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| weasleys_039:wizard_wheezes [2025/08/02 08:29] – created xiaoer | weasleys_039:wizard_wheezes [2025/08/04 06:06] (current) – xiaoer |
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| =====Location Information===== | =====Location Information===== |
| * **Type:** [[Joke Shop]] | * **Type:** [[Joke Shop]] |
| * **Location:** [[Number 93 Diagon Alley]], [[London]], [[England]] | * **Location:** [[Number 93, Diagon Alley]], [[London]], [[England]] |
| * **Owner/Residents:** [[Fred Weasley]] (Co-founder), [[George Weasley]] (Co-founder), [[Verity]] (Shop Assistant) | * **Owner/Residents:** [[Fred Weasley]] and [[George Weasley]] (Founders); [[Verity]] (Shop Assistant) |
| * **Key Features:** A brightly colored, eye-catching facade, a perpetually crowded interior, and an ever-changing stock of magical joke and novelty items. | * **Key Features:** A brilliantly colourful and chaotic magical shop known for its inventive joke products, prank items, and a line of defensive magic goods. The storefront provided a stark, cheerful contrast to the increasingly gloomy [[Diagon Alley]] during the [[Second Wizarding War]]. |
| =====Description and History===== | =====Description and History===== |
| Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes is a highly successful joke shop founded by [[Fred Weasley]] and [[George Weasley]]. The business began as a mail-order service, conceived by the twins during their time at [[Hogwarts]]. They developed and tested products, such as [[Skiving Snackboxes]], on themselves and unsuspecting first-year students. The initial startup capital was provided by [[Harry Potter]], who gifted them his one-thousand [[Galleons]] prize money from the [[Triwizard Tournament]]. | Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes began as an owl-order business conceived and run by [[Fred Weasley]] and [[George Weasley]] during their time as students at [[Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry]]. Their ambition was to open a physical shop, a dream made possible by a one-thousand [[Galleon]] investment from [[Harry Potter]], who gave them his [[Triwizard Tournament]] winnings in 1995. |
| After famously leaving [[Hogwarts]] in an act of rebellion against Headmistress [[Dolores Umbridge]], the twins acquired the premises at [[Number 93 Diagon Alley]]. The shop opened in the summer before [[Harry]]'s sixth year and was an immediate and overwhelming success. The exterior was described as a dazzling spectacle of color that put the drab, neighboring shops to shame. The window displays were filled with an array of moving and magical items that drew in huge crowds. | The twins were notorious for developing and testing their products, such as [[Skiving Snackboxes]], on themselves and other [[Hogwarts]] students. After a dramatic and defiant departure from the school under the tyranny of [[Dolores Umbridge]] in 1996, they secured their premises at [[Number 93, Diagon Alley]]. |
| The interior was just as chaotic and vibrant, crammed from floor to ceiling with products. The shop was staffed by the twins and at least one assistant named [[Verity]]. The business was a beacon of lighthearted defiance during the dark times of the [[Second Wizarding War]], with its "U-No-Poo" campaign being a popular, thinly-veiled jibe at [[Lord Voldemort]]. | The shop officially opened in the summer of 1996 and was an immediate and overwhelming success. The exterior was described as so bright and vibrant that it made the other shops look drab. Inside, the store was crammed floor to ceiling with merchandise, creating a bustling and joyous atmosphere. Products ranged from classic joke items like [[Extendable Ears]] to more complex creations like [[Daydream Charms]] and the "WonderWitch" line of products, which included [[Love Potion]]s. |
| During the height of [[Voldemort]]'s power, when the [[Weasley]] family was in hiding, the physical shop was presumably closed. However, [[Fred]] and [[George]] continued to run the mail-order business via [[Owl Post]] from their hiding place at [[Auntie Muriel]]'s house. After the war and the tragic death of [[Fred]], [[George]] continued to run the business, turning it into a "money-spinner". | Following the death of [[Fred Weasley]] during the [[Battle of Hogwarts]], [[George Weasley]] continued to run the successful business. |
| =====Role in the Story===== | =====Role in the Story===== |
| Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes represents the ingenuity, ambition, and rebellious spirit of [[Fred]] and [[George Weasley]]. | The business serves as a major subplot throughout the middle books, showcasing the ingenuity, ambition, and humor of the [[Weasley twins]]. |
