Famous Witches and Wizards Card

• Type: Collectible, Magical Photograph
• Owners: Various witches and wizards, notably Harry Potter and Ron Weasley as collectors.
• Maker: Unspecified manufacturer of Chocolate Frogs.

A Famous Witches and Wizards Card is a collectible item found inside the packaging of a Chocolate Frog. Each card features the moving, three-dimensional image of a historically significant witch or wizard. The portrait functions much like the magical portraits found throughout the Wizarding World, with the subject able to move and, in some cases, leave the frame of the card entirely. The reverse side of each card contains a concise biography of the individual pictured. Harry Potter's first card, featuring Albus Dumbledore, described him as the current Headmaster of Hogwarts, detailed his defeat of the Dark Wizard Grindelwald, listed his discovery of the twelve uses of dragon's blood, and mentioned his work on alchemy with Nicolas Flamel. While the shape is not specified in the novels, the cards are famously depicted as being pentagonal (film).

The primary magical property of a Famous Witches and Wizards Card is its enchanted portrait. The subject of the portrait is not permanently fixed and can disappear from view, as Harry Potter discovered when Dumbledore's image vanished from his first card. Ron Weasley explained that this is a common occurrence and that the subject will eventually return. The cards serve two main purposes:

• Entertainment and Collectibility: They are a popular collectible among young witches and wizards. Ron Weasley owned a large collection and was frustrated by his number of duplicates, expressing a desire to “collect them all.”
• Education: The cards provide a brief but useful historical summary of important figures in the magical community. They act as a simple, accessible way for people to learn about their own history.

Famous Witches and Wizards Cards are a well-established part of the confectionery culture in the British Wizarding World. On his first trip aboard the Hogwarts Express, Ron Weasley introduced Harry Potter to them, showing him his large stack of doubles. Known cards mentioned in the novels include:

• Albus Dumbledore
• Morgana
• Hengist of Woodcroft
• Alberic Grunnion
• Circe
• Paracelsus
• Merlin
• Cliodna
• Ptolemy
• Agrippa

After the Second Wizarding War, Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger were each honored with their own Famous Witches and Wizards Cards for their roles in defeating Lord Voldemort (J.K. Rowling interview).

The Famous Witches and Wizards Cards play a minor but crucial role, particularly in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. The card for Albus Dumbledore that Harry Potter receives on the Hogwarts Express becomes a key plot device. It is on this card that Harry first sees the name Nicolas Flamel, though he doesn't realize its significance at the time. Months later, when trying to identify Flamel, Harry remembers the name from the card's text, which leads the trio to discover the truth about the Philosopher's Stone. Beyond this direct plot relevance, the cards serve as an important world-building element. They introduce Harry—and the reader—to the wider history of the Wizarding World, establishing that it has its own celebrated figures, culture, and pastimes, distinct from the Muggle world.

• In the film adaptations, the cards are depicted as ornate, five-sided objects with a shimmering, holographic quality to the moving image (film).
• In several of the early Harry Potter video games, collecting a full set of Famous Witches and Wizards Cards is a major side quest. These games significantly expanded the list of known witches and wizards featured on the cards (video game).
• The Pottermore (now Wizarding World) website has released official digital versions of many cards, canonizing a wider roster of famous figures than were mentioned in the original novels (Pottermore).
• Non-magical replicas of the cards are a popular form of real-world merchandise for fans of the series.