Are you still wild about Harry?

I well remember the rise of "Pottermania." It began slowly with the first few books but then started to surge with the first Harry Potter movie. The coming of which was heralded by a merchandising blitz that called to mind Mel Brooks' "Merchandising, merchandising; where the real money from the movie is!" gag in Spaceballs. You had Harry Potter the costumes; Harry Potter the coloring books; Harry Potter the LEGO sets; Harry Potter the flying broomstick! (The kids must have loved that one.) And my personal favorite, Harry Potter the train set, an exact replica of the Hogwarts Express. Absolutely narly!

All kidding around aside, that mania sure was something.  It was anything, anywhere, anytime during its rein.  And to think it all started with some young adult novels by J.K. Rowling set in a magical make believe world. And where have Potter fans gone now that the last movie has been released? This article in The Telegraph from 2011 reveals one place fans headed for: the Pottermore website. Doubtless others have taken up fan fiction as well. But Harry's saga is otherwise complete.  No more midnight book releases with long lines outside bookstores like that pictured above. No more movie adaptations coming out hot on the heels of each other. No nothing. The likes of The Hunger Games have taken its place.

But just because the fad has faded out of public view does not mean Harry is getting new fans. The books and movies are still there for fresh generations to discover. And dyed in the wool fans can re-read (and re-watch) to their hearts' content. The lack of new Potter adventures is no impediment for most of his fans. Fan fiction provides a refuge for those that do.  There are fans sites galore alongside Pottermore.  And fans who fall in love with each other and wed can even throw Potter-themed weddings.

Are you a Harry Potter fan? If so, what is out there that keeps the magic going for you? Or do you make your own magic via fan fiction?

Image courtesy of Wikimedia.