| * **Symbol of Defiance:** The shop and its products, particularly the [[Skiving Snackboxes]], were instruments of rebellion against the oppressive authority of [[Dolores Umbridge]] at [[Hogwarts]]. Later, the shop's thriving business in a fearful [[Diagon Alley]] served as a symbol of humor and courage in the face of [[Lord Voldemort]]'s return. | In //Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire//, the twins begin selling their products, leading to [[Harry Potter]] providing the startup capital. |
| * **Practical Aid:** Several of their products provided crucial help to [[Harry]] and his friends. [[Hermione Granger]] used a [[Decoy Detonator]] to create a diversion during the infiltration of the [[Ministry of Magic]]. Most notably, [[Harry]] used [[Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder]] to help his friends escape [[Draco Malfoy]] and his cronies on the [[Hogwarts Express]], and the trio used it again to escape the [[Ministry of Magic]] after retrieving [[Salazar Slytherin's Locket]]. | In //Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix//, their mail-order service thrives in defiance of [[Dolores Umbridge]]'s oppressive rules, culminating in their spectacular flight from [[Hogwarts]] after creating a [[Portable Swamp]]. |
| * **Character Development:** The creation of the shop demonstrates the twins' considerable magical talent and business acumen, proving they were far more than just pranksters. It fulfilled their life's ambition and made their mother, [[Molly Weasley]], immensely proud. | In //Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince//, [[Harry Potter]], [[Ron Weasley]], and [[Hermione Granger]] visit the successful physical shop. The store stands as a symbol of defiance and joy. Items from the shop play a role in the plot; for instance, [[Draco Malfoy]] uses [[Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder]] purchased from the store to facilitate the [[Death Eater]]s' entry into [[Hogwarts]]. |
| * **Plot Device:** [[Harry]]'s funding of the shop is a significant act of generosity and cements his bond with the [[Weasley]] family. | In //Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows//, the shop continues to operate through owl order, and their products, such as [[Decoy Detonators]], prove useful. |
| =====Known Areas Within===== | =====Known Areas Within===== |
| * **Main Shop Floor:** The primary retail area, constantly packed with customers and overflowing with merchandise. Displays included bins of [[Trick Wands]], boxes of [[Skiving Snackboxes]], and a pen of [[Pygmy Puffs]]. | * **Main Shop Floor:** The primary, densely packed retail space, filled with countless colourful products and thronging with customers. |
| * **Back Room:** A darker and less cluttered storeroom. It was here that [[Fred]] and [[George]] kept their more serious line of defensive magic items, including [[Shield Hats]], [[Shield Cloaks]], and [[Decoy Detonators]], which they showed to [[Harry]] during his visit. | * **WonderWitch Products Display:** A prominent area featuring products specifically marketed towards girls, such as [[Love Potion]]s, Ten-Second Pimple Vanishers, and [[Pygmy Puff]]s. This section was noted for its pink and fluffy branding. |
| | * **Back Room:** A private area used by the twins for stock-keeping and likely product development. It is here they discuss [[Draco Malfoy]]'s activities with Harry, Ron, and Hermione. |
| =====Behind the Scenes===== | =====Behind the Scenes===== |
| * J.K. Rowling has stated that after [[Fred Weasley]]'s death, [[George Weasley]] never fully got over the loss of his twin. [[Ron Weasley]] helped George run the shop for a time, making it very successful, before going on to become an [[Auror]] (J.K. Rowling interview). | * [[J.K. Rowling]] has stated that [[George Weasley]] continued to run the shop after Fred's death. For a time, [[Ron Weasley]] joined him in managing the business before becoming an [[Auror]]. (J.K. Rowling interview) |
| * In the film adaptation of //Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince//, the shop's exterior features a giant, animated mannequin of a twin in a purple suit, which cyclically tips its hat to reveal a rabbit. The interior is portrayed as a multi-storied, wildly chaotic, and brightly lit emporium (film). | * In the film adaptation of //Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince//, the shop's interior and exterior are depicted with extraordinary detail, featuring a giant, hat-tipping automaton of a Weasley twin, dynamic animated displays, and a riot of colour, faithfully capturing the spirit of the book's description. (film) |
