ThinkGeek: Harry Potter Mirror of Erised and Marauder's Map Review

Over the past decade, the fame of Harry Potter has swept the nation. I got to admit when the first movie came out, I was not that interested in it. However, I went to see it with my family because of all of the hype at the time and because I heard that the graphics and scenes in this movie would be terrific. While it was a good movie, nevertheless, I did not get caught up in the world of Harry Potter until quite recently when my oldest son watched the first movie on DVD. He loved the first movie and then continued over time to watch the remaining seven.

Watching the DVDs with him sparked my interest in this series and I have grown to love it as well. As soon as we watched Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part I in the theaters together, I had to borrow the book in order to find out how the series ends. There was no way I could wait until July. Although the wait was worth it, since the Deathly Hallows Part II was probably one of the best Harry Potter movies made.

Finding Harry Potter items in local stores is not always easy. My oldest son wanted some of the figurines of which I needed to buy on Amazon and Ebay. So I was very excited when I had the opportunity to work with ThinkGeek on reviewing some of their recent Harry Potter products: the Mirror of Erised and the Marauder's Map.

If you have watched the Harry Potter films or read the books, you will remember Harry first found the Mirror of Erised in the Sorcerer's Stone. As Harry looked into the mirror he saw himself surrounded by his dead parents and relatives. He visited as often as he could to see his parents until Dumbledore told him what the mirror was about and that it would be removed. If you read across the top of the frame of the mirror it is inscribed with the words Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi, which if you reverse the inscription and change the spacing it reads I show not your face but your hearts desire. At ThinkGeek, you can buy a replica of the mirror which measures 16.5" by 8.5". This mirror is quite heavy, but can be mounted either on a wall or on a tabletop. Of course, you will only see your reflection in this mirror, but think about what it would show if it truly showed your heart's desire.

The second item I reviewed was a replication of the Marauder's Map. In Harry's third year at Hogwarts, he was not able to visit Hogsmeade since his guardians did not sign his permission slip. However, George and Fred Weasley gave him the map so he could visit using a secret passage. The Marauder's Map was created by Remus Lupin, Peter Pettigrew, Sirius Black, and James Potter. The magical map not only shows all of the classrooms and hallways of the school, but it shows the grounds at Hogwarts and its secret passages as well. In the films, it also shows the location of anyone at Hogwarts by a dot, unless they are in the Room of Requirement. This map was quite useful to Harry throughout the rest of his years at Hogwarts. The replica I received was printed on high quality parchment paper and was quite large, as it unfolds to a length of 6 feet.

So if you love Harry Potter, you should check out these collectibles at ThinkGeek.

Disclosure: I received the above two products from ThinkGeek to review. No other compensation was received. All opinions are my own and are my honest opinion of the products.