Toys
Object Information
- Owners: Primarily wizarding children and young adults; also utilized by adults for amusement and pranks.
- Maker: Various, ranging from individual enchanters to dedicated businesses like Zonko's Joke Shop and Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes.
Description and Magical Properties
Toys in the Wizarding World are objects of amusement, often enchanted with magic to perform tasks beyond the capabilities of their Muggle counterparts. They range from simple, self-playing games to complex joke products. These items provide insight into the everyday culture of witches and wizards, particularly the lives of their children. Notable examples of magical toys and games include:
- Toy Broomsticks: These are miniature broomsticks designed for very young children. They are enchanted to hover only a couple of feet off the ground and fly at a slow, safe speed. Sirius Black gifted one to Harry Potter for his first birthday, and Ron Weasley also owned one as a child.
- Exploding Snap: A magical card game where the cards are enchanted to spontaneously explode during play, adding an element of risk and excitement.
- Self-Shuffling Playing Cards: A common convenience item, these enchanted decks of cards shuffle themselves, as seen in places like The Burrow.
- Joke Products: Many items sold at joke shops function as toys for pranksters.
- Fanged Frisbee: A purple frisbee equipped with fangs that growls and attempts to bite anything it comes near. They were on Argus Filch's list of banned items at Hogwarts.
- Ever-Bashing Boomerangs: Magical boomerangs that are enchanted to continuously hit their target.
- Decoy Detonator: A black, horn-like object that, when dropped, scuttles away on its own before emitting a large cloud of black smoke and a loud bang, creating a significant diversion.
- Enchanted Models: Miniature, animated replicas of creatures or objects. For the Triwizard Tournament, the champions were shown highly realistic, moving models of the dragons they were to face, each one capable of breathing fire.
- Muggle Toys with Magic: In his youth, Tom Riddle stole several Muggle toys from other orphans, including a yo-yo, a silver thimble, and a mouth-organ. He used his innate magical abilities to manipulate these items, demonstrating an early and cruel application of magic, such as when he used it to hang Billy Stubbs's rabbit from the rafters.
Role in the Story
Magical toys serve several functions in the narrative. They are a primary tool for world-building, illustrating the whimsical and magical nature of everyday wizarding life, which contrasts sharply with Harry's mundane upbringing at Number Four, Privet Drive. They also contribute to character development. Sirius's gift of a toy broomstick establishes him as a fun-loving and slightly reckless godfather. The inventive and often dangerous toys created by Fred Weasley and George Weasley showcase their genius, ambition, and rebellious spirit. Conversely, the toys stolen by a young Tom Riddle highlight his nascent cruelty, possessiveness, and desire for power over others. On occasion, toys function as critical plot devices. A Decoy Detonator, a product from the Weasleys' joke shop, is instrumental in allowing Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger to create a diversion and infiltrate Dolores Umbridge's office at the Ministry of Magic.
