Joke Products

• Type: Magical Item, Prank Device, Merchandise
• Inventors and Purveyors: Fred Weasley, George Weasley (Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes), Zonko's Joke Shop
• Primary Consumers: Hogwarts students, pranksters

Joke Products are a class of Magical Items designed to cause amusement, mischief, and harmless trickery. They are particularly popular among young witches and wizards, especially students at Hogwarts. The effects of these items range from simple gags, like producing foul smells, to more complex magical feats, such as creating temporary and convincing symptoms of illness. Notable joke products come from two main sources: Zonko's Joke Shop in Hogsmeade and, more prominently, Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes, the company founded by Fred Weasley and George Weasley.

• Products from Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes include:
  • Skiving Snackboxes: A range of sweets designed to make the eater ill with a specific, short-lived symptom to get out of class. Each sweet has two-colored halves, with one side causing the ailment and the other providing the cure.
    • `Puking Pastilles`
    • `Fainting Fancies`
    • `Nosebleed Nougat`
    • `Fever Fudge`
  • Extendable Ears: A long, flesh-colored string with a human-like ear at the end, used for eavesdropping on conversations from a distance.
  • Weasleys' Wildfire Whiz-bangs: Spectacular and highly disruptive magical fireworks that are enchanted to multiply, explode in elaborate forms (like dragons and rockets), and resist Vanishing Spells.
  • Decoy Detonators: Black, horn-like objects that scurry away, creating a loud noise and a cloud of smoke to act as a diversion.
  • Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder: A powder imported from Peru that, when thrown, creates an impenetrable, magical darkness that cannot be lit by wandlight.
  • WonderWitch line: A range of products targeted at young witches, including highly effective Love Potions.
  • Pygmy Puffs: Miniature, fluffy pink or purple creatures sold as pets.
  • U-No-Poo: Pills that cause constipation, marketed with the slogan, “The Constipation Sensation That's Gripping the Nation.”
  • Patented Daydream Charms: A charm that induces a high-quality, thirty-minute daydream.
• Products sold at Zonko's Joke Shop or confiscated by Argus Filch include:
  • `Dungbombs`
  • `Stink Pellets`
  • `Hiccough Sweets`
  • `Frog Spawn Soap`
  • `Nose-Biting Teacups`
  • `Fanged Frisbees`
  • `Screaming Yo-yos`
  • `Ever-Bashing Boomerangs`

The primary function of joke products is to create humorous or disruptive effects through a variety of charms and enchantments. The magic involved is often surprisingly complex, showcasing the skill of its inventors.

• Illness Induction: The Skiving Snackboxes are enchanted to induce very specific physical symptoms. The magic is cleverly designed to be potent enough to fool teachers like Dolores Umbridge but mild enough to be reversed instantly by a simple antidote contained within the same sweet.
• Auditory Surveillance: Extendable Ears are enchanted to transmit sound along their length, functioning as a magical listening device. Their effectiveness can be blocked by enchantments like an Imperturbable Charm.
• Diversion and Chaos: Products like Decoy Detonators, Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder, and Weasleys' Wildfire Whiz-bangs are designed for maximum disruption. The Whiz-bangs, in particular, are imbued with powerful charms that make them difficult to remove, demonstrating advanced magical skill.
• Emotional Manipulation: The Love Potions sold as part of the WonderWitch line are powerful enough to cause a deep infatuation in the drinker, as seen when Ron Weasley accidentally ingests a batch meant for Harry Potter.

Joke products have a long history of popularity at Hogwarts, as evidenced by Argus Filch's extensive collection of confiscated items. For many years, Zonko's Joke Shop in Hogsmeade was the premier destination for students seeking such novelties. The most significant development in the field came from Fred Weasley and George Weasley. They began inventing and testing their own products during their time at Hogwarts, using an owl-order service to sell them to fellow students. Their ambition was always to open their own shop, a dream they realized after Harry Potter gave them his 1,000 Galleon winnings from the Triwizard Tournament as startup capital. They established Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes at Number 93, Diagon Alley, which quickly became a tremendous success. During Dolores Umbridge's tenure as Hogwarts High Inquisitor, the twins used their products as tools of rebellion, culminating in their legendary departure from the school amidst a chaotic display of Weasleys' Wildfire Whiz-bangs and the creation of a magical swamp. The shop continued to thrive even during the dark times of the Second Wizarding War, offering a source of laughter and defiance against Voldemort's regime.

Joke products serve several important functions in the series. They are a primary source of comic relief, contrasting with the increasingly dark and serious main plot. They are also the ultimate expression of the Weasley twins' talent, ambition, and personality. Crucially, these items symbolize rebellion against oppressive authority. The twins' use of their inventions to terrorize Dolores Umbridge and undermine her control of Hogwarts becomes an inspiration to other students. This demonstrates that resistance can take many forms, including humor and mischief. Several specific products are vital to the plot. The Extendable Ears are used to spy on the Order of the Phoenix. The Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder helps Harry and his friends escape Draco Malfoy and other Death Eaters after the Battle of the Astronomy Tower. A Decoy Detonator provides a key distraction for Harry during his infiltration of the Ministry of Magic.

• In the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, the Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes shop is depicted as a brilliantly lit and colorful oasis of fun in a Diagon Alley that has otherwise become dark and deserted due to Voldemort's return to power. (film)
• Many products, such as Pygmy Puffs, edible Dark Marks, and the U-No-Poo display, are given prominent visual gags in the film version of the shop. (film)