Harry Potter: Books and Merchandise
With the rising popularity of the Harry Potter books, there is an increase in production of Harry Potter merchandise that both Hasbro and Mattel are taking full advantage of.
Warner Bros. Worldwide Consumer Products has announced that Hasbro has received the license to create Harry Potter games that involves the first two books in the series, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone and Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. Some of the Hasbro divisions including, Wizards of the Coast, Tiger Electronics and OddzOn, are also going to create some Harry Potter products. These companies are worldwide leaders in the products that they make, some of the products that they are known for are, the Pokemon Trading Card Game and Magic: The Gathering. There are trading cards, candy, youth electronic video games, and role playing games. Cap Candy will have interactive candy including the magical Bertie Bott‘s Every Flavor Bean and Tiger Electronics will introduce handheld electronic games, personal radios and recorders, diaries, kids messaging systems and voice changing devices. “The millions of Harry Potter fans around the world are going to love seeing literary references to things like cards and candy come alive through our exiting range of offerings,” said Alan G. Hassenfeld, Hasbro’s chairman and CEO (About).
Mattel, however, has the rights to Harry Potter toys. They have produced action figure trivia games, and collectible figures. Some of the collectible figures will only be offered in specialty stores. Most of these toys became available during the first part of the 2001 (Find Articles). There have already been over five hundred toys and gimmicks in stores, including dolls, puzzles, castles, broomsticks, and do-it-yourself magic. With the holiday season coming up, the Harry Potter products will be selling out fast. Mattel expects certain items to be sold out by Thanksgiving. Storeowners are happy to see the rise in sales with the merchandise and have had a hard time keeping products in the stores (CNN.com).
The popularity of J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series has helped Hasbro’s and Mattel’s sales go up. People, young and old, are buying up all of the Harry Potter merchandise and spending an enormous amount of money on the products. Along with the merchandise being sold in stores there is also a movie, “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” that came out November 16, 2001.
How Pharr off is Mary Pharr on the significance of the novel about Harry Potter? I believe very far off. I think the argument Pharr makes is not connected to the educational benefits of Harry Potter. Rather she argues the morality presented throughout Harry Potter by saying this is what all readers crave. “In Medias Res” by Mary Pharr is a response to critics’ critical analysis of the Harry Potter (HP) series’ ability to educate readers. After thinking and reading Mary Pharr’s text about the ‘educational value’ has concluded with few, if any educational benefits through Harry Potter. Though these lessons exist they are typically taught by parents not school, not quantitative skills or tools that are typically taught in schools,
The novels of Harry Potter, written by J. K. Rowling are constantly in debate among Christians whether Harry Potter is preaching sorcery and paganism or that the books have a spiritual meaning deeper than most care to look at. It is easy to look through the books and find sources of witchcraft but one could say the same for sources of the gospel. Author, J.K. Rowland has stated that her own Christian faith has in fact informed her writing of the popular series. Many Christians say Harry Potter is incomparable to Christ, being far from perfection while Voldemort seems to strike a different chord of response as far as his character representing The Devil himself.
In almost every civilization, or society, the dominant social group stereotypes the ethnic minorities and labels them a disapprovingly hateful title. The term, Dumb Polack is primarily an American phrase, but it is widely known, however rarely used, in countries such as the Czech Republic, France, and Ukraine. America, however, adopted the phrase from Germany. Germany thinks of Poland as, “Loveable dolts” and when said in Germany it is widely thought to be a joke. Polish people, however, don’t take this word and stereotype as much of an insult. In the polish language the word literally means pole, so you can see how, even when said as an insult, they are calling the...
Mattel wants to improve their execution of the existing toy business and globalize their brands; extend their brands into new areas; identify new trends, create new brands, and enter new industries; develop people and improve productivity by simplifying processes and maintaining customer service levels. Mattel wants to make a positive impact in children’s lives around the world by using unrivalled creativity and innovation to create high-quality toys that will be loved by children and trusted by parents.
Caffeine is a mild stimulant that occurs naturally in at least 63 plant species. Caffeine can be found in the leaves, stems, seeds, and roots of these various plants. Caffeine is part of the methylxanthine family. It consists of a xanthine molecule with three methyl groups attached to it. Caffeine can be found in many products like sodas, tea, and coffee, but it also occurs in several other products such as prescription medications, diuretics, and pain relievers. Caffeine’s widespread use and popularity have caused many people to view the substance as an addictive drug. Thus making caffeine the most inexpensive and readily available drug known to man. Then on the other hand there are people who view caffeine as a helpful stimulant that increases the individual’s concentration and awareness as well as many other physical traits. The important thing to remember is that caffeine’s affects vary based on the person, the amount ingested, the frequency of consumption, and individual metabolism. (http://www.pp.okstate.edu/ehs/kopykit/caffeine.html)
Before the first Harry Potter film came out in 2001, many fans were worried that the unusual and distinctively English charms of JK Rowling's books would be lost in the journey from printed page to the big screen.
