Harry Potter is the first fantasy character that came out of the book and became a life changer. It is not just a series anymore; it has transcended the pages and become a revolutionary work of the fantasy genre. This massive trendiness can be marked as Harry Potter’s legacy in popular culture. J.K. Rowling did a great job at creating this magical world that is now literally taking over the real world. In every city or town of any corner of the world, you would probably run into a Muggle. They feel fortunate to carry the signature items of Harry Potter. Harry Potter made a huge spot in society that it has taken over almost every industry in the world. Nowadays, every item of regular use can be found as Harry Potter-themed. Every industry, including the film industry, commercial industry, and the fashion industry, is also under the enchantment of Harry Potter. Some clothes are inspired by Harry Potter. People even do their nail art inspired by Harry Potter, and that is on another level; they almost put the whole wizarding world on their tiny nails. It is to be appreciated. This shows how much impact Harry Potter has over pop culture that even the little art is done by this series’s inspiration.
Millennials are the first Muggles that grew up as adults with the Harry Potter series. They are leading the pop culture in one way, keeping up the activity related to Harry Potter and letting the new generation be a part of their muggle world. They use words in their daily life that come from the books of Harry Potter like Hogwarts, Muggles, such as Hufflepuff, The Room of Requirement, bloody ( because of how much Ron would use it ), Goodbye.. .., friend of Hagrid, etc. They wear clothes that are themed on Harry Potter. Even the Harry Potter-themed parks are almost packed every year. For this impact on a whole generation and even on the new ones, Harry Potter can be called the cornerstone of pop culture.
From Page to Screen:
In 1997, David Heyman got a copy of Harry Potter’s first book sent by J.K. Rowling. By reading the title he found it quite rubbish and put it on less priority. He made the most common mistake of human nature, literally judging the book by its cover or, we can say, title. Later, when her assistant read it and gave him a positive review, he also read it thoroughly and found it quite amusing. From there the films over the Harry Potter series’s journey were started. J.K. Rowling gave some strict conditions such as the cast must be British or Irish unless it was the roles demanded to take others, she wanted to be a part of the films by assisting them to adjust the books, she precisely disapproved of giving the rights of her character to Warner Bros which would give them the right on making non-author written sequels. And later when in 2001 the first movie was released, the world went insane over the series. The person who does not like to read also learned about the Harry Potter world. Movies reached those people who couldn’t afford to read the books. People of all ages learned to know about it. Many media started using Harry Potter references everywhere, they tried to connect their life with Harry Potter by comparing themselves with the characters.
Another great debate among the fans is on which Hogwarts house they belong to. They collect merchandise themed on Harry Potter and Wentz to Harry Potter-themed parks on weekends. In other words, Harry Potter has taken over the whole world with its magic and struck most powerfully right after the release of the movie.
Harry Potter is everywhere, ruling the world full of muggles; if you look outside the window, you will find various examples. Some of them are:
1. Visual Style:
People wear the round-shaped glasses worn by Harry Potter to follow the trends. Harry Potter even made the round glasses as their petition and that is something wholesome. Fashion designers make clothes inspired by Harry Potter, and they get sold out in just a fraction of the time.
2. Music:
Music artists are using Harry Potter themes in their concerts, which adds more enthusiasm to their music. They use words taken from Harry Potter as their lyrics which shows that they are also a part of the magical world. Some famous musicians who are fans of Harry Potter are Ariana Grande, Camila Cabello, Selena Gomez, Shawn Mendes, Liam Payne, and Niall Horan from One Direction, etc.
3. Films:
Many movies were motivated by the Harry Potter series. Either they followed some rules as a trinity or created a fantasy world where the werewolves and vampires live along with the humans. They even created morally complex works. Such films are Twilight, The Hunger Games, The Maze Runner, Stranger Things, etc.
Pop Culture Icons and Symbols:
Harry Potter’s characters are the main reason for its popularity, as a common person can relate to them. Their characteristics are down to earth and stuffed with common human flaws that the viewers felt attached to the characters. People who follow the style of Harry Potter try to achieve his characteristics.
Harry Potter The leadership he had and how bravely he fought against evil and brought victory to good is forever iconic. Even the friendship of the trinity is a goal for readers and they desire to have a trusted group of friends just like Harry did.
Hermione Granger is the brave and intelligent bookworm female character of Harry Potter. In Prisoner of Azkaban, she played a vital role in winning against the evil power and saving many innocent lives. Sirius even tells her that she is one of the greatest wizards of her time. Fans get inspired by her thirst for knowledge, and they try to become someone like Hermione Granger.
Professor Snape is a complicated character though he has his fair share of fandom. From him, viewers learn to love unconditionally. Snape even protects Harry many times, who was the child of his lover with another man; this makes his character sympathetic, and fans call him an icon of love.
Almost all the characters of Harry Potter can be marked as icons. The people of this fanbase follow their icons and try to make them immortal in this world.
Harry Potter’s symbols, like scars, glasses, and lightning bolts, are popular in fashion, art, and media. Just a print of round glass and a bolt sign above it makes a clothing piece most wanted clothing for Harry Potter fans. These symbols are only used by the Potter fans. Some even make tattoos on their body with these symbols to show their loyalty to the series.
Pop Culture Tributes and Parodies:
Harry Potter’s dominance over becoming the frequent parody subject is understandable in the pop culture media. Harry Potter is inspiring the media platforms, including television shows like The Simpsons and Saturday Night Live (SNL) on parodies, references, and homages. Harry Potter’s popularity and unbeatable status have made it the foremost target for humor, satire, and clever nods, and served as a beloved subject for cultural commentary.
1. Parody in The Simpsons:
The Simpsons was one of the most popular TV shows that used references to Harry Potter. They made poking fun at the magical world created by J.K. Rowling. The Simpson family goes to England, in the episode “The Regina Monologues” (Season 15 ), where they encounter J.K. Rowling outside a bookstore. Lisa excitedly asked Rowling what was going to happen at the end of the series. This show’s humor and social commentary make it a perfect medium for popular culture phenomena like Harry Potter.
2. Saturday Night Live References and Parodies:
Saturday Night Live (SNL) has continually used Harry Potter for comedic inspiration during the time this series was at the peak of the franchise’s popularity.
In 2002 The first Harry Potter-themed sketch was released. The sketch titled “Hogwarts Academy,”. This parody highlighted the series’s shift in tones as the characters aged.
Another parody was aired in the form of a faux commercial called “Harry Potter 20 Years Later,” in which they imagined the characters’ adult times and how they would talk about work problems and mortgages.
From the beginning, Harry Potter has been referenced in many shows. These references often occur with humor and cultural critique towards the Harry Potter series. Harry Potter as an icon continues to influence a wide range of media.
Harry Potter is such a huge influence in pop culture that it has taken over all aspects that it is now an undefeated phenomenon. Harry Potter has suppressed the popularity of the James Bond series that has been ruling the franchise for over 50 years. This shows how much admiration the Harry Potter series has for taking over a place that had been secured by a 50-plus-year-old series. Harry Potter’s cultural influence keeps growing day after day, and it is securing its place at the top by keeping engaging with the fans. The Harry Potter franchise keeps dropping new editions of books, exclusive merchandise, and even prequel movies that are revealing more secrets about the world of Harry Potter. There’s an additional movie that came out in 2022, which is related to Dumbledor. There’s no doubt that everyone knows who Dumbledor is and anyone can predict what this movie may be about. So it is expected that Harry Potter will continue to rule pop culture for many more years in the future.
