you’re walking with Pentatonix through the Gucci store.

Imagine if a beanie of his own face was used to free Dobby

On my 11th birthday, I decided I wanted a harry potter themed party. So my parents and I made almost everything by ourselves: wands, brooms, a giant aragoge, the plushies, the fucking death eaters, the letters coming out of the fireplace with thousands of fake candles floating. It was magical and it was far better than those plastic, soulless merchandise. Btw, I still have some stuff and I usually give out to other harry potter fans.