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.
Any cartoon, animation, park, or product with Disney’s name attracted to it will automatically increase the popularity of that product. Brand recognition is extremely important to creating a long term company and returning customers. Even though Disney just started out creating animations and movies, they were able to find success in theme parks, cruises and many other areas because of their brand name. Having a reputation can have negative consequences, creating subpar products will impact the brand name, and that is why the quality of Disney’s products is essential to keeping a strong brand
A movie that came out in 2002 was Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. This movie was based off the best-selling novel, which was written in 1997 by J.K. Rowling, called Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. If you were to read this book and watch the movie you would find many differences, but the main difference between the two is that the book gives more information to the reader than the movie gives to the viewer. If someone was to watch the movie instead of reading the book, that person would not be able to have an accurate perception of the book because so many things in the book are changed in the movie or parts are left out of the movie completely. This is mainly because the book has more characters and chapters, which are able to keep the reader informed and interested. Still, the movie is shorter so that people who want a quick summary of the storyline can get it,
Hasbro owns only two production factories; one in Massachusetts, USA, and the other one in Waterfall, Ireland. These facilities are in charge of producing board games and puzzles, while the rest of their products are manufactured by third party vendors and other outsourcing factories. Through this line of action, its business model allows Hasbro being a cost leader, focusing resources towards the development of innovative ideas for their products and their systems. Some key areas in the overall strategy of Hasbro are: Human Resources, Purchasing, Product Development and Customer Services.
It is evident that Mattels core focus has changed considerably- especially when compared to their focus prior to the first recall. It is evident that Mattel now focuses its attention on doing the right thing for “regulators, retailers, customers and suppliers ahead of damage control or profits.” (Hurley, 2012) In doing so Mattel has built credibility around its supply chain risk management capabilities and regained the trust of the general public as well as that of other stakeholders. (Deschene, 2007)
Ever since J.K. Rowling first introduced Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone in 1997, children and adults have read and loved the series. It has gained such popularity that all of the books have been made into major motion pictures, and a Harry Potter attraction has been opened in Universal Studios, Florida. Though the readers love Rowling’s intricate and exciting story lines, many controversies have arisen from these stories, not only in the United States, but also in various countries around the world. Perhaps the biggest controversy is the religious implications perceived by some critics. Although these critics believe that the series promotes paganism and encourages evil actions, these theories should not be taken so seriously.
Harry Potter and The Half-Blood Prince (Harry Potter and HBP) is the sixth movie in a series of eight. The Harry Potter series is a magic journey about a boys fight between good and evil, and his own personal struggles with the darkness that is growing within him. With the help of his two best friends Ron Weasley who is played by Rupert Grint, and Hermione Granger played by Emma Watson, Harry, played by Daniel Radcliff, has an almost impossible task of defeating the dark Lord Voldemort also know as Tom Riddle in another lifetime. The Harry Potter series is based on the wildly popular book series written by J.K Rowling. Why is Harry Potter so popular? I believe it is because the films and
The Harry Potter series is a force to be reckoned with now-a-days. Even though the book series ended, as well as the movies, it will always continue to leave impacts and grow on top of itself using different media, old and new. When J.K. Rowling wrote the first book, she never thought it would be what it has become today. A New York Times article states, “Here we look at what has become a hugely profitable corporate brand, a fan-fueled sensation and one of the biggest entertainment stories of the last decade” (Dargis and Scott, 2011). A lot of this hype and growth came from the use of media convergence. The definition of media convergence is the combination of new media and old media within a single piece of media work – the coming together of different media products. A good example of this would be how we now use our cellular devices to listen to music. We use the old media idea of personal music players, but we
The first Harry Potter book came out in 1997, and no one at the time could imagine that in the 10 years that followed, it would become the most read children’s book and a $6.4 billion worth film franchise. The aim of this essay is to try to explain the reason for the popularity of the Harry Potter books. The aim is also to show the changes that the series caused, how they influenced the people who read them, how they had an impact on literacy and overall, on British popular culture. In the first part of the essay I will briefly explain the beginning of the Harry Potter phenomenon and its growing popularity in the countries all over the world. In the second part I will deal with the character of Harry, explaining why he has such an appeal to the readers and how come people identify with him. In the third part, I will explain the impact Harry Potter books have on society, how they influence young adults and children. The fourth part will deal with the controversies about Harry Potter, the views and thoughts of religious people who see Harry Potter as a book that should be banned. In the fifth part, I will mention the difference the phenomenon caused when it comes to the book business and the film industry of Britain.