At Hamleys, The Boy Who Lived becomes The Boy Who Shopped.
Diagon Alley is so last year, darling. London toy legends Hamleys have welcomed a new arrival to their store, and it’s come straight outta Hogwarts. Their new Harry Potter department is 3000 square feet of pure magic, stuffed to the rafters with every trinket necessary for the discerning witch or wizard. Time to clear out your Gringotts vault and head on over!
They’ve named it the Department of Magic, although I would have gone for the Room of Requirement (in that I require everything in this room). Inside, you’ll find a massive range of Harry Potter merch, with everything from Snitches to Bertie Bott’s Every Flavour Beans on offer. Keeping apace with the new film franchise, they’ve also got a Fantastic Beasts section. At the upper end of the range, Hamleys’ soon-to-be launched Noble Collection will feature wands, Horcruxes, and wizard chess sets. They’ll even have a replica Firebolt broomstick, which we hope will someday make the Piccadilly line redundant.
Hamleys have also conjured up a couple of their patented Lego creations for the new section. Naturally, this means there’s a wand-wielding Harry Potter in attendance, along with an appropriately giant Hagrid statue. Aside from the shopping, Hamleys will run daily demonstrations and ceremonies, where you can learn to wave a wand and practice your Quidditch skills.
Most importantly, they’ve got their hands on a Sorting Hat, so you can finally find the answer you’ve been looking for your whole life: which Hogwarts house you belong in. Is it a ploy to get you to buy everything even remotely related to that house? Who the hell cares, I just want to be a Ravenclaw!
Find Hamleys at 188-196 Regent Street, Soho, W1B 5BT. Nearest station is Oxford Circus.
Featured image: @gigilafouine92